Parrottrek Journal 2007
 |  |  |  |  |  |
Happy New Year!!!!
Our off season has been wonderful. We have had almost two months off, minus the Rodeo in Vegas, and we have been able to visit all of our friends and
family and celebrated with them. We had a Christmas party in Santa Barbara with all of our friends from high school and college at Tony and Allison's. We had
an early Christmas party complete with Ty the Reindeer, a little poker and an interactive 80's Name That Tune game with good friends in Santa Maria.
Christmas Eve was spent at Frank's sister's house with all the family. Hayley and Torrie even put on a show as Kevin cooked the best Prime Rib ever with all
the trimmings! Yes we will have to start out 2007 with an exercise program if we continue to eat like we have since we have been here, but it sure is worth it.
Our off season has been wonderful. We have had almost two months off, minus the Rodeo in Vegas, and we have been able to visit all of our friends and
family and celebrated with them. We had a Christmas party in Santa Barbara with all of our friends from high school and college at Tony and Allison's. We had
an early Christmas party complete with Ty the Reindeer, a little poker and an interactive 80's Name That Tune game with good friends in Santa Maria.
Christmas Eve was spent at Frank's sister's house with all the family. Hayley and Torrie even put on a show as Kevin cooked the best Prime Rib ever with all
the trimmings! Yes we will have to start out 2007 with an exercise program if we continue to eat like we have since we have been here, but it sure is worth it.
Grandma Whitmore shows off her new scarf
Torrie and Hayley's grand finale
Santa rewards Ty for being a good reindeer
January 20th - A Fun Day With Friends - Bonsall, California -
The Monster car is on it's way to a testing session at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. In fact as I
type they are hopefully safely and quickly speeding down the racetrack right now. It has got to be such a great feeling for
those guys to watch all their work of the last few months pay off. Frank and I left the shop on Wednesday night and are now
in Mira Loma at Prevost where our wonderful friends will tune up our bus and get us all ready to embark on another 28,000
mile year of fun. We are conveniently located quite close to many friends including the Treicks. Kate and I grew up together
and have been friends since Kindergarten. It's such a wonderful thing to keep in touch with friends like Kate and Joel over
the years. They are expecting their first child in March. Her name is Lily and she is quite an active little one already. The
five of us went to lunch at a great little café called Sunrize Café. It had a bit of a Hawaiian flare and was a great place to
spend a Saturday afternoon gabbing with friends. Frank and I got to see their home in the hills of Bonsall and took a little
tour of the nearby horse ranch where the horses of Del Mar Race Track warm up and practice. Kate and Joel are going to
be moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee in a few short months after Joel graduates from seminary. Joel will be an associate
pastor at a church there and they will both help with the college ministry of the church. We are so excited for them and their
calling. Not only for their new adventure and what God has in store for them, but also because we pass through
Chattanooga twice a year and will have a few days off each time to visit so later this year we will meet up again.
The Monster car is on it's way to a testing session at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. In fact as I
type they are hopefully safely and quickly speeding down the racetrack right now. It has got to be such a great feeling for
those guys to watch all their work of the last few months pay off. Frank and I left the shop on Wednesday night and are now
in Mira Loma at Prevost where our wonderful friends will tune up our bus and get us all ready to embark on another 28,000
mile year of fun. We are conveniently located quite close to many friends including the Treicks. Kate and I grew up together
and have been friends since Kindergarten. It's such a wonderful thing to keep in touch with friends like Kate and Joel over
the years. They are expecting their first child in March. Her name is Lily and she is quite an active little one already. The
five of us went to lunch at a great little café called Sunrize Café. It had a bit of a Hawaiian flare and was a great place to
spend a Saturday afternoon gabbing with friends. Frank and I got to see their home in the hills of Bonsall and took a little
tour of the nearby horse ranch where the horses of Del Mar Race Track warm up and practice. Kate and Joel are going to
be moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee in a few short months after Joel graduates from seminary. Joel will be an associate
pastor at a church there and they will both help with the college ministry of the church. We are so excited for them and their
calling. Not only for their new adventure and what God has in store for them, but also because we pass through
Chattanooga twice a year and will have a few days off each time to visit so later this year we will meet up again.
January 17th - Creating a Monster -
What just a few months ago was a half empty warehouse, due to the fact that the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Dragster is housed and
worked on in Indianapolis, Indiana, and this location was used primarily as the home office of Bud King Racing, is now a full
running Funny Car making, Monster decaling shop. It's amazing what a few guys, who I must add have been putting in some
crazy long hours, can put together in such a short period of time. Just a few days ago all the cars and both semi's were
completely black without any markings on them whatsoever. Now however, there is no mistaking just who our sponsor is. The
logo and decals look so sharp against the black. Whoever in the Monster world thought of the ever present Monster 'M' is a bit
of a marketing genius. And let me tell you, everything that has anything to do with the car or the transports or the tool boxes or
anything around the car now has a very distinct 'M' on them, even Frank and I. The uniforms are very nice. They look pretty
much just like the above car. The uniforms include a t-shirt for casual wear, a golf shirt for work days while setting up and
tearing down, nice race day team shirt to wear on location at the race track during the events and a big comfy jacket for cold
mornings just like the ones we have been having this past week here in California and apparently around the rest of the U.S.
as well. The picture to the left is of the inside of our storage area for the hospitality semi. Upstairs will be used to carry the car.
What just a few months ago was a half empty warehouse, due to the fact that the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Dragster is housed and
worked on in Indianapolis, Indiana, and this location was used primarily as the home office of Bud King Racing, is now a full
running Funny Car making, Monster decaling shop. It's amazing what a few guys, who I must add have been putting in some
crazy long hours, can put together in such a short period of time. Just a few days ago all the cars and both semi's were
completely black without any markings on them whatsoever. Now however, there is no mistaking just who our sponsor is. The
logo and decals look so sharp against the black. Whoever in the Monster world thought of the ever present Monster 'M' is a bit
of a marketing genius. And let me tell you, everything that has anything to do with the car or the transports or the tool boxes or
anything around the car now has a very distinct 'M' on them, even Frank and I. The uniforms are very nice. They look pretty
much just like the above car. The uniforms include a t-shirt for casual wear, a golf shirt for work days while setting up and
tearing down, nice race day team shirt to wear on location at the race track during the events and a big comfy jacket for cold
mornings just like the ones we have been having this past week here in California and apparently around the rest of the U.S.
as well. The picture to the left is of the inside of our storage area for the hospitality semi. Upstairs will be used to carry the car.
January 8th 2007 - On the road again!!!
As a new year unfolds as does a new adventure for the Whitmore clan. It's great to get back out on the road and traveling again. We are now in Lake Forest,
the California home of the Monster Energy Drink Race Team. We are busy packing and putting together the new hospitality trailer for our team. It's quite an
amazing process to see a team develop from scratch. The crew guys are busy inside putting the car together as Frank, Eddie and I work outside making sure
all of the pieces to our awning and seating areas are complete. Today the semi will get wrapped with all the Monster logos and then we will be official!
As a new year unfolds as does a new adventure for the Whitmore clan. It's great to get back out on the road and traveling again. We are now in Lake Forest,
the California home of the Monster Energy Drink Race Team. We are busy packing and putting together the new hospitality trailer for our team. It's quite an
amazing process to see a team develop from scratch. The crew guys are busy inside putting the car together as Frank, Eddie and I work outside making sure
all of the pieces to our awning and seating areas are complete. Today the semi will get wrapped with all the Monster logos and then we will be official!
The Funny Car's before and after pictures
What a difference a few decals make
The entire transport fits inside the shop
Our new hospitality semi ready to roll
We've used every inch available
January 21st - Santa Anita Park -
After seeing the horses around Kate and Joel's home it inspired Frank to look into the schedule of Santa Anita, located just a few miles from our current home.
On finding out that yes there were in fact races scheduled here this time of year we decided to spend today at the track. If you have never been to a horse
race you are missing out on great fun and we would highly recommend adding this activity to your agenda at some point. After watching many many races in
our past years I have come to realize that yes the horses do enjoy to run as fast as they can for a reasonable length of time. The entire process is an
experience in itself. First of all there are roughly nine races in a day which are usually scheduled about a half hour apart. The actual race only takes about 1-4
minutes depending on the length or furlongs that the race is. Once you have arrived inside your racing park of choice you buy a program. This program tells
you which horses will race in which race. Next to each list of horses is what they call a "Handicap's Hints" page. This is where the supposed experts on the
sport give their opinions on who will win. Today after careful reading of said "hints" we made our decisions on who to wager our high stakes on. We aren't
huge bettors, in fact 2 bucks each race is about our limit. This way if we win anything we get super excited, but if we loose the race, 2 bucks is pretty easy to
shrug off. In the past we have always gone to Del Mar where apparently their "Handicap's Hints" are a bit more in tune with the horses racing that day since we
usually do fairly well with those. Today we pretty much sucked at picking any winners and as a result we lost our entire "betting fund" and after the fourth race
decided we should cut our loses and just be observers. Apparently next time we should bet on the exact opposite of the Santa Anita experts. What the heck do
they know anyways. Okay back to our "routine of betting". In the past if for some reason none of the "hints" were helpful to us, or we thought that there were
greater powers to listen too in order to win we would then go down to the Paddock between each race. This is where they walk the horses around before their
race for that day. Yes, each horse only runs one race a day. So in the Paddock after closely looking at the horses, gauging their body shape and taking their
muscle condition into careful consideration you realize that you have very little knowledge of horse anatomy and so you pray that one of them might wink at
you or whisper to you saying "Don't worry Suzy even though my odds are 80 to 1 and I have never even raced in my entire life, I promise I will win this one for
you". Needless to say I have not yet received this message. Perhaps next time I should take the Horse Whisperer course before heading to the track, or take
up drinking in the early afternoon in order to help hallucinate this conversation. Even though we didn't leave the park with the 1.37 million dollar Pick Six grand
prize that we were so sure of winning, imagine turning 2 dollars into 1.37 million now that's a return on your money, we did enjoy a nice day outside in the fresh
air and had the track practically to ourselves with some of the best seats we have ever had at the races at no additional charge. The great seats sure helped
with getting a few great shots of the horses and riders.
After seeing the horses around Kate and Joel's home it inspired Frank to look into the schedule of Santa Anita, located just a few miles from our current home.
On finding out that yes there were in fact races scheduled here this time of year we decided to spend today at the track. If you have never been to a horse
race you are missing out on great fun and we would highly recommend adding this activity to your agenda at some point. After watching many many races in
our past years I have come to realize that yes the horses do enjoy to run as fast as they can for a reasonable length of time. The entire process is an
experience in itself. First of all there are roughly nine races in a day which are usually scheduled about a half hour apart. The actual race only takes about 1-4
minutes depending on the length or furlongs that the race is. Once you have arrived inside your racing park of choice you buy a program. This program tells
you which horses will race in which race. Next to each list of horses is what they call a "Handicap's Hints" page. This is where the supposed experts on the
sport give their opinions on who will win. Today after careful reading of said "hints" we made our decisions on who to wager our high stakes on. We aren't
huge bettors, in fact 2 bucks each race is about our limit. This way if we win anything we get super excited, but if we loose the race, 2 bucks is pretty easy to
shrug off. In the past we have always gone to Del Mar where apparently their "Handicap's Hints" are a bit more in tune with the horses racing that day since we
usually do fairly well with those. Today we pretty much sucked at picking any winners and as a result we lost our entire "betting fund" and after the fourth race
decided we should cut our loses and just be observers. Apparently next time we should bet on the exact opposite of the Santa Anita experts. What the heck do
they know anyways. Okay back to our "routine of betting". In the past if for some reason none of the "hints" were helpful to us, or we thought that there were
greater powers to listen too in order to win we would then go down to the Paddock between each race. This is where they walk the horses around before their
race for that day. Yes, each horse only runs one race a day. So in the Paddock after closely looking at the horses, gauging their body shape and taking their
muscle condition into careful consideration you realize that you have very little knowledge of horse anatomy and so you pray that one of them might wink at
you or whisper to you saying "Don't worry Suzy even though my odds are 80 to 1 and I have never even raced in my entire life, I promise I will win this one for
you". Needless to say I have not yet received this message. Perhaps next time I should take the Horse Whisperer course before heading to the track, or take
up drinking in the early afternoon in order to help hallucinate this conversation. Even though we didn't leave the park with the 1.37 million dollar Pick Six grand
prize that we were so sure of winning, imagine turning 2 dollars into 1.37 million now that's a return on your money, we did enjoy a nice day outside in the fresh
air and had the track practically to ourselves with some of the best seats we have ever had at the races at no additional charge. The great seats sure helped
with getting a few great shots of the horses and riders.
