Lone Star Rally

Could not have asked for better weather this weekend, high was 75° without a cloud in the sky. I was not able to make it to the rally Friday night due to a sick baby. Kim and I made it there around noon on Sat. A friend invited us to stay with them in a house they had for the weekend along with another friend of ours.

Kim and our friends.

Friday night, fairly large crowd, I am unsure how many were there. Texas does NOT have a noise pollution law, but the cop’s were handing out tickets if you revved the engines without warning. A sheriff in full dress came down the strand revving his engine as loud as he could; Galveston police pulled him over then let him go without a ticket. The crowed started chanting “BULL SHIT” with the help from my friends. 10 minutes later they quit handing out tickets and left. This was relayed to me by my friends.

Sat, Traffic was a hell to get there, but like I said the weather was great so who cares I was on two wheels. Crowd was est. around 250k by promoter and 100k by police. All I know was there was a ton of pep’s. Police handed out 2 tickets again for revving engine. I asked them what the tickets were for and they said “revving the engine excites the crowd and then they will lose control”. The parade started at dusk and was around 250 participants dressed in Halloween costumes.

Only 2 accidents were reported. A couple had to be flown by helicopter to the hospital, this shut down the freeway entering Galveston for two hours. The other was along the seawall and he sustained minor injuries and was treated and released on the spot. No known fatalities.

This is a family event and the police will hand out tickets for exposure. I saw very little women exposing themselves. Over all the rally was good, not sure if I will return next year, you could really since the city didn’t want us there. They did however grant the permit through 2010, but want to get bids from other promoters (so they can make more money).

Please help

Here is a letter I received from a friend. I have helped him with this for 2yrs and will continue as long as we have troops in harm’s way. Please take a few minutes to read and then write a Thank you letter. You can post it on my Blogg and I will pass it on.

100% of all money goes to supplies or for shipping cost. The first year I helped by making cookies from scratch, with the help from my family and my daughters friend. We started on Friday and didn't finish until Sunday.

Here some of the pictures.

If you can cash is always good but we still need LOTS of Letters.

Thank you
Cameraman


Greetings fellow Americans!

Wow, Christmas time is just around the corner. Time for all the hustle and bustle that the holiday season has to offer. This also means time for "Adopt A Troop For Christmas". This will be our 4th year of having the awesome privilege of spreading a little Christmas cheer to our troops. The shopping, the fun, the traffic, the vacations, the road trips, the food we devour, the time we spend with our family and friends…we all take these things for granted. These little things that our military sacrifice to serve you, I, and our wonderful country. Sending these Christmas packages in no way can say 'Thanks' enough for what our soldiers do for us. It does however, let them know that there are people here at home in the great United States of America that care about them and appreciate their service and sacrifice! Last year was our biggest year ever, we adopted 164 troops, and people like you donated over $7,000.00 in cash and goodies. With your help we can have just as much success in 2009 as in the years past. We will be sending stockings full of goodies, snacks, candy, puzzle books, "Letters From Home", and several other items. "What can I do to help?" you ask, you can make cash donations, shop for goodies, send emails for the "Letters From Home" packs, make Christmas cards, etc. The goal for the "Letters From Home" is 125 letters this year; it would be nice to have a letter from someone in every state. We will be taking up donations up until Monday, November 23rd. We will be sending the care packages to the soldiers the first week of December. If you have a soldier fighting for our country in a war zone, or know someone who does, please forward their name and a way of contacting them to me. We need to get this information as soon as we can so we can get a count of how many soldiers we will be adopting this year. If you take up a collection at work, church, etc., then please make a list of names of all that donate so I can make a list of Santa's little helpers to send with the letters from home.

Here's a letter we received last year from one of the soldiers…

Dear Friends
I am SGT N. and am currently deployed to Iraq. I am one of the privileged soldiers that received one of your blessings. I recently returned from leave and was very down that I wouldn't be able to spend the holidays with my loved ones. This is my second deployment and my second time spending the holidays away from them. As I returned to my quarters from duty I was thinking of the holidays and again it brought me sadness that I would be here instead of with my family, as I entered my room I saw the gifts on my bed. I immediately opened it and ate the candy, I was very hungry. While eating the candy I read the letters that came along with everything. Your letters and blessings have given me the best spirits for this holiday season. Reading your thoughts of us was enough blessings for me and everything else was just a plus. It is people like you that give us the pride to fight alongside each other every day knowing that we are in all your hearts. Ladies and gentlemen, children and families, words cannot explain how thankful I am for the things you have sent and said in your letters. You are why I am proud to be an American and why I will continue to fight for what we stand for. Myself and my brothers here will sleep easy knowing that we are loved by and supported by all of you. Again thank you for your kindness. We will always owe you for the love you have shown us. God Bless and Happy Holidays.
SGT N.

