henrydecock

Life is a highway

I want to drive it all day long. Alas, all good things must come to an end. It was a gorgeous fall day; temperature hit 21, sun and cloud, warm breeze. The forecast was calling for single digit highs and below freezing nights for the next week. It will not be long before we willContinue reading “Life is a highway”

Server to everyone

My Dad spoke often of his older brother, my uncle, Fr. Kees de Cock. Dad would repeat one of three “facts”: a building was named after Uncle Kees; he was recognized by the Queen (of Netherlands); and they named a street after him in Kampala. As a young adult, I took these statements for granted,Continue reading “Server to everyone”

On the road

It is raining heavy this morning and expected to continue until this evening so the next ride will have to wait ’til tomorrow. The day of my maiden voyage was the epitome of a northern fall afternoon. The sun was shining, the air was brisk and the leaves were in full splendour. It was theContinue reading “On the road”

get your motor running

My search came to an end last week and materialized in all its glory yesterday. The month of September dragged on forever. I completed and passed the M1 exit course on the long weekend, qualifying me for the M2. Under the provincial rules, I wasn’t eligible to pick up the upgraded licence until September 27,Continue reading “get your motor running”

421

My bike for the entirety of the training weekend was numbered 421. Not to be mistaken for Will Ferguson’s Giller award winning 419, which refers to “the section in the Nigerian Criminal Code that deals with obtaining money or goods under false pretences.” The only way I was going to obtain my M2 would beContinue reading “421”

bicycle race

I have been riding my bike for the past two weeks, trying to get ready. Until then, it was hanging in the garage, not yet rescued from its winter home until we returned from the cottage. I purchased the antique, used, several years ago as part of an increased exercise regime. It has fenders, whichContinue reading “bicycle race”

the itch

I don’t know exactly when I first had the itch to learn to ride a motorcycle. Many years ago, when our son was playing baseball, another father owned one and I recall his waxing poetic about cruising the Don Valley on a late, warm summer evening, when traffic was light. I could imagine winding upContinue reading “the itch”

Epilogue

“The destination we find ourselves drawn to reflects an underlying sense of what is currently missing or under-supported in our lives. We are seeking, through our travels, not just to see new places but also to become fuller, more complete beings”, so says the chapter, How to Choose a Destination, found in the book, HowContinue reading “Epilogue”

around the world in 24 days

From Toronto to Delhi over the Atlantic; Delhi to Vancouver by way of the Arctic, then across Canada back to Toronto. Oh yeah, we stopped in India for 22 days in between. For those following along, the journey is chronicled in daily posts up until our night in Mcleod Ganj. The subsequent days were theContinue reading “around the world in 24 days”

little shops of Mcleod Ganj

To the top of the hill we go again. We have walked up and down this road from our guest house to the centre of the commerce district an innumerable amount of times. We have grown accustomed to sharing the streets with the sellers, the buyers, motorcycles (with whom you stand shoulder to shoulder inContinue reading “little shops of Mcleod Ganj”