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July 14, 2011: It has been quite a while since I last added any news to my Latest News page. I have no excuse other than being busy. To the right you will find the reason to my business, a NEW book in the wolf series titled Running Fawn's Legacy. This is the third book in the wolf series. I am very pleased with this book. If you have read either of the two other books in the wolf series, Jennifer's Boots or The Black Wolf, there will be a few questions unanswered. Most of these questions will be answered in Running Fawn's Legacy as well as revealing the true identity of the black wolf. Go to Books in Print to see details about this exciting new book.

Nothing else much is new with me. All my babies are doing fine including me. We are all enjoying a super hot summer here in the wilds of Central Ontario. Sure hope life is treating all of you as well as it is me.

April 10, 2011: Today is the last day of the Spring Bike Show and needless to say I did not get to the show. My energy levels are still low, but I am much more comfortable. Amazing what a few more days of rest will do for an aging body. Getting old sucks, but when I look around at others my age I reconsider and say, "I'm doin' OKAY." Spring is upon us here in the wilds of Central Ontario, Canada. Nice to see new greens and other colours poking through the soil that has been locked in winter's freeze for the last 5 months. New babies abound all around, and migratory birds are arriving in flocks. No signs of hummingbirds, and to me when they arrive spring too has arrived to stay. Up here in the frozen north winter can easily return with all it's vengeance and once again grib the land in its frozen embrace. Still snow in the bush and in shaded areas facing north and the road in is a quagmire of ruts and running water in places. My lake is still frozen, although the ice is clear about 5 metres out from the shoreline. The lake ice is grey and translucent. It should be gone within a week or ten days if today's weather prevails. Six weeks later I can usually consider a first swim of the season. My record to date for a first seasonal dip is May 9th. Forecasters are suggesting a cooler than normal spring; if so that record will not be broken this year. The Isle of Man TT is fast approaching. If not in body, I'll be there in mind reminiscing about all the great times I've had there over the years. It is without question a magical place. To even finish last is a memory worthy of retelling years later and told with pride.

April 4, 2011: Today is my new kitten's 1st birthday. At a year of age she is not much of a kitten anymore, but still enjoys acting like one. She has evolved into a lovely cat.

April 3, 2011: Today I enjoyed watching the MotoGP event from Jerez, Spain. It was definitely a race of survival and to those who rode sufficiently cautious went the laurels. It is also another day of recuperation for me. Last Wednesday I was under the surgeon's knife to repair a hiatus hernia and am now on a strict liquid diet for a few days and then a mush diet for a week before I can begin to consider eating more solid foods and a more regular diet.

Spring Bike Show at the International Centre April 9, 10, 2011: I am planning to attend the Spring Bike Show, but at this time I don't know if I will be physically able to do so. After my surgery last Wednesday I am low on energy and still in a fair amount of discomfort. I'll know better by the middle of this coming week. If I am there, please do drop by to say hello. If I can't make it, I look forward to seeing you during the summer at one of the race meetings, or at the International Super Show in January of 2012.

March 11, 2011: I had an exciting visitor come to the house yesterday, a pileated woodpecker, that's a Woody Woodpecker type red crested woodpecker. He only stayed a few moments looking for bugs to eat from a tree in front of my deck, but I was fortunate enough to get a reasonable photograph.

March 5, 2011: I've been working on a new edition of Make Haste, Slowly. At the bike show in January I sold out of the first edition and have been working to get a new version up and running. I have now finished the new edition and am awaiting a proof copy. Once the proof is approved I will order copies for sale and should have new copies by the end of March 2011. Changes to the new version are: photographs are up from 52 in the old version to 75 in the new version. I've taken out all the colour photos to keep costs down but added far more black and white photos within the pages. There are 40 pages fewer in the new version but I've kept the word count the same (in actual fact I've added about 8,000 more words) by slightly reducing the print size from 12 pt. down to 11 pt. I also decreased the bottom margin my 4 mm and the ourside margin by 2 mm. This has allowed me to put more words per page. The cover design has been changed a bit and the quality of the book is decidedly better. Unfortunately, I've had to raise the price from $21.95 to $24.95, and postage too has gone up in price. A fact of life, stuff gets more expensive.

