August 1st - Sonoma Valley, California
Wow, can you believe it's August already? Where has this year gone. When we realize just how quickly time goes by it makes us so glad that we are doing what
we are doing now. If we had stayed in Buellton and kept planning for this someday, we would have stayed so busy we may have never done it. It goes back to
one of our favorite quotes, which you've probably heard before. "Life passes most people by while they sit around and make grand plans for it"
Monday was a fun day. Frank helped tear down the Nitro Mall which is our company's equivalent of a traveling department store that they bring to each race.
While he was at work Frank's parents and I, along with a few of our co-workers, drove to a nearby winery. It was a beautiful place that overlooked the valley. We
tasted all sorts of different jams and jellies and lots of different salsas and dips. Good thing we hadn't had breakfast, by the time we left we were all stuffed.
Around 1:00, when Frank got off work, we drove out to Frank's Aunt Linda and Uncle Steve's in Santa Rosa, just up the road from Sonoma. We had a bar-b-que
with them along with most of his cousins and their families. We hadn't seen them in a couple years so it was fun to catch up. Frank's grandparents came up from
the Santa Ynez Valley as well to visit so we had a great time. Steve and Linda live in a great little community with a pool and lake. Most of us took a walk around
the lake and stopped to watch the ducks. The Ugly Duckling really does exist. He lives here in Santa Rosa with a family of ducks and really thinks he is one of
them. I guess no one has shown him a mirror yet. Okay so he isn't really a swan, but he sure doesn't look like the other ducks.
Wow, can you believe it's August already? Where has this year gone. When we realize just how quickly time goes by it makes us so glad that we are doing what
we are doing now. If we had stayed in Buellton and kept planning for this someday, we would have stayed so busy we may have never done it. It goes back to
one of our favorite quotes, which you've probably heard before. "Life passes most people by while they sit around and make grand plans for it"
Monday was a fun day. Frank helped tear down the Nitro Mall which is our company's equivalent of a traveling department store that they bring to each race.
While he was at work Frank's parents and I, along with a few of our co-workers, drove to a nearby winery. It was a beautiful place that overlooked the valley. We
tasted all sorts of different jams and jellies and lots of different salsas and dips. Good thing we hadn't had breakfast, by the time we left we were all stuffed.
Around 1:00, when Frank got off work, we drove out to Frank's Aunt Linda and Uncle Steve's in Santa Rosa, just up the road from Sonoma. We had a bar-b-que
with them along with most of his cousins and their families. We hadn't seen them in a couple years so it was fun to catch up. Frank's grandparents came up from
the Santa Ynez Valley as well to visit so we had a great time. Steve and Linda live in a great little community with a pool and lake. Most of us took a walk around
the lake and stopped to watch the ducks. The Ugly Duckling really does exist. He lives here in Santa Rosa with a family of ducks and really thinks he is one of
them. I guess no one has shown him a mirror yet. Okay so he isn't really a swan, but he sure doesn't look like the other ducks.
July 22nd - Seattle, Washington
So much for the useless and misleading snow capped mountain giving any indication of the weather this weekend. Today it is a scorching 95 degrees outside
but there is a slight breeze and we are in the shade of the awning so when it gets too hot we can go inside the air conditioned motorhome and cool off. I guess it
could be worse. We are very happy that we are heading out of here tonight HOORRRAAYY!! We won't have to deal with any more heat or dust. I swear we have
cleaned the shelves of the trailer 100 times and the darn dust keeps coming back! UUGGHH!!
We will drive tonight to Marathon in Coburg, Oregon where we bought our current home. Last year we were in such a hurry to get to Minnesota that they didn't
get a chance to put in a counter that they owed us, so they said "next time you are in town stop by" Yes it has been a year but this is the first time we have been
near so we will get our new counter and mirror and an oil change and be on our way to Sonoma, California. Hopefully the weather will be wonderful there and
cool. It has been a bit above 100 degrees in that area, but according to weather.com it is supposed to be only 70 degrees for the weekend. Let's hope that's
true. Although I won't speak too soon because I may jinx us into having another heat wave. :-( One can usually count on CA for great weather.
So much for the useless and misleading snow capped mountain giving any indication of the weather this weekend. Today it is a scorching 95 degrees outside
but there is a slight breeze and we are in the shade of the awning so when it gets too hot we can go inside the air conditioned motorhome and cool off. I guess it
could be worse. We are very happy that we are heading out of here tonight HOORRRAAYY!! We won't have to deal with any more heat or dust. I swear we have
cleaned the shelves of the trailer 100 times and the darn dust keeps coming back! UUGGHH!!
We will drive tonight to Marathon in Coburg, Oregon where we bought our current home. Last year we were in such a hurry to get to Minnesota that they didn't
get a chance to put in a counter that they owed us, so they said "next time you are in town stop by" Yes it has been a year but this is the first time we have been
near so we will get our new counter and mirror and an oil change and be on our way to Sonoma, California. Hopefully the weather will be wonderful there and
cool. It has been a bit above 100 degrees in that area, but according to weather.com it is supposed to be only 70 degrees for the weekend. Let's hope that's
true. Although I won't speak too soon because I may jinx us into having another heat wave. :-( One can usually count on CA for great weather.
July 25th - Coburg, Oregon
Free hook-ups, free laundry and a free drive around town car!! What more could you ask for while your motorhome is being taken
care of. Friends of ours, Kurt and Phyllis, are here as well. They are looking to buy a previously owned bus like ours and they too
are taking advantage of the amenities. We had them drill a couple new cup holders for Frank since his driver's seat never had
them and he always has to pass me his soda to put in one of my cup holders. It will now be quite convenient for him, and they
look quite nice. Early this morning Frank was walking around the lot with Cody. As usual they received quite a bit of attention from
other coach owners in for service that were walking around. One of the women that was outside at the time is the editor for the
Maratime Magazine that Marathon Coach owners receive each quarter. It's a great magazine that is designed just for Marathon
owners. It tells all about the upcoming events that Marathon is hosting, pictures of all the new and pre-owned buses for sale and
various articles on coach owners and the activities that they are involved in. Mary came up to Frank to meet him and Cody. As the
two of them talked she asked if she could do an article on our family for the Fall issue of the magazine. Frank was delighted and
came home to tell the rest of us. She and her photographer came over about an hour later to snap some pictures of us and the
birds and did a little interview of us. We gave her our website address for any further information or pictures she might need on us
or our feathered friends and she told us she would e-mail us a rough draft of the article in a few weeks. We are excited to see it.
Free hook-ups, free laundry and a free drive around town car!! What more could you ask for while your motorhome is being taken
care of. Friends of ours, Kurt and Phyllis, are here as well. They are looking to buy a previously owned bus like ours and they too
are taking advantage of the amenities. We had them drill a couple new cup holders for Frank since his driver's seat never had
them and he always has to pass me his soda to put in one of my cup holders. It will now be quite convenient for him, and they
look quite nice. Early this morning Frank was walking around the lot with Cody. As usual they received quite a bit of attention from
other coach owners in for service that were walking around. One of the women that was outside at the time is the editor for the
Maratime Magazine that Marathon Coach owners receive each quarter. It's a great magazine that is designed just for Marathon
owners. It tells all about the upcoming events that Marathon is hosting, pictures of all the new and pre-owned buses for sale and
various articles on coach owners and the activities that they are involved in. Mary came up to Frank to meet him and Cody. As the
two of them talked she asked if she could do an article on our family for the Fall issue of the magazine. Frank was delighted and
came home to tell the rest of us. She and her photographer came over about an hour later to snap some pictures of us and the
birds and did a little interview of us. We gave her our website address for any further information or pictures she might need on us
or our feathered friends and she told us she would e-mail us a rough draft of the article in a few weeks. We are excited to see it.
Later this same day.... .... ....
Pacific Raceways in Seattle, Washington. A very nice track nestled in the hills and trees of the Washington Coast. Right above the racetrack is a beautiful view
of snow covered Mount Rainer. Yes it is still covered in snow in July so lets hope that means that this weekend might be a bit cooler than the last one. The last
few tracks have not only been a bit on the warm side but we have also had a long commute to work. This is when the motorcycle comes in very handy for Frank
to get to work and I get the benefit of a nice workout while walking to work. I also get to sleep in a bit later since both of us don't have to be at work until the
crowds get big. How long is our commute this week??? It takes us about 4 steps to get from the motorhome to the trailer, and we are directly across from our
Budweiser teammates so it makes it an even shorter walk to lunch and we can check in on the birds as often as we need. We sure could get spoiled by this.
July 21st - Seattle, Washington
The race has officially begun. Our Budweiser Team is the defending champions of this race last year so let's hope we can defend it and win again. Last
weekend we had a bit of bad luck and lost in the first round, so going any further than that this weekend would help us greatly in the battle of the points.
We have had a fun last couple days exploring the town of Seattle. Frank and I drove into town the other night and visited the world famous Pikes Place Fish
Market where they are famous for their "throwing of the fish". It is a big outside fish market where they have every type of fresh fish one could want. You order
on one side where the scales are and they yell out your order to the other side where all the fish are kept on ice. After you order your fish it then comes sailing
across the air into the open arms of the weigher who is holding a sheet of butcher paper to safely catch your fish. It's a very impressive feat to watch
considering that all the fish are pretty much left whole, minus their heads, and some of them are huge and the distance they throw them is pretty far. Downtown
Seattle has an amazingly huge Farmer's Market that is permanent and goes for blocks and blocks and blocks. The fruit is wonderful and the fish restaurants are
amazing. All of the restaurants are pretty much run down deli counters so at first glance your a bit scared to eat there after being used to the strict health codes
of California, but you realize that they are all packed with locals for a reason. We braved on of the deli counters and had some excellent fish and chips and
shrimp cocktail. Considering Seattle is literally over the ocean you sure can tell the fish is fresh. After dinner we headed out to the Space Needle where we met
up with a group of friends for dessert and a bit of shopping. We were going to go up into the Space Needle to view all of Seattle and the Sound, but at $14.00 a
head we decided against being sucked into the tourist trap and that the views of the ride around town would do. What a rip off just to look out a building!
