Parrottrek Journal 2009

Entering the yellow part of the storm which turned into the red area

The radar according to our iPod Touch. We were driving right where the little white + is

Here comes the sun

September 21st - One Big Ugly Storm - Meridian, Mississippi -
This has by far been the rainiest year we've had on our travels. A couple times even our C.B. has turned on by itself to give the emergency broadcast signal to tell us of a storm nearby. Living in California most of my life I was always bothered by those tests that the T.V. would have or the radio of "This is a test of the emergency broadcast system, this is only a test" and then proceed with the most annoying and ear piercing sound imaginable. Well, I now realize that yes, in some parts of the country this test is important because it clues people in to what the sound means when it's heard without those preceding words. Once the rain began I looked it up on the radar and of course, Murphy's Law, it was right along the highway that we were on and curved right along with us. We finally made it out safe and sound, thank God, only to find that a few hours later the storm turned so bad that the highways were closed down due to water on the road and there were even a few fatalities due to hydroplaning cars and trucks. Days like today make us realize just how much overtime our guardian angels have to put in at times.

September 27th - A Different Take on Four-Wide -
While last weekend we watched a four wide drag race of both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes, this weekend we watched a round of the regular two wide dragsters with four wide Dallas Cowboys along side of us. This afternoon, as I was standing at the front door to our hospitality, keeping the appearance that I might be some sort of guard that you must get past in order to enter the Budweiser private party, I turned my back for a moment and all of a sudden there appeared to be some sort of solar eclipse behind me. As I turned to see what this dark shadow was, there stood a wall of the most enormous men I have ever seen in person. Men that would be far more intimidating to get past said doorway than little ol' me.

Brandon gives Flozell Adams and Leonard Davis a tour of the car and pit

Rob, our crew chief, joins in on the tour

A group shot on the starting line

Here comes the car

The Cowboys get a front row view

Ranging between 338 and 353 pounds while standing between 6' 4" and 6' 7", in width as well, or so it appeared standing below them, I have a whole new respect for the quarterbacks in the NFL. Having men of this size run towards me on a playing field would cause me to simply hand them the ball while I laid down and cried. However considering that Flozell and Leonard are both offensive tackles and guards, the quarterback probably considers these protectors their best friends. Please note in the upper left photo there are a couple of our team members standing inside the race trailer, which is roughly 6 inches off the ground, and yes, the Cowboys are still taller.

We watched the sun set down the river

The sky was about 10 different colors

Shirl and I lounged on this old stump

Our sweet little wino and the tossed out toys

September 29th - Sunset to Sunrise - The Mississippi River -
Tom Sawyer's River Park, nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River, is situated in such a way that you can watch the sun rise and set at your campsite, from one of the many benches that sit along the river or while kickin' back on a tree trunk. This scenic place has become one of our favorite places to stop off for a relaxing evening. Tonight we sat out with some friends watching the tug boats push barges up and down the waterway while enjoying a glass of wine and a little down time since we are right in the middle of four races in a row. Once the sun had set, we headed back to the motorhome to make dinner and discovered that Bradley had sculpted a house out of the empty wine box. He started off by chewing a door in the top in order for him to get inside the box and another door in the front in order to peek out once he was comfortably snuggled inside. He came out long enough to have dinner with us, at which time I filled it with toys, but quickly threw out all the toys and climbed back inside once dinner was done.

Looking up the river to watch the sunrise the following morning

We started the day with a Jeep drive up the mountain

Some hot springs flowed through the ground, some came up through the fountains

September 28th - Hot Springs, Arkansas -
Running water, something that most of the world takes for granted today, was non existent back in the late 1700s. People couldn't just run a hot bath or fill a pedicure bowl to relax themselves and soak away the stress of everyday life. They could however head to the Zig Zag Mountains of Arkansas and jump into the hot springs with the American Indians, whom were the first to discover such pleasures. By 1888 Bathhouse Row had been constructed and the tourists flowed in. Today we were amongst those tourists, exploring the mountain roads, enjoying the views, walking along Bathhouse Row, seeing how they worked over 200 years ago. Drinking from the cold springs and standing over the steam of the 143 degree hot springs. It is amazing what the earth produces in different parts of the country.