Beautiful Santa Anita nestled in the hills
Jockeys and leaders warm up the horses.
And they're off!! Our great view of the race.
The horses line up in the gates behind us
January 30th - Phoenix, Arizona - NHRA National Time Trials -
Or should we say we are now leaving the National Time Trials. This has been a very educational weekend. We, who knew nothing about how a Funny Car
runs or works, have learned quite a bit. We switched roles from our regular hospitality role to honorary crew members. Above you can see Frank working on
cleaning all the tire rubber out from underneath the Funny Car body. After each round we would both wipe down the body underneath and on top and alert the
Crew Chief of any damage. We took turns going up to the starting line with the team and car. It is amazing to stand behind these cars on the starting line with
only a few feet in between you and the car and watch them tear down the track anywhere from 80mph up to 320. WOW!!. The Time Trials are even better
than an actual event since each car takes about 6 runs versus the regular 2, and most of the drivers and crew are a little more relaxed then they are on race
day (except for the teams trying to get their licenses), and everyone is trying new things with the engines so the drama is very intense as are the exploding
cars. But on the upside only the cars blow up, not the drivers (Thank God). Our Monster Car had a few hiccups over the weekend, but Monday morning and
afternoon we had some great passes and we are now an officially licensed team ready for the new racing season. Yes, to drive and operate a Funny Car or
Top Fuel Dragster you must go through a process to get said license. In order to obtain this license you must make at least two passes the full length of the
track at a speed of over 250mph and an E.T. (elapsed time) of less than 5.20 seconds. If this doesn't sound like an accomplishment here is a bit of a parallel.
Tomorrow morning walk out to your garage and take your entire engine apart piece by piece and lay it out on your garage floor. Later that same day hire a
group of guys that have some understanding of how a car goes together, but have never actually put your type of engine and transmission together, start the
process of rebuilding your car. In the parts of your engine lying around on the floor add a few extra pieces. Tell the guys putting your car together that these
pieces could either make your car run faster by adding them or they may cause the car to blow to smithereens if they use these parts. Would you be willing to
let them put them in your car???? Now after your car is put back together to the best of their ability, take it down the street and instead of slowly breaking it in,
once you start the car floor it and drive as fast as you can down your block. What would be the probability of your rebuilt car blowing up??? Let's just say it
would be HUGE!!! This is what happens when 8 guys get together to build a brand spankin' new Funny Car. But the upside to the story is that if the car blows
to bits enough times you quickly learn what exactly NOT to do, and you slowly but surely learn more of what TO do and you begin to do it well. This is the story
of the Monster Funny Car. It is now running fairly well and we hope to have a good year as a result. The other pictures above represent our week off before
driving out to Phoenix. One day we drove over to Burbank and attended The Tonight Show. We got there early enough to get a good seat, almost front and
center I might add. While on our week off we stayed at Prevost in Mira Loma where they treat you like kings and don't charge you for anything (except for the
work on the bus) While at Prevost we learned what exactly happens when some little punk kid throws a Molotov Cocktail under someone's bus. Well needless
to say it does an enormous amount of damage and made us almost cry just looking at it. The poor residences of the above bus will be out of a home for about
3 months. I sure hope that the little @#!*% that did this gets what is coming to them. The third picture is of Quartzsite, Arizona. A must see place for anyone
who enjoys a two mile farmer's market/flea market. We went with our good friends Kurt and Phyllis and had a blast just looking at all the new gadgets one
could buy. Yes Holly, we did see all sorts of new heaters and thought of you often.
Or should we say we are now leaving the National Time Trials. This has been a very educational weekend. We, who knew nothing about how a Funny Car
runs or works, have learned quite a bit. We switched roles from our regular hospitality role to honorary crew members. Above you can see Frank working on
cleaning all the tire rubber out from underneath the Funny Car body. After each round we would both wipe down the body underneath and on top and alert the
Crew Chief of any damage. We took turns going up to the starting line with the team and car. It is amazing to stand behind these cars on the starting line with
only a few feet in between you and the car and watch them tear down the track anywhere from 80mph up to 320. WOW!!. The Time Trials are even better
than an actual event since each car takes about 6 runs versus the regular 2, and most of the drivers and crew are a little more relaxed then they are on race
day (except for the teams trying to get their licenses), and everyone is trying new things with the engines so the drama is very intense as are the exploding
cars. But on the upside only the cars blow up, not the drivers (Thank God). Our Monster Car had a few hiccups over the weekend, but Monday morning and
afternoon we had some great passes and we are now an officially licensed team ready for the new racing season. Yes, to drive and operate a Funny Car or
Top Fuel Dragster you must go through a process to get said license. In order to obtain this license you must make at least two passes the full length of the
track at a speed of over 250mph and an E.T. (elapsed time) of less than 5.20 seconds. If this doesn't sound like an accomplishment here is a bit of a parallel.
Tomorrow morning walk out to your garage and take your entire engine apart piece by piece and lay it out on your garage floor. Later that same day hire a
group of guys that have some understanding of how a car goes together, but have never actually put your type of engine and transmission together, start the
process of rebuilding your car. In the parts of your engine lying around on the floor add a few extra pieces. Tell the guys putting your car together that these
pieces could either make your car run faster by adding them or they may cause the car to blow to smithereens if they use these parts. Would you be willing to
let them put them in your car???? Now after your car is put back together to the best of their ability, take it down the street and instead of slowly breaking it in,
once you start the car floor it and drive as fast as you can down your block. What would be the probability of your rebuilt car blowing up??? Let's just say it
would be HUGE!!! This is what happens when 8 guys get together to build a brand spankin' new Funny Car. But the upside to the story is that if the car blows
to bits enough times you quickly learn what exactly NOT to do, and you slowly but surely learn more of what TO do and you begin to do it well. This is the story
of the Monster Funny Car. It is now running fairly well and we hope to have a good year as a result. The other pictures above represent our week off before
driving out to Phoenix. One day we drove over to Burbank and attended The Tonight Show. We got there early enough to get a good seat, almost front and
center I might add. While on our week off we stayed at Prevost in Mira Loma where they treat you like kings and don't charge you for anything (except for the
work on the bus) While at Prevost we learned what exactly happens when some little punk kid throws a Molotov Cocktail under someone's bus. Well needless
to say it does an enormous amount of damage and made us almost cry just looking at it. The poor residences of the above bus will be out of a home for about
3 months. I sure hope that the little @#!*% that did this gets what is coming to them. The third picture is of Quartzsite, Arizona. A must see place for anyone
who enjoys a two mile farmer's market/flea market. We went with our good friends Kurt and Phyllis and had a blast just looking at all the new gadgets one
could buy. Yes Holly, we did see all sorts of new heaters and thought of you often.
Party central before we opened the doors
Kenny and the Monster racing down the track
Kenny and the Monster 'burn out'
Our Monster party after doors are opened
February 10th - Pomona, California - Winternationals-
We officially have the first race of the year under our belt. It was great to get back into the swing of things and kick off a new racing year. We were both getting
a bit antsy being in one place too long, however it was quite an emotional weekend. On the upside we had a great turn out of almost 250 people at our first
hospitality party of the year. This will probably be the busiest of the year since Corona, California which is just over the hill from Pomona is where the home
office of Monster is located, and they were having a nationwide sales meeting this weekend as well. It turned out to be great timing since these are the people
that we will be seeing at the different races around the country. It's nice to start out having a few familiar faces to look forward to seeing throughout the rest of
the year. Another upside to the weekend is that all of our hospitality tents went up fairly smoothly and after a few days of having the Featherlite team (the guys
who built it at the factory flew out to help us) redrill a few holes and replace a couple poles that they had cut to long we were good to go. As you can see above
it is quite a nice setup that the Bernstein's have created for their sponsors. The Budweiser/Lucas Oil Dragster hospitality looks exactly the same, except of
course for the color and sponsors represented on the tent, and is just on the other side of the semi from us. The downside of the weekend?? Well our Monster
team didn't quite qualify for the race. It was a bit hard to take, but considering it is the first race of the year for a brand new car and a brand new team, it was a
bit to be expected. The crew will leave here in a couple days and head to Las Vegas to do some more testing. Frank and I will head to Phoenix, Arizona to do a
lot of relaxing. One plus side to being on the hospitality end of things is that the time off between the races is our own time to do what we want and explore
where we wish. Say a little prayer that the guys will get a few things dialed in and in Phoenix we will get to race on Sunday! On the bright side, there were a few
cars that have been racing Funny Car for years and didn't qualify and an even better upside is that the Budweiser Dragster went to the final round, so we start
out in the number 2 position on that side with Brandon and his team. No worries, Monster will catch up. :-)
We officially have the first race of the year under our belt. It was great to get back into the swing of things and kick off a new racing year. We were both getting
a bit antsy being in one place too long, however it was quite an emotional weekend. On the upside we had a great turn out of almost 250 people at our first
hospitality party of the year. This will probably be the busiest of the year since Corona, California which is just over the hill from Pomona is where the home
office of Monster is located, and they were having a nationwide sales meeting this weekend as well. It turned out to be great timing since these are the people
that we will be seeing at the different races around the country. It's nice to start out having a few familiar faces to look forward to seeing throughout the rest of
the year. Another upside to the weekend is that all of our hospitality tents went up fairly smoothly and after a few days of having the Featherlite team (the guys
who built it at the factory flew out to help us) redrill a few holes and replace a couple poles that they had cut to long we were good to go. As you can see above
it is quite a nice setup that the Bernstein's have created for their sponsors. The Budweiser/Lucas Oil Dragster hospitality looks exactly the same, except of
course for the color and sponsors represented on the tent, and is just on the other side of the semi from us. The downside of the weekend?? Well our Monster
team didn't quite qualify for the race. It was a bit hard to take, but considering it is the first race of the year for a brand new car and a brand new team, it was a
bit to be expected. The crew will leave here in a couple days and head to Las Vegas to do some more testing. Frank and I will head to Phoenix, Arizona to do a
lot of relaxing. One plus side to being on the hospitality end of things is that the time off between the races is our own time to do what we want and explore
where we wish. Say a little prayer that the guys will get a few things dialed in and in Phoenix we will get to race on Sunday! On the bright side, there were a few
cars that have been racing Funny Car for years and didn't qualify and an even better upside is that the Budweiser Dragster went to the final round, so we start
out in the number 2 position on that side with Brandon and his team. No worries, Monster will catch up. :-)
February 14th - Happy Valentine's Day -
Today was quite a memorable Valentine's Day. Okay, here's the cheesy part of it - My most favorite song ever is "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce. You know, the
one that goes "If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I'd like to do. Is to save everyday 'til eternity passes away, just to spend them with you" I have
vivid memories of being a little girl and watching the commercials of the Time Life tapes that held all of the greatest love songs. Every time they would play
"Time in a Bottle" I remember thinking 'If only someday someone would sing that to me'. Well my sweet and darling Valentine, who has recently taken up playing
the guitar, played the song in it's entirety to me this morning with words and all. It made the little 11 year old in me so happy, along with the 34 year old in me as
well. It sounded just like I remember it on the TV commercials. It was a moment I will always treasure. Along with the song came the greatest little jar (that ties in
well with the above mentioned song) complete with an old retired couple in a classic motorhome with all their stiff piled on top, including their very scared dog,
no we won't try tying the birds to the top of ours anytime soon. The label on the jar reads "Retirement Fund" which is perfect since we are an old retired couple
in youthful bodies. I love it!! It now sits by our key basket to hold all the loose change that seems to accumulate. To round out the day, Frank installed a new
sink set in our bathroom. The old one was one of the only things that the previous owner didn't change out, and you could tell. It was something that your great
grandmother would have had in her bathroom years and years ago. The bathroom now looks brand new, all it needs now is one new hanging towel rack and a
soap dish. After those two are done there will be no way to tell anything in here was ever 16 years old. Yes, not to worry, the Valentine fairy visited Frank as
well. He got the most beautiful new acoustic guitar with an amazing deep bass sound. It sounds sooo nice. His old one was a Target special and sounded as
such, but came in quite handy in the learning process, however since the guitar lessons seem to be something that will stick around for quite awhile the
Valentine fairy figured he needed one that sounds as nice as he plays. We hope you all had a very happy Valentine's Day!!
