Tuesday June 3 Leather Yoga...

Tuesday I had planned to visit the girls at eMagine ( customers of DesignR1) and then check out some childhood haunts with Jax. It rained. No, I mean it RAINED! The car park was awash. By the time it eased it was afternoon and getting to the old houses and on to Milwaukee looked a bit hectic. We set off and found the roads solid with traffic. We managed to locate one of the old homes in a very nice neighbourhood north of Chicago. A hasty sandwich and a refuel and we set off to visit another ACC, Fred Varin, Topline Results Corporation in Peewaukee Wisconsin. By the time we hit Wisconsin I was so sick of the Illinois tolls every 300 feet with horrific roads and worse traffic that I punched the air in a big cheer to be free of that stupid State. Pity Chicago is in Illinois. Can't you all get together and push it up into Wisconsin?

Against all odds we managed to find (THAT was a miracle in itself) and arrive more or less on time for Fred's Yoga class. Now I am NOT a Yoga person. I hate ANYTHING that smacks of meditation, gurus, exercise, or oriental philosophy. However, I decided to have a go for the experience. It was more or less stretching exercises as far as I could see. No one managed to zoom around the ceiling looking at themselves down below. I know...I peeked. So here I was being a well-behaved boy in my leathers (I needed the knee pads) while Jax and Fred cracked up in silent laughter at the sight of me. The regulars attending were very polite and long-suffering. We then followed Fred's Lexus at what I called "refreshingly European" speeds to his lovely home by the Lake. Melanie, his wife, made a ldelicious meal and since it was pork I pigged out again... Patrick, Clark and Stephanie were so well behaved I assumed I had terrified them. Then 5 year old Stephanie brought me her French language books. So I taught her to read in French. Why they were all rolling about laughing I'll never figure out. What's wrong with Animox for animals? Patrick showed us some of his art and he has a very real talent as a painter. Keep that up Patrick!

The next morning we followed Fred to his impressive offices (he has a tidy desk! Are you listening Rainer?) and met the guys in the office for photos and then Fred generously treated us to a very entertaining Japanese style lunch where they fling the tools about, chuck bits of food at your face and generally get everyone laughing. Tasted good too!

We set off south to the dreaded Illinois but I was so sick of the crappy I94 that we rode the US45. After 1/2 hour we pulled into a coffee shop. We had hardly settled when the friendliest dishwasher and charity volunteer in Wisconsin sat down and insisted on paying for our coffee and cakes. He rides a Harley and we had such a laugh. Thanks so much 'Boise'. You epitomise the friendly, open Americans that we Brits enjoy so much! We rode on to Kenosha and that evening at a Cracker Barrel restaurant we were treated to a free desert by Bill Tamulis the manager after the waitress mentioned the charity ride. he also gave me a map of the USA to record my route. Thank you 'Corporate Bill'...