 

 

December 25, 2010: From my house to your house, may you all have a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years for 2011.

December 15, 2010: Thanks to Hedy and Bar Hodgson, I am again honoured to be invited as a guest at the International Super Show at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. The show is on for three days from January 7th to the 9th, 2011. I will again share booth space with my fellow writer, Max Burns. We will both be crusading our writing efforts. I always enjoy this show which covers such a wide range of motorcycling intersts. I get to revisit with so many friends I've not seen since last year's show. If you have plans to attend the show, please take the time to drop by to say hello.

December 14, 2010: The motorcycle riding season has come to an abrupt end with lots of snow falling in many areas of Central Ontario. Up to a couple of weeks ago quite a few bikes were seen on the roads, but all have now been put away for the winter. About 30 cm. (12 inches) of snow fell on my little house in the woods last weekend. Many areas nearby received upwards of 150 cm. of snow and a state of emergency had been declared to help rescue trapped motorists.

I spent much of my birthday (yesterday) shovelling a path to my wood pile for firewood to keep warm, and another path to my truck. Early afternoon Bob came by with his tractor and snow blower and cleared the roads for the few of us who winter in this angelic corner of Canada's woodlands. As I get older it seems I am less and less tolerant of the cold and the ice and the many challenges of my present life-style. Sara and Nikkita love this weather, especially Nikkita, the younger of my two dogs. She's a Siberian Husky and is made for this weather. But like all of us she also likes the warmth and frequently curls up by the wood stove for an afternoon nap. The photo to the right was taken last week and is at the foot of my driveway. Forgetting the cold, it is pretty.

October 4, 2010: I visited my local OSPCA animal shelter to drop a few coins into its collection jar and came face to face with a little blue kitten. She was an exact copy of my departed buddy Blue who died two years ago, but in minature. She had been named Boots. Not sure why because she didn't have any boots. There was another kitten in the same cage, also blue but with white feet. I suspect the attendant put the wrong collars on the two cats. How could I refuse especially when I was told the shelter was having a sale on cats to reduce its over population of feline residents. Even after two years I was missing Blue. At seven months Boots is not much of a kitten anymore, but she remains small compared to my two other cats.

October 2, 2010: George Wemekamp from Bracebridge called me and asked me to join him for a ride to meet some friends for lunch in Port Perry. He rode his Honda STX while I rode his new Triumph Thruxton. It was a fun day although cold in the beginning - 4 degrees C when we left Bracebridge. Without a fairing it was easy for me to wrap one hand at a time around the cylinder fins to warm them up. Mind you riding with my left hand on the throttle took a moment or two to adjust to the opposing forces. I enjoyed the bike and managed better than I'd expected. This had been only my second bike ride since my crash at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium in July of 2008. Thanks George. Good food, great company, excellent conversation and a super bike to ride; what more could a person ask? Warmer weather perhaps.

September 1, 2010: My new book, The Black Wolf is now available. CLICK HERE: to go to "Books in Print" to view more details about this book and to read some internal pages. To buy this book, CLICK HERE: to go directly to my "Book Order Form". At the moment The Black Wolf is only available through this web site, but in the next two to three weeks it will also be available through Amazon.com and CreateSpace.com.

 
August 18, 2010: A few days ago I received my proof copy of my latest wolf novel, The Black Wolf. And it looks fantastic. I have now approved if for printing and should have copies for sale in about a month's time. If you wish to read more about this latest novel, I have posted a couple of internal pages. To see these pages click on The Black Wolf image to the right to go to my "Books in Print" page. I think there will be a total of five novels in the wolf series of novels. Jennifer's Boots is the first wolf novel which was published in December of 2009. The Black Wolf is the second in the series. The third novel in the series, Running Fawn's Legacy will be published towards the end of 2011.

 

 August 14, 15, 2010: This weekend was the annual VRRA (Vintage Road Race Association) vintage or classic bike races at our local race track, Mosport. Mosport is a first class racing complex and ideal for the annual VRRA festival of speed weekend held each year around this time. Great racing, super sounds, like the old days before silencers became the norm, and an excellent venue to reacquaint with old friends. And this year Paul Smart and his wife Maggie were invited from England for the event. Paul was given a V twin Ducati to ride around the course during the lunch break on both Saturday and Sunday. His appearance was a real treat for local fan who have only read about this rider's many exploits on GP circuits in the late sixties and early seventies. Paul helped put Ducati on the map of international competition. In case you didn't know, Maggie Smart is the famous Barry Sheene's sister.

