1974 Honda CB360T

I won't bore you with all the details, but I did want to announce that BKG has added a new member to the fleet.  Last Wed night I found a good looking classic Honda CB.....a 360cc.  This is a small frame bike, the condition looked great, and all original.  Only 10K on the odometer!  This bike has been stuck in a barn/shop since 1997.  The seller used it in college cruising the campus of University of Washington.  He blew the back tire out and never fixed it.  He did say he occasionally started the engine to keep it lubed up.  We settled on a price that we were both happy with and I loaded her up on my trailer and headed home.  I put in a new battery, back tire, and spark plugs.  I had this running in 20 minutes. 

I didn't know how Marie would respond to another bike (this makes 4).  She took it quite well.  As of yesterday (Sunday) she has wanted to take it everywhere.  We rode it to the mall, grocery store, friends house, local festival, and some back county road cruising.......we did about 60 miles on Saturday/Sunday.  We even have a small ride to a blueberry farm planned for this coming weekend.   Plus, she wants to learn how to drive it!

Bobbie update:

I took Bobbie home Saturday morning to work on the electrical wiring.  My neighbor Blake came over to give me a hand at sodering the wiring harness.  It wasn't the quickest task....seemed like we were working on it all afternoon.

Towards the early evening the main harness was wired and it was time to hear her run.  We put some hot sauce down her throat and gave some kicks.  She fired right up!!!  I don't have the muffler cans finished so I just used the straight pipes.......one word says it, "LOUD!!!"

I let Blake jump on her and feel the meanness.  I still need to finish clear coating the tank, tidy up the electronics, build the mufflers, fabricate a license plate frame, and locate a unique tail light....

Warrior Dashing through Life

We have had an awesome couple of weeks since returning from NC. July has truly been lovely.  The last few weekends are a blur of pleasantly fulfilling activities. Some work. Some play. Some relaxing. Some helping others. Some minding our own. A few highlights to share...
Farmer Willie has been reaping lots of beautiful summer produce:

Fresh dill...

Traded at the local veggie stand...

For melons!  Willie made trades two weekends in a row. :)

Beets, lettuces, carrots.

Marie channeled Martha Sue and absolutely demolished the shrubs/greenery that used to run along the side of the house.

The view from our bedroom... it really is quite pretty.

 Too many delicious meals to remember... no wonder we have a little extra meat (fat) on our bones!

Quinoa with chickpea pajane

Cod over a bed of arugula and hash.

Pulled pork carnitas with fresh pico and guac.

Homegrown roasted beets. So yummy!

Lots of cat loving:

Wallowing in the catnip...

Lefty sharing a brew.

 Connor did a golf tournament last Friday... and Marie did a Warrior Dash with a few friends on Saturday... check that one off the bucket list. It was actually a lot of fun and definitely a good test of fitness/strength. Here is a clip of the team heading for the finish line. Don't laugh!!

We could close the blog posting with some philosophical waxing and waning...
Life is a lot like a warrior dash.  Periods of smooth sailing - that still require your attention and focus if you want to be successful. Periods of obstacles and challenges - that can make you wonder how you got into this mess.  Good company, positive encouragement, laughs to balance the tears, and a clear goal to enjoy the ride and help people on your way all make it an awesome experience!

Beaches, Bikes, Brew, and Barbecue

Sounds like a fun festival!  It's been fun and busy in the Tuckerhouse....not a real moment of downtime.  Here's a quick recap:

Beaches:
Last Wednesday we went to Steilacome, WA and enjoyed a Beatles cover band on the Puget Sound.  We ate yummy burritos and delicious ice cream.....Marie got the stuffed strawberries and I had the peanut crusted chocolate ice cream bar.

Abbey Road rocking out!

yummy!

Yesterday we went river exploring.  There are so many rivers in Washington, probably 4 in the Chehalis area.  It was hot so we needed to do some swimming!  This beautiful body of water is only 17 miles from our front door.  The river is the Olequa.....it runs into the famous Cowlitz River.  We packed a few brews and some cold fried chicken!

so close, but so far away....

slippery rocks....

the water was chilly, but we dove right in....