Enjoying water from a natural drinking fountain

Standing in front of a cool springs waterfall

One of the first bathhouses opened, however it has been revamped a few times since the 1800s

An old style bath from the early 1900s

Anyone up for a steam bath with friends?

A water massaging shower from the 1800s

Lining up the car on the starting line

Rob, on ESPN, on the phone with Kenny, the team owner

A victorious bunch of guys

The very proud Budweiser team and car

October 12 - A Long Time Coming - Victory At Last!
It has been 2 long years, 52 races to be exact, since the boys in red have savored victory. Today the 'always the bridesmaid, never the bride' curse has ended. Our Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel Dragster sailed down the racetrack and over the finish line in the final round before our opponent knew what hit him. Needless to say after all this time without a win we more than compensated with the celebratory moment of the Winner's Circle and a few of our fellow friends in the world of NHRA added to the fun and jovial mood with a few practical jokes.

Even the ESPN announcers knew we were long over due for a win

Team Force plays a practical joke

The Bud boys get a kick out of the tire stack that says... ...

We apologize for the non PG-13 moment but this was sight for sore eyes!

Lunch at the Tiki Hut and great views

A beautiful Osprey has lunch as well

A curious lizard

Frank and I with Mr. Rock Shrimp

The Glorious Beaches of Florida -
White sand with clear water that is warm in winter, refreshing in summer and never closed due to contamination. Manatee playgrounds, sea turtle nests and fishing ospreys are just a few things that the amazing beaches of Florida have to offer. Playa Linda, the beach that is just minutes from us, has everything mentioned above and far more than the average beach. Where else can you view the Space Shuttle Atlantis as it sits on a launch pad being prepared for its November launch in the shadows of Ares I-X that sits on a neighboring launch pad awaiting its inaugural launch into space on October 27 at 8am. If only (sniff sniff) we could stay here another week and watch this epic event live from our backyard where we have viewed other rocket launches, none ever this large, and one Shuttle launch. The Ares I-X is NASA's latest and greatest rocket, part of the Constellation program, that if all works well, will take over for the soon to be fazed out Space Shuttles and go far beyond its predecessor by going to the moon and ultimately Mars. On our various drives around the Canaveral Seashore we were able to pull off the road a few times to get some shots of these mighty vessels and stopped off at one of our favorite restaurants for lunch that also has views of the Kennedy Space Center compound.

A great day for a topless drive, the Jeep that is, not Frank, sorry ladies

Ares I-X on the left Space Shuttle Atlantis on the right

Playa Linda and its private glory. This is one of my favorite places to relax

A self portrait with Atlantis and Aries in the background

A gorgeous Bald Eagle soars above us

Just a few shots of the wildlife around us

The Days (and Nights) of Our Lives (in Florida)

7am-8am - 3.5 - 5 mile jog, depending on mood, all by myself
8:15am - Shower followed by enjoying coffee on couch while listening to Frank play guitar
8:45am - Head out on bike ride with Frank, Cody and Abbey 10:00am(ish) - Stop off at Cafe and have breakfast with birds on restaurant patio
11:30 - ?? Sit outside with all three birds while listening to Frank play guitar

2:00(ish)- ???- Head to pool to swim a few laps, yap with the neighbors and lounge or drive out to the beach
Rest of day (varies)- enjoy the views, walk nature trail with camera in hand in search of wildlife, run errands, do laundry, have dinner, enjoy watching the sun set over the lake in our backyard or do whatever comes to mind.
9pm(ish) Hit jacuzzi

Abbey enjoys some toast on the patio of the resort's cafe.

