Yeah, that was me being chivalarous

Yesterday Tina wanted some pizza from Sauce so she called it in and I went and picked it up. As an aside, Sauce is a Fox Restaurant Concept's restaurant, very good. And they have one in Denver. We'll have to check it out!

Anyway, I'm walking out of the place carrying four pizza boxes and a bag with two salads, so yeah, my hands are totally full. I get to the door and I'm trying to push it open with my arm and not drop anything - and these two 20 something (young) girls walk up towards the door. "Cool", I think, "they'll probably hold it open for me." But no, they just kind of stand there and I open it with my arm and then slowly spin around as I'm walking into it, holding it with my back so it doesn't slam against me and knock the pizza to the ground; at which point the girls totally misread the situation and seeing the door open with me apparently "holding" it for *them*, say, "Oh wow, thanks" and whisk into the restaurant; leaving me still balancing the pizza and trying to know it down. I just look after them...

Sure no problem - glad I could be of assistance. :-S LOL

Heading Home

Heading back home today. Guess we can't stay here playing with the Pea, swimming and just generally hanging out, forever. :( - It was a good trip. He is starting to move from new born into baby mode; actually lying around with his eyes open for some amount of time. But work and life call - so we'll be heading home this morning.

I am truly blessed. It was great to be able to come down here on a moment's notice. I actually put in about 24 hours of work this week - which is a blessing too. The ability to be able to work remotely and stay in touch. No email or irc logs to catch up on when I get home. Not *quite* as effective as being in the office - but was still able to get some good stuff done.

So anyway - all in all a good trip; other than I miss riding the bike.

Firsts...

So the Pea and I are watching the National Collegiate Paintball Championship semi-finals... because hey, his Dad is totally into sports, and I'm an ex paintball competitor (yes... I have a few trophies to prove it), so who knows. Anyway, we are watching the championships. Well mostly he is sleeping, but once in a while he wakes up.

I'm a little sweaty, because even with air conditioning its a bit warm here and I have this 6 lbs of warm snuggly human all curled up against me. He is mostly laying on my hip, but he starts waking up so I move him up to my chest. He makes a few squeaks, we watch about another 20 minutes of paintball (he wanted Penn State to win - go Big 10! - and they did), and then he starts looking awake enough that I should go find mom.

So I take him into his room and put him on his "tummy time" mat and he starts practicing paintball moves. Well ok, so he mostly just lays on his back and squiggles around - but hey, that's important in paintball. So I'm laying there starting to cool off, now that he is no longer attached to my body; when I notice that most of my shirt is cooling off except for one spot that feels a little sweating now. So I look down...

OK Pea... you don't have to live up to your name. Yup, a nice wet round circle about 4 inches across in the center of my shirt. I guess all that squealing wasn't just waking up. :O

Well I'm sure it won't be the last time. ;)

Pea Baby - more pics

Here is a link to a photo album that contains pics of the first few days of the Pea's life.

---

Update:

Looking back through the entries, I don't see one announcing PeaBaby's birth. Hmm... in all the commotion I guess I forgot to do that.

Born: 12-Jul-2007, 04:52
Weight: 6lbs, 0.7oz
Length: 19 inches

What a cutie!

At least it was Diet

Not feeling well - slowing looking through code trying to figure out what is wrong with something - waiting for a 3:00 meeting so I can go home and get some sleep. Also absentmindedly sipping on a 32 oz cup of Diet Mt Dew with one hand while slowly scrolling through the code with the other hand.

WHOOSH - the sound of the cup falling out of my hand, hitting my lap, spraying the keyboard with pop and flooding my lap/chair.

The silver lining from a helpful co-worker. "Hey, at least you drink diet so its probably not as sticky." Yeah... a ray of sun-shine. ;)

Byron's Hot Dog Haus

When Tif was 17, we went on a mission trip with Pastor Mark to Chicago. While there we ate at Byron's Hot Dog Haus. Pastor Mark is out there now, and called me and I googled it, found it, and gave them directions (while they were looking at a map) so they could find it. So - they'll be eating a Chicago Dog there today. Very cool. :)

Byron's Hot Dog Haus
1017 W Irving Park Rd

Take the LSD north past Lincoln Park, turn West on Irving and its about 4 blocks down. If you hit two cemetaries, you've gone too far. On the corner of Irving and Sheridan. Sheridan is also one of the side streets for Wrigley, so its about 4 blocks north of there.

If I ever get back to Chicago, I *have* to eat there!

Technology is cool. :)

Love ya Pastor Mark. Hope the dogs are still as good as when we were there!

volcano cake

During the rally last week we were eating dinner with some friends in a nice place. Food and service was good and pretty fast. Then we asked for dessert. The Chocolate Volcano Cake looked pretty good. Something about flour-less cake, chocolate, ganache in the center, raspberry drizzle, etc. Yum.