Today was quite a memorable Valentine's Day. Okay, here's the cheesy part of it - My most favorite song ever is "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce. You know, the
one that goes "If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I'd like to do. Is to save everyday 'til eternity passes away, just to spend them with you" I have
vivid memories of being a little girl and watching the commercials of the Time Life tapes that held all of the greatest love songs. Every time they would play
"Time in a Bottle" I remember thinking 'If only someday someone would sing that to me'. Well my sweet and darling Valentine, who has recently taken up playing
the guitar, played the song in it's entirety to me this morning with words and all. It made the little 11 year old in me so happy, along with the 34 year old in me as
well. It sounded just like I remember it on the TV commercials. It was a moment I will always treasure. Along with the song came the greatest little jar (that ties in
well with the above mentioned song) complete with an old retired couple in a classic motorhome with all their stiff piled on top, including their very scared dog,
no we won't try tying the birds to the top of ours anytime soon. The label on the jar reads "Retirement Fund" which is perfect since we are an old retired couple
in youthful bodies. I love it!! It now sits by our key basket to hold all the loose change that seems to accumulate. To round out the day, Frank installed a new
sink set in our bathroom. The old one was one of the only things that the previous owner didn't change out, and you could tell. It was something that your great
grandmother would have had in her bathroom years and years ago. The bathroom now looks brand new, all it needs now is one new hanging towel rack and a
soap dish. After those two are done there will be no way to tell anything in here was ever 16 years old. Yes, not to worry, the Valentine fairy visited Frank as
well. He got the most beautiful new acoustic guitar with an amazing deep bass sound. It sounds sooo nice. His old one was a Target special and sounded as
such, but came in quite handy in the learning process, however since the guitar lessons seem to be something that will stick around for quite awhile the
Valentine fairy figured he needed one that sounds as nice as he plays. We hope you all had a very happy Valentine's Day!!
What Frank & Suzy will look like in 35 years
February 11th - The end of Pomona -
It's good to know that even though we didn't have a great weekend car wise, our Monster team can still have a good time party wise. It was Ray's 75th
birthday, he is the Crew Chief of the car, and we celebrated it with a cake that held all 75 candles. It took a few of us to light it, but once it was going you could
see it for miles. Good old Ray and his great sense of humor came in to extinguish the fiery flames with a leaf blower to ensure that he got them all in one fell
swoop, to improve his chances of his wish coming true. It was a fun way to end the weekend and gave the guys a boost in spirits to take with them to testing.
It's good to know that even though we didn't have a great weekend car wise, our Monster team can still have a good time party wise. It was Ray's 75th
birthday, he is the Crew Chief of the car, and we celebrated it with a cake that held all 75 candles. It took a few of us to light it, but once it was going you could
see it for miles. Good old Ray and his great sense of humor came in to extinguish the fiery flames with a leaf blower to ensure that he got them all in one fell
swoop, to improve his chances of his wish coming true. It was a fun way to end the weekend and gave the guys a boost in spirits to take with them to testing.
Here comes Ray and his leaf blower
Phil and Brad
Tom, Tuna and Adam
How many people does it take to light 75 candles
Our cozy campsite steps away from a spring
Aaaaahhhhhh!! Feel those muscles relax
Tomorrow's options for activities! Hmmm
let's just play it safe and stick with the zoo
let's just play it safe and stick with the zoo
This way to relaxation!
February 17th - Tonopah Hot Springs, Arizona -
After a few weeks of work with setting up and tearing down all the hospitality tents and awnings, we were due for a bit of relaxing. Good friends or ours, and
fellow RVers on the NHRA circuit, Larry and Jeanette, live about 2 miles from here and told us that this is the greatest place to spend a few days if you want to
relax and enjoy the quiet of the outdoors the sound of owls and doves all around you and the refreshment of soaking in your own private natural Hot Spring. We
have been to the Mineral Springs near our California home, but these are even better, as they have no sulphur smell since there is no mineral element to these
Hot Springs. The water is crystal clear and comes right out of the ground at the perfect temperature. This is definitely a place we could stay for a few more days
but alas work calls so we will make our way to Phoenix tomorrow and have to visit the Hot Springs again at the end of the year.
After a few weeks of work with setting up and tearing down all the hospitality tents and awnings, we were due for a bit of relaxing. Good friends or ours, and
fellow RVers on the NHRA circuit, Larry and Jeanette, live about 2 miles from here and told us that this is the greatest place to spend a few days if you want to
relax and enjoy the quiet of the outdoors the sound of owls and doves all around you and the refreshment of soaking in your own private natural Hot Spring. We
have been to the Mineral Springs near our California home, but these are even better, as they have no sulphur smell since there is no mineral element to these
Hot Springs. The water is crystal clear and comes right out of the ground at the perfect temperature. This is definitely a place we could stay for a few more days
but alas work calls so we will make our way to Phoenix tomorrow and have to visit the Hot Springs again at the end of the year.
Frank cleans the underbelly of the Funny Car
A shoppers dream - the big tent in Quartzsite
March 4th -
We had a nice leisurely day with friends. We went to church this morning. That's the best part about our resort. You can go to church, eat out, go to the post
office, grocery shop and golf, if your heart desires, without leaving the resort. As you can see in the above picture lots of people ride their golf carts to church,
and all the parking spaces in front of the church are just the right size. We rode our bikes, since it isn't too far. After church we went over to Tom and Coni's
and had a bar-b-que. They live just a couple streets up from us here at TGO and Rick and LaVerne drove up from Orlando where they are staying while they
work at Disney World. After lunch we took a long bike ride around the park and along our very own nature trail that follows the perimeter of the resort. Since
we only had 4 bikes, Coni and Rick drove behind us in a golf cart. We stopped off at the bridge to watch a family of alligators teaching their babies to catch
fish while a Blue Heron decided on what to have for lunch. The fish that are jumping, or the little alligators that are swimming all around him? Hmmmm how
quick could a heron swoop down and pick up a baby alligator out of the water??? Hopefully, for his sake, before momma alligator notices what is going on and
leaps out of the water to have a heron for lunch. I think we all distracted them long enough to miss out on the excitement of what may have followed. After
returning from the bike ride we decided to drive into town and see Wild Hog's. It was quite an entertaining flick. Frank and I even got in for the senior price.
Frank jokingly walked up to the cashier and said "two senior tickets please" and sure enough we got them for the discounted rate. I guess our retirement
mindset is beginning to make us look old as well. It may have been for the fact that while Frank is on vacation he doesn't shave and his beard is rather gray.
Hey, we saved $4 each!
We had a nice leisurely day with friends. We went to church this morning. That's the best part about our resort. You can go to church, eat out, go to the post
office, grocery shop and golf, if your heart desires, without leaving the resort. As you can see in the above picture lots of people ride their golf carts to church,
and all the parking spaces in front of the church are just the right size. We rode our bikes, since it isn't too far. After church we went over to Tom and Coni's
and had a bar-b-que. They live just a couple streets up from us here at TGO and Rick and LaVerne drove up from Orlando where they are staying while they
work at Disney World. After lunch we took a long bike ride around the park and along our very own nature trail that follows the perimeter of the resort. Since
we only had 4 bikes, Coni and Rick drove behind us in a golf cart. We stopped off at the bridge to watch a family of alligators teaching their babies to catch
fish while a Blue Heron decided on what to have for lunch. The fish that are jumping, or the little alligators that are swimming all around him? Hmmmm how
quick could a heron swoop down and pick up a baby alligator out of the water??? Hopefully, for his sake, before momma alligator notices what is going on and
leaps out of the water to have a heron for lunch. I think we all distracted them long enough to miss out on the excitement of what may have followed. After
returning from the bike ride we decided to drive into town and see Wild Hog's. It was quite an entertaining flick. Frank and I even got in for the senior price.
Frank jokingly walked up to the cashier and said "two senior tickets please" and sure enough we got them for the discounted rate. I guess our retirement
mindset is beginning to make us look old as well. It may have been for the fact that while Frank is on vacation he doesn't shave and his beard is rather gray.
Hey, we saved $4 each!
February 18th - Phoenix, Arizona - Wildlife World Zoo -
We spent today at the local zoo here in Phoenix. It was a fun day, and we were able to do and see things that we hadn't seen at other zoos. Take for instance
the enormous porcupines. When we first walked to the porcupine exhibit they were hiding underground sleeping. We both thought they were just your average
porcupines, so we started to walk away. As we left the area we saw their feeder come by with lunch so we decided to pause for a minute to see if they'd come
out. Once the food was on the ground out strolled two African Tipped King Porcupines. Everyone around, including us, was absolutely shocked to see their
size. They were literally the size of a cow, only with shorter legs. They seemed like gentle beasts, but I sure wouldn't want to be near them when they were
upset. Their quills were each one to two feet long - Ouch! Later on our walk we had the opportunity to feed a mother giraffe and her 5 month old baby, who by
the way was already 9 feet tall. They were the funniest eaters. They'd stick out their tongues about a foot up to you and then curl it around so it made the
shape of a bowl. After dropping the food onto their tongue they would then proceed to lick all the way up your hand to make sure you weren't holding any back.
It was a bit gross at first, but you got used to it after awhile. Our day was completed by a walk around the tiger habitat which housed a very camera friendly
mother tiger. As we left the mammal area we walked through an enclosed room, where to our surprise they had two 6 week old baby tiger cubs. What I wouldn't
have done to be able to pick one up and feed him. You've never seen anything cuter than a baby tiger. They looked more like a stuffed animal than a big cat.
We spent today at the local zoo here in Phoenix. It was a fun day, and we were able to do and see things that we hadn't seen at other zoos. Take for instance
the enormous porcupines. When we first walked to the porcupine exhibit they were hiding underground sleeping. We both thought they were just your average
porcupines, so we started to walk away. As we left the area we saw their feeder come by with lunch so we decided to pause for a minute to see if they'd come
out. Once the food was on the ground out strolled two African Tipped King Porcupines. Everyone around, including us, was absolutely shocked to see their
size. They were literally the size of a cow, only with shorter legs. They seemed like gentle beasts, but I sure wouldn't want to be near them when they were
upset. Their quills were each one to two feet long - Ouch! Later on our walk we had the opportunity to feed a mother giraffe and her 5 month old baby, who by
the way was already 9 feet tall. They were the funniest eaters. They'd stick out their tongues about a foot up to you and then curl it around so it made the
shape of a bowl. After dropping the food onto their tongue they would then proceed to lick all the way up your hand to make sure you weren't holding any back.
It was a bit gross at first, but you got used to it after awhile. Our day was completed by a walk around the tiger habitat which housed a very camera friendly
mother tiger. As we left the mammal area we walked through an enclosed room, where to our surprise they had two 6 week old baby tiger cubs. What I wouldn't
have done to be able to pick one up and feed him. You've never seen anything cuter than a baby tiger. They looked more like a stuffed animal than a big cat.
She would have been more fun to feed
We fed both the mama and the baby giraffe
Pictures don't do justice to their actual size
March 3rd - The Great Outdoors RV Resort - Titusville, Florida -
Home sweet home. It sure is wonderful to be back here in Florida. The weather is perfect. A beautiful 80 degrees everyday with a nice warm breeze every so
often. It stays warm in the evenings, just the right temperature to be able to walk around after dark still in a t-shirt and shorts. We have gone to the pool almost
everyday and are getting a nice tan already. Today we drove around the Merritt Island Nature Preserve. They have a 15 mile road that weaves all around a
lake. You can either ride your bikes, walk or drive. Since the Jeep has the 'topless' option, we both voted on taking the Jeep. Needless to say that neither of us
were feeling quite athletic enough to walk or ride that distance while on vacation. We passed a couple that was looking through high powered binoculars at a
tree in the distance. As we slowed down they invited us to take a peak at a nest they were watching. Being the bird lovers that we are we quickly parked the
Jeep and took a look. We thought perhaps they had found a Crane's nest or maybe a Hawk, but as we looked into the eyepiece we realized that it was in fact a
Bald Eagle's nest with a newly hatched baby with both of the parents sitting on a nearby branch. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.
Maybe twice in our lives had we caught a glimpse of a Bald Eagle outside of a zoo, but to see the whole family was a rare opportunity. I couldn't quite get my
camera to see the angle through the lens so there are no pictures to share, but above are a few other creatures we saw on our expedition. We both sat on top
of the roll bar while on our drive and set the Jeep in 4 wheel drive low. This way it drives itself at about 3 mph as Frank steered with his feet. Everyone that
passed us got a kick out of it. In fact I think we may have started a new trend with 4 wheeling out here on the nature trail.
