Only a fool ...

No new photos from my Turkey Day ride, because my fingers, like every other piece and part of my large body, was frozen quite stiff. I was unable to open my camera case, much less push the button to take a picture.

But I’ve posted a photo of me in the coldest, most miserable condition I’ve ever experienced until yesterday.











On a day when the temperature topped out at 37 degrees, but hovered around 30 as I began my ride to Thanksgiving dinner at my youngest son’s mother-in-law’s home, I felt that being dressed in double, and even triple layers, would protect me.

You see, I rode my Yamaha C-3 50cc scooter all through last winter, without getting truly cold. But my longest trip was about 15 miles, at speeds under 40 mph. This Turkey Day ride was 120 miles round-trip, at speeds above 60 most of the way.

A dog approached me, eager to bite. “Be my guest,” I told him. “Joke’s on you – you’ll only break your teeth, and I’ll feel nothing.” Seeming to understand, the dog left, seeking more tender Thanksgiving fare.

I thought that I’d be seen as a devil-may-care adventurer; old and disabled, but really cool!

Let me sum up in the words of the Beatles’ Hey Jude:

“You know that it’s a fool who plays it cool by making his world a little colder.”