We waited about 20 minutes.

"Do you know when our dessert will be here?"
"I'll check"... "We're very sorry, apparently the cook is having some issues. It should be out any minute now."

This went on for a while. Finally after about 40 minutes we said we're done, we're out of here, never mind. So they comped the appetizers and salad. The waiter told us:

"There is some process you have to go through to make a volcano cake and the cook has already blown up 6 of them trying to get it right."

Wow... who knew. Volcano cakes really erupt! :)

Watching your kids grow up

Watching your kids grow up is a bit sad, but exciting as well.

Jaime was home last night when I got home. We'd been away at the rally since last Sunday, and when we got home on Friday she was heading out of town to go to church camp. She is one of the youth leaders. When I got home last night she was there.

It was really good to see her and she talked about all kinds of camp things. The worship, the kids, the food, etc. Brings back lots of memories.

All the kids calling her "Miss Jaime". Kind of weirds her out - she is trying on this whole new "adult" thing. And people that she grew up with as leaders/adults (like Miss Janie) who know include her as one of the adults and talk to her that way. And a teen girl guessing her age... "30 maybe?" WHAT! "Ok... so I'm terrible with guessing ages." Jaime kept ribbing her all weekend. And the kids leaving her cards, "You are such a great leader", "We had so much fun in your cabin, you are awesome", etc.

Its with pride I watch my little girl grow up... its also with a bit of sadness. She's going to be gone before I know it - but I'm going to enjoy all the time left while she is here.

And then there is PeaBaby to spoil too. Life rolls on.

Ride Hard or Stay Home

Its 5:05 and I've been up catching up on work for the last 15 minutes. We are staying at the Great Divide Lodge in Breckenridge - and our window looks out over the valley. Its still dark out, but I've been hearing bikes leave since I got up.

Some folks have a long way to go - so are leaving before the crack of dawn to make it in one day. For others - it just hasn't been enough of a trip yet. JR, his friend and their wives, are from St. Joe MO. They rode out in 1 1/2 days - did the rally and are heading to Durango today. Then down to Four Corners and Mesa Verde. Then its on to Albuquerque and then heading east home.

Also met two women who are heading back to Dallas - then is off to the Posse Ride (ride to Delaware to start the ride, then 18 days to Portland OR, then home), home for a few days then on to Tenn/NC for another rally.

Live to Ride, Ride to Live...

Its a brotherhood

Tonight was a dinner and the "Rider's Meeting".

Cool stuff. Basically HD does a really good job of combining with HOG and making you feel like "part of the family". The company is into "riding with the customers". So lots of reps on the ride. People from HD put the event on, etc. A National "Road Rally" like this is very cool. Its not the "stay in one place and party" type of rally as much as a "lets go ride" type of rally. Not guide, but "Here is where we are stopping and here is a general direction - but do what you want." For instance, being a ride leader for a small group and from here - we've decided to go off map a bit and take some better roads (to suite our needs) and take a few side trips (to see some cool stuff). And that is all encourage. So cool.

But the whole "family" thing was very cool too. They went through the crowd (1045 people) and found

• youngest - 10 (and there was an 11 and 12 year old too)
  
• oldest - 79 and there were quite a few over 65 as well.
  
• representation - Australia, Mexico, Canada, 45 states and DC.
  

There was someone who had been on the very first HOG road rally - 15 years ago - which was in CO. Yup, CO was one of the stops on the first road rally ever.

Really makes me want to do some of the other rides.

Other interesting things:

• How many people 35 or under... probably 20 or so. Yeah - most are our age or older
  
• How many first time road rally - over 1/2.
  

Big plans for next year... HD 105 year anniversary and HOG 25. Big party in Milwaukee... Ted and Christie - our new friends, really want to go. If Tina can get the time off, it would be a blast. And its *so* close to MI. We could take the ferry across the lake and go see Pat and Ward. Big Trip, Big Celebration, Part of the family. Its cool.

New nickname

Ok... so we met some cool folks and have gone out to eat with them, done some riding around, and now I'm going to be the lead rider for our group, since I know most of the areas and they are all from out of state and basically flat-landers.

And Ted is quite like Tina in many ways, and now I have a new nickname "Skunk".

Yes... I ran over a skunk with the bike. I'm fairly certain it was already dead, cuz it didn't move, but it wasn't dead for too long, judging by the smell and the sound of crunching bones.

To go back... Today was a great day. Got up at 5:30 - did a bit of work, took a shower, and then was on the road by 7:00 heading for Wyoming to get a 'W' for ABCs. Then coming back I took a few small roads to pick up a 'N'unn. Oh, also got 'W'eld County. So 3 letters (1 state, 1 county, 1 city). Driving across the plains, cool temps, bright sun, great ride. Hit a small stretch where the road has shaded by trees on both sides and pretty dark. As my eyes got accustomed to the light, I spotted something in the road and tried to swerve a little (not too much, no use dumping the bike) and "crunch, crackle, pop,".... stink.