Home sweet home. It sure is wonderful to be back here in Florida. The weather is perfect. A beautiful 80 degrees everyday with a nice warm breeze every so
often. It stays warm in the evenings, just the right temperature to be able to walk around after dark still in a t-shirt and shorts. We have gone to the pool almost
everyday and are getting a nice tan already. Today we drove around the Merritt Island Nature Preserve. They have a 15 mile road that weaves all around a
lake. You can either ride your bikes, walk or drive. Since the Jeep has the 'topless' option, we both voted on taking the Jeep. Needless to say that neither of us
were feeling quite athletic enough to walk or ride that distance while on vacation. We passed a couple that was looking through high powered binoculars at a
tree in the distance. As we slowed down they invited us to take a peak at a nest they were watching. Being the bird lovers that we are we quickly parked the
Jeep and took a look. We thought perhaps they had found a Crane's nest or maybe a Hawk, but as we looked into the eyepiece we realized that it was in fact a
Bald Eagle's nest with a newly hatched baby with both of the parents sitting on a nearby branch. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.
Maybe twice in our lives had we caught a glimpse of a Bald Eagle outside of a zoo, but to see the whole family was a rare opportunity. I couldn't quite get my
camera to see the angle through the lens so there are no pictures to share, but above are a few other creatures we saw on our expedition. We both sat on top
of the roll bar while on our drive and set the Jeep in 4 wheel drive low. This way it drives itself at about 3 mph as Frank steered with his feet. Everyone that
passed us got a kick out of it. In fact I think we may have started a new trend with 4 wheeling out here on the nature trail.
The trails and river along the preserve
| Frank and a bit of creative driving made for a great view |
An alligator suns himself on the shoreline
| A beautiful hawk in a nearby tree |
Best way to travel in The Great Outdoors
Yeaaah!!! We figured out the timer button
All the golf carts lined up outside of church
| The Blue Heron patiently waits for lunch as a momma alligator floats behind it |
March 7th - Cocoa Beach, Florida -
The beautiful white sand and green and blue waters of the Atlantic ocean. There is no better place to spend a beautiful sunny Florida day. The weather was
great. It was almost 85 so we headed to the beach to enjoy the warm water and cool off at the same time. After a bit of sunbathing, we walked out to the end of
the pier and had a long lunch of hamburgers margaritas while we watched the surfers ride the waves. On the other side of the pier there was a flock of
pelicans, diving into the waves and hacing what looked like a lot of fun doing so. At first we thought they were fishing, but we soon realized that they were
doing it just as much for entertainment as they were looking for fish. If only I could be a pelican for a day, it sure looked fun. After lunch we did a bit of
shopping as we walked around the pier. Frank's goal before we leave Florida is to find a new panama hat since his old one has been worn to death and finally
had to be thrown out. We had no luck finding him a hat but we did find new bathing suits for both of us at the Cocoa Beach Surf Company. Between the Surf
Company and Ron Jon's Surf shop, which between the two take up a little over three blocks, there isn't anything a surfer or beach lover could long for. Earlier
this week we spent our days taking long bike rides around the resort. Cody even met a girl parrot named Casey. She is a Harlequin Macaw, which is mix
between a Green Wing, which is what Cody is, and a Blue and Gold. She was beautiful. Her feathers were orange where Cody's are red, even the little
feathers around her face. He can't wait to visit her again next year. On one of our rides around the park we followed the cutest little family. They were Sand Hill
Crane's. Both mom and dad were walking all over the park looking for worms in the ground as their two stripped babies followed. The little ones can't yet fly so
the mom and dad were very protective. Cody kept trying to walk up to them but they kept their distance from him. He has now mastered how to hang onto the
handlebars of Frank's bike and enjoys our morning rides. Bradley's favorite thing to do here is fish with Frank in the lake in our backyard while Abbey, the
chicken, screams bloody murder every time anything around her moves. Her favorite place is either inside the house, or snuggled right next to Suzy.
The beautiful white sand and green and blue waters of the Atlantic ocean. There is no better place to spend a beautiful sunny Florida day. The weather was
great. It was almost 85 so we headed to the beach to enjoy the warm water and cool off at the same time. After a bit of sunbathing, we walked out to the end of
the pier and had a long lunch of hamburgers margaritas while we watched the surfers ride the waves. On the other side of the pier there was a flock of
pelicans, diving into the waves and hacing what looked like a lot of fun doing so. At first we thought they were fishing, but we soon realized that they were
doing it just as much for entertainment as they were looking for fish. If only I could be a pelican for a day, it sure looked fun. After lunch we did a bit of
shopping as we walked around the pier. Frank's goal before we leave Florida is to find a new panama hat since his old one has been worn to death and finally
had to be thrown out. We had no luck finding him a hat but we did find new bathing suits for both of us at the Cocoa Beach Surf Company. Between the Surf
Company and Ron Jon's Surf shop, which between the two take up a little over three blocks, there isn't anything a surfer or beach lover could long for. Earlier
this week we spent our days taking long bike rides around the resort. Cody even met a girl parrot named Casey. She is a Harlequin Macaw, which is mix
between a Green Wing, which is what Cody is, and a Blue and Gold. She was beautiful. Her feathers were orange where Cody's are red, even the little
feathers around her face. He can't wait to visit her again next year. On one of our rides around the park we followed the cutest little family. They were Sand Hill
Crane's. Both mom and dad were walking all over the park looking for worms in the ground as their two stripped babies followed. The little ones can't yet fly so
the mom and dad were very protective. Cody kept trying to walk up to them but they kept their distance from him. He has now mastered how to hang onto the
handlebars of Frank's bike and enjoys our morning rides. Bradley's favorite thing to do here is fish with Frank in the lake in our backyard while Abbey, the
chicken, screams bloody murder every time anything around her moves. Her favorite place is either inside the house, or snuggled right next to Suzy.
A ride around Plantation makes a happy bird
Frank and Bradley fish in Lake Charlie
Cody with his new girlfriend Casey
Sand Hill Cranes out for lunch and a walk
March 8th - Walt Disney World - Orlando, Florida -
Thanks to our great friends Rick and LaVerne, who have been working here at Disney for a few months, the six of us were able to visit Mickey Mouse and
friends all day at the different parks while Mickey picked up the tab. We started out in Disney's Animal Kingdom, where they took us on a safari ride through
the wilds of Africa. Along the way we saw all sorts of animals including a sleeping Lion that was passed out on his back with his feet straight up in the air. I've
had a few house cats in the past that slept the exact same way. There was a baby elephant walking with his mama and herds of antelope and zebras. We saw
a swarm of alligators all sleeping in the sun and a family of hippos splashing each other in the water. Our safari vehicle was an elongated Jeep with open
sides so you didn't miss a thing. They had a new ride since we had been there last called Everest. It was a little like the Matterhorn at Disneyland, but a bit
better. At one place you come to an area where the tracks are all broken and torn apart by the Yeti that is supposed to be a mythological animal until he
jumps out of the mountain at you. At this time the ride begins to go backwards through a dark tunnel. All of a sudden your train again comes to a stop and the
Yeti is now on the tracks in front of you grabbing down. He was enormous and just as you are telling yourself "this is just a ride, he isn't real" he leaps down
and right before he grabs you the train speeds up and he just barely misses you. It was quite an adventure. After Animal Kingdom we hopped on a tram and
spent a few hours at MGM Studios where they have another great ride. The Hollywood Tower of Terror. It is an old abandoned hotel straight out of a Twilight
Zone episode with a haywire elevator. As soon as it hits the 13th floor the elevator goes crazy and launches you up and down about 6 or seven times as
various doors and windows to the outside open and close so you are sure you are going to plummet out of one of these windows at any time. The best part is
that you get to scream like a little kid and not have people think you are either crazy or getting killed. Later that evening....
Thanks to our great friends Rick and LaVerne, who have been working here at Disney for a few months, the six of us were able to visit Mickey Mouse and
friends all day at the different parks while Mickey picked up the tab. We started out in Disney's Animal Kingdom, where they took us on a safari ride through
the wilds of Africa. Along the way we saw all sorts of animals including a sleeping Lion that was passed out on his back with his feet straight up in the air. I've
had a few house cats in the past that slept the exact same way. There was a baby elephant walking with his mama and herds of antelope and zebras. We saw
a swarm of alligators all sleeping in the sun and a family of hippos splashing each other in the water. Our safari vehicle was an elongated Jeep with open
sides so you didn't miss a thing. They had a new ride since we had been there last called Everest. It was a little like the Matterhorn at Disneyland, but a bit
better. At one place you come to an area where the tracks are all broken and torn apart by the Yeti that is supposed to be a mythological animal until he
jumps out of the mountain at you. At this time the ride begins to go backwards through a dark tunnel. All of a sudden your train again comes to a stop and the
Yeti is now on the tracks in front of you grabbing down. He was enormous and just as you are telling yourself "this is just a ride, he isn't real" he leaps down
and right before he grabs you the train speeds up and he just barely misses you. It was quite an adventure. After Animal Kingdom we hopped on a tram and
spent a few hours at MGM Studios where they have another great ride. The Hollywood Tower of Terror. It is an old abandoned hotel straight out of a Twilight
Zone episode with a haywire elevator. As soon as it hits the 13th floor the elevator goes crazy and launches you up and down about 6 or seven times as
various doors and windows to the outside open and close so you are sure you are going to plummet out of one of these windows at any time. The best part is
that you get to scream like a little kid and not have people think you are either crazy or getting killed. Later that evening....
We had dinner at Mickey's Sports Bar and then headed back home. One of the perks of our property on Windsong Way is that it is 10 miles dead West of
Cape Canaveral. Therefore the rare times that a Space Shuttle or rocket does launch from Kennedy Space Center we are able to sit in our own backyard
and watch it. Until tonight we were never here at the time that the Shuttles or rockets launched, but this evening we lucked out. There were no delays and no
cancellations. At 10:10 the rocket Atlas 5, carrying 6 satellites for the U.S. Military, launched from the Cape and we were able to see it, hear it, and even feel
a bit of it. When it was ignited the entire night sky lit up and the ground shook. Within just moments it was up in the air where we could see it as plain as day,
and about 3 minutes later it was out of sight. It's amazing to think how far out there the rocket was going. Even Cody was mesmerized by the light in the sky.
Hopefully someday we will be able to see the Space Shuttle launch from our home as well. That will be amazing!
Cape Canaveral. Therefore the rare times that a Space Shuttle or rocket does launch from Kennedy Space Center we are able to sit in our own backyard
and watch it. Until tonight we were never here at the time that the Shuttles or rockets launched, but this evening we lucked out. There were no delays and no
cancellations. At 10:10 the rocket Atlas 5, carrying 6 satellites for the U.S. Military, launched from the Cape and we were able to see it, hear it, and even feel
a bit of it. When it was ignited the entire night sky lit up and the ground shook. Within just moments it was up in the air where we could see it as plain as day,
and about 3 minutes later it was out of sight. It's amazing to think how far out there the rocket was going. Even Cody was mesmerized by the light in the sky.
Hopefully someday we will be able to see the Space Shuttle launch from our home as well. That will be amazing!
| Frank and Cody watch in amazement as the rocket soars into the night sky |
The elephants we saw on our Disney Safari
Mount Everest off in the distance
March 13th -
As our time here comes to a close we decided to hit the beach one last time. We went out to Playa Linda Beach just 8 miles from us. The water here is even
bluer and warmer than Cocoa. Kurt and Philly came out with us as well. The waves were the perfect size to body surf in so Frank and I enjoyed that. On our
drive home we stopped at a little cove where the manatees hang out and watched them swim around. They look pretty much like a swimming elephants. They
are rather funny looking creatures but seem very gentle. We bar-b-qued at Kurt and Philly's place and sat outside and watched the sunset as Frank
serenaded us with the guitar. He has about 6 songs that he can play now and is really very good at it. I think the alligators even enjoyed listening.
As our time here comes to a close we decided to hit the beach one last time. We went out to Playa Linda Beach just 8 miles from us. The water here is even
bluer and warmer than Cocoa. Kurt and Philly came out with us as well. The waves were the perfect size to body surf in so Frank and I enjoyed that. On our
drive home we stopped at a little cove where the manatees hang out and watched them swim around. They look pretty much like a swimming elephants. They
are rather funny looking creatures but seem very gentle. We bar-b-qued at Kurt and Philly's place and sat outside and watched the sunset as Frank
serenaded us with the guitar. He has about 6 songs that he can play now and is really very good at it. I think the alligators even enjoyed listening.
