GypsyLarry

Moleskine Mania

Posted on January 8, 2011 by larry

I’m a list maker. I like making them. I made ‘to do’ lists, grocery lists, items I want to photograph, thoughts I think. I have a notepad in my phone. And I like new technology but I can’t put down the pen and the paper. One of the best gifts I received for Christmas was a packet of moleskine notebooks that I received from my daughter, Erin. It’s perhaps the least expensive gift I received but the most used. I keep one in my back pocket all the time. I have one in the car, just in case and several in “the Rev”. I even have one in my bike in case I get a great idea that I need to jot down. My memory’s not what it used to be. The moleskin notebook was made famous by Ernest Hemingway. He used them all the time. I thought perhaps I was as quirky as “Papa” but then just last week I read an article detailing how Richard Branson always keeps one with him to jot down ideas. That’s Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines. Not bad company. I think I’ll continue with the back pocket pad. It’s January and the new motorhome bug has bitten me again. My annual trek through a bevy of highway monsters to see what I’m missing inside the newest diesel pusher. Each time I do this I realize that once I get past the glitz, there’s not much different than what we have now, other than the fact that it’s a few years newer. However, the worn look, the creases in the leather, the comfort level from making ours home is lacking. It’s good to go on this hunt. Makes me realize that what we have is greater than something that’s just new. However, that quest and pursuit is what makes the game so much fun.

Categories: Full Time RVing, Lifestyles, RV | 5 Comments

Segway but not Segue

Posted on January 5, 2011 by larry

Ryan had once mentioned a Segway tour that he found fun. Upon our return from the Outback Bowl, Robin was busy on the phone booking a tour for the next day. She found the best rated one in the area and it would take a tour of downtown Tampa. I had been on a Segway several years ago for about two minutes but nothing since then. We reported at ten bells the next morning to Channelside, the harbor area from which the Carnival cruise ships depart. The courtyard also lays claim to the world’s largest bowling pin. Now there’s something to brag about. I am just tickled to no end at what people will marvel over. Brandon, our guide, gave seven of us the basics we would need to master the gyroscopic personnel mover. Robin was first and soon had this mastered in about five minutes. Once everyone was given instructions we took off on a tour of Tampa, utilizing the “river walk”, which has just begun construction. The GOP National convention will be held in Tampa in 2012 and the city is anticipating completion of the course by that date. The convention is expected to add an additional $110 million to the coffers of the city. In the meantime we wove in and out of concourses, over bridges, along bays and waterways and even spied the opulent mansion of the Glaser family, owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The tour lasted a good two hours and for $50 per person we all thought it was well worth the money.Robin loved it so much that she tried conning me by saying that if I sold my motorcycle, we could afford to buy two new Segways. It would be a great way to tour any city, getting to places a cycle can’t ,not to mention the added safety of this vehicle as opposed to what she refers to as ‘the organ donor ride’. If ever I have an extra $10K on hand, I’m definitely going to consider this purchase. We had a great time and finished just in time for lunch at Hooters. Afterall, they had the Steelers on the big screen for us as we watched them pummel the Browns. Later in the day, Ryan and I played nine holes of golf while Robin was content to stay home and clean. So we both got to participate in our individual hobbies. For not having played since the brain surgery I found my swing early on, but just hanging out with our son wasa reward beyond explanation.