Yes I have been busy and I know that is no excuse but I am trying to do as much as I can cause summer is almost over and I am dreading the coming cold weather. I have been riding the bike but not as much as I would like and something keeps coming in the way of my project bikes and the latest thing is a title issue with the Triumph.
So one of my projects was to get to NJ Motor Vehicles Dept to try and: #1 transfer the title on the Triumph into my name and #2 re-register my boat so I can go fishing a little more. Sounds fairly routine but any time I have to go to NJMV in person I know it is going to be a project as they are always sure to find a way to give me a hard time and sure enough they didn't disapoint.
They refused to transfer the Triumph title because the guy I got it from started to sign it where the buyer is supposed to sign and he put a dab of white out on it and I signed over it. Well I guess I can understand that but the women who was taking care of me looked for every reason she could not to re-register the boat cause I hadn't registered it since the late 80's but I did have the old registration which is all she needed. She called Trenton and then checked with her supervisor and after 20 minutes of her trying to get out of doing her job the boat was registered and it took 2 minutes. No wonder there is a waiting line that almost went out the door. What she wanted me to do was a complete new registration but the boat was built before NJ had boat titles and to do it her way I would have had to produce a title which I don't have but I have owned the boat for around 30 years and never had a problem. So her way would have been impossible and would have turned my little aluminum boat into scrap metal.
Next, we have lost a lot of trees in the area over the last ten years and it has left us with little shade in the back yard. My wife has been after me to build a pergola which I almost did last year, then something got in the way. My wife found a PVC pergola kit on sale so we bought it as it was cheaper then building one and I never have to paint it. Sounded good to me and eventhough I had a summer cold I started putting it together. Of course it came from China so the directions were almost useless and some of the things they said should be assembled a certain way just plain wouldn't work.
I had to order some replacement parts so I had a day or two wait and a buddy called and asked if I would help him put in an A/C condensor unit at one of his customers houses. He lives and works in north Jersey and after we got done installing the unit he said lets thorw the boat in the water and take a ride. We launched the boat at Sea Warren in the Arthur Kill, headed north (I think) to the Kill VanKull and out into New Yark Harbor and up the Hudson river. It was a little rough and we were in a 16" flat bottom boat but headed up the river on the NYC side just below the pier where the intrepid is moored then over to the Jersey side and back to the Kills as by this time we were completely out of beer. It was a good day.
The parts came in and I finsihed the pergola - hopefully the pictures come out and in the right place - on thursday.So naturally I had to go fishing. My nieghbor Mike keeps a boat on the river by the house and he and I and two other guys went out. We hammered the fluke (summer flounder) and came home with 23 keepers. We threw back three fish (too short) for ever one we kept. The size limit is 18" and all the fish in the picture are 18 to 22 inches. Mike, the luckiest fisherman I have ever seen, caught nine, I got seven and we all have a mess of fish in the fridge.
Saturday we (my two sons and I) took the bikes over to Brooklyn for the Rumblers Car Show called The Rumble Under The BQE. The BQE (Brooklyn Queens Expressway) has raised sections and the car show takes place under it. Across the street is a bar called Union Pool and when we went to go in for lunch a cop standing there said we couldn't go in. So we walked up a block (in Brooklyn your never far from a bar) and found a nice open front bar to sit at, they had a good brunch menu and a good beer selection that included a smoked porter - good stuff. After eating and watching two taxis collide on the corner we headed back to the show to find the police had the road closed and were breaking up the show, everyone had to leave. Of course I forgot my camera so no pics.
On the way home we were stopped by the cops and they were handing tickets out like they were candy but my oldest son started talking to the cop and after making us wait while he handed out tickets to everyone else he handed my son all of our paper work and said to him " shove this in you pocket and get the hell out of here" - yes sir and off we went.
Sunday I worked around the house and it rained heavy in the afternoon. I didn't get enough done to make a good dent in a honey do list but atleast I felt like I was doing something I was supposed to be doing.
Monday the oldest son wanted a chance at some of those fluke so we headed out in my newly registered 12 aluminum sport fishing yachet Captain Ahab.
Although we didn't catch Moby Fluke we caught a lot of fish and came back with four nice keeprs. Fish in the 18" to 19" make really nice fillets and fit my baking dish perfectly
Tuesday we headed over to NYC to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. Weather was fantastic and I always wanted to go there to see the submarine (the Growler) they have there. My neighbor was the Executive Officer on that sub from launching to mothballing and two things they told us about it that really made an impression was #1 that no showers could be taken for the first 5 weeks as the shower areas were used to store food for the 3 to 4 month voyage and until they ate through the food - no showers (a side note my neighbor was telling me that the water distiller was fairly small and they rarely had water for anything more then topping off the batteries and coffee) and #2 that the crew smokes something like 40,000 cartons of cigarettes while on the average tour. 100 men were aboard in really tight quarters.
The tour of the air craft carrier (the Intrepid) was nice and sometime while there the east coast had an earth quake. It didn't cause much damage here but there was a lot of conversation about it. I am not sure I felt it at all.
While we were there my youngest son who works as an exterminator was doing a job a block over in this building.
We were trying to work it out where he could get a long distance pic of us on the bow but he had to leave to go to the next job.
Yesterday a little more on the honey do and today I am battening the hatches for hurricane Irene. Hope the new pergola doesn't blow away but I guess it will get the wind test.
Then thursday we leave for a nine day cruise to New England and Canada. If I get in trouble up in Canada Kevin I'm gonna use your name so if you get a call from the Mounties you know why.
So have fun guys, I am, probably more then one man should but will take all I can get. Sorry not more MC content. So there's my excuse for not being around, hope yous guys got your excuses in order or your reap the wrath of Kevin, maybe Chopper too.
Mutt
2000 Harley Davidson Superglide
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