The floating manatee peaks up at us
Philly shows off her impromptu swimsuit
| Another one of Frank's self portraits. Lean in LaVerne, lean in! |
Body surfing. Good thing the sand was soft
I could listen to him play for hours
March 18th - Gainesville, Florida - Gatornationals -
Yaaaaaaaaahhhhoooooo!!!! Our green team had a terrific weekend. Not only did
we qualify this weekend which by the way for those of you who don't follow the
racing circuit we unfortunately haven't done at the last two races, we won the first
two rounds of the race on Sunday. Not only we did we get to participate in the
race, we beat some pretty good guys both rounds. The smiles on our teams
faces were priceless. These guys have been working so hard, and now all of their
hard work has paid off. As most of you know Kenny did hire a new crew chief and
assistant to run the team, which as you can tell by this weekend's race was a
very wise decision. Kenny and the green team are a happy bunch of boys!!!
Yaaaaaaaaahhhhoooooo!!!! Our green team had a terrific weekend. Not only did
we qualify this weekend which by the way for those of you who don't follow the
racing circuit we unfortunately haven't done at the last two races, we won the first
two rounds of the race on Sunday. Not only we did we get to participate in the
race, we beat some pretty good guys both rounds. The smiles on our teams
faces were priceless. These guys have been working so hard, and now all of their
hard work has paid off. As most of you know Kenny did hire a new crew chief and
assistant to run the team, which as you can tell by this weekend's race was a
very wise decision. Kenny and the green team are a happy bunch of boys!!!
Prayer request - On a very sad note, one of our fellow Funny Car drivers, Eric Medlen, had a horrible crash during testing on Monday after the race in which
his car hit the guard wall. Eric was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he underwent two separate surgeries to help with the damage and swelling of his closed
head injuries. After four days and no improvement his family decided to follow Eric's previously discussed wishes and removed him from life support since the
injuries he sustained were so great and the activity in his brain was gone. This is an incredibly sad day for the NHRA and Eric will be greatly missed by
everyone, especially his ever present smile. We know that he went out of this world doing what he loved by following his passion and now is in a wonderful
place. Please say a prayer for his family and teammates at John Force Racing, as they go through the grieving process. Eric was only 33 years old. At times
like these words cannot express how thankful Frank and I are that we are able to be out here doing something that we love so much and that we are doing it
together. Thank you God!
his car hit the guard wall. Eric was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he underwent two separate surgeries to help with the damage and swelling of his closed
head injuries. After four days and no improvement his family decided to follow Eric's previously discussed wishes and removed him from life support since the
injuries he sustained were so great and the activity in his brain was gone. This is an incredibly sad day for the NHRA and Eric will be greatly missed by
everyone, especially his ever present smile. We know that he went out of this world doing what he loved by following his passion and now is in a wonderful
place. Please say a prayer for his family and teammates at John Force Racing, as they go through the grieving process. Eric was only 33 years old. At times
like these words cannot express how thankful Frank and I are that we are able to be out here doing something that we love so much and that we are doing it
together. Thank you God!
A very happy Kenny in the car's cockpit
He was never without his smile
Another Wally for the John Force team
March 21st - Jasper, Alabama - Visiting Chris and Maria -
As we find ourselves with another week off in between races we are spending a few days with our good friends Chris and Maria. They too work out on the road.
They help run the 'Rollin O' which is slang for the mobile Oakley store that attends all of the NHRA events. Alabama is a very pretty state and where they live is
wonderful. It's far enough away from town to be quiet in the evenings, yet close enough to town to quickly get anywhere you want to. Today we went to the zoo
with the four of us and Chris' little brother. Maria and Suzy fed the little Lorikeets, who were hilarious to watch fight over whose cup of pollen they would eat
from. Alex and Frank got to see just what it was like to be inside a Rhino crate for travel, however they weren't quite able to tear through the wood with their
noses as the Rhino's did. There were about four holes where the Rhino's tusk had gone through in an attempt to escape. Chris and Maria have the best dog.
His name is Buddy and he is full of personality. Every morning and every evening he would be at our door greeting us. When we would drive away he would
run as fast as he could trying to keep up with the car, and as soon as the car got ahead of him he would bark at us like crazy and then tear into the neighbors
yard that lives at the end of the street and chase the five cats that live there around the yard till he was tired or got yelled at by the cat's owner and would head
back home. We were quite entertained by him. Especially the mornings we would try and go somewhere but couldn't due to the fact that he was fast asleep
under our wheel. If you didn't know any better some mornings you might think he was road kill.
As we find ourselves with another week off in between races we are spending a few days with our good friends Chris and Maria. They too work out on the road.
They help run the 'Rollin O' which is slang for the mobile Oakley store that attends all of the NHRA events. Alabama is a very pretty state and where they live is
wonderful. It's far enough away from town to be quiet in the evenings, yet close enough to town to quickly get anywhere you want to. Today we went to the zoo
with the four of us and Chris' little brother. Maria and Suzy fed the little Lorikeets, who were hilarious to watch fight over whose cup of pollen they would eat
from. Alex and Frank got to see just what it was like to be inside a Rhino crate for travel, however they weren't quite able to tear through the wood with their
noses as the Rhino's did. There were about four holes where the Rhino's tusk had gone through in an attempt to escape. Chris and Maria have the best dog.
His name is Buddy and he is full of personality. Every morning and every evening he would be at our door greeting us. When we would drive away he would
run as fast as he could trying to keep up with the car, and as soon as the car got ahead of him he would bark at us like crazy and then tear into the neighbors
yard that lives at the end of the street and chase the five cats that live there around the yard till he was tired or got yelled at by the cat's owner and would head
back home. We were quite entertained by him. Especially the mornings we would try and go somewhere but couldn't due to the fact that he was fast asleep
under our wheel. If you didn't know any better some mornings you might think he was road kill.
Watch out for the speed bumps here
Buddy, the vicious guard dog
March 23rd - Birmingham, Alabama - Sloss Furnaces -
What was a full working steel mill from 1876 until 1971 and employed over two thirds of the town's men for 5 generations, is now a Historic Landmark here in
Birmingham, Alabama. They have left it pretty much like it was back then with a few buildings reconstructed to how they were. It was a great tour in the fact that
they hand you a map that tells you all of the highlights and then let you take it from there. Apparently Fridays are a bit slow because we had the entire place to
ourselves. The Power House, the far left picture, is where they housed all of the generators that ran the whole place. They let you walk through all of the old
turbines and steam generators. It was amazing to see how it all worked, considering back in 1876 modern technology didn't consist of a diesel generator. The
building behind the crane to the left in the second picture is the furnace and cast shed where all the limestone, iron ore and coke were boiled together to make
the steel. Yes coke was a main ingredient in steel making. Makes you rethink wanting to drink one ever again after reading about what it does to iron ore let
alone your stomach. Ick! The claws that Frank are standing next to are actually old skip cars that transported the different ingredients into the cast shed since
it was too hot for any man to get close to. Due to that fact that a lot of pipes are now made out of plastic or PVC, the steel mills were closed down due to the
lack of money coming in and the unhealthy air that was released by them. It's nice to see that some things are left for future generations to see. This old steel
mill came very close a few times to being torn down only to be replaced by a shopping center or amusement park. We are all for a good roller coaster now and
then, but it's better to learn a little bit about how a city came to be and the people and jobs that made it what it is today. Without this steel mill coming into
existence over 100 years ago Birmingham would never have been the city it is today. We finished up our tour of Birmingham by stopping at the 16th Street
Baptist Church, the far right picture, which now stands as a memorial to the four little black girls killed in 1963 when the Ku Klux Klan bombed the church. Just
up the street is the Civil Rights Institute where they still have the old segregated drinking fountains and bathroom doors that were removed from the actual
city's downtown area, along with the bus that was part of the infamous Rosa Parks' refusal to move seats and an old jail cell that held Martin Luther King Jr.
What was a full working steel mill from 1876 until 1971 and employed over two thirds of the town's men for 5 generations, is now a Historic Landmark here in
Birmingham, Alabama. They have left it pretty much like it was back then with a few buildings reconstructed to how they were. It was a great tour in the fact that
they hand you a map that tells you all of the highlights and then let you take it from there. Apparently Fridays are a bit slow because we had the entire place to
ourselves. The Power House, the far left picture, is where they housed all of the generators that ran the whole place. They let you walk through all of the old
turbines and steam generators. It was amazing to see how it all worked, considering back in 1876 modern technology didn't consist of a diesel generator. The
building behind the crane to the left in the second picture is the furnace and cast shed where all the limestone, iron ore and coke were boiled together to make
the steel. Yes coke was a main ingredient in steel making. Makes you rethink wanting to drink one ever again after reading about what it does to iron ore let
alone your stomach. Ick! The claws that Frank are standing next to are actually old skip cars that transported the different ingredients into the cast shed since
it was too hot for any man to get close to. Due to that fact that a lot of pipes are now made out of plastic or PVC, the steel mills were closed down due to the
lack of money coming in and the unhealthy air that was released by them. It's nice to see that some things are left for future generations to see. This old steel
mill came very close a few times to being torn down only to be replaced by a shopping center or amusement park. We are all for a good roller coaster now and
then, but it's better to learn a little bit about how a city came to be and the people and jobs that made it what it is today. Without this steel mill coming into
existence over 100 years ago Birmingham would never have been the city it is today. We finished up our tour of Birmingham by stopping at the 16th Street
Baptist Church, the far right picture, which now stands as a memorial to the four little black girls killed in 1963 when the Ku Klux Klan bombed the church. Just
up the street is the Civil Rights Institute where they still have the old segregated drinking fountains and bathroom doors that were removed from the actual
city's downtown area, along with the bus that was part of the infamous Rosa Parks' refusal to move seats and an old jail cell that held Martin Luther King Jr.
The birds were just on our heads
16th Street Baptist Church being rebuilt
Frank tries to turn on the boilers
Frank the tour guide on our self guided tour
March 24th - Back in Jasper, Alabama - Lake Smith and the Power Plants -
Hey that sounds like the latest new rock group name. The four of us, Chris, Maria, Frank and I took a nice scenic drive today all around the lake including both
sides of the dam and the power plant that is between them. It was a gorgeous day. The weather was a perfect 82 degrees so we took the top down in the Jeep
and enjoyed the fresh air. I must apologize to our friends Gary and Kathy in the cold northwest. They have brought to our attention a few times in the last month
just how darn cold it is in New Hampshire and the fact that we have been spending time where the temperature doesn't hit the lows of the north. We will say one
of the best parts of the NHRA is that they can't really have a race where the temperature gets too far below 60 so we are always in a fairly nice climate. We do
however get our fair share of rain and a few chilly mornings for us Californians. I think the high the other day in New Hampshire was about 4 degrees for them.
Well Gary and Kathy may the good weather fairies blow some of this great sunshine your way. Rumor has it, just a couple days ago was the first day of Spring,
so I hope for all of you northern east coasters the weather is living up to it's promise of no more winter. Hey remember you two, you can always come to a race
to warm up. Well, back to our story of the day. Lake Smith is a lot like Lake of the Ozarks in the fact that there are lots of beautiful homes all around the lake
and many of them with private docks. It is an enormous lake with lots of fun coves to wakeboard in or go for a swim. We have added this as a location as one of
the possibilities of a summer home. We aren't sure if it will ever to come to pass, to actually have a summer home, but it sure is fun to look at all of the lakes
around the country. Believe me, we have ruled many of them out so far. After finishing our little tour of the Lewis Smith Dam and realizing just how powerful
water is, and the fact that it can power two good sized towns off of one little dam, we headed back to Chris and Maria's for Suzy's almost famous chicken
enchiladas and the movie 'A Good Year' starring Russell Crowe. We will spend a couple more days here relaxing, and then we will head to Houston, TX. The
tracks in Texas have been very good for our Budweiser car, so let's hope the winning streak continues and perhaps rubs of on the Monster team as well. TTFN.
Hey that sounds like the latest new rock group name. The four of us, Chris, Maria, Frank and I took a nice scenic drive today all around the lake including both
sides of the dam and the power plant that is between them. It was a gorgeous day. The weather was a perfect 82 degrees so we took the top down in the Jeep
and enjoyed the fresh air. I must apologize to our friends Gary and Kathy in the cold northwest. They have brought to our attention a few times in the last month
just how darn cold it is in New Hampshire and the fact that we have been spending time where the temperature doesn't hit the lows of the north. We will say one
of the best parts of the NHRA is that they can't really have a race where the temperature gets too far below 60 so we are always in a fairly nice climate. We do
however get our fair share of rain and a few chilly mornings for us Californians. I think the high the other day in New Hampshire was about 4 degrees for them.