Bikes:
The XL500 is running great right now.  I have decided to sell it....I know you all thought I was going to keep it and thrash it in the woods.  Well, you can't make any $$$ doing that!  I'm not desperate to sell, so I'll just see if anyone is interested.

my favorite passenger......

The XS400 "Bobbie" is looking better everyday.  I have been trying to take a few moments everyday on her.....painting and putting  back together.  Hopefully I can hear her run this weekend.

the pieces of the puzzle.....

Hottie.....I love my biker chic!

I got a lot done.....the powerplant is back in the chassis....

my first attempt a body filler work....

some more sanding before primer.....

Brew:
Saturday I brewed batch #39......Rye Not?   This is a Rye American Pale Ale.  Everything went without a hitch.  I have never brewed with rye malt before so I thought a simple pale ale recipe would highlight the rye's spicy flavor.
American 2 Row Malt
Rye Malt
Flaked Oats
Crystal 15L
Hopped with Perle and Australian Galaxy
Stay tuned for the outcome!

active fermentation.....

I also bottled the Dopplebock that I brewed last December.  I plan on sharing this amongst my brewing community this holiday season.

before bottling.....

And to top our weekend off we enjoyed some finger-licking BBQ ribs.

I love BBQ ribs.....

I hope everyone has a great week!!!

Happy Birthday to Margaret!

I was just a teensy bit possessive of my little sister.

I decided to do a late night post so my semester has something to remind her how much I/we lovez her when she wakes up and reads her blogs...

A birthday with WCT...

...always feels great!

Still possessive of my sweet seester.

An old favorite... with the floppy-eared H-bomb.

Wishing I could take you to the beach and share a cold pop with you right now.

I could look through pictures and go down memory lane for days on end.  I could post a million blogs.  But, no picture or blog would ever capture her beauty.  She is the very bestest of the best.  Happy Birthday Margaret!

Love/Milliren/Tucker/Gauch Reunion in Marion

We feel so blessed to have been able to join some family in Marion to celebrate MarSue and PC's new home and 40 years of marriage.  (It is only fitting that this is our 100th blog posting!) Matt/Ash and Max were missed...but as the pictures will demonstrate, the show went on without them!

Papa Chuck has no problem soliciting Willie to "catch some fresh air" out on the poop deck.

Martha modeling... she puts her hand up on her hip, when she dips, you dip, we dip!

Mark had to get in on the modeling, hand on hip, dip dip dip action.

Connor and his buddy, Brad.

Hanging out with the Florida Loves (minus Harry).

Mags manning the s'more fire pit with her homemade marshmallows.

Couldn't have been more satisfying.

A little toast for our 21 year old cousin. Beer... Fireball...Margaritas!

Sad to see FL Loves leave... They are so wonderful.

Brad in action on the golf course.

Connor thought the scenery was lush and mountainous.

Can't get enough B-rad Love.

There was more alcohol in that house than there has ever been in the last 50 years combined. This was from our fajita night; we even used some of Sue Love's glassware... Gasp!

We managed to get dad over to Rose Hill to see Grandmother and Granddaddy.

Anniversary Dinner: Spring Rolls, Pad Thai, and tear-jerker toast from Brad.

Vegan Avocado Cake for dessert...a first in their 40 years. :)

Finally made it out to the Asheville beer scene.

The Gauches are so cute...heading into The Wedge.

At a totally psychedelic brewery: Pisgah.

The Brewthers (minus Matt Mills) and Brewister together at Wicked Weed.

Martha missed out on the 4th of July fireworks...but we made sure she got a show before we left. 

The kids left behind a new lavender bedroom as an anniversary present.

The weather was rainy and cooler than we expected. There weren't many blueberries to be found. And we spent a lot of time cooking/cleaning/etc.  But, it was a great weekend.  A happy celebration for the family.  We are already looking forward to the next get together.

On another note... Marie would like to also make this a public acknowledgement of her gratitude for the effort and teamwork that went into helping make a few things happen around the house.  She realizes that her obsession with her to-do list is not normal...and she definitely knows that her agenda is not always welcome or even of the slightest interest to others.  She also regrets that her worrying/fussing took away from leisure time and social time.  Still, she is pleased with the accomplishments and simply says... THANK YOU! We have the best family EVER!