Cody and Frank stop of at the bank's drive up teller window

Charlie, what big eyes you have!

A Great Blue Heron fishes on the banks of the lake each afternoon while I read outside

Our backyard views - I love our lake

The sun setting over the nature trail

A completed survey shows us our available building space

Something along the lines of what we will build. Small and open

A bit of yard work

Beautiful, but no thanks! I have no desire to have to clean anything that size

Week Two - Titusville, Florida -
This week was filled with dinning out and attending the theatre, something we don't do very often since cable TV is something we happily swore off about 5 years ago and as a result we rarely see movie trailers. In the world of dinning out, we have had a different cultural theme each day and have thoroughly enjoyed it, especially not having to touch a pot or pan to cook in and have to wash later. Mixed in between our adventurous social life, we have enjoyed talking more about what type of house we want to build here someday, to the extent that we called a contractor to get the ball rolling. So far we have had a survey done of our property, which gives us an exact map of our property line and where exactly the house will sit in order to maximize the space and the views. In anticipation of our spruced up land, Frank tidied up a few of our palm trees by cutting out the dead leaves and berries that grow in between them, which we discovered is something the deer love to enjoy as a midnight snack. I took a couple pictures of them snacking, but not wanting to startle them I kept the flash off and only captured their glowing eyes.
Cody's favorite part of the week, as usual, were the many bike rides we took. He loved stopping off to talk to and dance with all the various moving Halloween decorations that our neighbors have in their yards.

Cody and a haunted pirate ship

Our neighbor snapped a great shot of Charlie the neighborhood alligator

Yes, the forest has eyes

A boat load of sushi - YUM!

The open roads of New Mexico

The snow flurries begin

And get heavier

The snow made for some great views

October 25th - Sunny, with a Chance of Snow - A Cross Country Trip -
Friday morning I dressed in shorts, a t-shirt, flip flops and bathing suit. This morning I'm still in my flannels pajamas with slippers and the heater on. Oh where, oh where did my sunshine go? I guess the sun is still technically there, it's just covered by gray clouds that have begun to drop snow flurries on us, quite a dramatic weather change from a mere 48 hours ago. Winter is definitely around the corner, which might end our shorts and t-shirts days, but kicks off the holiday season, in which flannel jammies come in handy in order to hide the overindulgence one sometimes has in November and December. This is a great time of year to take a nice drive from east to west. The seasons are finishing up their change, the leaves are still in transition in the east and lucky for us, the snowfall isn't heavy enough to stick to the ground for too long. The other great thing about this cross country trip is that it marks the end of the racing season with only two races remaining, one being in Las Vegas, over Halloween weekend, which is always entertaining and one of the most fun places around the country to people watch, followed by our final race in Pomona, California, just hours from our holiday season destination.

A clear night above The Strip

Tony the magician

A walk through Paris on a cool evening

Not all duels require swords

Halloween Weekend in Vegas -
Where else can you walk down one street and visit a different continent or country every few steps? Las Vegas isn't one of our favorite places to visit, due to the very dry and dusty surroundings, but some of our favorite people come out here this time of year so that makes it all worth while. One night, along with Kathy, Gary, Loretta and Tony, we had dinner in the Bahamas, with our own private magic show, followed by coffee and dessert in Paris followed by an amazing and entertaining pair of dueling pianos. Another evening we headed to the Bullring, a circular track, to watch our friends from Team Voigt race.

Suzy and Andrea

Steve, Kurt and Frank

The pit crew works on the car

The opposition smashes the car

OUCH!

Frank and John after the race

Once the bed was out, the carpet pulled back... ...

