Celebrating Brian Mock

California motorcyclist Brian Mock taking advantage of the Aix-les-Bains hotel air conditioning in August 2023. Image: Gary J Boulanger

I wasn’t sure what to make of the scrawny dude rolling up to Red Rock Coffee on a 1400cc Moto Guzzi California in early October 2017. There was a chill demeanor to his aura, an unmistakable calm that I didn’t realize at the time would have a profound effect on my life.

My friend Brian Mock turns 54 today. He’s a successful machinist; he’s never known anything else and he’s at peace with this. He rarely talks about work, unless he gets a text or call from a staffer while we’re on a motorcycle adventure. Thirty years ago he bought his childhood home in Milpitas from his mother, with an attached garage lined with motorcycle posters from his teenage years.

Like most of us, his life isn’t all champagne and tickle parties. There’s some serious stuff happening in his world, which we talk about with more frequency. His discipline and supportive nature have served him well these past few years, but unbeknownst to him, he’s also contributed mightily to my level of happiness.