Well Gary and Kathy may the good weather fairies blow some of this great sunshine your way. Rumor has it, just a couple days ago was the first day of Spring,
so I hope for all of you northern east coasters the weather is living up to it's promise of no more winter. Hey remember you two, you can always come to a race
to warm up. Well, back to our story of the day. Lake Smith is a lot like Lake of the Ozarks in the fact that there are lots of beautiful homes all around the lake
and many of them with private docks. It is an enormous lake with lots of fun coves to wakeboard in or go for a swim. We have added this as a location as one of
the possibilities of a summer home. We aren't sure if it will ever to come to pass, to actually have a summer home, but it sure is fun to look at all of the lakes
around the country. Believe me, we have ruled many of them out so far. After finishing our little tour of the Lewis Smith Dam and realizing just how powerful
water is, and the fact that it can power two good sized towns off of one little dam, we headed back to Chris and Maria's for Suzy's almost famous chicken
enchiladas and the movie 'A Good Year' starring Russell Crowe. We will spend a couple more days here relaxing, and then we will head to Houston, TX. The
tracks in Texas have been very good for our Budweiser car, so let's hope the winning streak continues and perhaps rubs of on the Monster team as well. TTFN.
March 26th - The open road -
The drive to Texas from Alabama is beautiful, minus the stretch of Highway 10 that goes through Louisiana. But on an up note they are fixing Highway 10 so
hopefully next year when we make this trek it will be smooth sailing. For those of you who are long time subscribers you might remember the grass that was
growing between the cement partitions that formed the freeways here in Louisiana last year. For those of you who missed it you will have the check it out in
order to believe the quality of roads. In order to see the pictures showing the horrors of the roads in Louisiana you will have to flashback to the 2006 March
journal. Speaking of flashbacks, I have recently been fortunate enough to catch up with an old friend from high school. Her name is Stephanie and she is now
a writer and a 'theologian who studies day to day matters in the workplace'. I was lucky enough to be her latest study subject due to our peculiar yet ever so
interesting lifestyle. You too can check out our interview on her blog by clicking the following link. Surviving the workday We stayed at the most beautiful rest
area last night. There was a little gazebo surrounded by grass and flowers that we almost took the birds to with Frank and the guitar, but the sun was setting,
and they get a little nervous once dusk approaches and their outdoor vision lessens. One thing about the South is that the rest areas and welcome centers
are beautiful. They are nicer than a few of the actual RV parks that we drove by and better yet, they are free to stay at. You can't beat that.
The drive to Texas from Alabama is beautiful, minus the stretch of Highway 10 that goes through Louisiana. But on an up note they are fixing Highway 10 so
hopefully next year when we make this trek it will be smooth sailing. For those of you who are long time subscribers you might remember the grass that was
growing between the cement partitions that formed the freeways here in Louisiana last year. For those of you who missed it you will have the check it out in
order to believe the quality of roads. In order to see the pictures showing the horrors of the roads in Louisiana you will have to flashback to the 2006 March
journal. Speaking of flashbacks, I have recently been fortunate enough to catch up with an old friend from high school. Her name is Stephanie and she is now
a writer and a 'theologian who studies day to day matters in the workplace'. I was lucky enough to be her latest study subject due to our peculiar yet ever so
interesting lifestyle. You too can check out our interview on her blog by clicking the following link. Surviving the workday We stayed at the most beautiful rest
area last night. There was a little gazebo surrounded by grass and flowers that we almost took the birds to with Frank and the guitar, but the sun was setting,
and they get a little nervous once dusk approaches and their outdoor vision lessens. One thing about the South is that the rest areas and welcome centers
are beautiful. They are nicer than a few of the actual RV parks that we drove by and better yet, they are free to stay at. You can't beat that.
Watch out America, Suzy's at the wheel
The trees are the most amazing colors
The rest areas here look like beautiful parks
Doug and Suzy pose with "The BIG Texan"
A 72 oz bellyache just waiting to happen
Door to door limo service Texas style
Those are some big hailstones!!
The hailstorm from under the fruit basket
April 6th - Las Vegas, Nevada-
Hmmm! Imagine that, we are back here in Las Vegas. We're not complaining, much, but it is funny how much time we end up spending here in Vegas
throughout the year. Frank's guitar however dislikes Las Vegas weather immensely. I never knew that guitars were sensitive to the weather, but it makes
sense if you think about it. They are made out of wood and Frank's is unpolished wood. The unpolished wood is beautiful with quite a unique look. I don't care
for the shiny glossy guitars so I am even more partial to his. However since it is unpolished, the dry weather does cause it to do odd things and now it makes
an odd sound on a couple of the notes. The good thing is that we will soon be in Atlanta, Georgia where the weather has a bit of moisture, which will make the
guitar happy. If the weather doesn't make the guitar happy, than the Atlanta guitar shop will fix it for us since the guitar did come with a lifetime warranty
against such things. Speaking of weather, while we were driving here from Texas we spent one night in the middle of an enormous hail storm. I have a vague
memory of being in 5th grade and having some hail come down while at school, but they were teeny tiny pieces and we were inside on a "rainy day schedule"
anyways so playing in the hail wasn't an option. These Texas hail stones were enormous. We were watching a movie, and all of a sudden we heard this
CRRAACCKK sound right above the living room. After realizing that no, it wasn't lightning hitting us, we ran to the window just as the hail began to get harder
and more frequent. I of course, having to get pictures of the action and yet not wanting to get injured in the process, quickly grabbed the metal fruit bowl we
have, emptied it out and walked outside with camera in hand using the fruit bowl as a helmet to protect myself from being knocked in the head by the gumball
size pieces of ice. It was pretty funny to hear the ping, pang, clank sounds that the hail made as they bounced off the helmet. The photo session only lasted a
few minutes since the hail became stronger as I was out there and the banging of the metal helmet began to make my ears ring and my head ache. The
pictures turned out pretty good at least, minus a few that were blurred by the shaking of the helmet.
Hmmm! Imagine that, we are back here in Las Vegas. We're not complaining, much, but it is funny how much time we end up spending here in Vegas
throughout the year. Frank's guitar however dislikes Las Vegas weather immensely. I never knew that guitars were sensitive to the weather, but it makes
sense if you think about it. They are made out of wood and Frank's is unpolished wood. The unpolished wood is beautiful with quite a unique look. I don't care
for the shiny glossy guitars so I am even more partial to his. However since it is unpolished, the dry weather does cause it to do odd things and now it makes
an odd sound on a couple of the notes. The good thing is that we will soon be in Atlanta, Georgia where the weather has a bit of moisture, which will make the
guitar happy. If the weather doesn't make the guitar happy, than the Atlanta guitar shop will fix it for us since the guitar did come with a lifetime warranty
against such things. Speaking of weather, while we were driving here from Texas we spent one night in the middle of an enormous hail storm. I have a vague
memory of being in 5th grade and having some hail come down while at school, but they were teeny tiny pieces and we were inside on a "rainy day schedule"
anyways so playing in the hail wasn't an option. These Texas hail stones were enormous. We were watching a movie, and all of a sudden we heard this
CRRAACCKK sound right above the living room. After realizing that no, it wasn't lightning hitting us, we ran to the window just as the hail began to get harder
and more frequent. I of course, having to get pictures of the action and yet not wanting to get injured in the process, quickly grabbed the metal fruit bowl we
have, emptied it out and walked outside with camera in hand using the fruit bowl as a helmet to protect myself from being knocked in the head by the gumball
size pieces of ice. It was pretty funny to hear the ping, pang, clank sounds that the hail made as they bounced off the helmet. The photo session only lasted a
few minutes since the hail became stronger as I was out there and the banging of the metal helmet began to make my ears ring and my head ache. The
pictures turned out pretty good at least, minus a few that were blurred by the shaking of the helmet.
Flowers on the side of Highway 40
Bradley helps install 4 new tires on the bus
The boys strike a pose outside the Spammobile
| Poor Louie seems a bit afraid of Chris' playing style |
April 8th - Happy Easter -
We spent Easter with Chris and Karolyn and their wonderful Basset hounds Louie and Dudley. It started out with a trip downtown to watch the Vegas Grand Prix.
They block off a bunch of streets and have the race around town. The cars pass you at about 200 miles an hour and all you can see is a blur of the cars as you
hear vroom vroom vroom vroom, and then you wait about 5 minutes for the cars to come back around for another lap and hear vroom vroom vroom as another
blur passes you by. After about 30 minutes of this dizzying experience we decided that heading home and lounging by the pool sounded a bit more enjoyable.
So after the guys hit the Spammobile for their free sample, which I passed up due to the fact that the idea of eating Spam scares me more than eating worms,
we headed back to the Johnston fort where Frank gave Chris a few guitar lessons as the ladies watched Discovery Planet Earth. I highly recommend this series
to everyone. It was amazing to see all the footage that these crews were able to get over the five years that it took to film the series. WOW! Is all I can say. After
a tri-tip bar-b-que thanks to Chef Chris, Frank and I headed back home and enjoyed a beautiful sunset in the jacuzzi at the RV Park. It was a great way to
celebrate Easter, with good friends and great food and a little entertainment thanks to the Champ Cars of the Grand Prix and the boy's music.
We spent Easter with Chris and Karolyn and their wonderful Basset hounds Louie and Dudley. It started out with a trip downtown to watch the Vegas Grand Prix.
They block off a bunch of streets and have the race around town. The cars pass you at about 200 miles an hour and all you can see is a blur of the cars as you
hear vroom vroom vroom vroom, and then you wait about 5 minutes for the cars to come back around for another lap and hear vroom vroom vroom as another
blur passes you by. After about 30 minutes of this dizzying experience we decided that heading home and lounging by the pool sounded a bit more enjoyable.
So after the guys hit the Spammobile for their free sample, which I passed up due to the fact that the idea of eating Spam scares me more than eating worms,
we headed back to the Johnston fort where Frank gave Chris a few guitar lessons as the ladies watched Discovery Planet Earth. I highly recommend this series
to everyone. It was amazing to see all the footage that these crews were able to get over the five years that it took to film the series. WOW! Is all I can say. After
a tri-tip bar-b-que thanks to Chef Chris, Frank and I headed back home and enjoyed a beautiful sunset in the jacuzzi at the RV Park. It was a great way to
celebrate Easter, with good friends and great food and a little entertainment thanks to the Champ Cars of the Grand Prix and the boy's music.
The sun sets on another great day
The tiny Champ Cars they race in
April 15th - The Winner's Circle -
Yes, Our Budweiser team did it again. Another Wally to add to the list and Frank and I watched it all from the starting line right in the middle of the action. The
weekend was filled with nice weather and lots of visiting friends and family. Not a single rain delay either. We did have a bit of a sand delay, which I do believe
was one of the first in NHRA history, but it only lasted about 20 minutes which wasn't too bad. We all want to keep the drivers safe and hitting a patch of sand
at 300 miles an hour would not be a safe thing to do. Our Monster team is doing better and better each race and becoming a lot more consistent on their runs
which is wonderful and quickly bringing us up in points. When Brandon, the Budweiser driver, was handed the Wally, he quickly dedicated his win to the
memory of his fallen friend and driver Eric Medlen who passed away a little over three weeks ago after a crash at the Florida racetrack. After his dedication
speech Brandon gave the Wally to Eric's mother. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. It was very moving. All of the cars that participated in this weekend's
race had a decal on their car in memory of Eric. It's amazing to see how a community such as the NHRA only draws closer when a tragedy like this strikes.
Yes, Our Budweiser team did it again. Another Wally to add to the list and Frank and I watched it all from the starting line right in the middle of the action. The
weekend was filled with nice weather and lots of visiting friends and family. Not a single rain delay either. We did have a bit of a sand delay, which I do believe
was one of the first in NHRA history, but it only lasted about 20 minutes which wasn't too bad. We all want to keep the drivers safe and hitting a patch of sand
at 300 miles an hour would not be a safe thing to do. Our Monster team is doing better and better each race and becoming a lot more consistent on their runs
which is wonderful and quickly bringing us up in points. When Brandon, the Budweiser driver, was handed the Wally, he quickly dedicated his win to the
memory of his fallen friend and driver Eric Medlen who passed away a little over three weeks ago after a crash at the Florida racetrack. After his dedication
speech Brandon gave the Wally to Eric's mother. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. It was very moving. All of the cars that participated in this weekend's
race had a decal on their car in memory of Eric. It's amazing to see how a community such as the NHRA only draws closer when a tragedy like this strikes.
