Love at first sight

I finally decided to drive to Austin for the weekend, but only for an overnight visit. Ryan wanted me to see the new house he'd bought, and his motorcycle club was having a 4th of July cookout. 

Before accepting the invite, I confess I checked to make sure the cookout did not entail actually being outdoors during the entire time -- the rural venue near New Braunfels promised much heat, humidity and mosquitoes. And if I'm not marinated in mosquito repellent, the little bastards see me as a large and pasty buffet.

An additional factor was what could be described as an ulterior motive. There is a motorcycle shop in Waco that specializes in older bikes -- all impeccably restored -- and I always like to drop by and see what the owner has on the floor. He's always happy to take me into the repair shop next door so I can check out his latest restoration projects. And the owner is rather attractive, albeit too short for me to actually hit on. And I am out of practice when it comes to flirting.

During Saturday's visit, I spotted a Norton for sale -- one that was a similar model to the rusty old Norton I rode in the UK over 20 years ago. But that was the only similarity. The restoration was so well-done that it practically gave me a woody. It looked like a new bike.

I had to take a photo (no, I am not going to keep it in my bedside dresser. That's a bit too perverse, even for me):