Saturday, January 9, 2016

The Sun Also Rises in Winter.

Winter has come to California. We had missed the memo last year, and maybe ignored it the year before, but we have it now. Winter is coming .. is here! It has also brought some life changes and lifestyle changes for me in particular. Gone are the days, perhaps, of riding every weekend, or taking off often on long cross-country trips for days on end. I am still young (very young?), those days might return, perhaps when I am a bit older, so maybe I can enjoy the free time a lot of my much older friends seem to enjoy, but I am in no hurry to get old. For now, professional challenges have a very firm grip on me, and I seem to be enjoying them also - I may have shirked away from responsibilities sometimes or some days, but I have never backed away from a challenge, and the new gig is nothing but..

But, the sun also rises in the Winter. Now, more so than ever, I have to grab every opportunity that presents itself - to get away, to let the wind scrub away the worries, the stress, the niggles from my mind. Let the sunlight color my face, and let the sun burn away the clouds and the fog which collect in the winter of my mind.

On these scarce days, I will ride more, and I will write less. I will extend my ride to pull in places farther away, but perhaps not extend the lens as much to do the same. New Year's Day was one such day to extend my wine country ride out to the coast. A perfect opportunity to start the year, the best way I knew how, astride perhaps the best motorcycle that I have ever owned - the tried and tested companion of many years now, the veteran, the been through hell and back, the quirkier now than before, but still the very enjoyable FJR.

I hope you enjoy the images that follow. I am going to be writing less, but I am hoping the images will convey more than my words could manage. Happy New Year!


Leave the archway open, let the sun shine through..





Look beyond the rocks, and learn to ride the waves..
Don't be afraid of going to the edge, but do come back..
Let the surf break on and scrub the rocks in your mind..
Extend and pull in those who are further away..
Find a way through the rocky seaboard, to the sandy beach.
Yearn the ocean blue, take it back with you in your heart.
Thank you for reading! :)

12 comments:

  1. Beautiful images! Glad to see you posting again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the compliment! I love your blog also. It's on the blog-roll! :)

      Delete
  2. Love your stuff, as always. Hope you can still balance the professional challenges as well as the challenge of writing and photography!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ally. Great to hear from you! Hope you are doing great also! :)

      Delete
  3. Speaking as one who is now on the other side of the career/ride balancing act, may I opine that the riding I was able to enjoy during my more active years at work provided a welcome opportunity for reflection and release. (Regularly I made my five-and-a-half mile commute home into somewhere around forty-six.) The next day, I was better equipped to deal with that which the office thrust my way. Glad you're able to employ same release mechanism.

    As always, very nice shots.

    As always, ride safe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mr B!

      While I don't commute to work on the motorcycle. A good weekend ride is very much looked forward to all week - thankfully the weather cooperated again today! :)

      Delete
  4. Stunning photos. So much better than our New Years ride in freezing temperatures.

    Nothing like a view of the Pacific Ocean.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read about your New Years ride. Glad you got the chance to get out also! :)
      California does enjoy some of the best weather in the country. We pay for it both literally and figuratively in other ways, but that's a story not for this blog.
      Thank you for commenting. I love hearing from you! :)

      Delete
  5. I have an FJR also and I need some people to ride with on the weekends. I've been looking on pashnit. Any other suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pashnit is a good start. Also FJRForum. Post or look for posts in their regional riding threads.

      Depending on your location, there might also be other local riding forums and groups that might interest you.

      All in all, it is who you feel comfortable riding with. Personally, I only ride with a very select and trusted few.

      Delete
    2. Thank you Jeff! Your kind words are always very appreciated! :)

      Delete

I love to read your comments and suggestions and appreciate them very much, so please feel free to leave some. Although, to fight spam, I do limit comments to Registered Users which includes those with blogger accounts, or other Google accounts or OpenID accounts etc. Thank you!