Good morning Terre
Haha...yes, have to admit that was true...because my dad was into them, so through him, I saw, and heard things, like a mechanic would see them. He caught the worst case of mid life crisis that ever hit a man...he went from being a normal type of dad, to being a bike collector, and was into traveling and camping, never being home, and he grew long "Elvis" sideburns. He needed someone in the family to accept him as he was, or what he was morphing into...and I gave it my best shot, because my instincts were sending me strong signals that he was going to leave us...so I rolled up my sleeves and got dirty messing with cars and bikes, to hopefully make a connection that would be secure. But I learned early, in a time when things weren't as accepted as they are today, that life isn't always happily ever after. Back in those days, divorce was considered to be totally unacceptable in small communities and especially in local churches. So all of his drama became the family drama as well. Now days that stuff has become almost normal (unfortunately), but back at that time, there was no manual, no play book, for how to do life when a family derails and sails over a cliff. Nothing was even on TV that resembled the emotional storm that hit our home (and spiritual lives)...until perhaps All in the Family. Dad certainly wasn't Ward Cleaver...haha...and our family was not the Waltons. We learned the misery of doing "separate but equal holidays"...which conditions one to dreading all holidays after awhile. It took years for me to steer back toward normalcy...and longer still for the rest of my family. Dad spent the rest of his younger years running cross country with motorcycle groups, etc. There's a lot in that etc., so 'nuff said. I finally made peace and stopped blaming God (what happened to us sure wasn't His idea....funny, we're all like little kids...get into trouble, then try to find someone else to blame when things head south...haha) by my mid twenties, and spent many years trying to connect with my dad...a lot like marlin tag and release sport fishing...until finally, a few years before he passed, he settled down and made peace over his past behavior. So yes...I'm still into bikes...because they remind me of the jumps and turns that life can take, and how people like my dad can be heading straight for the dark side, and then turn around, and make changes. And...I like the tenacity of fishermen
. Harley's have the heavy blub, blub, blub idle. And Suzuki bikes always sound like they are in desperate need of a tune up, or two cats in a bag, fighting...haha.