Just below the cages and drawers is the motor

Cody is ready to help remove the bed

and the storage below it

November 3rd - Rearranging Furniture -
What?? You mean not everyone has to remove their bed to find an oil leak in the motor, or to repair a power steering pump? Okay, so chalk it up to yet another quirky element to the Travelin' Whitmores. As we recently made our way from Florida to California, Frank noticed a little extra oil splatter on our trusty Jeep, that we tow behind the coach, so the hunt for the culprit was on. Since we knew we also had to fix a power steering issue, opening the motor hatch, in the floor of our bedroom, turned out to be a wise choice that resulted in finding the location of both issues, saving a ton on the hourly repairman rate and a very proud hubby for figuring it all out.

and the access panel removed

Voila!! There it is in all its greasy glory

So I spent a couple days with the Landis family. There's nothing quite like a snuggly newborn to rock and hold and hand back to mom once he turns wet or fussy. Being an "Auntie" is the best.

And just a few miles up the road is the sweetest new little bundle. Matthew James, born on September 21, six weeks before his due date, to one of my very best friends.

Enjoying some bonding time with Matthew

A sweet little piece of heaven

Laughing with Mama Sharon

Mama Goes to Heaven - November 20th -
I lost a part of my heart last night. My sweet and wonderful mother, my friend, confidant and soul mate past away in her sleep. She had been diagnosed with abdominal cancer and it had spread to her one remaining kidney and liver. She was at home under the care of some fabulous Hospice nurses and was kept comfortable and relatively pain free. Last night as my parents went to bed she kissed my dad goodnight and said that she needed to go and be with Jesus and was only worried about how he would be without her. My dad reassured her that we would all be fine and if she needed to go then she should go. She fell asleep and woke up in heaven, which was exactly where she wanted to be. We thank you all for your prayers and thoughts and please know that we will be okay.

Surrounded by family

Including Grandparents

Siblings, Nieces and In-laws

Aunts and Uncles

November 26th - Attempting a Holiday - Solvang, California -
I used to like roller coasters. The anticipation of going up and up and up that first big hill followed by the frightening yet exhilarating feeling of drops that make you think for a split second you might not be able to catch your breath again or keep your stomach inside your body, all while knowing that as long as you stay firmly in your seat you won't get hurt and that within 2 minutes you will be back on safe, solid, non moving ground watching the next victims climb aboard the thrill ride as you check the park map to find what next great coaster you yourself can board. Right now I would like to be getting off the roller coaster we, as a family, have all been on for the last three weeks. Loosing my mom was hard enough, but having Frank's mom hanging on to life and relying on a ventilator and other various medical contraptions to keep her here with us only compounds all the emotions and leaves me feeling numb one day, an emotional wreck the next, all intermingled with times of feeling good and laughing with a friend about something that finally lets my mind let go and forget for a moment what is going on. A few weeks back Jan, my mother-in-law and second mom, had pneumonia which ended up moving into both of her lungs. One evening while at home she could hardly breath and was taken to the hospital where the slow trek back to health began and unfortunately isn't yet finished. We have received two phone calls from the doctors on two separate evenings telling us that they weren't sure is she would make it through the night due to her heart being so weak with all the infections, including H1N1, and we all should come down to see her and perhaps say goodbye. One of those nights they had to rush her into emergency surgery to open a valve in her heart that seemed to be failing. Those drives from Solvang to Santa Barbara seemed to take forever but luckily each had a positive ending with her still being with us the next morning, however very critical and in a medically induced coma.
Today is Thanksgiving and even though I'm a firm believer that no businesses should be open on holidays so all can go and spend them with their own loved ones, today I realized sometimes you just need to have someone else do all the work so your own family can have what might resemble a holiday. None of us were up to cooking, cleaning or even setting a table, so we headed to Pea Soup Andersons and left the cooking of turkey, ham, prime rib and all the trimmings to them. On a positive note we did receive some great news about Jan last night. Her heart is doing well, she is over the H1N1 virus and now hopefully her poor little body will have enough strength to just focus on healing her lungs and coming back to us in a conscious state.

