Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Napping

I noticed Art soaking in the sunshine at a rest area as I was driving back to the newsroom after an assignment last week. He'd just delivered his first book to a bookstore downtown, and was bouncing some ideas around for his second. Over the summer he'd taken his Harley, Rosemary, through 35 states, visiting old friends he was excited to have found on facebook. I imagine that his is the last generation to get really excited about reconnecting in this way. I really enjoy staying in touch with old friends, but I can read daily dispatches from their lives online now, and I can't picture myself taking a road trip to catch up. But, maybe I should.

Art Desmarais, of Northwood, relaxes on his Harley, which he named Rosemary, while riding around in the sunshine on Friday. He said he and a friend used to always take in the scenery in this rest area on Dover Street in Epsom. Since his friend passed away, he stops here by himself to reflect every time he passes it on his way home. "You know how tough life is," he said, "It doesn't take much to mess it up." (Concord Monitor Photo/Sarah Beth Glicksteen)