Hoooray!! The happy bunch did it again!
| We all stood at the starting line in great anticipation |
| Monster men putting the car back together after a round one victory |
| A decal to remember Eric Medlen and where he stood in the points |
The itty bitty buildings below
April 16th - Hoover Dam - Border of Arizona and Nevada -
It's always amazing to drive over the Hoover Dam and compare the sides. On the lake side, the dam appears to be just a short wall where the lake ends in
order to hold the water of Lake Mead. Once you look at the river side your jaw almost drops to see the immense structure that it takes to hold all of the water
in Lake Mead. To think that they made this back in the early 30's is even more amazing. They are currently building an alternate freeway that will go around
the dam in order to help with the traffic that piles up on the busy weekends, and it almost seems that they will take longer to build the freeway in order to avoid
the dam than it took to build the actual Hoover Dam so many years ago. We usually don't stop here since we have seen it a few times before but it had been
awhile since we walked across it, and more importantly they have a shop that sells Panama hats, so we decided to visit it again. No luck on the hat, but we did
enjoy the mile and a half walk that it took to get from the RV Parking lot to the gift shop since we had been driving for a couple hours and needed to stretch
our legs. We drove a couple more hours after that and then stopped at a rest stop in Arizona. We noticed that the weather was getting colder and colder as
we went further East. Once we got out of the motorhome at the rest stop we found out just why it was so cold. It was snowing up in the mountain above us, and
apparently had snowed in the last couple days here since there was still a fair amount on the ground considering where we were. We were going to take the
birds outside to stretch their wings, but since we froze after about 5 minutes of being outside we decided to keep them inside where it was nice and warm.
It's always amazing to drive over the Hoover Dam and compare the sides. On the lake side, the dam appears to be just a short wall where the lake ends in
order to hold the water of Lake Mead. Once you look at the river side your jaw almost drops to see the immense structure that it takes to hold all of the water
in Lake Mead. To think that they made this back in the early 30's is even more amazing. They are currently building an alternate freeway that will go around
the dam in order to help with the traffic that piles up on the busy weekends, and it almost seems that they will take longer to build the freeway in order to avoid
the dam than it took to build the actual Hoover Dam so many years ago. We usually don't stop here since we have seen it a few times before but it had been
awhile since we walked across it, and more importantly they have a shop that sells Panama hats, so we decided to visit it again. No luck on the hat, but we did
enjoy the mile and a half walk that it took to get from the RV Parking lot to the gift shop since we had been driving for a couple hours and needed to stretch
our legs. We drove a couple more hours after that and then stopped at a rest stop in Arizona. We noticed that the weather was getting colder and colder as
we went further East. Once we got out of the motorhome at the rest stop we found out just why it was so cold. It was snowing up in the mountain above us, and
apparently had snowed in the last couple days here since there was still a fair amount on the ground considering where we were. We were going to take the
birds outside to stretch their wings, but since we froze after about 5 minutes of being outside we decided to keep them inside where it was nice and warm.
| How the men way back when scaled the walls to build the dam |
The Hoover Dam and all of it's grandeur
April 21st - Chattanooga, Tennessee
This is one of the most beautiful places in all of the U.S. We were pleasantly surprised to find so much to do and see. Today we spent the day playing tourist at
Lookout Mountain. We took the Incline Railway, very appropriately named since the incline is a 78% grade, to the top of the mountain. You board the train and
sit in a fairly reclined seat, and by the time the train gets to the top of the mountain your once reclined seat is now completely upright and you can see the
tracks below you going straight down. Pretty much the entire car is windows so the views are amazing. Once at the top you can see the entire city below. We
walked through an old battlefield at Point Park, and then took our time back looking at all the enormous and beautiful homes on the hills. Good friends of ours,
Kate and Joel, are moving here in a couple months so we thought we would check out a bit of real estate for them. You guys have chosen a wonderful place to
live and we're excited because Chattanooga is on our cross-country route twice each year so we will be able to visit a bunch.
This is one of the most beautiful places in all of the U.S. We were pleasantly surprised to find so much to do and see. Today we spent the day playing tourist at
Lookout Mountain. We took the Incline Railway, very appropriately named since the incline is a 78% grade, to the top of the mountain. You board the train and
sit in a fairly reclined seat, and by the time the train gets to the top of the mountain your once reclined seat is now completely upright and you can see the
tracks below you going straight down. Pretty much the entire car is windows so the views are amazing. Once at the top you can see the entire city below. We
walked through an old battlefield at Point Park, and then took our time back looking at all the enormous and beautiful homes on the hills. Good friends of ours,
Kate and Joel, are moving here in a couple months so we thought we would check out a bit of real estate for them. You guys have chosen a wonderful place to
live and we're excited because Chattanooga is on our cross-country route twice each year so we will be able to visit a bunch.
A view from the top of the tracks & city below
Another car passes us heading down
A view of the mountain & tracks from below
April 22nd - Downtown Chattanooga - The Chattanooga Choo Choo -
A trip to Chattanooga wouldn't be complete without a visit to the infamous Chattanooga Choo Choo. It brought back fun memories of being in grade school and
singing the old Chattanooga Choo Choo song with Mrs. Brown and her guitar. She would hand out an instrument to each class member and we would have a
blast playing along with her and singing. I don't think a single band ever came out of our school, but it sure was a fun way to spend music class. The train has
since been turned into a Holiday Inn and a few restaurants but you can still walk around inside the locomotive area and the caboose and the train is still pretty
much in one piece still on the tracks that it used to run back and forth on. The passenger cars have all been transformed into hotel rooms which would
probably be quite fun to stay in. After our trip to the Choo Choo we headed downtown to walk around the river and shop a bit. Still no luck on finding Frank the
perfect Panama hat, even though we did find two different hat stores. Who knew the perfect hat would be so hard to replace. We did however find some great
pizza at a little place called the Mellow Mushroom. Yum yum! It's been awhile since we have had really good pizza and were beginning to think it a thing of the
past. Apparently it is a chain, and they have several, so we will have to search the country for more Mellow Mushroom locations. The downtown area of
Chattanooga is very pretty with lots of charm. It's a good sized town, but still gives you a small town feel since the buildings are well maintained and not too
high. There is also a safe feeling when you walk around the town and see an occasional cannon on the street corner. That's a new one we had never seen
before. They are very proud of their Civil War history here.
A trip to Chattanooga wouldn't be complete without a visit to the infamous Chattanooga Choo Choo. It brought back fun memories of being in grade school and
singing the old Chattanooga Choo Choo song with Mrs. Brown and her guitar. She would hand out an instrument to each class member and we would have a
blast playing along with her and singing. I don't think a single band ever came out of our school, but it sure was a fun way to spend music class. The train has
since been turned into a Holiday Inn and a few restaurants but you can still walk around inside the locomotive area and the caboose and the train is still pretty
much in one piece still on the tracks that it used to run back and forth on. The passenger cars have all been transformed into hotel rooms which would
probably be quite fun to stay in. After our trip to the Choo Choo we headed downtown to walk around the river and shop a bit. Still no luck on finding Frank the
perfect Panama hat, even though we did find two different hat stores. Who knew the perfect hat would be so hard to replace. We did however find some great
pizza at a little place called the Mellow Mushroom. Yum yum! It's been awhile since we have had really good pizza and were beginning to think it a thing of the
past. Apparently it is a chain, and they have several, so we will have to search the country for more Mellow Mushroom locations. The downtown area of
Chattanooga is very pretty with lots of charm. It's a good sized town, but still gives you a small town feel since the buildings are well maintained and not too
high. There is also a safe feeling when you walk around the town and see an occasional cannon on the street corner. That's a new one we had never seen
before. They are very proud of their Civil War history here.
April 22nd -
Our campsite here is on the border of Georgia and Tennessee just minutes from Chattanooga. The campground itself is on an old Civil War battlefield as is
almost everything around here. That's the great part of the Eastern part of this country, to see all the history that is here. Nowhere on the west coast can you
sleep where men fought a war and lost their lives to what they thought was a worthy cause regardless of which side they were on. All of the streets on the North
side of the campground are named for northern soldiers and generals, as the South side of the park is named for the southern soldiers that lead their men into
battle. The roads that cross between the sides going East and West are named after famous battles of the Civil War such as Running Bull and Gettysburg.
Our campsite here is on the border of Georgia and Tennessee just minutes from Chattanooga. The campground itself is on an old Civil War battlefield as is
almost everything around here. That's the great part of the Eastern part of this country, to see all the history that is here. Nowhere on the west coast can you
sleep where men fought a war and lost their lives to what they thought was a worthy cause regardless of which side they were on. All of the streets on the North
side of the campground are named for northern soldiers and generals, as the South side of the park is named for the southern soldiers that lead their men into
battle. The roads that cross between the sides going East and West are named after famous battles of the Civil War such as Running Bull and Gettysburg.
Who'd rob a bank with a cannon outside?
The RV Park even has it's own version of the Chattanooga Choo Choo,
and since the birds weren't allowed to come with us to visit the real one,
they loved hanging out in the smaller version on the playground. Also
while we were here we made great friends with Guido the squirrel. One
day while we were having lunch he came running down the tree to see
and since the birds weren't allowed to come with us to visit the real one,
they loved hanging out in the smaller version on the playground. Also
while we were here we made great friends with Guido the squirrel. One
day while we were having lunch he came running down the tree to see
what was on the menu. I threw him a Frito which he sniffed and quickly put his nose up at. Thinking quickly I ran inside and grabbed the birds bag of peanuts.
Cody gave me a bit of a mean look when I started tossing Guido his prized possession bag of nuts, but after I explained that they can be replaced with a quick
trip to Wal-Mart he let me carry on. Guido ran up to the peanut, ate it in about 30 seconds and stared at me in great anticipation of another treat. We fed him for
awhile. It was hilarious. He would eat one, and take the second one up the tree and return in about 5 seconds. The third one he would run to the grass with and
bury it. This cycle went on for about half an hour, and would have continued if it were up to Guido, but Frank and I were heading into town. A few hours later
when we arrived back home Guido ran down the tree and stood by the door hoping for another round of nuts. I of course being a sucker for a cute face gave in
and feed him some more as Frank played the guitar outside with the whole family and the squirrel. Each morning since this day as I leave the motorhome for my
morning jog Guido runs down the tree to greet me and get his breakfast. We have since found out the reason for his running into the tree with every third nut is
that he is feeding his little friend up there. We met her this afternoon in person. Frank was washing the bus and I was reading and feeding the birds and the
squirrel. As soon as Frank was done with one side of the bus I moved my chair to the other side with him. I, not thinking, left the bag of peanuts behind. This was
apparently unacceptable to the squirrels because about 10 minutes after I left where they were the little squirrel ran under the motorhome right up to us and
began to chirp loudly, as if to say "Get your fanny back to other side and keep the peanuts coming lady!" Frank laughed so hard he almost fell off the ladder. I
quickly obeyed the little squirrel and went back to the picnic table to feed them. Even wild animals can develop character.
Cody gave me a bit of a mean look when I started tossing Guido his prized possession bag of nuts, but after I explained that they can be replaced with a quick
trip to Wal-Mart he let me carry on. Guido ran up to the peanut, ate it in about 30 seconds and stared at me in great anticipation of another treat. We fed him for
awhile. It was hilarious. He would eat one, and take the second one up the tree and return in about 5 seconds. The third one he would run to the grass with and
bury it. This cycle went on for about half an hour, and would have continued if it were up to Guido, but Frank and I were heading into town. A few hours later
when we arrived back home Guido ran down the tree and stood by the door hoping for another round of nuts. I of course being a sucker for a cute face gave in
and feed him some more as Frank played the guitar outside with the whole family and the squirrel. Each morning since this day as I leave the motorhome for my
morning jog Guido runs down the tree to greet me and get his breakfast. We have since found out the reason for his running into the tree with every third nut is
that he is feeding his little friend up there. We met her this afternoon in person. Frank was washing the bus and I was reading and feeding the birds and the
squirrel. As soon as Frank was done with one side of the bus I moved my chair to the other side with him. I, not thinking, left the bag of peanuts behind. This was
apparently unacceptable to the squirrels because about 10 minutes after I left where they were the little squirrel ran under the motorhome right up to us and
began to chirp loudly, as if to say "Get your fanny back to other side and keep the peanuts coming lady!" Frank laughed so hard he almost fell off the ladder. I
quickly obeyed the little squirrel and went back to the picnic table to feed them. Even wild animals can develop character.
The Parrot Choo Choo
| The Civil War Monument erected for the battle fought at our campground |
| Here comes Guido down the tree in great anticipation for breakfast |
He gained about 4 pounds in our brief visit
April 4th - Amarillo, Texas - The BIG Texan restaurant -
As you drive across the panhandle of Texas, on Highway 40, there are billboards about every 10 miles advertising The BIG Texan restaurant. The slogans on
the various billboards say either "Free 72 ounce steak dinner" or "Free limo rides". Of course being the curious creatures that we are, we had to investigate.