Got back to the room... maybe its not the bike, maybe I can just still smell it. Tina, "What is that smell!" Hmm... "You need to go wash the bike." I go out and take another look... yeah, blood, tuffs of hair - off to the car wash.

I got most of it off, and by the end of the day it was fine - but everyone had a big laugh and now call me Skunk and "You should put a skunk tail on the back of the bike", etc.

Its all part of the adventure.

Sweet

You can now renew your license plates online, at least in about 5 of the counties in CO. Painless and only takes a few minutes. Did cost $5.03 for a processing fee. Is it worth it or that much easier than just writing a check?

Well... probably not for some folks - but I hate writing checks and mailing them, for some reason; so I procrastinate. If its payable on the web, I'm all over it. So yeah, for me, its worth it. :)

yeah, yeah, I know - license and registration

While at the Red River Rally, and buying patches, one that cracked me up was

Yeah, yeah, I know
License and Registration

But then I thought... Hey, I've *never* gotten a speeding ticket on the bike, so it wouldn't really fit... Must have been a prophetic moment and I guess I should have gotten it.

Coming home from Questa, NM towards San Luis, CO - its just a pretty straight flat, 65MPH road. Most everyone on it was doing 70 to 75, and I was staying with the flow... but then I got behind a car and trailer (and I hate being behind stuff on the bike, makes it harder to see, etc.), so I figured "I'll just go around him then slow back down" - of course going around him required me to hit, apparently, 83MPH, because the white SUV that came toward me right as I pulled back in happened to be a Sheriff and she hit her lights. Busted.

I just pulled over right away, no use making her follow me for a while. Tina said, "Do you think the lights were for us?" - "Yeah."

So I pull over and get off the bike and she pulls up behind and starts walking towards me and is talking. A number of Harleys go by right then and I can't hear a word she is saying, so I start walking towards her, pointing to me ear. Behind me Tina says "JAMES!" and I stop, turn around and then look back at the officer to notice she is putting her hand up in front of her in a "Don't come any closer" motion.

Hmm... a couple of bikers. Me over 6 ft, 220+, dressed in leathers, bandana on my head and a scowling wolf snarl dust cover across my face. Yeah... maybe not a good idea to get in her personal space...

I pull off the cover, pull my glasses up and "Yeah yeah, license and registration". I get in the back of the bike, thinking all the time, "Man, I hope I have all the current stuff in here." and I do. Phew. She takes it all and says "Stay off the bike and don't get into any of the compartments." Yeah, I guess you never know and pulling over someone who apparently looks a little intimidating out in the middle of no where - I stayed away from the bike just to put her mind at ease.

She was all business about the whole thing until I signed everything and she was headed back to her vehicle:

Tina: Wow, that was *really exciting*. I haven't had a speeding ticket since I was 18.
Cop: Turns and grins Well maybe you should speed more often!
Tina: Throwing her thumb over her shoulder and pointing at me, Nah, *he* takes care of that for me.

And it ended with a "Ride safe, slow down and have a good day out there." and us saying "You have a good day too."

BTW: For those keeping track, last ticket was Oct 2005. I just can't make it the 3 years without one... New date for getting points off my license and insurance, Memorial Day - 2010. :(

Anyway - guess maybe I should have gotten the sticker... or yeah... or slowed down! :)

diver bomber

We always have birds that create nests in the bushes in the front yard. Usually it is one out by the sidewalk and mailbox, but as the bushes in front of the house get bigger, the birds are starting to nest there too.

Saturday I was mowing, and the mother actually started dive bombing me! This usually doesn't bother me too much, as they just kind of swoop once or twice and sit in the tree and yell. I get it. Just trying to protect the nest.

But Saturday this female really took it to extremes. She was dive bombing me over and over. One time she brushed my arm as she went by, and then another time I heard her coming (kind of a buzzing noise) and flew close enough I could feel the wind as she went by.

Sunday as I was washing the bike, she was on the garage roof yelling at me again, and dive bombed me a few times. Apparently she has decided that I am "the dreaded enemy" and must be constantly harassed, no matter where I am in the front yard, even if it isn't close to her nest. Tina just laughs and me and says "She doesn't understand: 'That's enough now!' or 'KNOCK IT OFF'". I thought about splashing her with the hose, but I get she is just being protective.

Although after Tina moved Jaime's car this morning, which requires walking up the driveway, she did say "That bird has GOT to go" and "If you go outside make sure and wear your helmet."

Should be interesting to see how things progress.

Cosmo

My Uncle Danny (Cosmo) just sent out mail that he has a myspace site set up. He didn't include the direct link, but I found it here. Its got four songs he has done on it, which is very cool. Ticket to Ride is a cover by Chocolate Hare - which is very cool that was my uncle's group at the same time we were touring so we got to know all the guys pretty well. Gilbert who is playing organ on the song was in our band for about a year after Chocolate Hare broke up, which was a blast.

