When I was twelve years old I saw my first Italian motorscooter. My dad's office was in the Tiger Hotel downtown and there was an old Vespa often parked outside, presumably belonging to a student. A lifelong obsession with vintage motorscooters began the first time I saw that rather beat-up, faded blue beast; I knew I had to have one of my own. There were several near attempts to obtain one over the years, but other things interfered until I began to despair of ever having my "two-stroke smoke" dreams come true. Finally, as my second marriage ended, I decided that having devoted my entire adult life to caring for the wants and whims of my partners it was now time to indulge myself for a change. At the ripe young age of 43 I became the proud owner of my beautiful red Stella motorscooter. Better than an old scooter that would require maintenance and care I'm probably not capable of performing, Stellas are a brand new version of the 1970's P-series Vespa with all the sweet lines and chrome-y flash of the vintage original, but with the dependability I need since I'm not very mechanically-inclined. (Although I'm learning!) "Sophie" is all steel with a unibody design, so she's SOLID! And heavy, so don't be surprised when you see me struggling to get her up on her stands when I ride to work. I park close to the window by the Info desk so I can peek at her when I'm out front at Circulation. She makes me smile!
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