Allen and 'motorcycle Mary' ready to ride.
I didn't always do as I was told when I was sixteen or so!
Did you?
Come on, confess, you know you sometimes broke the rules
when you were a teenager.
My parents always said, "no riding on motorbikes, far too dangerous."
In the 1950's English boys couldn't afford cars, even my parents never owned a car.
But motorbikes were affordable and a good way to get about town, to work, to play!
Girls queued up for a boyfriend with a motorbike, the bigger and snazzier-looking
the better the bike. . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . not necessarily the boy!
. . . . . . . . . not necessarily the boy!
My downfall happened on a summer Saturday night when in town with my girlfriends.
We would walk along the seafront and stop at a coffee bar to listen to the
jukebox before heading for the last bus home at 11 o'clock.
jukebox before heading for the last bus home at 11 o'clock.
Motorbikes would line up outside, engines revving, leathers gleaming, extra helmet
at the ready for a willing pillion rider. Boys with bikes were show offs - I wonder what
they drive today, or even if they are able to drive today!
With a little cajoling I hopped aboard Mike's bike - he was nice and I'd known
him a while. His bike was a powerful, brand new, silver Triumph. Before I
could change my mind, I was holding on tight and we roared off into the night.
Less than a 10 minute exciting ride home. I told him not to stop in front of my
house but to drop me in front of another house up the road and I would walk down.
house but to drop me in front of another house up the road and I would walk down.
All went perfectly. . . . . . . .until the following Monday when my mother heard from
my French teacher, Miss Taylor, a rather dour spinster who shared the house up
the road with her sister. Her serious comment went something like this.
"Mrs. M. . . . . . .I saw Mary get off the back of a very loud motorbike right outside
my house on Saturday night and just thought you should know."
French class was never the same after that. I was grounded for several weekends.
Later, when I did have a serious boyfriend, I made sure he had a car!
I'm a big girl now, an old girl, and things are different.
Bob and I stopped in at his American Legion Post when in Manchester, NH
last week. I usually give those places a wide berth, however as it was a dreary
Saturday afternoon and a local American Legion motorcycle club of mostly
veterans were cooling off after a run, I went in and we chatted with them for a while.
A special run coming up in September is to raise money for medical expenses
for the disabled grandson of a rider named Allen. As we wouldn't be there I gave
him a donation. . . . .then he offered to take me for a ride!
last week. I usually give those places a wide berth, however as it was a dreary
Saturday afternoon and a local American Legion motorcycle club of mostly
veterans were cooling off after a run, I went in and we chatted with them for a while.
A special run coming up in September is to raise money for medical expenses
for the disabled grandson of a rider named Allen. As we wouldn't be there I gave
him a donation. . . . .then he offered to take me for a ride!
I had noticed the bright yellow Gold Wing 'trike' when we arrived and when
he said it was his I thought what the heck, it's now or never - perhaps one last
chance to ride, and this was safer than a two-wheeled motorbike!
Bob almost dropped his beer, but didn't try to stop me, and there were
no tattle tale French teachers around!!!
he said it was his I thought what the heck, it's now or never - perhaps one last
chance to ride, and this was safer than a two-wheeled motorbike!
Bob almost dropped his beer, but didn't try to stop me, and there were
no tattle tale French teachers around!!!
What can I say except that it was interesting and great fun!
Many people waved to us, including local Police officers!
Allen must be well known.
Seeing the city this way was certainly a treat, much
different than from the inside of a car.
We even headed out on the highway, south toward Boston for a few
miles, and Allen opened it up to 65mph, music playing, wind whistling,
and that
was
really
exhilarating!
Would I do it again, you bet I would! I can add this to my list of what we
older women do for fun, such as zip lining, crossing churning oceans on
tiny ships, walking with penguins on Antarctica, African safaris etc. etc.
Have you done something exciting recently which took you out of your
usual comfort zone?
Do tell us about it please.
Allen must be well known.
Seeing the city this way was certainly a treat, much
different than from the inside of a car.
We even headed out on the highway, south toward Boston for a few
miles, and Allen opened it up to 65mph, music playing, wind whistling,
and that
was
really
exhilarating!
Would I do it again, you bet I would! I can add this to my list of what we
older women do for fun, such as zip lining, crossing churning oceans on
tiny ships, walking with penguins on Antarctica, African safaris etc. etc.
