During the evening Harry's daughter Holly led a special tribute to her dad to honor his extraordinary ability and generousity in "fixing" things .. from sprockets to hearts to empty hands. Various other speakers rattled on about the "extended family" feeling of Hodaka afficionadoes ... some gleefully, some hilariously, and some a bit tearfully. Then everyone tucked into the birthday cake; Harry was 75 a couple weeks ago.

Friday's Trail Ride

This was a second year for the reprisal of the famed Bad Rock ride out of Weston, OR through the Blue Mountains. Eighty folks signed up in advance. Each group (of 2 - 5 riders) started at one-minute intervals; each group carried a topo map and -- the day before -- a crew had put out arrows and markers all along the route. All bikes were vintage, though not all were Hodakas. A couple fathers saddled up their toddlers as co-riders and women were definitely represented amongst the riders. The sweep team at end had to trailer up three bikes that were incapacitated and search (with no success) for a lost shift lever. One fellow burned his leg on his exhaust pipe, but roared off before the first-aid kit carrier could dash over. Reports were of perfect weather, great ride, and fantastic views.

Friday Evening at the Swansons

Ice cream and an enticing array of toppings, home-baked cookies, soft summer evening just beginning to chill ... ah, yes, and the Swansons' wonderful garden to admire. Chuck, former PABATCO general manager, spoke on fabrication with plastics. He operates Swannee, Inc. these days, specializing in prototype and small production runs of plastic parts for diverse applications. He spoke of available plastics, their suitability for specific projects, their properties such as durability and flexibility, sources, and the how-to of plastic welding. And he let folks prowl in his workshop.