As we got closer to Amarillo, which we were heading to for the night anyways, we noticed that the fine print of the free 72 ounce steak dinner became a bit
more prevalent. The string attached was that you had to eat the entire meal within an hour. That is 4 1/2 pounds of meat, a baked potato, a dinner roll and a
salad. You have to eat every bit of all of it, even the side dishes. There is no way you could do it and not have the stomach ache of the century. The RV Park
that we stayed at this evening was about 3 miles away, so we called to see if there were any strings attached to the "free limo ride" offer. Glad to report that
there were no strings, and yes it was in fact free. Realizing it might be fun to take a ride in a limo with Texas Longhorns attached to the front, we made a
reservation. They picked us up in style right outside our front door. While we were at The BIG Texan, there were two different men that tried to get a free meal.
Sadly to say, neither of them finished. They came close, but still had to pay the dollar per ounce price of $72.00 since they both left part of their steak
uneaten. Please refer to above picture of steak if you believe it wouldn't be that hard to accomplish. Increase the picture to actual size and you will realize just
what a feat, or feast, it is. After our entertainment for the evening, which included a great group of musicians serenading us at our table, we jumped in the limo
and headed home. We decided to hit the jacuzzi before going to bed, which was quite an ordeal. First we had to sign in to use it, and then we had to take a
shower. Usually you see the signs asking people to shower before getting in, but the 3, yes 3, jacuzzi Nazi guards that were there all stood around until we
each went into the showers, got wet and came back out. Doug, apparently the rebel of the group, jumped in the pool with his t-shirt still on and the guards just
about went crazy. They all told him that wearing a t-shirt in the water was against the rules, and "we will have none of that rule breaking here". Frank began to
laugh a bit at this and tease Doug as all three guards glared at him and loudly complained of our lack of respect to their rules, what a bunch of cranks! We
never thought they would leave us alone, but finally did. What are we? In junior high again? They sure made us feel like it.
As you drive across the panhandle of Texas, on Highway 40, there are billboards about every 10 miles advertising The BIG Texan restaurant. The slogans on
the various billboards say either "Free 72 ounce steak dinner" or "Free limo rides". Of course being the curious creatures that we are, we had to investigate.
As we got closer to Amarillo, which we were heading to for the night anyways, we noticed that the fine print of the free 72 ounce steak dinner became a bit
more prevalent. The string attached was that you had to eat the entire meal within an hour. That is 4 1/2 pounds of meat, a baked potato, a dinner roll and a
salad. You have to eat every bit of all of it, even the side dishes. There is no way you could do it and not have the stomach ache of the century. The RV Park
that we stayed at this evening was about 3 miles away, so we called to see if there were any strings attached to the "free limo ride" offer. Glad to report that
there were no strings, and yes it was in fact free. Realizing it might be fun to take a ride in a limo with Texas Longhorns attached to the front, we made a
reservation. They picked us up in style right outside our front door. While we were at The BIG Texan, there were two different men that tried to get a free meal.
Sadly to say, neither of them finished. They came close, but still had to pay the dollar per ounce price of $72.00 since they both left part of their steak
uneaten. Please refer to above picture of steak if you believe it wouldn't be that hard to accomplish. Increase the picture to actual size and you will realize just
what a feat, or feast, it is. After our entertainment for the evening, which included a great group of musicians serenading us at our table, we jumped in the limo
and headed home. We decided to hit the jacuzzi before going to bed, which was quite an ordeal. First we had to sign in to use it, and then we had to take a
shower. Usually you see the signs asking people to shower before getting in, but the 3, yes 3, jacuzzi Nazi guards that were there all stood around until we
each went into the showers, got wet and came back out. Doug, apparently the rebel of the group, jumped in the pool with his t-shirt still on and the guards just
about went crazy. They all told him that wearing a t-shirt in the water was against the rules, and "we will have none of that rule breaking here". Frank began to
laugh a bit at this and tease Doug as all three guards glared at him and loudly complained of our lack of respect to their rules, what a bunch of cranks! We
never thought they would leave us alone, but finally did. What are we? In junior high again? They sure made us feel like it.
April 23rd - Signal Mountain, Tennessee - 4 wheelin'
It was a gorgeous day today so we took the top of the Jeep down and took a drive. We found a great website that lists all the different Jeep and biking trails all
over the country. We found one close by, so off we went. It started at the base of Signal Mountain and wound up to the top. Signal Mountain looks a lot like
Lookout Mountain except from Signal Mountain you can see the lake a bit more. We had lunch at the top of the mountain and found an old swinging bridge. Of
course we couldn't drive over it, so we got out and took the path on foot. Once we returned to the Jeep we drove for awhile and realized that since there were so
many side roads to drive up and around to get to different views, we never actually ended up on the trail that we were leaded for. We sat outside the rest of the
day enjoying the sunshine with the birds and the squirrels as Frank played his guitar. He has now learned all six of the songs on his instrumental lesson DVD
and can play them all really well. He has ordered a new instrumental lesson taught by the famous Chet Atkins. He was one of the greatest fingerpicking players
there were, so Frank should learn a lot. Frank definitely prefers the style of fingerpicking playing over strumming, and we all enjoy listening. Cody now sings
along while Frank plays. Not actually the words but he does sing la la la la, and every so often he'll sings Happy Birthday. Tomorrow we have to say goodbye to
our pretty campground and Guido, poor thing won't know where to find his breakfast, as we head down to Atlanta for the race there. It should be nice weather all
weekend since they moved the race up a few weeks because it had been so hot in the past years. It's nice that they keep track of the weather and rearrange
things accordingly. The only downside is that it might not be as busy as most races, since the ever popular Talladega NASCAR race is the same weekend and
only about 100 miles away. Oh well we'll still have fun. Hopefully we will get a chance to tour the downtown area and see where they held the Olympics.
It was a gorgeous day today so we took the top of the Jeep down and took a drive. We found a great website that lists all the different Jeep and biking trails all
over the country. We found one close by, so off we went. It started at the base of Signal Mountain and wound up to the top. Signal Mountain looks a lot like
Lookout Mountain except from Signal Mountain you can see the lake a bit more. We had lunch at the top of the mountain and found an old swinging bridge. Of
course we couldn't drive over it, so we got out and took the path on foot. Once we returned to the Jeep we drove for awhile and realized that since there were so
many side roads to drive up and around to get to different views, we never actually ended up on the trail that we were leaded for. We sat outside the rest of the
day enjoying the sunshine with the birds and the squirrels as Frank played his guitar. He has now learned all six of the songs on his instrumental lesson DVD
and can play them all really well. He has ordered a new instrumental lesson taught by the famous Chet Atkins. He was one of the greatest fingerpicking players
there were, so Frank should learn a lot. Frank definitely prefers the style of fingerpicking playing over strumming, and we all enjoy listening. Cody now sings
along while Frank plays. Not actually the words but he does sing la la la la, and every so often he'll sings Happy Birthday. Tomorrow we have to say goodbye to
our pretty campground and Guido, poor thing won't know where to find his breakfast, as we head down to Atlanta for the race there. It should be nice weather all
weekend since they moved the race up a few weeks because it had been so hot in the past years. It's nice that they keep track of the weather and rearrange
things accordingly. The only downside is that it might not be as busy as most races, since the ever popular Talladega NASCAR race is the same weekend and
only about 100 miles away. Oh well we'll still have fun. Hopefully we will get a chance to tour the downtown area and see where they held the Olympics.
Suzy on the swinging bridge
| Lunch on the top of the Jeep on the top of the mountain |
April 29th - Commerce, Georgia - Back to Back wins for the boys and gals in Red -
Hooray! The Budweiser team heads to the Winner's Circle again, and yes boys believe it or not there is a girl on the team, not just any position mind you, but
the Assistant Crew Chief, and the best one out there we might add. Along with a little help from her boys on the team they won two in a row! We are now first
place in the points which is great going into any race, but the fact that we are all heading to St. Louis, which is the hometown of Anheiser-Busch and Budweiser,
makes it an even better time to be first in the points. What better way to keep the sponsors happy. I guess if the Bud team pulls off a 3-peat that would make
them even happier, but we won't get too greedy at this point. Our Monster team didn't do quite as well today but no fear, their turn in the Winner's Circle is
coming. I can just feel it and boy will it be an amazing day! Speaking of amazing, every so often here in the drag racing world we see an explosion or two on a
weekend. Yes, there are those insane race fans that live for the crashes, however I myself cringe a bit when watching them. What's even more amazing, and
wonderful, is the fact that the drivers are rarely hurt in these explosions. All these cars are built to either break apart safely or extinguish themselves when the
flames and explosions occur but who really wants to test this safety feature out unless absolutely necessary? Considering that the Top Fuel Dragsters and
Funny Cars do run off of Nitromethane, which is a flammable liquid to say the least, and yes 7 foot flames are supposed to come out of the headers, however
this is all done in a fairly controlled manner, it's amazing that more cars aren't engulfed in flames more often. I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be
strapped into a vehicle that is on fire and doing multiple cartwheels down the track. Talk about an adrenaline rush. No Thanks!
Hooray! The Budweiser team heads to the Winner's Circle again, and yes boys believe it or not there is a girl on the team, not just any position mind you, but
the Assistant Crew Chief, and the best one out there we might add. Along with a little help from her boys on the team they won two in a row! We are now first
place in the points which is great going into any race, but the fact that we are all heading to St. Louis, which is the hometown of Anheiser-Busch and Budweiser,
makes it an even better time to be first in the points. What better way to keep the sponsors happy. I guess if the Bud team pulls off a 3-peat that would make
them even happier, but we won't get too greedy at this point. Our Monster team didn't do quite as well today but no fear, their turn in the Winner's Circle is
coming. I can just feel it and boy will it be an amazing day! Speaking of amazing, every so often here in the drag racing world we see an explosion or two on a
weekend. Yes, there are those insane race fans that live for the crashes, however I myself cringe a bit when watching them. What's even more amazing, and
wonderful, is the fact that the drivers are rarely hurt in these explosions. All these cars are built to either break apart safely or extinguish themselves when the
flames and explosions occur but who really wants to test this safety feature out unless absolutely necessary? Considering that the Top Fuel Dragsters and
Funny Cars do run off of Nitromethane, which is a flammable liquid to say the least, and yes 7 foot flames are supposed to come out of the headers, however
this is all done in a fairly controlled manner, it's amazing that more cars aren't engulfed in flames more often. I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be
strapped into a vehicle that is on fire and doing multiple cartwheels down the track. Talk about an adrenaline rush. No Thanks!
April 26th - Atlanta, Georgia -
Today we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, well actually it feels like we have been celebrating it all week, no complains though. Last night we went to
dinner with six good friends at a wonderful Mexican restaurant that was walking distance from the track and toasted with a round of margaritas. Yum! Since the
race starts tomorrow we stayed in this evening, watched a movie and relaxed. Frank has learned two new songs on the guitar and just received a new DVD of
lessons featuring Chet Atkins. By the time we head back to CA in the winter he will have a huge selection of songs to play. The funniest and yet most thoughtful
gift of the day? A roll of Aluminum Foil from Kurt and Philly. Why you ask? Yes we too were a bit perplexed at first, but then it dawned on me. Just as your first
anniversary is symbolized by cotton or wood, 50 years is golden. Your 10th is the aluminum anniversary. I will never look at aluminum foil the same again. :-)
Today we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, well actually it feels like we have been celebrating it all week, no complains though. Last night we went to
dinner with six good friends at a wonderful Mexican restaurant that was walking distance from the track and toasted with a round of margaritas. Yum! Since the
race starts tomorrow we stayed in this evening, watched a movie and relaxed. Frank has learned two new songs on the guitar and just received a new DVD of
lessons featuring Chet Atkins. By the time we head back to CA in the winter he will have a huge selection of songs to play. The funniest and yet most thoughtful
gift of the day? A roll of Aluminum Foil from Kurt and Philly. Why you ask? Yes we too were a bit perplexed at first, but then it dawned on me. Just as your first
anniversary is symbolized by cotton or wood, 50 years is golden. Your 10th is the aluminum anniversary. I will never look at aluminum foil the same again. :-)
How flames should come out of a Dragster
How flames should NOT come out of a Dragster
This Bud's for Wally!
And the winner is.... ..... BUD!
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Cody helps unwrap gifts |
| A Christmas Party at the White's |