Pacific Raceways in Seattle, Washington. A very nice track nestled in the hills and trees of the Washington Coast. Right above the racetrack is a beautiful view
of snow covered Mount Rainer. Yes it is still covered in snow in July so lets hope that means that this weekend might be a bit cooler than the last one. The last
few tracks have not only been a bit on the warm side but we have also had a long commute to work. This is when the motorcycle comes in very handy for Frank
to get to work and I get the benefit of a nice workout while walking to work. I also get to sleep in a bit later since both of us don't have to be at work until the
crowds get big. How long is our commute this week??? It takes us about 4 steps to get from the motorhome to the trailer, and we are directly across from our
Budweiser teammates so it makes it an even shorter walk to lunch and we can check in on the birds as often as we need. We sure could get spoiled by this.
July 21st - Seattle, Washington
The race has officially begun. Our Budweiser Team is the defending champions of this race last year so let's hope we can defend it and win again. Last
weekend we had a bit of bad luck and lost in the first round, so going any further than that this weekend would help us greatly in the battle of the points.
We have had a fun last couple days exploring the town of Seattle. Frank and I drove into town the other night and visited the world famous Pikes Place Fish
Market where they are famous for their "throwing of the fish". It is a big outside fish market where they have every type of fresh fish one could want. You order
on one side where the scales are and they yell out your order to the other side where all the fish are kept on ice. After you order your fish it then comes sailing
across the air into the open arms of the weigher who is holding a sheet of butcher paper to safely catch your fish. It's a very impressive feat to watch
considering that all the fish are pretty much left whole, minus their heads, and some of them are huge and the distance they throw them is pretty far. Downtown
Seattle has an amazingly huge Farmer's Market that is permanent and goes for blocks and blocks and blocks. The fruit is wonderful and the fish restaurants are
amazing. All of the restaurants are pretty much run down deli counters so at first glance your a bit scared to eat there after being used to the strict health codes
of California, but you realize that they are all packed with locals for a reason. We braved on of the deli counters and had some excellent fish and chips and
shrimp cocktail. Considering Seattle is literally over the ocean you sure can tell the fish is fresh. After dinner we headed out to the Space Needle where we met
up with a group of friends for dessert and a bit of shopping. We were going to go up into the Space Needle to view all of Seattle and the Sound, but at $14.00 a
head we decided against being sucked into the tourist trap and that the views of the ride around town would do. What a rip off just to look out a building!
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| 11 blissful days at Osage Beach by Lake of the Ozarks! Camping fees = $200.00 Boat rides = $0.00 sunsets included |
| A day spent on a good friend's jet ski with the entire lake to explore and swim in? Rental = $0.00 Tank of fuel = $19.00 |
| A motorcycle tour of the lake with all the best view points pointed out? Tour = $0.00 Tank of fuel = $9.35 |
| Realizing after 9 years that you're still living Happily Ever After? = Priceless |
June 29th -
We are in Missouri at one of our favorite lakes. Lake of The Ozarks. It has
California's Pacific Ocean. We came here last year on a whim and had a
great time, met some fellow campers whom have become good friends and
decided to come back again. Boy are we glad we did. It doesn't seem like
much time has past since we were last here but when we think back and
share stories with others we realize just how much we have done in the last
year. We went out on a fun boat ride with Tom and Coni yesterday. They
currently have a condo out here, but are looking to upgrade to a house so
we did a bit of house hunting with them. What better way to see which
house you want on the lake except by being on the water. Most of these
houses are not done justice by viewing them via land. We had dinner at a
fun place in Toad Cove where they had a live band, good food and a
fabulous view.
July 4th - Happy Fourth of July!!!!
Hope this happy festive day finds you all in good health and with loved
ones. We are going to go out tonight and watch the fireworks show on the
water with Tom, Coni and a boat load of their friends. Yesterday we took a
nice long motorcycle ride with them all around the lake. It's great to have
locals with you. This way they know all the great viewing areas of the lake,
and all the best frozen custard places too. Yes we have hit quite a few of
the frozen custard places during out week here. The Red Rocket is our
favorite so far. It is right on the lake and has a fun building. We drove out to
the dam on our motorcycle ride and again looked at a few houses. Frank
and I even toured a few of the condos to see if this is a place we would like
to have a summer home. The prices right now are quite reasonable and
with the appeal of the lake growing every year we are a bit tempted. This
way we could spend winters in Florida by the ocean and the summer here
by the lake, but we aren't ready to stay anywhere too long yet so we will
wait and see.
July 6th -
Good bye Lake of the Ozarks. Our time here has gone so quickly, but boy
was it fun. It was the perfect length of time. Just long enough to really relax
and do everything we wanted to do but not too long in any one place. Being
here reminds us a bit of being in Florida since we always have so much fun
and it is one of the few places that we could stay longer than a week without
getting to antsy to move on. This morning we had a goodbye breakfast with
Tom and Coni. We hope to see them again at an upcoming race. They are
one of our many recruitees. That's the best part of traveling, since
everyone you meet is also traveling you never know where you may run
into each other next time.
We are in Missouri at one of our favorite lakes. Lake of The Ozarks. It has
California's Pacific Ocean. We came here last year on a whim and had a
great time, met some fellow campers whom have become good friends and
decided to come back again. Boy are we glad we did. It doesn't seem like
much time has past since we were last here but when we think back and
share stories with others we realize just how much we have done in the last
year. We went out on a fun boat ride with Tom and Coni yesterday. They
currently have a condo out here, but are looking to upgrade to a house so
we did a bit of house hunting with them. What better way to see which
house you want on the lake except by being on the water. Most of these
houses are not done justice by viewing them via land. We had dinner at a
fun place in Toad Cove where they had a live band, good food and a
fabulous view.
July 4th - Happy Fourth of July!!!!
Hope this happy festive day finds you all in good health and with loved
ones. We are going to go out tonight and watch the fireworks show on the
water with Tom, Coni and a boat load of their friends. Yesterday we took a
nice long motorcycle ride with them all around the lake. It's great to have
locals with you. This way they know all the great viewing areas of the lake,
and all the best frozen custard places too. Yes we have hit quite a few of
the frozen custard places during out week here. The Red Rocket is our
favorite so far. It is right on the lake and has a fun building. We drove out to
the dam on our motorcycle ride and again looked at a few houses. Frank
and I even toured a few of the condos to see if this is a place we would like
to have a summer home. The prices right now are quite reasonable and
with the appeal of the lake growing every year we are a bit tempted. This
way we could spend winters in Florida by the ocean and the summer here
by the lake, but we aren't ready to stay anywhere too long yet so we will
wait and see.
July 6th -
Good bye Lake of the Ozarks. Our time here has gone so quickly, but boy
was it fun. It was the perfect length of time. Just long enough to really relax
and do everything we wanted to do but not too long in any one place. Being
here reminds us a bit of being in Florida since we always have so much fun
and it is one of the few places that we could stay longer than a week without
getting to antsy to move on. This morning we had a goodbye breakfast with
Tom and Coni. We hope to see them again at an upcoming race. They are
one of our many recruitees. That's the best part of traveling, since
everyone you meet is also traveling you never know where you may run
into each other next time.
Tom and Coni outside the old The Horny Toad Restaurant
Ha-Ha Tonka Castle ruins at Toad Cove - with Toad and all
Ha-Ha Tonka Castle ruins at Toad Cove - with Toad and all
| tower at Ha Ha Tonka had about 3 miles of steps leading up to it. Needless to say in 90 degree weather we just looked at it from a distance The Red -> Rocket. Our favorite place for dessert!! |
| peak of our hike at Ha Ha Tonka castle ruins |
We visited our favorite zoo today. Rollings Hills Adventure Park in Salina,
Kansas. They have a huge feeding area with cows and goats and chickens
and birds and all sorts of sheep. Frank didn't like feeding the cows since
their tongues are about 4 feet long, very slimy, very squishy and they like
to lick as they eat. The lay out here is much better than most zoos where
they have a huge cavern between you animals in their habitats. At Rolling
Hills all of the cages are only feet from you and completely enclosed. My
favorite parts is the Big Cat section. One of the last things that I have on
my "Must do before I die list" aside from flying in a F-14 jet, is to pet and
play with a Tiger, someday it will happen. Luckily almost all of the other
things are checked off.
Kansas. They have a huge feeding area with cows and goats and chickens
and birds and all sorts of sheep. Frank didn't like feeding the cows since
their tongues are about 4 feet long, very slimy, very squishy and they like
to lick as they eat. The lay out here is much better than most zoos where
they have a huge cavern between you animals in their habitats. At Rolling
Hills all of the cages are only feet from you and completely enclosed. My
favorite parts is the Big Cat section. One of the last things that I have on
my "Must do before I die list" aside from flying in a F-14 jet, is to pet and
play with a Tiger, someday it will happen. Luckily almost all of the other
things are checked off.
Nothing gets quite as upset as a pregnant A happy cow
goat when you run out of food.
goat when you run out of food.
July 10th - Golden Colorado - Coors Brewery -
The homeland and backyard of Budweiser's largest American competitor. So what did Frank and I do???? Stay home and boycott Coors? Heck no! We took
a tour of the entire city, including the Coors Brewery, however we did leave our Budweiser wardrobe at home. We didn't want to upset them by wearing the
superior beer's attire (ha ha) The brewery here is not half as pretty as the Budweiser facility in St. Louis, but it was a very informative tour to say the least.
The inside of the brewery was fairly similar, but the layout was a bit different but that is to be expected since they make their beer a little different.
The homeland and backyard of Budweiser's largest American competitor. So what did Frank and I do???? Stay home and boycott Coors? Heck no! We took
a tour of the entire city, including the Coors Brewery, however we did leave our Budweiser wardrobe at home. We didn't want to upset them by wearing the
superior beer's attire (ha ha) The brewery here is not half as pretty as the Budweiser facility in St. Louis, but it was a very informative tour to say the least.