Anyway - check Cosmo out!

Math - its a cool thing

One more thought...

Helped Jaimer with her ACT math practice tests. Yeah - its been a long time. I don't remember how to do things like quadratic equations and other things - but I'm still good at graphing (which she was having a problem with). For the most part, I might not be able to quickly figure out the right answer... but given a problem and a multiple choice set of answers - I can usually figure out which one makes sense. So we spent time going through all the problems she missed, and when all was said and done, I showed her how to get the right answer on many of them.

I thought it was fun and why I like math so much. One answer makes sense and it is "easy" to see. "The graph kind of pops out in front of your face and you can see what a line represents", etc. She wasn't so thrilled with the concept as I was - but she got it much better than before, so that's good.

One of those nights

Lots going on at work - and we are in planning stages, not actually coding anything yet. So having big design discussions. Woke up at 1:15AM with all kinds of thoughts flowing around in my head. They'll just stick there and keep me away if I don't get them "on paper". So logged in and updating the wiki with new interface specifications and design thoughts. There... emptied the brain out for now. 3:10 AM - time to go back to bed for a few hours.

Night all...

Red River Rally - Sunday

Another good day. Road the Enchanted Circle "road rally". Won $10. :) Paid for the entry fee.

Bought a bit more stuff, talked to some folks, ate vendor food and local food and watched the bikes. Tomorrow's weather looks good. We aren't staying for the parade. Its been a great time - but time to get home and get ready for work and the week to come. So we are leaving early in the morning. Have a few good stories that I'll post later along with pics.

Just wanted to post we are having fun, its been a good time and we'll be heading home tomorrow. I imagine this will be the first of many Red River rallies.

First full day of the rally

Mostly what you would expect. Buy stuff, going on rides, listening to bands do covers of classic rock tunes. Doing a few jello shots... Yeah I know - but hey, you only live once and I've never done a jello shot before! Fun stuff. :)

A few observations:

• At least 90% (if not more) of the bikes are Harleys
  
• Probably 90% of the people are bikers. There are also some tourists that come up for the day to look around
  
• Just like bands, bikers apparently have groupies too
  
• They sell a lot of little kid stuff and "My grandma" or "My grandpa" - yeah, bikers are aging.
  
• There are some pretty harmless looking people - and there are some pretty scary looking people at bike rallies.
  

I'll have to post the conversation Tina had with the vendor from Bad Pig... but I've got to go get ready for todays ride. Should be fun... although maybe a bit wet.

There are kids at rallies

PeaBaby,

Those folks we road in with from Denver to the Red River Rally - they had a 10 year old girl with them. And I've seen a number of kids at the rally - some dressed in leathers. Not too many... but I figured I'd mention it anyway.

Maybe Red River won't be your first rally - but we'll have to take you somewhere! :)

Love ya,

PapaJames.

Trip to Red River

We had discussed going to Red River and had made hotel reservations in Taos - the closest hotel we could get. But then on Wed we were both feeling kind of sick and the weather wasn't looking too good - so we called and cancelled the room. Still have to pay for one day that we could use some time in the next 6 months - so we said that was fine.

Friday morning - sun is shinning, we both have the day off and the road is calling. We decide to go, so I call the Best Western in Red River - and they had one room free up for the full 3 days. Woo hoo.

We leave town at noon. Stop south of Pueblo at a Taco Bell to grab some food and decide to get gas. We see 8 other bikes. We gas up quick, pull up behind them and ask if they are going to RR. They are and say we are welcome to tag along. So we travel with them all the way to Cimarron. They traveled as a group pretty well (stagged, hand signals, etc.). Its always nice to travel in a group - just feels safer - like people can see you, etc.

Weather was looking wicked bad when we hit Walsenburg (towards the west), but they were heading south, so we stuck with them. We eat in Trinidad, then head to Raton. Hit rain, but not bad. Going south towards Cimarron it got worse and one bike stopped so we all pulled over. Just sitting in the cold rain/sleet, letting it pour down. Its all about the adventure! 10 minutes later it stopped and we broke off from them at Cimarron and headed up to Red River. *Beautiful* ride. Stopped to put on my leater jacket ('cuz I had rain gear on), as it was getting very ccld.

Pulled into town and there were bikes *everywhere*. All down the middle of the street and on both sides. Vendors everywhere.

Ate quail for dinner at Texas Rob's and called it a day. Of course... it is a rally - so folks blow-drying their hair at midnight and bikes up and down the road all night - but they, that's part of the deal.

Beautiful Saturday morning and we're off to find food, check out vendors and do some rides.