Please help us get the word out by sending this email to everyone you know. If this Sergeant was the only soldier we touched, it would have been worth it! We also need your help reaching our goal by you sending your "Letter From Home" for the troops. If you have any questions, would like to help, or know a soldier; please contact me by email adoptatroop@hotmail.com or by phone 832-289-1576.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide in making "Adopt A Troop For Christmas – 2009" a huge success!
Coy Sitman

The hardest thing I have ever done!!!

I did it, it was painful (mentally), unpleasant, nerve racking, uncomfortable and I am forever changed. They said if I didn’t show up it would cost me $50. Well that didn’t sound too bad, hell I would have been willing to pay a hell of a lot more to not show up. The whole week just flew by, until Friday morning, and then it just seemed to stop. No time actually stopped Thursday night while I was shaving. I couldn’t sleep all night knowing what was about to happen. The twenty minute ride seemed to take 4hrs. Checked in sat, down and not a second later got called in (never happens right). The nurse checked me in and then I had to wait again for what seemed like hours for the Doc.


The shot was the worst part… Guys did you know that your balls are actually connected to your throat. Yes I got a Vasectomy. It was hard and I almost didn’t show and came close to leaving while waiting for the Doc., but I did it.


I always said I would never, but after our little surprise (that is now 7 months). I figured I needed to take matters into my own hands. Don’t get me wrong I love baby Opps and can’t imagine life without her. I would love to have a bunch of kids; it’s just that we can hardly afford daycare right now. The only way that I was able to afford my bike is because I got rid of daycare a few years back. And of course now we are struggling again because of daycare.


If you ever get put in the position to have this done to you…… Just say NO!!!!

Harley-Davidson 2010 Motorcycle Mosaic

Well it's official- I made the Harley-Davidson 2010 Motorcycle Mosaic. WHOOHOO

I picture is hard to see, it was a ride we did this winter. We are at Washington on the Brazos.


Hello –

Thank you for submitting your photo to be included in our 2010 Motorcycle Catalog* and Online Photo Mosaic.

You are receiving this e-mail because your photo has been included in the Online Photo Mosaic.

To access the Online Photo Mosaic visit: http://www.h-d.com/mosaic.

You can locate photos by entering the e-mail address associated with your submission (the address at which you received this e-mail), or by entering/clicking the following photo code(s):

jeff28

Catalogs will be available at Harley-Davidson dealers starting on July 29th. Visit your local dealer to get a copy before they’re gone! While you’re there, check out the new 2010 models; 34 new metal masterpieces, including nine models all new for this year.

See you on the road,
Harley-Davidson


* Please note that the location of your photo in the online mosaic and the cover of the printed catalog are not identical. Harley-Davidson apologizes for any photo that may have been omitted from the print version of the 2010 Motorcycle Catalog due to printing or production processes needed to create the cover.

Almost time

We are heading out to San Antonio tonight to visit my mother in law. She has yet to see baby Brooke. We’ll spend the night there and do some shopping (Yea lots of fun for me). Then that evening we’ll head back home, swing by and pick-up one of my daughters’ friends. Then we head out in the morning about 6:00am for Panama City, Fl. If of course I can get everyone up.

In Lafayette, La. we’ll have to stop at the only Harley store that’s open on Sunday all the way to Florida. Grab a T-shirt or two and keep on cruising. I don’t have any plans once we get o Fl. Guess we will just get some much needed R&R. Money will only allow a four night stay and we will be back home on Thursday night.

Have a good week I know I will!!!!!

Quote of the day:

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.

Republic Of Texas Rally (ROT)

Where do I begin? This was to be my first BIG rally. I have been planning this since last year’s rally. The pep’s I ride with have been going for 10+ yrs and tell me all about it. So last year I decided I was going no matter what. The plans changes so much I couldn’t keep track. From only having one friend go with me and splitting a room, to my wife going then not going to no one going but me. Finally the last week everything came together and I rode my bike with 1 other couple to the rally on Friday morning. Flash followed us in our car, the doc said not to ride. There was no stopping her, not 1 week out of surgery and she was ready to go. Once we got there she parked the car and road with me.

