Brian is already pretty amazed with his iPod.

This past week I took delivery of my new bike, a 2008 Suzuki V-Strom 650, affectionately known among motorcyclists as the "Wee-Strom" because it has a 1000cc big brother. Amazingly, I won it through an eBay auction that I stumbled across in early October. I placed a bid thinking it would never stick, and what do you know, come Sunday morning I was the winner!

Getting it home was interesting...I bought the bike from MaxBMW in New Hampshire. I hatched a plan to fly and ride, but with little Brian only being 3 months old, we thought it best to ship the bike and not have me gone a long weekend. So 2 agonizing weeks later, the bike is finally mine!

Why a new bike? The V-Strom is an altogether better bike for my purposes than my previous ride. Mainly, it's a lot more comfortable all around. The ergonomics are better, the engine is smoother, the wind noise is better on the highway, and so on.  It also is considered a dual-purpose bike that will perform reasonbly well off-road in good conditions, which is where I'd like to go if the opportunity arises. It's no motocross bike, but it'll handle packed dirt and gravel roads easily.

Ready to attack.

On the 29th of June, 2011, Jamie and I welcomed Brian K. Sheppard into the world with open arms. He came 4 weeks earlier than expected, but still perfect in every way. Life has changed more than I can explain and we couldn't be happier. I can already tell in three short weeks that being a dad will take more work and bring more joy than I could've imagined. We just love the lil guy.

Added a set of Nelson-Rigg saddlebags and a Laminar Lip to my GS500F recently.

What a difference the Lip makes! Highway riding becomes a real possibility now. Previously anything over 60 would be a chore because of wind pressure on my throat & torso. Now the Lip has made it much quieter well over the speeds I'd be riding on the highway.

The saddlebags were a must for obvious reasons. These seem high quality and well sized. Put back to back they seemed almost as large as a carry-on suitcase. They'll do nicely, and have also opened up a lot more opportunities for errands around town.

Once thunderstorms and fireworks season rolls in, Webster becomes a big chicken. Just today he wanted to turn around on a walk when he heard a rumble. Tonight we're trying out a Thundershirt. Really happy to see they are based in Durham, NC as well. Stay tuned to hear how well it works!

This is the first pic I've taken of our dog Webster that you can really tell he has Bernese Mountain Dog on him. Most people think he's just a giant Golden Retriever, but DNA tests told us he's 75% Golden and 25% Berner.