The inside of the brewery was fairly similar, but the layout was a bit different but that is to be expected since they make their beer a little different.
The tour began by loading us on a little bus and taking us for a ride around the town showing us all the highlights of the city and then dropping us off at the
front door of the brewery. We were showed all the different steps to making Coors beer, however it might not turn out as well if we tried it at home. The
Mashing Bins that mash up all the ingredients were enormous with half ton legs that mashed the barley and hops together. Hmmmm, maybe we could have
Cody and Abbey mash them on the floor of their cage and then mix in the water. That wouldn't work since Cody would eat all the ingredients before they
made it to the mix. Oh well, we will just stick with working for the competition. After the tour ended we drove downtown and walked around the quaint town of
Golden. It had a huge river going through it that leads right to the Coors facility, so they have fresh mountain spring water delivered to them all day every
day. Next to the river was a park with a very fun slide. As soon as you sat down on it you were at the bottom before you realized it. We also saw the world's
largest can of beer, and a ginormous buffalo. I'm pretty sure that's the closest Frank will ever get to a buffalo of that size. The weather here is wonderful. A
perfect 73 degrees. Lets hope it stays like this all week and into the weekend for the race.
front door of the brewery. We were showed all the different steps to making Coors beer, however it might not turn out as well if we tried it at home. The
Mashing Bins that mash up all the ingredients were enormous with half ton legs that mashed the barley and hops together. Hmmmm, maybe we could have
Cody and Abbey mash them on the floor of their cage and then mix in the water. That wouldn't work since Cody would eat all the ingredients before they
made it to the mix. Oh well, we will just stick with working for the competition. After the tour ended we drove downtown and walked around the quaint town of
Golden. It had a huge river going through it that leads right to the Coors facility, so they have fresh mountain spring water delivered to them all day every
day. Next to the river was a park with a very fun slide. As soon as you sat down on it you were at the bottom before you realized it. We also saw the world's
largest can of beer, and a ginormous buffalo. I'm pretty sure that's the closest Frank will ever get to a buffalo of that size. The weather here is wonderful. A
perfect 73 degrees. Lets hope it stays like this all week and into the weekend for the race.
July 17th - On the road
The East Coast is now far behind us as we make our way back to the West Coast. We left Denver this morning at 2am in order to have as much time as
possible to put as many miles under us as we could. Frank is wonderful. He drove 18 1/2 hours straight so we could have dinner this evening with Kari, Toby,
Kristi and Marigold in Boise, Idaho. We went to a nice pizza restaurant in the heart of downtown Boise called "Old Chicago". I thought that was appropriate since
Frank and I had recently been to Chicago and had such fun there. We spent the night at the good old local Flying J and will spend tomorrow with the Kings as
well. It was great catching up and just hanging out with lifelong friends. Kari and I met at age 5 and have been close friends ever since. It's great when you can
see someone after months of not seeing them and pick up right where you left off as though no time had gone by since your last visit.
The East Coast is now far behind us as we make our way back to the West Coast. We left Denver this morning at 2am in order to have as much time as
possible to put as many miles under us as we could. Frank is wonderful. He drove 18 1/2 hours straight so we could have dinner this evening with Kari, Toby,
Kristi and Marigold in Boise, Idaho. We went to a nice pizza restaurant in the heart of downtown Boise called "Old Chicago". I thought that was appropriate since
Frank and I had recently been to Chicago and had such fun there. We spent the night at the good old local Flying J and will spend tomorrow with the Kings as
well. It was great catching up and just hanging out with lifelong friends. Kari and I met at age 5 and have been close friends ever since. It's great when you can
see someone after months of not seeing them and pick up right where you left off as though no time had gone by since your last visit.
July 18th - Boise, Idaho
Another fun-filled day with the girls. We drove over to Kristi's little house which is conveniently located just a few blocks away from Kari and Toby's and will
come in very handy for visiting friends and family once little Marigold arrives. The four of us spent most of the day lounging around at Kristi's since the outside
temperature was around 95 which doesn't inspire one to do much physical activity. We did run one errand, well actually two - we found a shower squeegee at
Bed Bath and Beyond which Frank and I have literally searched the country for. Who knew it would be so hard the perfect shower squeegee. Errand number
tomorrow morning and drive the rest of the way into Seattle. Thanks guys for being such fun hosts.
Near Mishap Alert -
After leaving the King's house we arrived back at the motorhome and began the rituals of preparing to leave. As Frank circled the outside of the motorhome
and trailer as he always does before we leave any location to ensure that we are still in one piece and safe for the road he noticed that we had a very flat tire
on the trailer. If one were to find a flat tire on their vehicle in any parking lot anywhere in America, what would be the best place for this to happen? ... ...
Another fun-filled day with the girls. We drove over to Kristi's little house which is conveniently located just a few blocks away from Kari and Toby's and will
come in very handy for visiting friends and family once little Marigold arrives. The four of us spent most of the day lounging around at Kristi's since the outside
temperature was around 95 which doesn't inspire one to do much physical activity. We did run one errand, well actually two - we found a shower squeegee at
Bed Bath and Beyond which Frank and I have literally searched the country for. Who knew it would be so hard the perfect shower squeegee. Errand number
tomorrow morning and drive the rest of the way into Seattle. Thanks guys for being such fun hosts.
Near Mishap Alert -
After leaving the King's house we arrived back at the motorhome and began the rituals of preparing to leave. As Frank circled the outside of the motorhome
and trailer as he always does before we leave any location to ensure that we are still in one piece and safe for the road he noticed that we had a very flat tire
on the trailer. If one were to find a flat tire on their vehicle in any parking lot anywhere in America, what would be the best place for this to happen? ... ...
How about right outside a Wal-Mart Tire and Lube Center??? Thank you Jesus! Frank quickly went inside, found the
necessary parts to change out the tire, remove the old and fill the new with air via the handy air tank on the bus. After
replacing the new tire we checked all the other tires, deemed them all worthy of travel and hit the road again. The drive
from Idaho into Oregon is quite pretty with the Snake River next to you for most of the drive. We drove till around 10:30
here on the road and he is doing a marvelous job.
July 19th - On the road
If you ever want to take one of the most beautiful drives in all of America, second to the hills of Pennsylvania, take the
drive through Washington across Highway 90. There are sights you cannot believe, and the camera does them little
justice. The trees are taller then any you have ever seen and the lakes and streams you drive by are breathtaking.
When you drive over a bridge on the highways of Washington and you look below you always see a pretty stream
flowing below. Every time we pass over one of these rivers or streams we think how fun it would be to float down them
and see where the water takes us. Someday we will pull off the road and do just that.
necessary parts to change out the tire, remove the old and fill the new with air via the handy air tank on the bus. After
replacing the new tire we checked all the other tires, deemed them all worthy of travel and hit the road again. The drive
from Idaho into Oregon is quite pretty with the Snake River next to you for most of the drive. We drove till around 10:30
here on the road and he is doing a marvelous job.
July 19th - On the road
If you ever want to take one of the most beautiful drives in all of America, second to the hills of Pennsylvania, take the
drive through Washington across Highway 90. There are sights you cannot believe, and the camera does them little
justice. The trees are taller then any you have ever seen and the lakes and streams you drive by are breathtaking.
When you drive over a bridge on the highways of Washington and you look below you always see a pretty stream
flowing below. Every time we pass over one of these rivers or streams we think how fun it would be to float down them
and see where the water takes us. Someday we will pull off the road and do just that.
The Snake River which literally snakes it's
way through the hills of Idaho and Oregon
way through the hills of Idaho and Oregon
A beautiful drive up the Washington coast The throwing of the fish An open air restaurant with a bit of flare Seattle's tourist trap - The Space Needle
Abbey picks a fight with Poof in his box
Dad Whitmore barbecues for the whole gang
Little Madi, all ready to watch the races
Camping with John and Andrea & Steve and Michele. Just like old times
Frank's parents came up for the weekend along with our friends John and Andrea and Steve and Michelle from Santa Maria whom we used to vacation with for a
week or two once a year, as well as small camping trips all throughout the year. It was just like old times once we were all together. John and Andrea brought up
their RV and parked right next to us with Steve, Michele and their friend Chris in their own RV on the other side. Steve is our official #1 Parrottrek fan. We all
had free camping for the weekend with a great view of the entire track and all of the vineyards that surround the Sonoma Valley. It was beautiful to see all the
green fields of grapes and a bit of the ocean from where we sat in the evenings. Frank's parents stayed with us in Hotel Whitmore and everyone pitched their
chairs just down the hill for some of the best seats in the house to watch the races during the afternoon. Oh! By the way, the weather was absolutely beautiful all
weekend and right about 80 degrees. We sure wish we could have this perfect climate at each race until the end of the year. But the good thing is that Fall is
coming so it should cool down a bit after August. We received the rough draft of our future publication with Maratime Magazine and it looks great. Lots of fun
stories about the birds and a little about the two of us. We will send out copies as soon as we receive them.
week or two once a year, as well as small camping trips all throughout the year. It was just like old times once we were all together. John and Andrea brought up
their RV and parked right next to us with Steve, Michele and their friend Chris in their own RV on the other side. Steve is our official #1 Parrottrek fan. We all
had free camping for the weekend with a great view of the entire track and all of the vineyards that surround the Sonoma Valley. It was beautiful to see all the
green fields of grapes and a bit of the ocean from where we sat in the evenings. Frank's parents stayed with us in Hotel Whitmore and everyone pitched their
chairs just down the hill for some of the best seats in the house to watch the races during the afternoon. Oh! By the way, the weather was absolutely beautiful all
weekend and right about 80 degrees. We sure wish we could have this perfect climate at each race until the end of the year. But the good thing is that Fall is
coming so it should cool down a bit after August. We received the rough draft of our future publication with Maratime Magazine and it looks great. Lots of fun
stories about the birds and a little about the two of us. We will send out copies as soon as we receive them.