The ride there was uneventful; we saw more bikes heading away from Austin then going. Kinda strange. We got checked into the Hotel after making one wrong turn that took us 5 mile out of way. Then we headed straight to the rally. The lines were short when checking in. So I was starting to think that it wasn’t going to be a good rally.

We strolled around the grounds and visited a lot of venders. Watched midget wrestling it was boring so we left to get something to eat and shower. This rally should be called Hotter than Hell. Once everyone was ready we headed back to the fairgrounds for the night time activities. I had purchased a new camera and had an itchy finger. A lot of the bikers ride in a parade to downtown Austin then party on Sixth Street. We decided not to ride in the parade because of all the stop and go (mostly stopping) and the heat not so good on the bikes.
One of our pre-trip preparations was to freeze a case of bottle water then load some beer. Thinking the water would keep the beer cold and if anyone wanted water they could grab a bottle let it sit for five minutes and have some ice cold water. No problem there except it was so blazing hot I never drank a beer and ran out of water. WTF.

I also had purchased a new Canon Rebel EOS XS. This is a good camera, some high lights are 10.1megapixels these are true megapixels not your standard $150.00 cameras are rated at, 3.0 fps continuous shooting and burst rate up to 514 Large JPEGs (until memory card is full) my favorite feature, 18-55mm detachable zoom lens. I had some problems with the built on flash on Friday night, basically it couldn’t keep up with the 3 fps. So on Saturday morning I could be found at the nearest Best Buy purchasing a add-on flash. This truly worked out prefect for Sat. night.

I don’t know if I can post the pictures here or not so I posted them at

http://www.flickr.com/.

Stop by and take a look, if you like that sort of stuff. Lol. You will have to ask to be friends and turn safe search off. Flickr is free. Did I mention I got 2000+ pictures!!!!!! Enjoy!!!!

I have also upgraded my camera to the Canon T1i basically it is the same camera with 15.1megapixels. Just wating for the next rally.

Fredericksburg Anniversary

This one will be a little hard to write because I waited so long, but I promised.

What a difference one year makes, our little embroidery business is doing pretty good, we welcomed our third baby into the world (baby opps, 4 months old last week), our eldest daughter became a teenager, lots of new friends, 1st Harley, three rallies and 10,000 miles later. I loved every minute of it.

So this will be our second anniversary trip on our Harley and 21yrs total. I decided to take Flash to Fredericksburg, Tx. It is a small German town with tons of shops, wine, German beer and fresh fruits. We arranged for our eldest daughter BFF’s mom to stay at our house and watch our three kids along with her three kids. She had a full house.

We had a very nice and relaxing ride there. Left out at 7am and arrived around 1pm. We stopped few times to rest and eat breakfast and lunch. As we were checking in to the hotel I noticed a couple of antique cars. I am not into old cars and couldn’t tell you how old or what model they were, though they looked cool. I meet a gentleman cleaning his car and he told me they had a car show in town that morning and 95% of the cars would be at our hotel later that day. Flash and I finished checking in and relaxed in the room for a few hours and when we got up and looked outside the parking lot was full of antique cars. So armed with my new Canon Rebel XS camera I started snapping pictures. Here are a few of my favorite.

Flash posing for me.








You can see all the pictures here.


Next we went to look at a few shops and eat dinner. We ate at The Brew House. We ate at Fredericksburg Brewing Company. The beer and food was good and we will dine there again next time we visit. Saturday we shopped and hit a few of the wineries for samples. I wanted to get some pictures of the Lavender fields but was not able to.

The Texas hill country has some real good riding and we did manage to find a few off the beaten path roads to ride and had a wonderful time. Stopped at a little shop and had some of the best homemade peach cobbler and ice cream. Then we headed off to find the oldest peach stand in Texas.



Das Peach Haus, Fischer & Wieser's original store, is claimed as Texas' Oldest Peach Stand. This old Fashioned Country Store has seasonal fresh produce, Fischer & Wieser's famous jams, jellies, sauces & custom gift baskets. Come by to sample fresh homemade cookies & cobblers. Yes more cobbler and fresh peaches!!!!!

