friday the 13th, tits & tattoos.

while writing up my 30 by 30 list, i knew that going to port dover with my dad for "friday the 13th" was something that definitely had to happen. i love going for rides on his bike with him, and thought there was no better way to be a part of a true biker experience, than going to dover. happening every time the 13th falls on a friday, i was lucky enough to score the only one this summer, and we made plans to make the trip. my dad texted me a few days before, saying he had "picked up a black bandana with pink skulls on it (to match my black helmet with pink flames) for me, and we would be leaving around 6:30am". immediately i thought he had had one too many rusty nails, but no, he was totally serious. if we wanted to make it into town, find a place to park and maybe even eat something, we would have to leave at the crack of dawn. like a good daughter, i was ready and waiting for him, on my front porch yesterday morning. we drove up with some of the guys he rides with and some that he works with, as well as one of his best buddies kenny and his daughter kristin, whom i have grown up with, and are both hilarious. it was going to be a good day.

after a quick meet-up at 'timmy's' we were off like a young brides panties. about an hour and a bit of a ride, we went from needing jackets and pants, to full on sunshine and warm air. a friend of my dads was camping out in dover, and we stopped by on the way in town to change into shorts and sandals. we were greeted by a mass of bike enthusiasts, already celebrating with breakfast beers, and very polite requests for me to show them my tits. considering i was on the back of my father's bike, it wasn't going to happen, but i'm sure they were given many a show, as there were tits everywhere you looked -- old ones, new ones, some as big as your head. if you ever want to see boobs all day, go to dover.

 i didn't expect it to be a town wide event, and never would have pictured people camped out on their front lawns, sitting in parks and along the street, as if a parade were happening. the whole town seemed to shut down in order to cater to the day, and it was so nice to see that everyone supported the whole event. vendors were set up selling chaps, jackets and accessories, there were food stations and small shops to look around in. port dover is such a sweet little beachy town, i made mental note to come back with paul and the pooch to spend the day. by 9am it was a sea of sweaty, leathery, ponytail wearing perfection, so we decided to grab some breakfast before it was impossible to sit anywhere, and had eggs benny and coffee on the main street.

by 11am the sun was so hot, and the streets were so packed, that you were running for any square inch of shade. we all found 'friday the 13th' shirts, and were able to walk through the whole town, checking out bikes and doing what i love most; people watch. it was a gold mine for anyone who likes to sit and watch as much as i do. at any given moment, you could see a funny shirt, a seriously outrageous outfit, or the strangest bike. i especially enjoyed this gold glitter skull number, rode in from quebec, complete with a victorian casket and matching helmet.

once we had our fill we decided to scoot out before things got even busier. we stopped for a frosty beer on the way home, and cruised through the countryside in the scorching sunshine. even on a bike, going 100 km an hour, the thermostat was showing 100 degrees on the bike while moving. it was a great day and i love that i got to spend it with some old friends and of course, my old man. who says the 13th is unlucky?

ps-half way through the day i realized that i had been calling my dad "daddy" the whole time (as i always have), and he never mentioned it once. even in the middle of thousands and thousands of bikers. now that's a good dad.