November 9th - The Unbelievable Happens - Another Mom is Lost -
Janice Marie Whitmore, beloved daughter, wife, mother and grandmother left us peacefully on December 7, 2009, surrounded by her husband Frank, daughter Renee, son-in-law Kevin, son Frank, daughter-in-law Suzy and many extended family and friends.
Janice’s parents, Jim and Darlene Saulsbury, brother Steven Saulsbury, and granddaughters, Hayley and Torrie along with her kitties George and Sammy also survive her.
Janice grew up in Santa Ynez, California where she married her high school sweetheart Frank Whitmore III on July 24, 1971. After raising a family, being a stay at home mom, Janice attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Chapman University where she earned her Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling and went on to open a private practice in Lompoc, California.
She was generous with her time, gentle with her patients and courageous in her walk with the Lord by ministering to all those around her.
Janice took great pride in being a vital part of her granddaughter’s lives as well as helping the UCSB Gauchos and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustang women’s basketball teams being their visual aid coach and attending home and away games of each team.
She touched innumerable lives in her practice and private life and will be greatly missed by all.
A Celebration of Janice’s Life will be held at 1:00pm on Friday December 11, 2009 at Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church 1825 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang, California. All are welcome.

A view of the lake from the slopes

Ready for another run down the hill

Our view at lunchtime

A white winter wonderland

December 22nd - Fun in the Snow - Big Bear, California -
One of the best parts of being in California is that you can spend one day at the beach in warm, sunny weather and the next day, just a mere 200 miles from the ocean's shore, enjoy the snowy mountains skiing and snowboarding with the feel of winter around you. Since these last few weeks have been quite draining and a bit overwhelming, we figured getting out of our hometown for a few days and changing our surroundings might just put us more in the holiday spirit. So off to the San Bernardino mountains we went in search of a white Christmas season. We spent one day on the slopes of Big Bear and, minus a tumble out of one of the ski-lifts, didn't do half bad for not being on the snow in over 5 years. Our second day up here, we lounged around our room, which overlooked Big Bear Lake, had a very cozy fire in the fireplace and watched the snow fall outside our window while listening to some holiday music. It was a perfect getaway and just long enough to give us our fill of snow and cold before we headed back to the warm and sunny Santa Ynez Valley, where we don't have to shovel the car out of snow each morning and the birds can sit outside without their little beaks freezing off.

Christmas is in the air

Our cozy bunglow

Watching it snow out the window

A nice warm fire

Time to dig out the Jeep

Carivintas Winery in Solvang

Frank plays a few songs

The wine tasting counter begins to fill up

He'll be back on January 6th

December 27th - Getting Gigs - Solvang, California -
Mixed in with the quaint shops, restaurants and windmills of the Santa Ynez Valley, sit a few tasting rooms that represent the various vineyards and wineries that spot the hills and the mountains around. Each one of these tasting rooms is full of character, charm and ambiance. The last couple days Frank and I have visited a few and talked to the proprietors about playing music in the evenings for their clientele. Each location we stopped in seemed to be very receptive. One in particular seemed to mesh with Frank, the guitar and the owners, in fact so well, that he began to play just minutes after arriving for the afternoon crowd that had gathered. Carivintas Winery, located at 476 First Street, in the heart of Solvang is not only wine and guitar friendly, but pet friendly. The owners donate a percentage of their profits to various charities which help abandoned and abused dogs, cats and horses. Each of their labels reflect a photo or a painting of the dogs that they have helped save or adopt out into loving families, including one line of wine titled Vicktory. In fact dogs are welcome to come into the tasting room with their owners and enjoy a drink of water and a doggie biscuit, which unfortunately means Cody will have to stay home on Wednesday, January 6th, when Frank will return to Carivintas to play that evening, starting around 4:30. The doors of Carivintas are just steps from the Farmer's Market in town, so if your anywhere near us, we would love for you to stop by. The bigger the crowd the better, since Frank is quickly getting over his shyness of playing in public. Hope to see you there.