Most of the day Saturday the Harley was stalling out at stops and just not running right, It seemed to do better after I filled up and let it cool off. Sunday on the trip home it stalled at the 1st 5 or so stops and seems to be fine now. I did have it checked out at my dealer and of course was unable to find anything wrong. Though they finally decided to tell me I need a new rear tire. I told them to take that tire and shove it because I had just had the bike in for my 10,000 mile service the week before and want a pre-trip inspection. I already knew I need a tire as well as rear brakes (that they have yet to inform me of) and they should have told me before the trip. I would have let them replace brakes and tires if they had told me prior to the trip. Now I will replace the brakes myself and have a much cheaper tire shop replace the rear tire.

If anyone has any idea's for next year I'm listening.

Feeling like a dumb ass

I usually ride my bike to work, but haven’t been able to for the last two weeks. Momma had some ummm elective surgery and is not able to lift our 4 month old baby girl for a few more weeks.

Gifs at Giftube.com

Disclaimer: It was her choice not mine. I never encouraged or discouraged her until she made up her mind.

So I have been dropping of Brooke every morning and picking her back up in the afternoon. I don’t mind and I’m glad to help. The daycare is 25min in the wrong direction, but it puts me close to a freeway and only takes me 30min after I drop her off to get to work. So I really only leave 30min early and of course it only takes me 30min longer to get home. Being the smart one I am and knowing Million Mile Monday is upon us, or so I thought. I decide to drop Brooke of at daycare yesterday and then head back home and grab my bike so I can log some miles and of course that means doing the reverse after work. That added an extra 30min to the ride both ways and means I had to leave 1hr early. I come into work this morning ready to log my miles on the HOG website only to find out I’m a week early. Such a dumb ass!!!

Well I guess I’ll be ready for next week.

WELCOME HOME

I have 2 other post that I am working on, but I have to give a shout out to my nephew.

Tony Welcome Home. We have missed you very much.

You left here a spoiled little punk kid and joined the Marine's, four short years later you came back a man. I told you at the time it would happen and you didn't believe me. You have grown in so many ways. I think the biggest change I have noticed is we can actually sit down and have a conversation. I can't even begin to tell you how proud we are of you. You have done what few have had the courage to do and many take for grant including our Commander and Chief.
We love you buddy!!

The two posts I am currently working on.
Fredericksburg ride from a couple weeks ago.
ROT Rally 2009 last weekend.

This really puts it in perspective

Limbaugh Nailed This One





Love him or loathe him, he nailed this one right on the head..........
By Rush Limbaugh:
I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can't let the numbers pass by
because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of
this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're
going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of
$250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.?
If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action,
the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable.



Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get
$833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a
screeching halt.



Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining
that it's not enough.?Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.?
Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers. (Actually, soldiers are put in harms way by politicians and commanding
officers.)



We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have
started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families
are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the
embassies are now asking for compensation as well.



You see where e this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to
nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing? Make sense?



However, our own US Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an
E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who
placed them in harm's way receives a pension of $15,000 per month.


I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks` before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.



"When do we finally do something about this?" If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can.



How many people

CAN YOU
send this to?



****************************
How many`
WILL YOU ?

Strange day

I was riding to work today taking my normal route and some jerk-off kept tailgating me. Hit my brakes a few times but that didn’t stop him, so when we came to a stop and traffic started to move again and he kept inching up on me I just turned around and gave him the death stare. Nuff said. He stayed way back after that.
Came to my left turn and some lady decides she wants to make a left turn as well only she did this last minute and with no blinker, then at the light I see she is reading, no wonder. We make the left and both of us happen to turn right into the same store for breakfast, of course she doesn’t use her blinker again. Glad she left before me!!

As I am backing out of my spot a SUV comes flying by and swerves around me. Damn parking lot cutters, I really hate it when they use parking lots as a short cut. This guy finally pissed me off. Maybe I should pull up beside him/her and say something. Good idea. Long way to the next light and I still can’t get him off my mind.

What the HELL!! What was that noise. Sh!t my keys just fell out of my pocket. Cages too close for to me to stop. Now I have to make a U’e and head back, wait for a break in the traffic and make another U’e and look for my keys. AHH there they are good shoulder to pull over and stop. Wait for more traffic, run out grab the keys. Ok now I’m done looking like dumbass. Hope I can finish this 11 mile ride to work in one piece!

