Monday, June 25, 2012

SKITTISH ABOUT MOTORCYCLES

After a recent near encounter with a police officer, I’m extremely skittish about motorcycles.

I was driving east on Loula Street in near downtown Olathe. I stopped for the stop sign at Water.

Another motorist was coming west bound on Loula, and likewise stopped for the stop sign at Water. I thought we had reached the intersection at about the same time, but since I wanted to make a left turn, I remained stopped to allow the other motorist to proceed through the intersection.

A patrolman on a motorcycle was behind the other motorist. The patrolman accelerated as the motorist moved forward, but he did stop at the “stop” line. I thought it was my turn to go through the intersection, and I started to move forward.

To my horror, so did the patrolman.

I instantly put on the brakes. So did the patrolman.

Hastily, I tried to review in my mind the rules of the road. I thought I was second in line for the right to enter the intersection – I thought he was third in line.

No doubt he was on duty. It crossed my mind that he had received orders to go to a specific location, and his mind might be more on the task that awaited him than the current need to safely navigate the streets. With my vehicle awkwardly paused, crosswise, in the middle of the intersection, I waved the right-of-way to the patrolman.

And got the shakes thinking about what could have happened if either one of us had been a little quicker on the pedal.

Monday, June 11, 2012

New Name for Blog

Just changed the name on my knitting-and-writing blog.

Changed it to pegsotherblog.blogspot.com and I'm going to put it on my blog roll.