Have you done something exciting recently which took you out of your
usual comfort zone?
Do tell us about it please.
P.S. I really wasn't going to share all this nonsense with you, however I see
my daughter has already posted about her "crazy motorcycle mother" on FaceBook,
and I needed to clarify a few points!
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How fun! I have not done anything crazy in quite a while.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're crazy at all for doing that, Mary - I would in a heartbeat, too! My grandpa used to let me ride on his motorcycle with him when I was a kid. In fact, me and my sister and a few neighborhood kids would line up on the sidewalk waiting our turn to ride around the neighborhood with Grandpa Herbie. And none of us kids had helmets!! Can you imagine an older guy doing that with kids now, especially without helmets?! I go back and forth on my feelings about that one: "those were the days when everything was so carefree" and "what the hell were the parents thinking?!"
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I haven't done anything that exciting lately. Last exciting, adventurous thing I did was back in 2000 when I flew to England alone.
I love that first picture! And the story about you when you were younger! Comfort zone...well, I haven't done that in a while. I'm pretty comfy lol...though I've ridden on a motorcycle quite often when I was younger, I prefer cars!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! It takes me back to my first ride on the back of a Lambretta, way way back in the 1950s.
ReplyDeleteI can see you are having fun, and it was in a good cause. That bike looks very comfy. I rode on a motorcycle on the cobble stone streets of Istanbul, now that was a bumpy ride.
ReplyDeleteI thought you said there were no tattletales around! LOL! Good for you, Mary. Sounds like great fun!
ReplyDeleteI love this story so much. Yes, a few years ago, when in Thailand, I did love zip-lining. Not a bike ride, but recently I got an email in the mail about a new writer and her book. I thought it sounded interesting so I went online to order it, well I saw her book launch was going to be in Portland one evening in a part of town that I wasn't sure was safe to go alone at night. I decided to go anyway and I had the best time doing something just a bit out of my comfort zone and meeting the author of a book I had just enjoyed reading. Now I would love riding that bike, especially at 65 on the highway. What total fun!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I love that you are going into old age enjoying everything! The bike looks like a fun things to take a ride around town on.
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I had a tattle tale 6th grade teacher that lived down the block from us right across from the school. My mother got some calls from him from time to time.
ReplyDeleteLife's for living Mary!
ReplyDeleteWhen such opportunities as a motor bike ride presents itself - we have to grab it!
I loved your story about your french teacher!
When I was at boarding school and lucky enough to visit the city, it seemed there was always an old girl on the lookout for a gal in our school uniform.
At assembly one week, the Headmistress relayed a phone call telling of a disgraceful girl...seen on the back of a motorbike clinging to the rider.
We all knew who the girl was but she didn't say a word and neither did we!
That busy body "alumni member" was taking loyalty to her Alma Mater too far!
Actually, I'm really glad you shared this "nonsense" - such a fun read! You hell-raiser, you! Haha. I loved it. So glad you did that. now, did Bob feel tempted too to get on one? I've enver had the remotest interest in bikes but most likely because my hearing is super sensitive and I don't like loud bikes but even quieter ones, like my sons have hold no appeal to me. I'm just too safety minded, I suppose.
ReplyDelete"Come on, confess, you know you sometimes broke the rules when you were a teenager."
Well, I'm sorry to dissapoint you here, but, truthfully, no, I never ever broke any rules. My parents pretty much agree that I was a perfect child that way... except I hated school and never ever did my homework (Which wasn't a rule in our house with my mother being far too busy to keep up or pay attention to such trifles, being a single mum and all. Even when 16-19, my mother would sometimes seemingly be dissapointed that I had zero desire to be out on the town late at night, especially in an pub as back then they were all smokey and we never had spending money anyway. Haha. I was quite content following the rules, the few there were as they all seemed to make utter sense to me - even the housecleaning on Saturdays which I loathed but duly did my chores each week. Shoot, when in America visiting my father later in my teens, I;d never even try to plant a kiss on a girl as my mother had SOOO drilled into me to treat all girls as ladies....even though I'm quite sure now, some really didn't want to be "treated" as such being far more experienced and adventurous than I! hahaha,. Basically, I was born an adult and responsible..in all areas but school! :)