The pros and cons of getting older

Getting older is very cool because then you have grandkids. I cannot wait to come roaring down the street on Capt'n Jack and to have PeaBaby come bursting out his front door yelling "PapaJames PapaJames" - similar to how Jaime would welcome me home from work when she was little. I just cannot wait and I think about him all the time when I see little boys on the plane, in restaraunts, etc. Yeah... I obsess.

And its cool that I've worked my way up and have the money to do things like have Capt'n Jack and go on rallys, etc.

On the other hand... you start realizing you're not going to live forever. Little aches and pains and high blood pressure and the doctor worrying about your glucouse count, etc. make you realize that your body will eventually break down.

Its just one of those reflective mornings... Like Sis says - she can't imagine us not being close, as her dogs miss us terribly when we are gone - she can't imagine how PeaBaby is going to handle it. So I just can't imagine not being around for ever and seeing PeaBaby (and all the other babies) grow up and then seeing their kids and on and on. But you take the good (we can make some trips down there and its going to be so cool) with the bad (we can't live next door to them and follow them around the us) and make the best of it. But sometimes you still think "Wow - I'm getting older and I'm just not going to be able to do everything I want to do. But I'm so blessed, so quite whining and get to work." :) [Some times I have to snap myself out of it].

I am a blessed person and love my family so much.

Trip to DC

So - just a brief summary of the trip to DC... [As a side note - mostly if I don't blog something right after it happens - I don't blog it. But this was pretty cool so I figured I'd post something - more for myself than anyone else - so years from now I'll read it and be like, "Oh yeah - that was so fun!"]

Flew out Sunday - got to the hotel pretty late, but in time to watch the very end of Survivor. Terry and I are both fans so we decided to meet in the lobby after and go find food. We ended up with McDonalds, because apparently 10:15 PM in Sterling VA on a Sunday night is NOT a good time to find food - other than maybe a pub somewhere, and we weren't too up for that.

Monday was a blast - and exhausting. We basically spent the day driving/walking in circles and getting lost now and then - but having fun the whole time. Took the Metro from Falls Church. EVERYONE says "Don't drive in DC - take the Metro." I'm always like, "Yeah right" - but for once I decided to listen to people - including Terry who said, "I think we have to because I don't think we'll find anywhere to park". So now I'm one of those people who says - if you are going to DC from the outlying areas... "Don't drive in DC - take the Metro!". It is cheap - you can get an all day pass for $6.25 - as long as you start after 9:30 AM, and it goes most everywhere and once you get the hang of it, its really easy. Took a few exchanges to get the hang of it - but apparently most the staff is used to tourist. All I had to do was stare blankly around like I was lost and most anyone in a uniform (staff, security, some guy sweeping) would be like, "You want to go that way" and point... at which point I figured how could they possibly know that, since there are many possible destinations and I'd start to say "But I want to go to XXX" at which point they'd just nod and say "Yeah - that way". All in a not overly friendly manner, but also not rude. More like, "Yeah, yeah - another lost tourist - move along." It was fun.

Anyway - went downtown and spent the first 1/2 of the day around the mall. Saw the Vietname War Memorial - different that I had expected; the Lincoln Memorial - awesome - in the true sense of the word... inspiring awe. Very cool. The WWII memorial and Washington Memorial were cool as well. Went over to the WhiteHouse where the park service was doing a tour for some elementy school kids - 3rd grade maybe:

PS: "See this fence. Its kind of low. One time one kid bet another kid that he couldn't jump the fence and make it to that fountain... Do you think that was a good idea?"

Many little kids: "NNNnnnnoooooo"

PS: "Thats right. You can't see them right now, but there are men on the top of the Whitehouse that keep an eye on things. Do you know what they did when they saw him?"

One little boy: "They killed him?"

PS: trying to stifle a laugh "No... but they did come down and talk to him to find out what he was doing."

And so forth. Cool stuff. I saw the Whitehouse Christmas tree... which you can see from the Washington Memorial and I thought "Hey - that looks like it would make a cool Christmas Tree." And it is!

Anyway - much walking around, going to musemes, getting lost down by the riverfront and eating good food. Was a fun day - and yeah, you can't see it all in one day, even if you are booking along.

The rest of the time was spent working (met to discuss 4 different projects, with many teams and all of it was extremely productive - which was very cool) eating and sleeping. Ate Thai (of course), Sweetwater Tavern (good halibut special), Irish Pub (cornbeef and cabbage - with a carrot/parsnip mixture which was awesome). We discussed being "adventurous" and heading into DC for dinner on our last night but: a) we would have gotten there about 8:00 - which was cool with me but too late for many people, and b) what we could find looked pretty expensive - over the per diem for the day just for dinner. So we decided to do Thai fairly close - but far enough away that it was somewhere different (Reston) and we took two cars, and we both got lost on the way - so that was fun.