Hop back on the bike get ready to take off and then I notice the sun coming over the tops off the trees its 74° and just a beautiful morning. What the hell was I getting so worked up about anyway? Relax, reflect and just enjoy the rest of the ride.

Today is going to be a great day.

It's time once again

It is time once again to plan my anniversary weekend ride. This will be 21yrs of marriage and our second on the Harley. You can read about our first long distance ride and the 9 month surprise here. This year we are going a little further, going to head up to Frederickburg for a 3 day weekend. There are lots of shops and wineries to visit as well as great roads to ride. I have already booked a stay in a B&B. We are very excited about this much needed trip. I hope to have lots of pictures to share.


ROT rally is coming soon. We will be home for one weekend then have to turn around and leave again. I hate having to drop the kids off and not bring them, very rarely have we done this in the past. With the exception of last year we have never gotten away without the kids for the weekend since my baby girl was born 13yrs ago. I guess the older I get I just need that little bit of me time, err us time.

No riding this weekend, we have to help my parents move. I hate that they have to move. Though they needed to for a long time and finally bit the bullet. They will be moving in with my sis until they can get their feet back on the ground. If things turn out the way we hope, they shouldn't be there for more than two yrs. Our embroidery business is starting to show signs of taking off so this can only help.

God bless and good speed,
El Hefe

His and Her Diary

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to
meet at a bar to have a drink. I was shopping with my friends all day
long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but
he made no comment on it.

Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere
quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much. I asked him
what was wrong; he said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was my fault
that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do
with me, and not to worry about it.



On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled lightly, and
kept driving. I can't explain his behavior I don't know why he didn't
say, 'I love you, too.' When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him
completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore.
He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem
distant and absent.
Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed.
About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. To my surprise, he responded
to my caress, and we made love. But I still felt that he was
distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep I
cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are
with someone else. My life is a disaster.


HIS DIARY:

Harley wouldn't start today can't figure it out, but at least I
got laid.

New Seat Belt Law

This law becomes effective JAN 1, 2009, in ALL states.


The National Highway Safety Council has done extensive testing on a newly designed seat belt. Results show that accidents can be reduced by as much as 45% when the belt is properly installed.

Correct installation is illustrated below.......

Please pass on to family and friends.

THIS MAY HELP SAVE A LIFE!

My Buddy

I was not planning on riding this weekend, because I had a lot of work and projects to do. We had to buy a need dishwasher our old one broke about a two months ago. I had ordered one at the end of December with Kim’s Christmas bonus (there went my new pipes) and it was finally ready for pickup this Saturday. 4 1/2hrs and 3 trips to the store I finally got it installed. Project one done on to my second project. I seems when our dishwasher quit working the water would not drain, well into the drain line, it however fine somewhere else to drain (leak). I have a row of tile that has come up and it needed to be fixed. After purchasing cement and grout and a tile cutter, yes a tile cutter not just any tile cutter mind you but a wet saw. Why you might ask because the only tile out 15 that needed to be replaced because it cracked was the one that has to cut and not just any cut but a corner cut. I have never done any work like this before so...I put if off for the next weekend. This then left me with some embroidery work. Ok before anyone laughs. I own a custom embroidery business and an industrial embroidery machine I don't embroidery by hand. I didn't like the way the design was sewing and decided I was spent for the day. I grabbed my boots and headed for the door and my little buddy said "daddy where are you going?”. I told him for a little ride and with that he took off to grab his gloves (like daddies) and a jacket and we were off. No were to go just going. We rode for about an hour when I come to a stop and said he wanted to go home. I would have like to ride longer but I knew when he stopped putting his arms out to the sides like he was flying time was up and had already started heading home. We made it home safe and sound and I could not have asked for a better ride.

God bless,
JTundra

It's been awhile

Well a lot has happened since my late post. The most exciting and scary news is that we are having a baby girl. She is due on March 14, 2009 her name will be Brooke Elisabeth. I thought we were done having kids, but apparently God has other plans for us. Kim turns the big 40 tomorrow and miserable pregnant. We are going to the Doc. office on Thursday to talk about inducing early. Kim is ratter small and our last delivery 7yrs ago was hard on her. The Doc had to break the collar bone because his shoulders were stuck and they don't want to have to go through this again.

The Galveston Rally was good even with the low turnout. I have lot of pictures posted at Flickr.com.

Got to go for now but I promise to post again real so.