Frank has mastered his self portrait skills and since we didn't have an extra person to take a picture of the six of us, Frank's true skills were put to the test. He
took a picture of the six of us down by the lake and as you can tell from above, it turned out pretty darn good. How many people can you fit into a self
portrait??? I'm sure we are eligible for Ripley's Believe it or Not! Next time we have to try for eight people. We took the motorcycle out to his uncle's house and it
was a beautiful drive. The drive home was pretty as well seeing all of the lights of the city and the smell of the oak trees and grapes around us.
August 2nd - Actual Mishap! :-(
Well we have been fortunate to only have a few near mishaps over the last few months but have been quite fortunate up until this point to discover them before
they got to be a real problem. Today, however we had quite an unfortunate mishap. Our laptop was on the computer table since I was working on updating the
web page. Moments later the birds, who were playing nicely on the counter up until this point, began to fight. As I ran back to break up the fight between Abbey
had shattered on impact and has rendered itself useless, Yikes! However no glass on the outside broke which was nice. This is not an expense we were
planning on having, since our microwave/convection oven pretty much died last week as well. This is where the "in case of emergency fund" comes in handy. It
always pays to save for a rainy day. The microwave side of the oven still works but the oven portion of it is dead. Hopefully we can find a local Sears as soon as
we hit a big town and replace it. Our current one was made in 1989 so it has definitely lived a good long life. A new one will be a blessing. Anything that will
actually heat up water in less than 5 minutes using the microwave would be a helpful change. Yes our current one has been slowly going down hill for awhile.
Insofar as the computer goes, in the interim we have bought an external monitor which seems to be working. Thank you Jesus that it was only the screen that
broke and not the whole computer. God forbid if we were unable to update the website and chat with friends via e-mail, not to mention paying the mortgage
using the wonderful feature of on-line banking. This alternative method will work just fine for us until we find a comparable laptop that fits our needs. Luckily our
computer needs are small in regards to memory and technology since the more you need the more they cost. Double Yikes!!!
took a picture of the six of us down by the lake and as you can tell from above, it turned out pretty darn good. How many people can you fit into a self
portrait??? I'm sure we are eligible for Ripley's Believe it or Not! Next time we have to try for eight people. We took the motorcycle out to his uncle's house and it
was a beautiful drive. The drive home was pretty as well seeing all of the lights of the city and the smell of the oak trees and grapes around us.
August 2nd - Actual Mishap! :-(
Well we have been fortunate to only have a few near mishaps over the last few months but have been quite fortunate up until this point to discover them before
they got to be a real problem. Today, however we had quite an unfortunate mishap. Our laptop was on the computer table since I was working on updating the
web page. Moments later the birds, who were playing nicely on the counter up until this point, began to fight. As I ran back to break up the fight between Abbey
had shattered on impact and has rendered itself useless, Yikes! However no glass on the outside broke which was nice. This is not an expense we were
planning on having, since our microwave/convection oven pretty much died last week as well. This is where the "in case of emergency fund" comes in handy. It
always pays to save for a rainy day. The microwave side of the oven still works but the oven portion of it is dead. Hopefully we can find a local Sears as soon as
we hit a big town and replace it. Our current one was made in 1989 so it has definitely lived a good long life. A new one will be a blessing. Anything that will
actually heat up water in less than 5 minutes using the microwave would be a helpful change. Yes our current one has been slowly going down hill for awhile.
Insofar as the computer goes, in the interim we have bought an external monitor which seems to be working. Thank you Jesus that it was only the screen that
broke and not the whole computer. God forbid if we were unable to update the website and chat with friends via e-mail, not to mention paying the mortgage
using the wonderful feature of on-line banking. This alternative method will work just fine for us until we find a comparable laptop that fits our needs. Luckily our
computer needs are small in regards to memory and technology since the more you need the more they cost. Double Yikes!!!
Later that same day!! - Reno, Nevada
An afternoon with the Hilton's. We called Don and Jody half way to Reno to see what their plans for the day were. Luckily they were planning an afternoon at
home so we stopped by to join them. Adrianna and Nicolas have grown so much since we last saw them. They were about 2 and 6 on the Hilton's last visit ti the
Valley and now they are 6 and 9. Don is driving nights for a trucking company so while Don napped Frank and I entertained the kids with the birds. After Sleeping
Beauty awoke we all headed to Chili's for some great burgers "made just the way you like them" and a bit of time to catch up on all the time we had missed.
Adrianna loved my digital camera and took a dozen pictures of everyone and everything at the restaurant. She's definitely headed for career in photography
someday. Hopefully we can make the Hilton House an annual visit on our travels. It was great to see them. They may even come and camp with us next year for
the Sonoma race.
August 3rd - Casper, Wyoming
We have stopped for the night at what they call here in Wyoming a "Parking Area" It's pretty much a really wide and long off ramp where truckers and RVs can
sleep for the night. It's beautiful out here. There is nothing around us except for some very pretty purple mountains, and a beautiful sunset to watch right now.
The temperature outside is perfect so we walked around outside and watched the sun go down. Who knew that sitting on the side of Highway 25 could be so
romantic. Tomorrow we should be able to make it the rest of the way to Mount Rushmore. I can't wait to see it.
An afternoon with the Hilton's. We called Don and Jody half way to Reno to see what their plans for the day were. Luckily they were planning an afternoon at
home so we stopped by to join them. Adrianna and Nicolas have grown so much since we last saw them. They were about 2 and 6 on the Hilton's last visit ti the
Valley and now they are 6 and 9. Don is driving nights for a trucking company so while Don napped Frank and I entertained the kids with the birds. After Sleeping
Beauty awoke we all headed to Chili's for some great burgers "made just the way you like them" and a bit of time to catch up on all the time we had missed.
Adrianna loved my digital camera and took a dozen pictures of everyone and everything at the restaurant. She's definitely headed for career in photography
someday. Hopefully we can make the Hilton House an annual visit on our travels. It was great to see them. They may even come and camp with us next year for
the Sonoma race.
August 3rd - Casper, Wyoming
We have stopped for the night at what they call here in Wyoming a "Parking Area" It's pretty much a really wide and long off ramp where truckers and RVs can
sleep for the night. It's beautiful out here. There is nothing around us except for some very pretty purple mountains, and a beautiful sunset to watch right now.
The temperature outside is perfect so we walked around outside and watched the sun go down. Who knew that sitting on the side of Highway 25 could be so
romantic. Tomorrow we should be able to make it the rest of the way to Mount Rushmore. I can't wait to see it.
July 30th - Sonoma California -
This has been a great weekend. We have all sorts of friends visiting us from the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria area and the race was really busy. The only
thing that would have made it a better weekend is if we had brought home the Wally, but you can't win them all. We even had some of our most loyal web page
readers from New Hampshire come out for a visit. Gary and Kathy Brooks are thinking of joining in our fun filled life style in a couple years so we showed them
down. Some of our best friends, Tim, Sharon and Madison Landis joined us too. Little Madison is now 8 months old and absolutely perfect. She joined our
happy world a little over 3 months before her due date, so her first few months with us were spent in the wonderful care of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital's
Neo-Natal Intensive care unit. She was born at a mere 2lbs 2 oz and quickly dropped to a pound and a half. After a lot of prayer and wonderful doctor's care she
is now a healthy 12 pounds and has the cutest chubby cheeks you have ever seen. This weekend's races marked her first official outing. Actually seeing her in
person and not in her hospital incubator was more wonderful than words can say, as was seeing her parents and Grandma Vicki.
This has been a great weekend. We have all sorts of friends visiting us from the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria area and the race was really busy. The only
thing that would have made it a better weekend is if we had brought home the Wally, but you can't win them all. We even had some of our most loyal web page
readers from New Hampshire come out for a visit. Gary and Kathy Brooks are thinking of joining in our fun filled life style in a couple years so we showed them
down. Some of our best friends, Tim, Sharon and Madison Landis joined us too. Little Madison is now 8 months old and absolutely perfect. She joined our
happy world a little over 3 months before her due date, so her first few months with us were spent in the wonderful care of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital's
Neo-Natal Intensive care unit. She was born at a mere 2lbs 2 oz and quickly dropped to a pound and a half. After a lot of prayer and wonderful doctor's care she
is now a healthy 12 pounds and has the cutest chubby cheeks you have ever seen. This weekend's races marked her first official outing. Actually seeing her in
person and not in her hospital incubator was more wonderful than words can say, as was seeing her parents and Grandma Vicki.
1940, mere months before completion
The mountain before construction began
As the beautiful mountain stands today
Molds of each President to help with blasting
August 4th - Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
We made it!! We made it!!! It has been one of our goals since starting out on our "Adventures on the Road" to see Mt. Rushmore and we are here. They even
have RV Parking for our monstrous beast. They can accommodate vehicles up to 100 feet, or so they say. At 75 feet long we are tricky enough to maneuver
into a parking lot, I can't imagine anything would actually be 100 feet long, but hey we aren't complaining since we fit. The men of Mt. Rushmore are even more
amazing to see then either of us expected. Wow, and we can see them right now from our living room window. What a talent to be able to look at a mountain
side and see the faces of our former Presidents. After watching the documentary you realize just what an accomplishment it was. We walked up the
Presidential Trail to some of the best viewing areas for the mountain, and through a small cave. The day was beautiful with lots and lots of white fluffy clouds
all over, and tons of greenery. 90% of Mt. Rushmore was sculpted using dynamite and a mold was made of each of the men's faces and ears and hands on a
smaller scale so the sculptor would know just how to create them on the mountainside. How can someone chisel a nose out of the side of a mountain with a
stick of dynamite? Well Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor in charge, was quite a handy man. He could us the exact amount of dynamite needed to sculpt out the
smallest of things, for example the rims of the glasses of President Theodore Roosevelt. At the base of the Presidents' busts lays about one third of the rock
that was removed from the mountain during construction. Over 200 tons were towed away off site and disposed of. You can see a lot of the rocks with drill
holes from the dynamite used and quite a few of the rocks still have the chisel marks from the more intricate work. Mt. Rushmore really is a sight that must be
seen by all. We took about 60 different pictures from all different angles but we will spare you most of them and just post a few.