Yeah... since my internet connect was pretty hosed at the hotel (finally got it working the last morning) and so there wasn't much to do but watch TV - eating late and getting lost on the way there is just fun. I mean - what else is there to do? One way to see the area. :)

So all in all a good trip. I'll definately have to think about going out early or staying late next time as well - because it would be cool to go downtown again.

Freedom Memorial Ride 2007

Went up to the Freedom Memorial Ride 2007 yesterday. Turns out there wasn't much of an organized ride (not like most rides I've been too) - it was more like "Hey, come up and see us." But we went with 5 bikes from the Springs to Denver and came back with Robert, on Hwy 83. So it was a great trip, beautiful day for it, and it was a good cause. They hope to have it in place and the dedication next year, that would be cool.

Ate some vendor food and stuck around for the official ceremonies, part of which was mentioning the 52 people who have died in Afganhistan or Iraq in the latest war. Seth Staton's name was mentioned.

Having just returned from DC and having visited a number of memorials there, I think the idea of this memorial is a good thing.

Spanish Tapas

Ate at the Washington DC La Tasca while I was out there last week on business. Its a Spanish Tapas restaurant. Very cool food. I had the:

• Berenjenas fritas con queso cabrales,Fired eggplant with a cabrales cheese dip
  
• Selecion de embutidosA selection of Spanish cured meats
  
• Vieiras gratinadas, Scapplos sauted with garlic, onions and peppers.
  
• Gambas al Ajillo, Shrim sauteed in olive oil, garlic and "Guindilla" peppers.

I liked the eggplant the best, as it was different from anything I've had before. Sliced pretty thin and deepfried, almost like a chip. And the cheese dip was very good. But all of it was good and it was a nice atmosphere. It was Monday night and they had a special for $25 get 4 Tapas and 2 Sangrea. If you are in the DC/Maryland area, check it out.

Turns out there is a Tapas restaurant in Denver - the 9th Door. I'll have to check it out some time!

google humor

1. go to google
   
2. click on "maps"
   
3. click on "get directions"
   
4. type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box)
   
5. type "London" in the second box (the "to" box)
   
6. click on "Get Directions"
   
7. scroll down to step #23 (or so)
   

Some companies get a sense of humor. :)

What a cutie

Got home Mon night and was sitting on the couch watching TV and getting warm. Heard the garage door open and then Jaimer walked in.

"Hey... who is in *my* house! No one lives here except ME!"

What a cutie.

She didn't have to be to work till 11:30 yesterday, so we spent a good hour or more just catching up and talking about what is going on in her life. Her day with Miss Christie was awesome. She told us all about it, "Miss Wagner... Miss Wagner - can you come eat lunch with me?" "Miss Wagner - you are my bestest bestest friend."

She spent the day in kindergarden - and now she wants to go to college to be a teacher! Not a big surprise. She has always loved little kids and wanted to do *something* with them. And Miss Christie's class was so fun. We talked about college quite a bit. The good and the bad. How you'll love it - and hate it at times. I loved school and have always missed it. So much I went back for my masters and thought about getting a doctorate - and maybe I will some day - but not right now. I just treasure my time with my family too much and school takes quite a bit of work!

But I'm so excited Jaimer is seriously looking into it. It will be a great time for her. And while teaching isn't about the money - it is something she is passionate about, has been "called" to do since day one probably - and will love doing. So its all very good.

It was great to be home and spend some great quality time with my kid - talking about what's going on in her life and what she sees for the future.

Long distance is hard

PeaBaby,

Just read your mom's latest post about our visit.

While it was amazing and fun and I'm so grateful that they were here, I can't help but be really heartsick at the fact that visits are all we will have, and too brief and infrequent at that. I really wish we could live near them during this pregnancy but more importantly after he's born. I can't believe he won't get to spend the weekend at grammy's whenever he wants.

:( Yeah - no kidding. It was so awesome being down there. We missed Jaimer tons - but it was so great to hang out with your parents. That is always such a good relazing time of just catching up, eating good food, and playing X-box with your dad! And buying stuff for you was so fun. When we were looking at furniture I just *had* to buy your crib. Something for my kid - and for her kid. So every day you'll be sleeping in the crib I got you. Makes me feel closer to you - given we are so far away.

And we buy stuff like little Harley vests and discuss, "Some day you'll have your Fat Boy and I'll still have Capt'n Jack and PeaBaby will be up for a summer vacation and we'll take him to a Rally and then he can pick out his own patches and get them sewn on his vest! It will be sooo coooool!"

I wish your folks lived closer too. Even if it was Albq - we could make it in one day on the bike. As it is, I'm thinking about 4 day weekends... I don't think we could make it in one day on the bike - so probably lots of car trips. Long day down - spend a day or two with you guys, and then a quick day back and back to work. I just can't imagine only seeing you once or twice a year though. And that's only for another year or so - after that who knows where your folks will end up and if its in FL or something - the trips will be way less frequent.

Anyway - it was an awesome time down there and we can't wait to come down in Aug and see you for real.

