One of my heroes died today

Rest in peace Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel, Jr. (October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007)
America's greatest daredevil.

See Evel jump...

Visit Evel's website...

A walk on the Boulevard.....

I ordered two cases of Boulevard Brewing (Kansas City) ale for the holidays. It arrived today....Merry Christmas! (hiccup)

Then and now...

Moto Guzzi has been releasing some new models which harken back to models of the past...

THEN

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THEN

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THEN

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NEAT GUZZI VIDEO!

Stumpy legs need not apply :=)

Mark Farner Fan!

Well, I am now officially a member of the Mark Farner Fan Club!

Some might say "Man, you are a nerd Galardi" or other such taunting remarks, but my hide is thick and they and their remarks can take the fast train to H E double toothpicks!

As many of you are aware, Mark Farner was the lead guitarist and singer, keyboardist and writer for the consummate American band, Grand Funk Railroad.

The first time I ever listened to Grand Funk was after their heyday (1969-1975). I think it was around 1977 that I found my brother Matt's copy of the Grand Funk album "We're an American Band". What really struck me about the album was that in the center (where the songs were listed), it said "Should be played at Maximum volume". So I did...and I was hooked!

Mark Farner still tours with his own band and Grand Funk Railroad tours now without Farner, having replaced him with 3 people (a singer, a guitarist and a keyboardist).

Take a look at these pics and this video (Farner is the long haired lead guitarist) and this one too and find out more about a true American rock and roll great at MARKFARNER.COM

Hepco Becker luggage for the Britbike

One of my riding friends/coworker Andrew(the Brit) got new motorcycle luggage for his Triumph Tiger 1050. It's high quality stuff from the German firm Hepco Becker. Here are a few pics.

Rebuilding classic British iron

One of my riding pals, Andrew, is in the process of rebuilding his 1973 Norton Commando's motor. Pretty ambitious project! Luckily he has other bikes to ride in the meanwhile. We'll keep track of his progress here. I hope to be able to get over to his place one of these days and watch his progress firsthand.

Andrew added a slew of new pics of the motor teardown here....

Discovering Florida

Today I headed out on the Guzzi Breva with a couple chums (Andrew-Triumph Tiger) and Bob-Harley Davidson Heritage Softail) to do a bit of riding on the backroads of central Florida and have lunch at the Yearling Restaurant. The ride was an excellent one. Temps were cool from the get go at about 48 degrees this morning at 9 a.m. but rose steadily, achieving the low 70's eventually.

We arrived a bit earlier than the restaurant opened, so explored Cross Creek on foot for a bit. Very rustic surroundings greeted us. The Yearling restaurant was fantastic! What a gem in the rough. Andrew very kindly got us a plate of appetizers which included fried green tomatoes, fried portabello mshrooms, alligator chunks and fried FROG LEGS!!

Each of us had the grilled venison(deer) steaks as the main course. I had collared greens and cheesy grits as side items. Delicious!

Here are some pictures from the trip. The Breva got 46 mpg during the trip. Not bad at all. The little skinny fried item you see is the frog leg I ate (before and after shots). Tastes like chicken!(ribbit)

The Eagles debut at #1 AND I get a new CD romulan!!

29 years after their last studio album (The Long Run), The Eagles long awaited "Long Road Out of Eden" double cd has trounced the competition in its debut on the Billboard charts.

Billboard #1

My ever expanding musical tastes have led me to come across a debut single from a group called The Luchagors. I guess you'd describe it as punk/speed metal with a bit of a pop edge. I like it! Those of you who have watched professional rassling may notice that the lead singer of this band is Amy Dumas, aka Lita in the WWE. I think maybe she's found her calling. Check it out here

What kind of camera do you have?

I was wondering what kind of still cameras my blog readers have. Please take a moment to post a comment with the make and model of your camera. Thanks!

p.s. click on the pics to enlarge

Random ramblings

I had the day off today. I slept in, eventually getting up a little before 6:30 this morning. After roaming around the house a bit, I decided to have a hearty and healthy breakfast of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch...two bowls, i would guess right about 468 kernels of Crunch.

I watched last night's episode of The Office whilst consuming the vitamin-enriched Crunch. Very funny episode!

{Insert time warp here} Around 10:00 a.m. I left to get a haircut...well, to get them all cut actually (hardee har har). My barber's name is Freddy. Younger guy, prolly in his upper 30's I'd guess, tattooed, biker-looking fella. Real nice guy. Wickedly good with a set of shears. I paid my fee and gave Freddy a tip and was on my way home to mow the lawn. Thanks Freddy.

Whilst mowing, some turkey in a red pickup truck stopped and waved me over. He told me that the slight yellowing in some of the blades of grass was due to sod webworm or something like that. I thanked him for the advice, told him that I only rented the place and did not give a crap about webworms. He gave me his card and drove off.

{Insert time warp here} A while later I went grocery shopping at Publix. I bought a roasted chicken and some other stuff. When I got home I ate some of the chicken. Tasty bird. Thanks Publix.

I was hopeful the new Eagles double-cd would arrive in the mail today. I perched on a stool near my front window for what seemed like hours(but was actually about 3 minutes) waiting for the USPS mailman. Dammit to hell if the cd did not arrive yet again today. Thanks for nothing USPS.

Disgusted and nearing a state of fury, I drove to WalMart. The Eagles double cd was there. It was $11.88. Heckuva deal. Guess I'll give the other one away once it arrives in the mail. I listened to some of the tunes on the way home. Great cd. Thanks WalMart.

When I got home I ripped the music onto my pc and transferred it to my mp3 player. Went for a walk and listened to more tunes. Liking it a lot. It's good to have the Eagles back with new music.

I enjoy the contrast between the songs written and sung by Don Henley versus those by Glenn Frey. Frey's songs are generally a bit more upbeat, maybe a bit more of a lighter feel and "pop" sound. I compare him to McCartney in the Beatles. Henley's songs are generally somewhat darker in tone, sometimes political and they have a way of making you think, reflect more on things in your life. I compare him to Lennon in the Beatles.

Thanks for reading my blog. Looking forward to seeing my friends and family again sometime. I miss you all. Stay safe and take care....cwpg

Halloween for my nephews..WOW are they cute...but POWERFUL!! :=)

A few pics of my sister Mara and her two boys at Halloween....