I hope you didn't think what I think you thought about the meaning of "adult toys".  My adult toys -at least the largest ones - all have wings or wheels.  There's a whimsical proverb that says, "He who dies with the most toys, wins".  But I'm not hoping to "win" - just to have a bit of fun along the way.  And these toys really are FUN to play with...  

The Plane

I've flown a Cessna 182 since obtaining my Private Pilot's license in 1986.  I hold a Commercial Instrument Rating, although I fly mostly for pleasure.  I share ownership of this Skylane with another pilot.

Click here to go to Airplane Web Site

Click on this picture to see a larger view.

  

 

The Bike

Here is a picture of my Yamaha Royal Star Venture.  I've had a Kawasaki Vulcan Classic 1500 since 1996, but traded up to the Venture in the Summer of 2002.  It's a real pleasure to ride, with it's full stereo audio system and cruise control.  I also putz around on a Honda Helix scooter.  The scooter is loads of fun around town.  Click on the picture for a larger view, plus a list of features and benefits of this bike.  Click here for pictures of other bikes I've enjoyed.

All riders should take the Safe Rider Courses, offered free in PA and many other states, by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

 

Our Motor Home

Suzanne and I got the motor home bug around the turn of the century.  We had never had a motor home before, although we did do some camping some years ago.  In 2000 we bought our first motor home and in 2007 we traded up to the Monaco Diplomat you see here.  It's got three slides including a full wall slide on the road side.  When opened up, it's quite roomy inside.  Click on the picture for more photos and information.
The "M"
 
In 2005 I traded my gas-hungry SUV for this crimson 2006 Infiniti M35x all-wheel-drive sedan.  (I've always wanted a red car.)  It moves with its Nissan 3.5L "VQ" DOHC V-6 (the same engine as in the 350Z).  It's got more bells and whistles than anyone could wish for.  With features like a Bluetooth phone interface, a Bose 14-speaker DVD surround sound audio system, radar cruise control, voice commands, rear-view camera, and keyless start, this car is a toy for the most serious gadget freak - a descriptor that fits me perfectly, as my wife likes to remind me.   Click on the pictures to read about some of the gadgets this car comes equipped with or see larger pictures.  Click here to read more about the M35 from Infiniti's web site.

 

The PDA

It's got no wheels, but it goes everywhere with me. It is now hard to imagine how I ever survived before the days of PDA's (Personal Data Assistants). I keep my whole life organized inside this little box - well, as "organized" as my life can be. Having owned half a dozen or so Palm Pilots over the years, a few years ago I upgraded to a Pocket PC, which runs the Microsoft Mobile operating system.  I currently use an HP iPAQ hx2795b (shown at right).  It's quite small, but with 384MB of total internal memory, a 4GB CF card, plus a 1GB SD card, this is a very capable machine.  It also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability, and a biometric fingerprint scanner for security. 

Update:  The paragraph above was written in 2006.  I was going to delete it, but decided to leave it alone, just to show how much "personal data assistants" have progressed in just a few short years.  In fact, now in 2011, nobody even carries a PDA anymore.  They've been replaced by "smartphones" and tablet computers.  Being the gadget freak that I am, of course have one of each.  I won't comment much on my smartphone.  It's a run-of- the- mill HTC model running Windows Moble 6.5, and it's glued to my hip.  It has all the useful capabilities of the iPAQ I used to carry and a lot more.  

But my newest "toy" in personal computers is a Samsung Galaxy Tab running the Google Android OS, and connected to Verizon's wireless data network.  Besides doing everything a PDA does, it's also an e-reader, a GPS/Moving Map, a 3 mega-pixel auto-focus camera,  a web browser, a movie theater, a mobile "hot spot", and so much more.  The 7" screen is much more functional than the larger iPAD, in my opinion, and the iPAD does not include mobile data communications.  I've "rooted" mine to gain even more versitility from it.  If you're interested in knowing more, check out the Galaxy Tab here ...or here.