Hop on a Harley to Tea

I was excited to introduce these novices to the pleasures of teatime! These delightful, if not colorful, women from Ventura County, California, had set out early in the morning to ride five hours south to attend a high tea, a new experience for most of them and, to be sure, not their usual destination for a motorcycle ride.

Fourteen shiny and polished bikes thundered up my driveway single file, along with two cars, as my husband and I, dressed in borrowed Harley jackets, vests, and hats, waited to greet each arrival and marvel at the magnificent machines zooming past us. Jet black, apple red, winter white, brilliant turquoise, and pin-striped motorcycles were hardly the usual conveyances of ladies coming to tea, but … why not motorcycles?

Adding to the color of the special event, the ladies wore vests and jackets emblazoned with Harley logos and chapter patches; some had slip-on tattoo sleeves; and a foxtail adorned the back of one lady’s jeans. All this contrasted with the frilly and feminine attire of a traditional tea party. The lady bikers quickly stowed their helmets and leathers in their respective “hogs” before donning jaunty and colorful chapeaux inside. Selecting a tea party hat seemed more daunting and varied than their helmet choice, but if the array of hats didn’t boggle their minds, choosing their personal favorite teacup from a collection of about  50 proved even more challenging.