My Dad died in December of 2023. He'd had several months of difficulty breathing, especially when lying on his back. Congestive heart failure, he was told. His final weeks were spent in the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital, his heart working harder while growing weaker. He passed suddenly, surrounded by loved ones. My sister and I were with him for that final moment, just as he and we were with his mother for her last breath in 1986. Family dynamics, I suppose. Dad had many hobbies but chief among them was motorcycling. After a long break from riding, he ran across a Yamaha XS650 in 2007. Stored in a barn, no brakes, and priced to sell, he bought it. I had the job of riding it to his house, a white knuckle experience on a bike with no brakes. I hadn't ridden in 15 years or more. A former auto mechanic, he did the work of repair and restoration himself in his early 60s. He rode that bike for years, picking up others along the way. Dad was a fan of Japanese motorcycles, c...
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