Winter Blues and Little Tools

As we face down another winter storm here in Minnesota, it is time to reflect on those things that bring me the most happiness in my life.   Motorcycles are certainly one of those items. I have others, but I will save those for another post at a later date.

I have recently got back into doing model kit building. I can thank my father-in-law for that.   For my 50th last October, he picked up a scale model kit of a 1968 Chevy Camaro.  How fitting a 50 year old car for my 50 year old self.   Wish it was the real deal.

The car kit went together really well.  I had paint and glue, so I thought, what’s next?    I ended up with a scale model kit of the first gen Bronco.   That too went together pretty well.  I was starting to build some skills and increase my patience, so I thought, whats next?

I kept coming back to motorcycles. Go figure!   Drooling over the many types of scale model bikes out there and asking myself what would be the most interesting for me to do, I decided on a bike that I had when I was a young lad.  The Honda Trail CT70 in a 1/8 scale.   Dropping a hint or two to my wonderful wife while we walked around the hobby shop, somehow or other one ended up under the Christmas tree.  A holiday gift from my son, I finally have my Honda.   This was my first motorcycle model ever and the first motorcycle that I have ever ridden.  I enjoyed the complexity of the scale model. The detail in each piece was impressive.

Again, using my new found skills and my little tools, I picked up another kit.  The Honda CB750 Four kit.   I have always gravitated to old Honda motorcycles. I love how they look.  If I had the money and the place to store, I could see having a couple of extra bikes in the garage.   This bike would be one of them.  The Trail 70 certainly would be the other.

Anyway,  I have been in my basement this winter working at the craft table.  Working with all my little tools, paints and glues, to make things that make me happy.  As temps start to increase, I will find myself in my garage doing the same thing on the Vstrom.   The tools are a little bit bigger, require a lot more effort to use, but I can still tap into all of that patience I developed over the winter.   I can’t wait for that.  Enjoy my handy-work!