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August 1, 2013

HOUSESITTING IN FREEDOM - DAY 1

... first, here's what my motorcycle looks like with all the luggage attached ... the top bag expands, and is big enough by itself to hold my heavy weather jacket and trousers, waterproof gloves and boot covers, and head scarf ... the side bags, which're probably close to being completely waterproof (experienced riders seem to reserve that word for zip-lock bags), hold over 60 liters, more than enough cubic for everything i need for long-distance touring ... my "tank" bag (another recycled camera case) holds my camera, first-aid kit, tool-kit, flashlight, a zip-lock bag containing faceplate cleaning items, ex-pass, and extra sunglasses, with room left over to stuff in a water bottle and a subway sandwich ... beneath the tank bag i can also store a waterproof bag containing my swimsuit, towel, and river shoes ... all that aboard, the bike'll still zoom uphill like a skyrocket ...

... now, as to what i'm doing in new hampshire ... housesitting for my niece, for sure, but in addition to that there's much to do in this state ...

... i could, of course, make an all-day wanderabout up through the mountains, stopping along the bear notch road to enjoy the fabulous view ... here, a national forest worker is explaining the inticracies of "multiple land use" to a gaggle of indian tourists ... when i walked back to my motorcycle one of them left the lecture and came over and asked me to pose with my bmw ... he seemed fascinated with the bike ... i gave him one of my cards ... how cool ...

... atop "the kank" ... i think they're looking for the "old man in the mountain" ... of course, i didn't have the heart to tell them it was a wasted effort ...

... there are lot of things i could do in new hampshire ... "santa's village," although my bet is that in these times if you enter without a kid of your own you're going to get arrested ... perhaps a bit of "tax free" shopping in conway, 'cept nowadays i've replaced that budgetary exercise with finding deals on amazon and ebay ... hmmmmm ... what to do in the granite state, what to do ...

... okay, i'll 'fess up ... other'n meeting with adrien, and, when they're here, visiting with sara and gordy, there's one thing and one thing only is in my mind when i cross the border ...

... yea, that's it ... an inch of rare "cooked on the premises" roast beef with fresh horseradish and veggies, all held together by a still-warm bagel and accompanied by a serving of perfectly brewed iced coffee ...

... "big daves" in conway, a much nicer face to look up to than ever was that ol' man ...

... oh, yes, there's one other thing i find most appealing about visiting new hampshire ...

... 105°f ... ahhhhhhh ... yes, my niece sure knows how to equip a backyard ...