Ssshhh, it's secret so don't tell anyone, but Maggie and I once dated a long, long, long time ago.

R to L Maggie, Paul and Michelle chatting in the paddock.

 
(Both photos courtesy

Paul on the Ducati about to go out for one of his demo rides.

 
of Dave Hughes)

AND on Tuesday the 17th Maggie and Paul drove north to my little paradise in the woods of Central Ontario for a short visit. In typical Canadian style we had BBQed hamburgers and local corn on the cob. Afterwards Paul and I paddled my canoe around Lake Otter and checked on a couple of beaver lodges on the lake. A good time was had by all . All too soon the day came to an end and Maggie and Paul (two lovely people) had to return to their temporary home in Port Perry, a two hour drive south east of my home.

August 9, 2010: I had a visitor come to stay for a few days. Her name is Tommie Fantine Lauer and she arrived in a massive motor-home. When I knew she was coming I had planned to have her park her motor-home in my driveway during her stay, but when I saw the size of the motor-home it became obvious she'd not be able to drive it down the road to my property let alone back it up into my driveway. It's HUGE, and luxurious, like those hotel rooms you see in the special adds, you know the hotel rooms most people can only dream of renting. I then made arrangement with a neighbour to park the motor-home up top near the main road, an arrangement that worked out well.

We spent a lovely four days with me acting as tour guide to local area sites. Good food, great conversation, excellent company, what more could friends ask. Check out her web site at: www.fantinesvoice.com. She is truly a unique and interesting character.

August 3, 2010: (Personal Ramblings) All my furry friends, Sara and Nikkita, (dogs) and Casey Jones and Toby (cats) are well as am I. Summer here has been glorious with almost too hot temperatures, a fair amount of rain to keep the bugs alive and happy, but now that we are into August the bug population is all but gone for the season. I've been enjoying swims in my lake, canoeing around the lake waters checking on the beaver lodges and the nesting of birds at the end of the lake, and just going for walks with my two canine buddies.

Two months ago, I had to buy a new-to-me truck to replace my aging Pontiac Sunrunner. The old Pontiac was rusting away to nothing and things were falling off it that shouldn't have fallen off, like the gas (petrol) tank. I supported the tank with a threaded rod and immediatley drove to my credit union to arrange some money and began the search for a new-to-me SUV. I bought a 2004 Suzuki Grand Vitara and what a super little SUV it is. Nice to have a vehicle I can feel assured will both get me to my destination and get me home. The dogs love it, especially the air conditioning, and have left evidence of their joy all over the Suzuki's interior, but that's to be expected.

I had my winter's supply of firewood delivered a month ago and that is keeping me busy first thing in the mornings before it gets too hot outside. Other than the above, nothing much is new, but I am enjoying life in the slow lane of retirement. I miss not flying off to Europe every few months to participage in a variety of parade laps at exotic race courses in Europe, but it was tme to move on. I am fully recovered from my injuries sustained at Spa, Francorchamps in Belgium in 2008, but the doctors warned me if I should ever have another bump on the head like I did at Spa I would sustain permanent problems that would never heal. Like many riders who reach a certain age, it was time for me to call it quits. As much as I had a total blast reliving the past in 2007 and 2008, I have a mind full of wonderful memories from racing the GP circuits of the 1960s. Without question, it was a wonderful time to be active in GP racing. It was also one of the most dangerous periods in GP racing and many of my friends and fellow riders paid the ultimate price to enjoy and pursue their love of racing. It also paved the way for the high level of racing and the safety record of MotoGP and WSBK racing today.

