Time has come today

A reminder to ride with the ones you love

By Larry Ware Jr.

Photography by Matthew Jones & Steven Richards

Last summer, just before our father-son ride to Milwaukee for the 120th Anniversary Harley-Davidson Homecoming™ Festival, my dad, Larry Ware Sr., suffered a stroke. “I fell flat on my face,” he recalls. “I hollered for my wife, and she called the ambulance. At the hospital, they rushed me in, and I couldn’t move the left side of my body. The nurses gave me a shot in my arm that made my arm purple, but I regained full use of my body. They kept me in the hospital for a few days, and the doctor said, ‘Stay your ass off the motorcycle for three months’… oh, man! But believe it or not, I did what the doctor told me to do.”

It was a tough time for our family and a wake-up call for me, but instead of dwelling on what my father and I couldn’t do together, I rode his 2013 Harley-Davidson^® Road King^® motorcycle to the H-D Homecoming^™ Festival, feeling his presence beside me on the open road as I reflected on how far both he and I have come.

My father always admired motorcycles, but he didn’t get behind the handlebars until after I did, when he was in his early 60s. After gradu­ating from Savannah High School in 1969, my dad joined the U.S. Navy, which took him to places like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Italy. After returning home from the military, he spent 32 years as a law enforcement officer for the state of Georgia, and while he served his country and his home state, he kept his dream of riding on hold.

As he neared retirement in 2015, I finally convinced him to buy a bike, and we dove head­first into the world of Harley-Davidson, travel­ing to shows and events together and creating memories to fill a lifetime. For his 70th birthday, I custom-painted my dad’s Harley-Davidson^® motorcycle with the design and color scheme of the USS Lexington, the aircraft carrier on which he served in the 1970s. The nod to his past and celebration of our shared love of riding stayed with me as I rode that motorcycle to Homecom­ing in his place.

My father’s first ride since his health scare was on the brand-new, three-wheeled 2024 Harley-Davidson^® Road Glide^® 3, with me chas­ing behind him on a Road Glide^® Limited motor­cycle. The familiar rumble of the V-twin engine signaled his triumphant return and showed that his love for riding had not dimmed. The joy of seeing him back in the saddle was indescribable. Riding motorcycles is more than a shared inter­est for us; it’s a unique language of love between a father and son. Creating this legacy of passion for the open road is a cherished activity and a way for us to connect, and it is a legacy that I hope to one day pass down to my own son — my father’s first grandchild.

Make memories in the Southeast.

Mrs. Patricia Kea shares the secret Ware family recipe for a southern snack: boiled peanuts.

Wash one sack of raw peanuts twice & remove bad peanuts / Place in a large pot / Fill with water (they will float).

Add 1 cup of salt / 4 to 5 bay leaves / 1/2 cup red pepper / 1/3 cup minced garlic / 1/8 cup garlic powder / Place a pot lid on pot to hold peanuts down / Boil for 3 to 4 hours / Taste a few to see if they’re soft / If soft, let them soak a few hours but overnight will give them a better taste.

---

Tags: