It’s been too long since posting, and quite a bit has happened. So, I thought I’d give a quick update.
I scheduled and taught four Tenkara classes before I submitted to the robotic arms. Classes went very well. The students said they enjoyed the time and learned quite a bit about Tenkara, the art of Japanese fly fishing. One student was practicing his Tenkara casting and managed to catch a nice bass. We are not sure who hooked who, but Joe is hooked on Tenkara.
The prostate surgery went well, and I am pretty much healed from that, but post surgery is going to be a long recovery. I am making progress. It also appears I am cancer free. My next bloodwork will confirm.
2026 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport
My 2026 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport is still in Italy, I think. I am anxiously awaiting its arrival. The bikes are already sporting about through Europe. I blame tariffs for the delay to the USA. Both my 2023 KLR and 2021 Guzzi V85tt have been sold. I am down to one motorcycle, the 2020 Guzzi V7 Rough, while I await the new V7 Sport.
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My web site, this web site, was long overdue for an update. Updating the database has been a pain in the butt, but it looks like I managed to get it done,, although there are some errors that need attention. I have been playing with returning to my favorite photography–B&W images. Expect to see more in the future.
Lin and I are still happily married and in love. We celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary in May, about a week after my surgery. Celebration was very low key.
It is the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. I’ve visited The Wall many times, and the last time I was there was July 4, 2012. It was a special visit, a pilgrimage. Here is the post from that visit, republished for the 50th Anniversary.
It’s important that I give you, my friends, an update. You may recall that I have prostate cancer. I have not said much about that for about four years. Initially, the C-word gave me an emotional roller coaster ride, but I have come to terms with that. It’s just a little cancer. It’s confined, and it’s treatable.
In the beginning, five doctors told me this low-grade cancer would not kill me. I will die of something else. That sounds comforting. Dealing with the c-word was the hard part; it never leaves the back of your mind.
My treatment plan—for four years—has been active surveillance. It’s kind of like the CIA or FBI keeping an eye on you. PSA blood work and six-month visits with my docs seemed to show things stable. I’ve had four MRIs and three biopsies. The last one, in February, was the last straw. My health care team at the VA sent the samples to Cleveland Clinic and the diagnosis came back as progressive. Time for intervention.
My doc called and said, “Active surveillance is no longer viable. Neither are some of the other treatments we have discussed. So, what do you want to do: surgery or radiation?”
I wanted to share this with you, because as scary as the C-word is, prostate cancer is very treatable, especially when caught early. I had hoped that at age 74, I could live the rest of my life without having to treat this cancer, but that is not to be. So, in order to have a longer life, it’s time to take care of it. Surgery is scheduled for May 14.
Just to show you my optimism, I have a new motorcycle on order. It is a new model and has been on order since last November. It is probably going to arrive in July, just in time for the doc to release me for riding, and I plan to keep riding for a very long time.
For some time, our weather people have been telling us we are in a drought. An extreme drought. It is hard to believe that our home in SW Ohio, along the Ohio River Valley, is experiencing drought.
But, my dry yard and browning grass, and the low Little Miami River nearby do not lie. It is dry. We need rain.
The Little Miami River access at the South Lebanon ramp is the lowest I have ever seen. Typically, one would see canoes and kayaks gliding down the river. Not today.
I apologize. I did not do a lot of posting here in 2023, but I plan to do more–a lot more–in 2024. This will be quick, but an important update near the end. So, let’s begin.
I motorcycled to two events last year. In June, I met up with friends at our Kentucky Backroads Campout at Lago Linda Hideaway in Beattysville, KY. We were fewer this year, but a mighty force. The roads in Eastern Kentucky are delightful. It is a motorcycling paradise. The second trip was to Wailin’ Wayne Weekend in Nelsonvile, OH, in September. I was camped out with 500 of my newest friends. I met up with old friends there, and made a few new ones. WWW is incredible for dual sport and adventure riding. Again, the roads in SE Ohio are fantastic.
If I am headed south, the Augusta Ferry is one of my favorite ways to cross the Ohio River. I’m headed to Eastern Kentucky.
Gathered around the campfire at Lago Linda Hideaway where we solved all the problems of the world, and talked about motorcycling too.
Old friends at Wailin’Wayne Weekend, Tracy and Teresa.
And, I did a little fishing.
Fishing with my go-to-rod, my Tenkara USA Hane’.
On another motorcycle adventure, one that was not mine but I was very involved, was when my friend Sam Manicom planned to stay at our home for two nights during his romp through the USA countryside. It ended up being six as his hydraulic clutch was busted, and needed repairs. Mike Fitterling was also here as the three of us planned to ride to the AMA Vintage Days. Mike went on solo, and I entertained Sam for four more days.
Sam’s clutch went kaput just two miles from my home as we was departing … for the first time.
Lin and I did not travel much in 2023, but we did attend a Garrison Keillor show in Wabash, Indiana. We met up with two of her sisters and shared a Vrbo rental. It was quite nice.
For Thanksgiving, we did our usual. Turkey on the Weber.
Oh, I almost forgot. I bought another motorcycle, a 2023 Kawasaki KLR 650. This is my third KLR. I regretted moving along the last one, and when I was offered an inventory closeout deal, I bought it. As of this writing, I still have the two Moto Guzzis, the V85tt and V7iii.
2023 Kawasaki KLR 650 along the Little Miami River, South Lebanon, OH.
And now, a health update. You may recall, I have prostate cancer. It’s low-grade, but it’s still there, a lesion about the size of a dime on my prostate. I have been poked and prodded, had four MRIs and two biopsies. Five doctors and one surgeon have told me this will not kill me. I will die of something else. My December MRI indicated no change in size, and I will be visiting my doc at the end of this month for a consultation. My latest PSA was 4, the highest limit of normal. It has been lower for the past year or so. Our strategy is “Active Surveillance.” It’s like the CIA or FBI: keep an eye on it.
I have read up on prostate cancer, and looked at all the possible interventions. I don’t want the cure to be worse than the disease. Most men will get a prostate cancer and live with it. That’s what I am doing. The very hardest part of this was learning to overcome the emotional roller coaster of having the c-word. In that aspect, I have conquered the prostate cancer and for now I have been living with it for at least three years. So what did I do at age 73? I went out and bought another motorcycle. “F..k” cancer.
On another subject, I had had the most incredible year sharing life with my best friend, lover, companion, confidant, and wife: Lin. She’s the best.