Keep getting bigger, and stronger, and have fun playing with your mom.

See ya in a few,

PapaJames.

Loud pipes and car alarms

My boss Hans tells a story of how he helped his boss Kevin go pick up his first Harley. He drove it back to work and going through the parking lot it was so loud it set off car alarms. So I've heard of this, but never experienced it... till this trip.

Day 1 of the Rally we parked in a parking garage - and as we pulled in to park, the alarm in the car across from us went off! And then when we left (a bunch of us at once) all kinds of alarms went off. Wow... its true - loud pipes will set them off. But maybe its because its in a parking garage.

Then yesterday when I went to the store I was slowing down to go over a speed bump in the parking lot and reved the engine... and a car alarm went off.

I know - probably pretty annoying to the owners... but I think its kind of cool. :)

AZ State Rally - Trip home

Left Tif's about 11:30. Forecast was sunny through AZ with maybe showers in Albq. and showers on Monday. Forecast didn't look better through the week - so we decided to go ahead and head home, rather than waiting and trying to do it on Mon/Tue. We weren't sure if it would take 3 days or not, in case we had to hang out and wait for rain to stop.

Ride through AZ was great. We took it pretty fast - not a lot of side trips - as we were trying to beat any rain. But really only clouds on the horizon. Took 26 from Deming to Hatch and the back way all the way up to ToC and then up to Socorro for the night. We thought about trying to make it to Alb. but Tina was beat and we had put in a good day. Stayed at a Motel 6 - which was clean and sleepable - but had NO ammenities. No hair dryer, no coffee pot, and NO INTERNET! So - no update or upload of photos. :(

Got up the next morning and it was sunny out. Figured we'd try and make it to Raton or Trinidad that day - stopping when we hit the afternoon showers.

We took back roads all the way up to Alb and ended up on the west side of town. Hit I-40, took it east to I-25 and headed north. It was a nice lesiurely drive up to that point - although a bit cool. We were layered up pretty good.

Stopped in Las Vegas for gas - and so decided to eat. We ate at Pizza Hut - which is usually pretty fast - but took forever. Got some pizza to go - yeah, just threw it in the "trunk" and headed out. The windy was coming up and it was looking like it was going to storm any second. The rest of the trip was pretty much spent in the "maybe we can make one more town" mode. Figured we'd maybe make it to Raton - Trinidad was looking less likely.

But it was beautiful as we headed north. Large storm clouds in the distance - but then the road would turn and the clouds would be over some mountain and we'd be heading towards a clearing in the clouds. Hit Raton and decided to try for Trinidad. Not that far and if we hit rain it wouldn't be that much. Going into CO it got beautiful. Looks more like "home" and less like desert and the sun was shining off of everything. Hit Trinidad "What to stop?", I asked Tina. "Nope, Walsenburgh is only an hour a way, lets see if we can make it". Hit Walsenburgh, "What to stop?" - "No, its only 90 miles to home, lets keep going". It was getting cloudier and cloudier and we could see a big storm to the north. Walsenburg was cool because all the clouds were along the mountains to the west. Looked like it was snowing and the sun was shinning through in spots - but out on the plains it was sunny, where we were headed.

The closer and closer we got to the Springs, the worst is looked. Looked like it was really bad up there. "Do you think we can make it?" - "Sure", I replied.

By this time it was getting pretty cool and there was moisture in the air. I was shivering - but didn't want to stop. Neither did Tina. Just get home, so on we went. Gas was getting low - but surely we could make it. Just get home.

Getting closer to town and a rain drop hit the windshield. I looked over to the side of the road and there was the "Colorado Springs City Limit" sign - and from then on it rained. Not poured, but rained - stinging the face. I don't like doing 75 or 65 in the rain - so when we hit the south Nevada exit, we got off. Wound our way through town, getting wetter and wetter. Probably would have been faster to head up I-25 - but again, I don't like driving fast in the rain. Stopped about 2 miles from home for gas. The light had been on a while and I did NOT want to run out of gas a mile from the house or something.

Pulled into the garage cold and wet... But really it was just the front of my neck warmer (which was up over my mouth) and my beanie. My bandana on under it was still dry! Brought in all the stuff, got out of the wet clothes and we were home and snug and dry once again!

---

It was a great trip home. Really only 30 minutes of rain or so, and given the forecast that was a blessing. Did 480 miles the last day - probably the most we'd done in a day, getting home close to 7:00PM. But it was worth it to get home.

Trip total: 2093 miles!