August 1, 2010: It's been quite a while since my last entry into my "Latest News" page. I apologize for that, but time seems to race by and as I get older, I seem to get lazier and lazier. I've been busy formatting a new book into my In-Design program, a sequel to Jennifer's Boots, titled The Black Wolf. In the next few days I will add details of this book to my "Books in Print" page. I should have a proof of The Black Wolf in the next two to three weeks and assuming the proof is acceptable, I should have copies for sale by the end of September. Interested persons should keep an eye on my "Order Page" to see when product is available. I am very excited with this book. It answers a number of questions that remained unanswered in the first novel, Jennifer's Boots. But The Black Wolf will again leave some questions unanswered many of which will be answered in the third novel in the wolf series, Running Fawn's Legacy which will be released in early fall of 2011. One question in particular that everyone has been asking me, is the true identity of the black wolf. Who is he really and why does he act so unusual compared to a normal timber wolf? Running Fawn's Legacy will answer this question.

April 10,11/10: The Spring Bike Show is on this weekend at the International Centre in Malton, ON and I plan to be in attendance on both days and once again to share space with Max Burns in Hall 1. If you plan to attend the show, please do drop by and say hello. AND, if you feel so inclined you might consider buying one or two of either of Max's four books, or my four books for your reading pleasure.

March 20/10: Today is Spring Equinox, or it will be at 1:32 PM, when the sun is directly over the equator. In Canadian language, that's the first beginning of spring 2010. And yes, I made it through another winter here in Canada and this year it was a relatively mild winter. I think we only had maybe three or four days where the temperature dropped below minus 25 degrees Centigrade. And not as much snow this winter as in previous winters. Like most people who live in northern climes, I'm looking forward to change and to warmer temperatures. It won't be long now.

January 22/10: The International Supershow is now over for another year and as usual it was a great show. Hedy and Bar Hodgson put on a great presentation that caters to such a wide variety of the motorcycle industry in Canada. Without Hedy's and Bar's continued support of bike clubs, bike sports associations, riding schools and small business people, like Max Burns and myself, the general public would not have first hand information about our products at the show. Thanks, Hedy and Bar.

For me, I sold far more books during the show than I had expected. Who would have thought a dog book would outsell a motorcycle book at a motorcycle show. Goes to show you that motorcyclists, who love motorcycling, are dog lovers too. Mind you, my dog book, Mikita, A Legacy Earned, is new, whereas my racing autobiography, Make Haste, Slowly, has been available for eleven years.

November 2009: In November of 2007, I had lost to cancer, a rather special golden retriever named Mikita (Miki) for short. I had written maybe a thousand words about him a month after he died, but could not write more at the time because it was too difficult emotionally. Last August, I re-read the thousand words I'd written and began adding a few more words and ideas and before I knew it I was adding upwards of 1,500 words a day. At the end of six weeks I had over 48.000 words done and a completed manuscript. I spent the next few weeks placing the words and a series of photographs into my publishing program and that book is now off being printed. I should have a finished book ready to sell in the next couple of weeks.

But this is not the only exciting news. At about the same time, I also published the first of my wolf novel, Jennifer's Boots, and it is presently available from a variety of Internet web sites. Click on the image to the right to take you to descriptions of both Jennifer's Boots, and the book about Miki, titled, MIKITA, A Legacy Earned. I am really excited about these two books, but neither have anything to do with motorcycles. But I am hoping some of the motorcycling crowd will find the books worth considering perhaps for gifts, or for a keeper. I am somewhat bias, but I think they are both really great books. But then I would, wouldn't I?

 

 

November 2009: Now that I am retired, (in December 2004) I must admit to be enjoying life in the slow lane. And with no riding of the parade laps as I did the previous two years, I did not need to devote so much time to physical and mental preparation required to wrap myself around some of the tiny 1960s Yamaha race bikes. I had time to relax and enjoy the paradise in which I live with my two dogs, Sara and Nikkita, and my two cats, Toby and Casey Jones. "I'll be able to get back into a regular routine of writing," I said to myself. I am writing a series of novel for young adults about a wolf or a pack of wolves. I have three novels written and about eight chapters in the fourth one done. For about two months I kept looking at a black computer screen trying to get inspiration to add more chapters to this fourth novel. I re-read novels two and three, made a few minor changes, and then rewrote many parts of the first eight chapters of the fourth novel hoping the flow would continue onto chapter nine. But it was not to be. In desperation I pulled up a few other things I had started hoping to rid me of this writer's block.