We made it!! We made it!!! It has been one of our goals since starting out on our "Adventures on the Road" to see Mt. Rushmore and we are here. They even
have RV Parking for our monstrous beast. They can accommodate vehicles up to 100 feet, or so they say. At 75 feet long we are tricky enough to maneuver
into a parking lot, I can't imagine anything would actually be 100 feet long, but hey we aren't complaining since we fit. The men of Mt. Rushmore are even more
amazing to see then either of us expected. Wow, and we can see them right now from our living room window. What a talent to be able to look at a mountain
side and see the faces of our former Presidents. After watching the documentary you realize just what an accomplishment it was. We walked up the
Presidential Trail to some of the best viewing areas for the mountain, and through a small cave. The day was beautiful with lots and lots of white fluffy clouds
all over, and tons of greenery. 90% of Mt. Rushmore was sculpted using dynamite and a mold was made of each of the men's faces and ears and hands on a
smaller scale so the sculptor would know just how to create them on the mountainside. How can someone chisel a nose out of the side of a mountain with a
stick of dynamite? Well Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor in charge, was quite a handy man. He could us the exact amount of dynamite needed to sculpt out the
smallest of things, for example the rims of the glasses of President Theodore Roosevelt. At the base of the Presidents' busts lays about one third of the rock
that was removed from the mountain during construction. Over 200 tons were towed away off site and disposed of. You can see a lot of the rocks with drill
holes from the dynamite used and quite a few of the rocks still have the chisel marks from the more intricate work. Mt. Rushmore really is a sight that must be
seen by all. We took about 60 different pictures from all different angles but we will spare you most of them and just post a few.
| We broke the rules and hiked off the trail a bit to get the perfect shot of them with the American Flag! Shhh!! Don't tell |
| A view of George and Abraham from inside the cave |
August 5th - Sturgis, South Dakota - Bike Week -
Look to your left! Look to your right! Look up the street! Look down the street! What do you see??? Harleys Harleys everywhere! Or would it be Harlies? Or
Harli? Who knows! We drove our little Kawasaki 250 Ninja into Harley Country today and had quite an adventure. We drove into town with two other couples
that work for the Drag Races in the Oakley trailer. One of them rides a Harley and the others also ride a Suzuki, so we weren't the other non-conformists at
Sturgis. We went to lunch at a crazy Biker Bar called One-Eyed Jack's which was really just a Jack Daniels bar with a little flair. There were scantily-clad ladies
dancing on the counters and the bar. We walked all over looking at all the shops and vendors. The most fun we had was people watching. You couldn't
imagine all the types of people one can see at a Harley-Davidson party. One guy even had a gigantic almost life size stuffed bear on the back of his bike. I
guess the bear won't complain about his driving too fast. :-) It felt so weird to be at a big event like this and be a spectator instead of the vendor selling the
shirts. That was a first for us. We are usually the ones that are selling instead of the ones buying. We are going to take another motorcycle ride with all of them
tomorrow and do a bit more exploring around the parks and scenic roads.
Look to your left! Look to your right! Look up the street! Look down the street! What do you see??? Harleys Harleys everywhere! Or would it be Harlies? Or
Harli? Who knows! We drove our little Kawasaki 250 Ninja into Harley Country today and had quite an adventure. We drove into town with two other couples
that work for the Drag Races in the Oakley trailer. One of them rides a Harley and the others also ride a Suzuki, so we weren't the other non-conformists at
Sturgis. We went to lunch at a crazy Biker Bar called One-Eyed Jack's which was really just a Jack Daniels bar with a little flair. There were scantily-clad ladies
dancing on the counters and the bar. We walked all over looking at all the shops and vendors. The most fun we had was people watching. You couldn't
imagine all the types of people one can see at a Harley-Davidson party. One guy even had a gigantic almost life size stuffed bear on the back of his bike. I
guess the bear won't complain about his driving too fast. :-) It felt so weird to be at a big event like this and be a spectator instead of the vendor selling the
shirts. That was a first for us. We are usually the ones that are selling instead of the ones buying. We are going to take another motorcycle ride with all of them
tomorrow and do a bit more exploring around the parks and scenic roads.
August 8, 2006 - Brainerd, Minnesota - Pre race -
Pirate's Cove Miniature Golf and Family Fun Center was our motorcycle destination today with Chris and Maria. I can't even think of the last time we played
miniature golf, but boy was it fun. I even got a hole in one. My ball was really close to the hole when all of a sudden Frank's ball came sailing over the bridge and
knocked mine in. Hooray!! The same thing happened to Maria's. Well, let's just say that in my case it made up for a few that took about 4 strokes because of
sand traps. The boys ended up with their golf balls in the water a few times so we all ended up with about the same score at the end. The fans here in Brainerd
are very festive. They all show up about 3 days before the race and camp out in tents and all sorts of crazy types of home-made "campers" After our golf outing
we drove around the campground which they call "The Zoo". Yes it does live up to it's name quite well. Frank, Doug and I took the golf cart out into "The Zoo"
and had quite a laugh. They even had a motorhome painted white with a big sign on the side that said "Sign my bus". We should have gone back at the end of
the weekend to see exactly what people wrote on it. We heard a few of them second hand, but we will spare you the graphic details. We did however include a
picture of the most creative car driving around the campground and Pits. Hmmm I wonder if it still works in the water??
Pirate's Cove Miniature Golf and Family Fun Center was our motorcycle destination today with Chris and Maria. I can't even think of the last time we played
miniature golf, but boy was it fun. I even got a hole in one. My ball was really close to the hole when all of a sudden Frank's ball came sailing over the bridge and
knocked mine in. Hooray!! The same thing happened to Maria's. Well, let's just say that in my case it made up for a few that took about 4 strokes because of
sand traps. The boys ended up with their golf balls in the water a few times so we all ended up with about the same score at the end. The fans here in Brainerd
are very festive. They all show up about 3 days before the race and camp out in tents and all sorts of crazy types of home-made "campers" After our golf outing
we drove around the campground which they call "The Zoo". Yes it does live up to it's name quite well. Frank, Doug and I took the golf cart out into "The Zoo"
and had quite a laugh. They even had a motorhome painted white with a big sign on the side that said "Sign my bus". We should have gone back at the end of
the weekend to see exactly what people wrote on it. We heard a few of them second hand, but we will spare you the graphic details. We did however include a
picture of the most creative car driving around the campground and Pits. Hmmm I wonder if it still works in the water??
August 14th - WE WON!! WE WON!! WE WON ANOTHER RACE!!!!!
And Brainerd makes 3! Boy oh boy what a weekend! It went from beautiful weather with great clear sunny skies and cool mornings on Friday and Saturday,
perfect cold weather to sell lots and lots of Budweiser sweat shirts to the masses, to pouring rain with a slight chance of canceling the race on Sunday since the
rain was constant and the clouds above us were literally black they were so full of rain. The Brainerd track doesn't have any lights so there was only so much
time we had to start and finish the races otherwise we would have to stay over until Monday! UGH!! Fortunately for all of us the rain did stop enough in between
rounds to dry to track and finish the race. It's always fun to win a few rounds on Sunday afternoon and gain a few points instead of watching the car get packed
up early, but it's even better when you win all the rounds, beat the almost unbeatable Army car and the Budweiser team gets to take home a Wally.
The drive to get here was gorgeous. All the rolling hills around us were so green and full of all sorts of crops. We always try and take a few smaller roads in
order to view the countryside and avoid the less than pretty Interstates if time allows. This trip we had a lot of pretty views along the side roads of South Dakota
and Minnesota. The fields were endless and every so often we would see a pretty farm house nestled in the trees and surrounded by cows and horses and all
sorts of livestock. This part of the country is beautiful since it is hardly developed. It's nice to see all the pretty meadows of flowers and fields of corn. We took a
few pictures from the road for you so you can see for yourselves just how pretty it is here. However please keep in mind that the winters here are soooooo very
darn cold that nothing grows in the off season therefore living here would not be in our top ten locations of choice. Aside from North Dakota, Minnesota is one
of the coldest states in the wintertime.
I'm sure the empty corn fields covered in snow are pretty to see in the middle of December, but haven't you always wondered what they do with all of the corn
they don't sell or gets too dried out on the stocks??? Well, funny you should ask because we found out just what happens to that corn. There is a huge Corn
Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota that is - yes you guessed it - completely covered with corn. They have all sorts of different colors that they grow to sell and
eat, and each year various corn farmers use some of the corn to decorate the palace. It's crazy to see. Apparently they re-decorate it each year since most of
the corn gets eaten by birds, or falls away. That must be heaven for the neighboring wild birds. An entire palace made out of their favorite food. We know Cody
would be in heaven if he were here with us. This year the corn farmers didn't have quite the crop they expected so they will not be re-decorating for 2007, so
we will have to wait until 2008 for a new scene since the rodeo scene will remain up through the end of this year.
And Brainerd makes 3! Boy oh boy what a weekend! It went from beautiful weather with great clear sunny skies and cool mornings on Friday and Saturday,
perfect cold weather to sell lots and lots of Budweiser sweat shirts to the masses, to pouring rain with a slight chance of canceling the race on Sunday since the
rain was constant and the clouds above us were literally black they were so full of rain. The Brainerd track doesn't have any lights so there was only so much
time we had to start and finish the races otherwise we would have to stay over until Monday! UGH!! Fortunately for all of us the rain did stop enough in between
rounds to dry to track and finish the race. It's always fun to win a few rounds on Sunday afternoon and gain a few points instead of watching the car get packed
up early, but it's even better when you win all the rounds, beat the almost unbeatable Army car and the Budweiser team gets to take home a Wally.
