The CB1100 Community Forum

I mentioned to Mrs. Gone that I stopped by the cemetary on Blood Bike #5 yesterday when I was out test riding to make sure I had completely repaired its electronic gremlins once and for all. 
Some of her departed relatives reside there now, and she asked me who I had visited, I skipped Uncle Gus. There was a bit of scolding, so I went back today on the CB1100 to pay my respects.

[attachment=1573]

[attachment=1574]

Here's sort of a bonus, and I'm sure I've posted pictures of this place in a previous challenge. After the cemetary, I had to pick up some company uniform jackets from the local tailor, who sews our logo patches on the sleeves. Along the way, I stopped by The Richland and took a few pics. 

This is the former Shannon Brothers Mortuary, which a few years ago was refurbished to become "The Richland", a swanky boutique hotel for the rich visiting parents of the nearby students of Chapman College. I've always thought it just a bit morose that a long-standing mortuary is now a hotel. We've had cocktails there with friends, but would you want to stay in a place where you attended your neighbor's funeral service just a few years earlier? Their brown wooden "Outdoor leisure and event area" to the left of the hotel used to be the carport where they parked two Cadillac hearses. Now, you can enjoy a game of cornhole in the same spot!

[attachment=1572]

[attachment=1571]

(07-03-2026, 09:21 PM)Gone in 60 Wrote: [ -> ]... would you want to stay in a place where you attended your neighbor's funeral service just a few years earlier?

Might depend on the neighbour.

(07-03-2026, 10:27 PM)Cormanus Wrote: [ -> ]

(07-03-2026, 09:21 PM)Gone in 60 Wrote: [ -> ]... would you want to stay in a place where you attended your neighbor's funeral service just a few years earlier?

Might depend on the neighbour.

Ha! Very good point. Actually an awesome guy. A true wine aficionado-had a dazzling collection and knowledge of wine and hosted some very cool parties. Leaned into his cancer treatment and when that took his hair, he dressed as Yul Brynner from Magnificent Seven for Halloween, and decided to keep wearing the cowboy hat till the end.

Interesting story about that building, Gone. When I was working my way through college in Miami, FL, in the early 60's, I worked in the County Mental Hospital, which was part of the large county medical center. The county morgue was housed in another of the buildings and my friend worked nights there. Alone, except for 20 or 30 temporary occupants. I would often drop in and visit on my lunch hour, as he couldn't leave and it was a quiet place to keep a friend company and enjoy our lunch. A building may have many purposes and people may use it in many different ways, but we will all visit a mortuary eventually. I'm delaying that last visit as long as I can.

I ain't going to the mortuary! They can part me out and use what they want, and toss the rest.

I had once drafted a request that my ashes be spread over the Indy 500 from a C-130 by Chuck Norris, but I decided that the organization might be a little taxing on those I leave behind, and now that Chuck is no longer with us, well, the magic is gone.

Pffft .. Chuck can still pull it off  

(07-05-2026, 01:54 PM)the Ferret Wrote: [ -> ]Pffft .. Chuck can still pull it off  

You know, I believe you are correct.

Yesterday I went for my first induction ride as a volunteer for Blood Bikes Australia. I treated myself to a roundabout route to the meeting point and arrived a bit early. I spotted a cemetery and, having a bit of time, decided to make an effort this month.

There ya go, Cormanus. That's some fine multi-tasking right there! The best of luck on your new adventure!

On the way to the museum yesterday, I stopped by Hollywood Forever. Most Hollywood legends are either buried here or at Forest Lawn a bit to the Northwest near Griffith Park.
In addition to being a fully-functioning cemetary and mortuary, it's also a big tourist attraction. They publish maps of where famous celebrities are located, and they host concerts and outdoor movies, projected onto the wall of the very tall main mausoleum. 

It's on Santa Monica Blvd, nestled in the "working" part of Hollywood, and is surrounded by studios both large and small, as well as post-production companies. Paramount backs up to it on the South side. Our cousins live off of Melrose on the other side of Paramount, so Hollywood Forever is a short walk from their house. There's a family plot and some aunts and uncles have already moved in. Mrs. and I have been offered the opportunity to buy in, but seeing as how the Chuck Norris option is highly unlikely, we've decided to donate ourselves to science (Not that Chuck couldn't still do it, it's just that the C-130 is no longer a front-line piece of hardware, and might by hard to locate by the time of my demise).

In the middle of the big city, it's a very peaceful place to stroll around, with all sorts of trees offering shady repose, and the call of several peacocks can be heard here and there. My Staintune muffler was kept to a respectably low burble as we idled through the place.

[attachment=1602]
[attachment=1603]