Time flies when you do nothing

Q: How do you make time go by faster than the road runner on steroids?

A: Spend 5 day in Ventura during the lowest low pressure to hit Southern California in recorded history.

So we didn't do nothing, per se. We changed the fluids (brake lines, radiator, and oil). We installed a sealed battery which didn't quite fit into the battery cavity. We changed 3 out of 4 motorcycle tires on our bikes. We would have done the fourth, but for the life of us, we could not break the bead on the tire using the kickstand method. I finally got around to replacing some burnt out dashboard lights (which is not as easy as it sounds). We ran some errands getting ready to cross the border. We did study some Spanish, which was needed. And... well... we just sort of enjoyed some time in Rick and Eliane's house walking the dogs, cooking Risotto, watching movies, posting blogs while it rained and blew and lightninged outside. We were sure stoked to not be riding in that weather.

When it became clear that we couldn't break the bead in the last tire, we went down to RPM cycles in Ventura. This is a woman owned specialized motorcycle shop. It is the kind of place that isn't so much a shop, but a community center that also works on and sells bikes and parts.

There are 3 (or 4) cats roaming the floor, one old dog, and we met 3 fantastic people in the place: Jodi, Gary, and Erik. When they saw us coming, they promptly agreed to drop everything else, change Megan's tire, and hand balance all the others (I always thought they did this on a fancy computerized machine). They had the obscure lightbulbs that I needed right there in stock and browsing through their hand-picked selection of motorcycle gear I sure wanted to try it all out.

This place is great. We chatted for an hour + about all things motorcycle and non-motorcycle. Jodi is a successful motorcycle racer and her mega-positive attitude shows when talking to her. She showed us her bike who is a guy (I can't remember his name) because he has big balls. Normally, bikes are girls (and I agree) but her Aprilla has the sleek Italian grooming and powerful muscle beneath him that he can only be a guy.