The drive to get here was gorgeous. All the rolling hills around us were so green and full of all sorts of crops. We always try and take a few smaller roads in
order to view the countryside and avoid the less than pretty Interstates if time allows. This trip we had a lot of pretty views along the side roads of South Dakota
and Minnesota. The fields were endless and every so often we would see a pretty farm house nestled in the trees and surrounded by cows and horses and all
sorts of livestock. This part of the country is beautiful since it is hardly developed. It's nice to see all the pretty meadows of flowers and fields of corn. We took a
few pictures from the road for you so you can see for yourselves just how pretty it is here. However please keep in mind that the winters here are soooooo very
darn cold that nothing grows in the off season therefore living here would not be in our top ten locations of choice. Aside from North Dakota, Minnesota is one
of the coldest states in the wintertime.
I'm sure the empty corn fields covered in snow are pretty to see in the middle of December, but haven't you always wondered what they do with all of the corn
they don't sell or gets too dried out on the stocks??? Well, funny you should ask because we found out just what happens to that corn. There is a huge Corn
Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota that is - yes you guessed it - completely covered with corn. They have all sorts of different colors that they grow to sell and
eat, and each year various corn farmers use some of the corn to decorate the palace. It's crazy to see. Apparently they re-decorate it each year since most of
the corn gets eaten by birds, or falls away. That must be heaven for the neighboring wild birds. An entire palace made out of their favorite food. We know Cody
would be in heaven if he were here with us. This year the corn farmers didn't have quite the crop they expected so they will not be re-decorating for 2007, so
we will have to wait until 2008 for a new scene since the rodeo scene will remain up through the end of this year.
- A Sonoma Flashback- Do Frank and Suzy really work???
It has been brought to our attention from some of our greatest Parrottrek
followers that we only represent our fun and off the clock adventures. Gary
and Kathy claim that there is no proof on our web page that we actually do
work, so here are a few pictures that prove - yes we do work occasionally. Let
this clear up any confusion that our lives are all play and no work. Ha ha ha ha
ha!!! We must admit however, that 97% of the time working here with the
NHRA feels like playtime. The people we do wait on are all happy to be here at
the races and enjoying themselves so much it makes for fun interaction. Also,
except for Memphis, the weather all over the country is usually great since
they try and schedule races during a city's good weather period. Thanks guys!
It has been brought to our attention from some of our greatest Parrottrek
followers that we only represent our fun and off the clock adventures. Gary
and Kathy claim that there is no proof on our web page that we actually do
work, so here are a few pictures that prove - yes we do work occasionally. Let
this clear up any confusion that our lives are all play and no work. Ha ha ha ha
ha!!! We must admit however, that 97% of the time working here with the
NHRA feels like playtime. The people we do wait on are all happy to be here at
the races and enjoying themselves so much it makes for fun interaction. Also,
except for Memphis, the weather all over the country is usually great since
they try and schedule races during a city's good weather period. Thanks guys!
Cocoa the friendly sheep
U.S. Nationals, the biggest race of the year, is next week here in Indianapolis which is the racing capitol of the world. Nationals is a six day race and by far the
most attended all year. We have a little over a week off before it so we are camped out at a friends house until we have to head to the track. The other night we
had a bonfire and pizza party with a few of our co-workers. Jim and Marsha, our gracious hosts, live here on a farm with horses and sheep and now a few fun
loving parrots. Next week for our annual "Nationals Party" our company has arranged it where all of us will be able to race the official Pontiac's of the NHRA down
the drag strip. We are all looking forward to that. We will see if any of us will have a racers future here instead of T-shirt salesmen. Okay so don't hold your breath
since I don't think Don Schumacher is going to sign any of us on for the 2007 racing season, but it should be a lot of fun anyways.
We received and installed our new convection oven today, or should I say Frank did. Now we don't have to live on sandwiches and salads anymore, we can
actually cook again and heat things up. Yes we had a couple weeks where we had no oven and therefore our entree choices were limited to items that were either
okay served cold or room temperature. Our new oven is so nice and actually works in the time it should. Before it would take about 5 minutes to heat up water or
melt cheese. Cooking brownies was not an option since the bottom would burn and the inside was raw no matter how long or short you cooked them and no
matter what temperature they was cooked at. Now??? The brownies are cooked to perfection as is the chicken casserole. Hot tea? Well it's done in about 90
seconds and cheese and chips only takes 30 seconds. It didn't much time to install it either. The old one came out nice and easy and the new went in even easier.
most attended all year. We have a little over a week off before it so we are camped out at a friends house until we have to head to the track. The other night we
had a bonfire and pizza party with a few of our co-workers. Jim and Marsha, our gracious hosts, live here on a farm with horses and sheep and now a few fun
loving parrots. Next week for our annual "Nationals Party" our company has arranged it where all of us will be able to race the official Pontiac's of the NHRA down
the drag strip. We are all looking forward to that. We will see if any of us will have a racers future here instead of T-shirt salesmen. Okay so don't hold your breath
since I don't think Don Schumacher is going to sign any of us on for the 2007 racing season, but it should be a lot of fun anyways.
We received and installed our new convection oven today, or should I say Frank did. Now we don't have to live on sandwiches and salads anymore, we can
actually cook again and heat things up. Yes we had a couple weeks where we had no oven and therefore our entree choices were limited to items that were either
okay served cold or room temperature. Our new oven is so nice and actually works in the time it should. Before it would take about 5 minutes to heat up water or
melt cheese. Cooking brownies was not an option since the bottom would burn and the inside was raw no matter how long or short you cooked them and no
matter what temperature they was cooked at. Now??? The brownies are cooked to perfection as is the chicken casserole. Hot tea? Well it's done in about 90
seconds and cheese and chips only takes 30 seconds. It didn't much time to install it either. The old one came out nice and easy and the new went in even easier.
In with the new, modern and wonderful working 2006 model . Such a handy guy!
Out with the old and useless oven from 1989
The old oven weighed about 200 pounds and took the two of us to carry it out of the house, but the new one only weighed about 90 pounds so as you can see
from above, muscle man carried it in on his own. The best part of the new one is that there is an option to turn off the sound, therefore it makes no new beeping
sounds for Bradley to mimic. We sure love modern technology. :-)
August 27th - Camp Indy - Tornado Watch -
No worries! We are still parked in the same spot today, and the house is still upright! There was a bit of worry last night where our bus might be this morning as
we watched the "Tornado Watch" all around us here and listened to the rain and wind and thunder and lightening. It was an amazing storm, usually you can't
hear much of the rain on our roof since it is so well insulated but last night it sounded as though there was no insulation at all since the rain drops were huge
and the wind was so strong. Obviously the tornado never came, but it sure was a lot of rain. Last year at this race we had tons and tons of rain because we got
the tail end of Hurricane Katrina. No, bad weather here this time of year is not unusual. Let's hope we don't get any hurricanes this year anywhere. Last year we
even has the Ennis race rescheduled because of an incoming hurricane that never hit either. Maybe we'll be free of them for a few years. I'm pretty sure the
country would be okay with that. Visiting places outside of California is always exciting since other places have real weather. California was pretty boring with it's
rain storms since the hardest we would get was about a half inch an hour on a really rainy day.
from above, muscle man carried it in on his own. The best part of the new one is that there is an option to turn off the sound, therefore it makes no new beeping
sounds for Bradley to mimic. We sure love modern technology. :-)
August 27th - Camp Indy - Tornado Watch -
No worries! We are still parked in the same spot today, and the house is still upright! There was a bit of worry last night where our bus might be this morning as
we watched the "Tornado Watch" all around us here and listened to the rain and wind and thunder and lightening. It was an amazing storm, usually you can't
hear much of the rain on our roof since it is so well insulated but last night it sounded as though there was no insulation at all since the rain drops were huge
and the wind was so strong. Obviously the tornado never came, but it sure was a lot of rain. Last year at this race we had tons and tons of rain because we got
the tail end of Hurricane Katrina. No, bad weather here this time of year is not unusual. Let's hope we don't get any hurricanes this year anywhere. Last year we
even has the Ennis race rescheduled because of an incoming hurricane that never hit either. Maybe we'll be free of them for a few years. I'm pretty sure the
country would be okay with that. Visiting places outside of California is always exciting since other places have real weather. California was pretty boring with it's
rain storms since the hardest we would get was about a half inch an hour on a really rainy day.
August 21st - Memphis Tennessee -
We barely survived this one. Memphis Tennessee has got to be one of the most unbearable places in the U.S. The coolest day was 92 degrees with about
90% humidity. With the heat index and all, the hottest day was about 106 with 100% humidity. The humidity level gets so high here and since there is so much
humidity in the air that it spontaneously begins to rain. We had rain almost all night Friday night. At one point we had to close our trailer doors for business
because the wind was so strong and the rain was so hard it was literally coming into our trailer horizontally. We were soaked and so was everything else by the
humidity in the air that it spontaneously begins to rain. We had rain almost all night Friday night. At one point we had to close our trailer doors for business
because the wind was so strong and the rain was so hard it was literally coming into our trailer horizontally. We were soaked and so was everything else by the
time we got our doors closed. An hour or so later we reopened and the rain stopped long enough for us to get one round of qualifying in at about midnight.
