Is There a Perfect Bike?

“This trip is a personal Shop Hop isn’t it Auntie?” asked Cousin Martha over breakfast the next morning. “Every trip is a personal Shop Hop Dear.” Aunt Gertie replied. Today they were having Stuffed French Toast. The girls felt no need to diet when they were on vacation. Surely they would walk it off with the day’s activities. They were headed to the track today to see all the new motorcycle models.

The girls could see the demo trucks as they pulled into Daytona Speedway. All of the tents and trucks looked like the circus had come to town. Aunt Gertie commented, “I’m sure that’s how the resident’s feel about this week. There certainly are sights to see and people to watch. You can see things this week that you may not see anywhere else.” The girls were not focused on the people today, however. They had new motorcycles to check out.

Uncle Happy had been talking about a new bike and Aunt Gertie was going to scope them out for him and report back. She was hoping to find a bike they could share, one that Uncle Hap could ride around town but that she could ride when they were traveling. Uncle Hap rode a couch, an older model Goldwing that was comfort all day long. Aunt Gertie had a sport-touring bike that was more sport and less touring. Her bike looked fast and she looked fast riding it, but it was starting to be a little tiring on their longer trips. Spotting Aunt Gertie when she stretches her legs out sideways as she rode down the highway is a very strange site. She was not looking fast then! The other drawback to her bike was that it did not have saddlebags. Uncle Hap had to carry some of her luggage and would always tease her about it. “It’s a good thing I pack lightly so there is more room for your stuff!” he would say.  “How can a girl travel without the appropriate shoes and fabric?” Aunt Gertie would ask and Uncle Hap would just smile and shake his head. All of that aside, what was the major dilemma with sharing a bike? Uncle Hap wanted a radio and Aunt Gertie was not very fond of the fairing/windshield on those bikes that had radios. They would have to compromise.

Aunt Gertie and Cousin Martha strolled from tent to tent, manufacturer to manufacturer in search of the perfect compromise. They sat on all the bikes as they discussed the pros and cons of each: the seat was too low or not comfortable, the foot pegs were too far forward, the fairing was too overwhelming. They admired the shape of the lights and the sexy curves of the tailpipes. They took pictures of the custom paint to use as design motivation for their quilts. Would they ever find the perfect bike? Probably not, as the fun is looking for one. It’s like finding the perfect sewing machine. There is always a newer model that has more stitches or more features. At some point you have to make the commitment and buy. Today was not the day for committments for Aunt Gertie. Today was about the dream of the perfect ride.

Road Trip!

Aunt Gertie was feeling like Spring would never come. The winter had been colder than usual with more snow than even she ever remembered. She gazed at the calendar, wishing February would turn to March, when it occurred to her. Daytona Bike Week was right around the corner! That was the perfect excuse for a road trip! “Cousin Martha!” Aunt Gertie called across the way. “Pack your bags. We’re going for a drive!”

Now as you can imagine, this was no ordinary road trip. Normally Aunt Gertie and Uncle Happy would load up their motorcycles, hop on and head south, but it was still snowing! And Uncle Happy was on the road working. This would be a girl’s only trip in the car. Cousin Martha hurried next door to help pour over the maps and discuss all the stops they would make along the way. The route to Daytona had been traveled many times. There were many favorite quilt shops along the way. In the end they decided to get to the warmer weather as quickly as they could. Maybe all the snow would melt before they returned.

With the car packed and the Dytona hotel address loaded into the GPS, Aunt Gertie and Cousin Martha were off on another adventure. Cousin Martha had loaded their MP3 player with Jimmy Buffet and other summer songs. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds as they pulled out of the driveway early the next morning. It was going to be a great trip!

They had decided to drive straight through. The weather definitely showed signs of improvement as they motored south. It was in the 60’s by the time they reached Georgia. Aunt Gertie put away her boots and put on sandals at the rest stop. She had had enough of the cold. Shorts and a sweatshirt was the perfect attire.

Cousin Martha had been contemplating a new quilt design to reflect the theme of their trip. She had made an applique quilt with flames in the past. The quilting had also been flames. Cousin Martha was looking for a design with more impact this time. She playing with the idea of piecing the flames as the weather grew warmer and the number of motorcycles on the highway grew. This quilt was much more complicated that most of the quilts Aunt Gertie and Cousin Martha worked on. Cousin Martha drew out the flames on paper to use as a pattern. She carefully numbered the pieces and placed hash marks that would allow the pieces to be to properly aligned as they were sewn together. They would transfer the drawings to freezer paper and cut out each piece. These freezer paper patterns could then be ironed onto the back of the red, orange and yellow flame fabrics.

It was late when they arrived in Daytona, but they had arranged for that. Off to bed they went. It would be a busy week They had a long list of quilt shops to visit and of course all the excitement of Bike Week: new motorcycle models to see, new vendors to shop, and of course old friends to visit. Aunt Gertie and Cousin Martha had visions of new quilts as they drifted off to sleep.