NSV alert!

CarlRay
on 5/1/17 12:55 pm

RNY on 02/28/17

Ok, well there's a scale victory too, but this is about an NSV.

A couple of years ago, I lost my elderly uncle. We were close, and it affected me pretty badly. Usually stuff like death doesn't, if we're being honest here, but I miss him daily. His name is actually the first half of my alias here on this website. The ray is something else.

Back in the day (the 50's) he had an old knucklehead Harley. He was so proud of that bike, and loved it, spending hours polishing it. He had the Harley clothes, the slicked back hair and was built like a tank. He was stylin' for sure, even being the country boy he was. Someone blew a stop sign and destroyed his bike, and nearly killed him. He never got on another bike and I'm pretty sure that a part of him died because of that accident. He kept all of his gear though, including a cool vintage riding jacket.

Later on in life (when I came around in the mid 70's) he was a farmer, and I was a dusty little bum that followed him everywhere. Like I said, we had a close relationship and he taught me engines and farm stuff and outdoors stuff early on. My parents, like him, worked their hands to the bone to provide, and though there were fun outings (swimming at the lake, the odd trip to town to watch my Dad play baseball), we were rough and very hands-on just to make ends meet.

When my uncle died, he left behind several items. Today I inherited the aforementioned riding jacket. I took one look at it, faded a bit, ripped at the pocket, cuffs worn where it rubbed on things, and I figured it would never fit. I tried it on and, it's too short because I'm a foot taller than he was, but it fit! It looked so awesome and 50's, and I love it.

It's much more than a jacket to me.