Saturday went fairly quick with no rain but the rain came back on Sunday around 7:00 and they finally called the race at 9:30 or so and rescheduled for
Monday morning at 9:00am. The positive side was that we got to go home and sit in the nice air conditioning of the dry motorhome for the evening. The bad
thing was that we had to stay in Memphis another day. UGH!! The races did start back on Monday morning but the rain was with us all morning. Luckily it
stopped long enough to sneak each round in. We finished at 1:00 in the afternoon and packed up so quick that we were out of there by 1:30. It was the
quickest pack up in history. Thank God!! We don't have to see this weather again for a year. Rumor has it that they are going to reschedule this race for later
in the year to try and get the weather cooler since everyone in the NHRA would rather have 3 days of dental work in an air conditioned office instead of being
outside in Memphis in August. The fans would appreciate it as well I'm sure. These people have got to be the bravest of fans that we have. Anyone that sits
outside in the sun in 105 degree weather for 3 days straight for 10 hours a day deserves a medal, or maybe a straight jacket. :-)
We barely survived this one. Memphis Tennessee has got to be one of the most unbearable places in the U.S. The coolest day was 92 degrees with about
90% humidity. With the heat index and all, the hottest day was about 106 with 100% humidity. The humidity level gets so high here and since there is so much
humidity in the air that it spontaneously begins to rain. We had rain almost all night Friday night. At one point we had to close our trailer doors for business
because the wind was so strong and the rain was so hard it was literally coming into our trailer horizontally. We were soaked and so was everything else by the
humidity in the air that it spontaneously begins to rain. We had rain almost all night Friday night. At one point we had to close our trailer doors for business
because the wind was so strong and the rain was so hard it was literally coming into our trailer horizontally. We were soaked and so was everything else by the
time we got our doors closed. An hour or so later we reopened and the rain stopped long enough for us to get one round of qualifying in at about midnight.
Saturday went fairly quick with no rain but the rain came back on Sunday around 7:00 and they finally called the race at 9:30 or so and rescheduled for
Monday morning at 9:00am. The positive side was that we got to go home and sit in the nice air conditioning of the dry motorhome for the evening. The bad
thing was that we had to stay in Memphis another day. UGH!! The races did start back on Monday morning but the rain was with us all morning. Luckily it
stopped long enough to sneak each round in. We finished at 1:00 in the afternoon and packed up so quick that we were out of there by 1:30. It was the
quickest pack up in history. Thank God!! We don't have to see this weather again for a year. Rumor has it that they are going to reschedule this race for later
in the year to try and get the weather cooler since everyone in the NHRA would rather have 3 days of dental work in an air conditioned office instead of being
outside in Memphis in August. The fans would appreciate it as well I'm sure. These people have got to be the bravest of fans that we have. Anyone that sits
outside in the sun in 105 degree weather for 3 days straight for 10 hours a day deserves a medal, or maybe a straight jacket. :-)
The guys are staged. Ready!? Set!
Boy, look at that concentration! She's pre-staged
... and they're off at a whopping 78 mph
In the practice rounds, our average speed was about 64 mph and the reaction times were fairly high, around 1-2 seconds with an average elapsed time of 19
seconds. Once the official race began the average speed jumped up to 87 miles an hour and the elapsed time was about 16 seconds for the quarter mile race
and most reaction times were under 1 second. It felt as though you were driving much faster. I can't imagine making it down the track at 330 mph and 4.5
seconds WOW! Frank and I didn't go too far in the competition but we had a blast watching everyone else race and cheering them on. Hopefully this will now be
an annual event with the MainGate group. We did have a few bloopers that you can see below.
seconds. Once the official race began the average speed jumped up to 87 miles an hour and the elapsed time was about 16 seconds for the quarter mile race
and most reaction times were under 1 second. It felt as though you were driving much faster. I can't imagine making it down the track at 330 mph and 4.5
seconds WOW! Frank and I didn't go too far in the competition but we had a blast watching everyone else race and cheering them on. Hopefully this will now be
an annual event with the MainGate group. We did have a few bloopers that you can see below.
Poor Ric never saw what hit him! Who
knew Robbie could do 45 in reverse?
knew Robbie could do 45 in reverse?
Which way do I go??
Picture #1 - No no Robbie! You can't go until the staging lights come on. Apparently she was trying to do a burn-out for the crowd which isn't allowed in the
a second chance. Don't worry, she only backed over the guys in the picture. Everyone else dove out of her way in time.
Picture #2 - Cat apparently was so excited to race that he wasn't sure which direction the car was supposed to go once he made it to the staging lanes.
Picture #3 - Yes it does help if one actually wears the helmet on the driver's head and not on the roof of the car. Shirl didn't crash luckily so all was okay!
Picture #4 - We have a winner!! Kurt took home the trophy for winning the race and having the quickest reaction time of the entire race. He is now trying to
figure out which large sponsor to approach for the 2007 Funny Car season. Needless to say his chances aren't too great, but don't tell him we said that.
a second chance. Don't worry, she only backed over the guys in the picture. Everyone else dove out of her way in time.
Picture #2 - Cat apparently was so excited to race that he wasn't sure which direction the car was supposed to go once he made it to the staging lanes.
Picture #3 - Yes it does help if one actually wears the helmet on the driver's head and not on the roof of the car. Shirl didn't crash luckily so all was okay!
Picture #4 - We have a winner!! Kurt took home the trophy for winning the race and having the quickest reaction time of the entire race. He is now trying to
figure out which large sponsor to approach for the 2007 Funny Car season. Needless to say his chances aren't too great, but don't tell him we said that.
Vicki was greatly missed by all
August 29th - Mac Tools U.S. Nationals - Indianapolis, Indiana -
The biggest race of the season has arrived!! U.S. Nationals is the granddaddy of all drag races and everyone who is anyone in the drag racing world will be
here this weekend. The race hasn't even begun yet and we have already had a great week. Well at least the official race hasn't started. We did have our very
own race this evening with the sponsor Pontiac's amongst our co-workers and had more fun than imaginable. After signing our lives away and promising that
we would do our very best to avoid crashing into the wall and stop the car before driving into the sand traps, and if we did crash we agreed to buy the car that
we were driving and promise not to sue the NHRA, they handed us the keys. First we each had one practice round to try out the cars and see how they
responded. It was so funny to watch everyone go from pre-stage to staging to racing. We now understand why one should go from a junior dragster and slowly
work their way up to the Top Fuel Dragsters.
The biggest race of the season has arrived!! U.S. Nationals is the granddaddy of all drag races and everyone who is anyone in the drag racing world will be
here this weekend. The race hasn't even begun yet and we have already had a great week. Well at least the official race hasn't started. We did have our very
own race this evening with the sponsor Pontiac's amongst our co-workers and had more fun than imaginable. After signing our lives away and promising that
we would do our very best to avoid crashing into the wall and stop the car before driving into the sand traps, and if we did crash we agreed to buy the car that
we were driving and promise not to sue the NHRA, they handed us the keys. First we each had one practice round to try out the cars and see how they
responded. It was so funny to watch everyone go from pre-stage to staging to racing. We now understand why one should go from a junior dragster and slowly
work their way up to the Top Fuel Dragsters.
August 31st - O'Reilly Raceway Park -
With the race well underway, the festivities are still in full swing. Chris and Maria, very good friends of ours, recently got engaged so we all celebrated with them
this evening after work. Luckily someone had enough time and brains to rent a tent for the occasion since the rain of Thursday afternoon that was supposed to
be scattered showers ended up down pouring on us until about 9:00 or so that evening. You know you are having a fun party when the cops have to not only
break up the party, but arrest the host for having too much fun. Okay okay, so the cops are actually our friends and the photo is actually staged. Don't worry,
we wouldn't actually let it get that out of hand. Really, we promise the picture is staged, please note the smile on the policeman's face. Hmmm apparently no
one believed us, especially the ones that know Donny, the guy in handcuffs. Yes, he can be quite the party animal, which makes the photo that much more
believable. They did however have a little problem finding the key to unlock the handcuffs. It was quite entertaining to watch them try key after key. Finally they
did release him and Donny's record was cleared of all charges.
The annual bar-b-que at Rob's house was fun this year as usual. Rob has since left MainGate, for a family business but still had us all over for one lst hoorah!
Below you can see Rob with all of us ladies and the happy greeting of Vicky's visit. She worked all last year with us but has stayed home with family this year.
We have only seen her at a couple races, so everyone was overjoyed to see her again, especially Loretta and Karen. Those zany gals.
With the race well underway, the festivities are still in full swing. Chris and Maria, very good friends of ours, recently got engaged so we all celebrated with them
this evening after work. Luckily someone had enough time and brains to rent a tent for the occasion since the rain of Thursday afternoon that was supposed to
be scattered showers ended up down pouring on us until about 9:00 or so that evening. You know you are having a fun party when the cops have to not only
break up the party, but arrest the host for having too much fun. Okay okay, so the cops are actually our friends and the photo is actually staged. Don't worry,
we wouldn't actually let it get that out of hand. Really, we promise the picture is staged, please note the smile on the policeman's face. Hmmm apparently no
one believed us, especially the ones that know Donny, the guy in handcuffs. Yes, he can be quite the party animal, which makes the photo that much more
believable. They did however have a little problem finding the key to unlock the handcuffs. It was quite entertaining to watch them try key after key. Finally they
did release him and Donny's record was cleared of all charges.
The annual bar-b-que at Rob's house was fun this year as usual. Rob has since left MainGate, for a family business but still had us all over for one lst hoorah!
Below you can see Rob with all of us ladies and the happy greeting of Vicky's visit. She worked all last year with us but has stayed home with family this year.
We have only seen her at a couple races, so everyone was overjoyed to see her again, especially Loretta and Karen. Those zany gals.
September 6th - Defiance, Ohio - Gold at the End of the Rainbow -
They always say there is gold at the end of the rainbow. In our case today, it was true! At the end of the beautiful
rainbow above, is a little shop in Defiance, Ohio called Martin Diesel Company. It's a small place, with a great group of
mechanics that build, maintain and repair Martin Generators, just like the one in our bus. It's been running fine so far,
but hasn't been pulling the load that it should, namely being able to run all three air conditioners while we were in toasty
Memphis, Tennessee. After spending a half a day diagnosing and eliminating what wasn't wrong with it, they finally
discovered that it had a bad regulator. After replacing the regulator, we are now able to not only run all three air
conditioners at the same time, but we can run all three air conditioners along with all three burners on the stove, the
heater in the bathroom, the heated tiles and bake brownies at the same time. Yes, we realize that one would not run
three air conditioners at the same time as the heater, but it's nice to know that if for some neurotic reason we wanted to,
we could. Across from martin Diesel is a very pretty park with a lake and lots of butterflies. It made for a very nice walk
and a pretty place to burn a little time. Peaceful moments like these with walks around a lake sure makes life awesome! I
can guarantee you no one else living in Solvang has ever taken a walk across this lake, but then again we're unique.
They always say there is gold at the end of the rainbow. In our case today, it was true! At the end of the beautiful
rainbow above, is a little shop in Defiance, Ohio called Martin Diesel Company. It's a small place, with a great group of
mechanics that build, maintain and repair Martin Generators, just like the one in our bus. It's been running fine so far,
but hasn't been pulling the load that it should, namely being able to run all three air conditioners while we were in toasty
Memphis, Tennessee. After spending a half a day diagnosing and eliminating what wasn't wrong with it, they finally
discovered that it had a bad regulator. After replacing the regulator, we are now able to not only run all three air
conditioners at the same time, but we can run all three air conditioners along with all three burners on the stove, the
heater in the bathroom, the heated tiles and bake brownies at the same time. Yes, we realize that one would not run
three air conditioners at the same time as the heater, but it's nice to know that if for some neurotic reason we wanted to,
we could. Across from martin Diesel is a very pretty park with a lake and lots of butterflies. It made for a very nice walk
and a pretty place to burn a little time. Peaceful moments like these with walks around a lake sure makes life awesome! I
can guarantee you no one else living in Solvang has ever taken a walk across this lake, but then again we're unique.
September 4th -
few cars bursting into flames. Apparently, since everyone wants to win Nationals so badly, they tune their cars to the absolute limit to try and pull out all the
stops. What happens when they go too fast? Well one of the drivers, Ron Krishner, found out just what happens when a Pro-Stock car gets the wiggles
halfway down the track at over 200mph. He rolled his car a couple times and was engulfed in flames. The amazing thing of Drag Racing is the "Safety Safari".
The guys that stand by the side of the track in fire suits all day no matter how hot it is outside just in case they need to save a driver from a burning car, and
just like in this case run into the fire fearlessly. Thank you Jesus that Ron is okay minus a few broken ribs. Unfortunately I have no pictures of that fire, but
above we do have a picture of the second biggest fire of the weekend which was a grease fire on the Hot Rod Grill across from us in the pits. The flames
started out about 2 feet tall and quickly shot up to about 6-7 feet. One guy tried to put it out, but no luck. Very quickly the Safety Safari leader and the fire
department were on in, and the fire was out it in no time. The poor Hot Rod Grill was closed for a few hours until the grill was cleaned and all of the fire
extinguisher gunk was cleaned off. It did make for an interesting show, however I wouldn't recommend eating a hamburger cooked on the grill after seeing just
how much gunk they had to spray on it no matter how many times they scrapped it off and cleaned it again. Hmmmm, this burger tastes a little more charred
than usual. Track food does lack a little bit of flavor, and one should try to avoid it at all costs. Luckily Frank and I are fortunate enough to get fed by
Budweiser most of the time so we are sparred from track food, and it's expense. One thing that isn't lacking here at Nationals is rumors. This race is infamous
for all the new stories and announcements of the next season and all of the rumors that we have heard all year long to turn into truth or be stomped out as
someone's imagination. The greatest kept secret of the year that was announced at this race is that Kenny Bernstein, one of the most accomplished drag
racers ever, is coming out of retirement next year to get back behind the wheel of a Funny Car. Frank and I are two of the very few people that have known
this was coming, and we are more excited than the average fan since he, Kenny Bernstein, has offered us a spot on his team next year. He has asked us to
leave his souvenir trailer for bigger and better things. We will be helping run his hospitality lounge beginning next season. We are quite excited to try another
adventure out here on the road. God has blessed us greatly with all the opportunities that we have had, and are yet to tackle. The Bernstein's have already
made us feel like part of the team with invites to the winner's circle and always including us, but now it will be even more fun since we will be in the middle of the
action in the "pits". There isn't an award that Kenny hasn't received in his 25+ year racing career. He won Championships in both Funny Car and Top Fuel
Dragster. He also won, as a team owner, in Nascar and the Indy racing circuit. He was the first to break the 300mph mark in a Funny Car, and changed the
rules of Funny Car racing with his 1987 car that was nicknamed "The Batmobile". We should be in for a great year with two great teams with award winning
drivers in the two Top Fuel categories. Brandon will remain being sponsored by Budweiser, and Monster Energy Drink will be Kenny's main sponsor. We can
hardly wait for the new season to start.
few cars bursting into flames. Apparently, since everyone wants to win Nationals so badly, they tune their cars to the absolute limit to try and pull out all the
stops. What happens when they go too fast? Well one of the drivers, Ron Krishner, found out just what happens when a Pro-Stock car gets the wiggles
halfway down the track at over 200mph. He rolled his car a couple times and was engulfed in flames. The amazing thing of Drag Racing is the "Safety Safari".
The guys that stand by the side of the track in fire suits all day no matter how hot it is outside just in case they need to save a driver from a burning car, and
just like in this case run into the fire fearlessly. Thank you Jesus that Ron is okay minus a few broken ribs. Unfortunately I have no pictures of that fire, but
above we do have a picture of the second biggest fire of the weekend which was a grease fire on the Hot Rod Grill across from us in the pits. The flames
started out about 2 feet tall and quickly shot up to about 6-7 feet. One guy tried to put it out, but no luck. Very quickly the Safety Safari leader and the fire
department were on in, and the fire was out it in no time. The poor Hot Rod Grill was closed for a few hours until the grill was cleaned and all of the fire
extinguisher gunk was cleaned off. It did make for an interesting show, however I wouldn't recommend eating a hamburger cooked on the grill after seeing just
how much gunk they had to spray on it no matter how many times they scrapped it off and cleaned it again. Hmmmm, this burger tastes a little more charred
than usual. Track food does lack a little bit of flavor, and one should try to avoid it at all costs. Luckily Frank and I are fortunate enough to get fed by
Budweiser most of the time so we are sparred from track food, and it's expense. One thing that isn't lacking here at Nationals is rumors. This race is infamous
for all the new stories and announcements of the next season and all of the rumors that we have heard all year long to turn into truth or be stomped out as
someone's imagination. The greatest kept secret of the year that was announced at this race is that Kenny Bernstein, one of the most accomplished drag
racers ever, is coming out of retirement next year to get back behind the wheel of a Funny Car. Frank and I are two of the very few people that have known
this was coming, and we are more excited than the average fan since he, Kenny Bernstein, has offered us a spot on his team next year. He has asked us to
leave his souvenir trailer for bigger and better things. We will be helping run his hospitality lounge beginning next season. We are quite excited to try another
adventure out here on the road. God has blessed us greatly with all the opportunities that we have had, and are yet to tackle. The Bernstein's have already
made us feel like part of the team with invites to the winner's circle and always including us, but now it will be even more fun since we will be in the middle of the
action in the "pits". There isn't an award that Kenny hasn't received in his 25+ year racing career. He won Championships in both Funny Car and Top Fuel
Dragster. He also won, as a team owner, in Nascar and the Indy racing circuit. He was the first to break the 300mph mark in a Funny Car, and changed the
rules of Funny Car racing with his 1987 car that was nicknamed "The Batmobile". We should be in for a great year with two great teams with award winning
drivers in the two Top Fuel categories. Brandon will remain being sponsored by Budweiser, and Monster Energy Drink will be Kenny's main sponsor. We can
hardly wait for the new season to start.
Rich is ready to race!
But she said she wanted her burger well done officer!
Parrottrek Journal 2006
| Marigold is the one on the inside! |
A group shot in the King's new house
| The parklike setting of the King's backyard |
| A fellow momma outside Kari's living room window |
We received a trial subscription when we bought the coach for a year to try it ou and each quarter when we read about another coach owner and their pets or
asked for a bunch of extra copies for our friends and family to read as well. Now we just need to renew our subscription since it's been over a year since we
Bradley's cardboard box obsession has increased. Since he has already made confetti out of the Budweiser Select box, we bought the birds a box of Lincoln
Logs to play with and Bradley is bound and determined to tear the box into tiny pieces just as Cody is determined to destroy the actual logs inside. As soon as a
house is built, Cody tears it down again. Well at least not a single part of the toy or packaging has gone to waste, unless of course you count the confetti.
Bradley has destroyed the entire top and now climbs inside it to eat out the bottom. It's quite cute to watch him. Each time Abbey is playing on the counter and
Bradley is in his box, she knocks on the side of it to get him to come out and then pounces on him as soon as she sees his head or tries to knock the whole box
off the counter. Poor Bradley, never a quiet moment to play by himself unless his sister is locked away in her cage.
asked for a bunch of extra copies for our friends and family to read as well. Now we just need to renew our subscription since it's been over a year since we
Bradley's cardboard box obsession has increased. Since he has already made confetti out of the Budweiser Select box, we bought the birds a box of Lincoln
Logs to play with and Bradley is bound and determined to tear the box into tiny pieces just as Cody is determined to destroy the actual logs inside. As soon as a
house is built, Cody tears it down again. Well at least not a single part of the toy or packaging has gone to waste, unless of course you count the confetti.
Bradley has destroyed the entire top and now climbs inside it to eat out the bottom. It's quite cute to watch him. Each time Abbey is playing on the counter and
Bradley is in his box, she knocks on the side of it to get him to come out and then pounces on him as soon as she sees his head or tries to knock the whole box
off the counter. Poor Bradley, never a quiet moment to play by himself unless his sister is locked away in her cage.
| Just a few of the rocks that you can still see the drill holes in below the rubble |
Above us and below the men you
can see all the ruble that remains
can see all the ruble that remains
| What's wrong with this picture?? Has anyone seen my helmet??? |
We have a winner!