Next morning I was choming at the bit to hit the road again... Usually after a long ride Tina is ready to be off the bike - but I go through withdrawls and want back on it. I mowed the lawn, went through the mail, paid some bills, got caught up on work email... But then at 4:00 I couldn't take it any longer and road the bike to go get groceries. :)

Then I looked up the Posse ride... a Coast to Coast HOG ride. This year it goes from Delware to Oregon - through Montana. Right through Big Timber. We are already booked - but would have been a fun ride... Maybe someday. 18 days, 14 states, over 3K miles. :)

AZ State Rally - Day 3 of the Rally

As noted, Tina slept in, but when she did get up I talked her into heading over to the rally pretty quickly. I didn't want to miss anything! We checked out the vendors, which were fewer than "big" rally's we had been to (such as Thunder in the Rockies), but were still cool.

We found the "cool vests" - but they were kind of expensive and we don't really need them that often, so skipped buying any. There was a vendor selling patches and sewing them on. There usually is, and I had counted on it and brought some patches with me - so got those sewn on my vest plus a few more. "Loud Pipes Save Lives" - plus had her sew on my HOG patch with the "Pikes Peak Chapter" and also the "HOG State Rallies - Arizona" patch. I figure I'll add the CO and the National on as well. Vest is starting to fill out some.

We also bought a small child genuine leather vest for PeaBaby and had an Air Force sticker sewn on it! We then went and watched some bike games and just hung out. We then went and had lunch - and ate in a Bud area and got a beer. I mention this because this is the first time I've seen a "beer tent" type area that had a sign "No Firearms Allowed!" You can carry firearms in the open in AZ - just not where they serve alcohol. But you can take them into banks. We talked to a guy who says he does it all the time. Tombstone and the wild west live on I guess!

We then watched some more games and then went back and had a Harley patch sewn onto PeaBaby's vest. It probably won't fit him till he is 2 or 3 - but its still very cute.

Basically just hung out most of the afternoon and then went and gathered for the parade. Talked to some folks from Phoenix, did the parade and then headed back to Tif's. We discussed hanging out for night activities - but decided that spending the last night with Tif was the better thing to do.

AZ State Rally - Day 2 of the Rally

Day 2 the ride to Tombstone left at 8:00! So - we had to get up about 5:30 to get around, get packed up and get over to the hotel. This was the longest scheduled ride of the day - 200 miles. We picked it because it was long and was going to Tombstone. I had been there about 30 years earlier and remembered it as being pretty cool.

After we got to the hotel someone asked "Is this the short ride or the long ride?" Turns out it was the short ride, as they had thrown another longer ride together. But we knew a few folks that were going and decided to stick with the "short" 200 mile ride. Turned out the ride was going to go back the way we had come, pretty close to Tif's house, and then off I-10 out into the desert.

It was brezzy on the way down, and there were people that were even putting on jackets because they were cold! Tina got a bit chilly and put here jacket on, but I was good with just my long sleeve shirt. A bit gusty here and there, but not bad.

We stopped in Sonita for gas. And I took a couple shots of all the bikes!



Our particular group had about 20 bikes in it (they split into multiple groups if there are tons of bikes) - but we had lost 5 right off the bat. The "sweep" will usually block a road if we are turning so that we can all keep together and not get split up by oncoming traffic. While this is a bit of an inconvience for the motorists (perhaps) - it is much safer for the bikes when everyone is together. Well when we turned south coming off of the main road that the hotel is on, and getting onto the interstate onramp - the sweep blocked the traffic and towards the end this lady pulled up, looked at him and drove right around him. Splitting 5 bikes from the rest! We didn't know any of this till we got to Sonita and because we stopped there for about 30 minutes (bathroom break, gas, etc.) everyone caught up.

Then it was on to Sierra Vista. We had actually played at the Holiday Inn here, probably about 30 years ago. Yeah... I didn't remember the town at all!


One of the reasons for the Rallies is a sense of brotherhood and fun stuff to do - but its always a way to foster loyalty to the company and pick up some business for the local dealerships. So we stopped at the dealership. Its seems fairly small - had about 20 bikes out front. Then we showed up with about 50 more! :) They had free water and ice tea, so we chugged some water and then bought a couple of t-shirts.

Then we headed to Tombstone. We were going up through the "mountains" (hills really), but the terrain changed quite a bit. You could actually imagine cows and cowboys out here, as it was grassy, green and there were some trees. Very pretty ride.

We got to Tombstone


and ate lunch together at Big Nose Kate's. She was Doc Holliday's girl friend. Tina and I then walked around the town a bit and saw the OK Corral.


We wandered through a few of the places, then decided to go get gas - as we had skipped it at Sonita. Didn't want to be the only ones that needed gas! Then came back and sat on a bench in the shade on main street and watched tourists, locals, gun slingers, etc. walk up and down the street. Cool place to visit, though different that I remember it from 30 years ago!

From there it was back to the hotel. We headed to Benson where everyone gassed up before heading back on I-10. It had been a very windy ride - with the wind picking up as we came out of Tombstone. Standing at the gas station an old American Indian biker came up and started talking to us about CO - seeing our plates. He then said, "Its going to get windy now." - "NOW! It already been windy!", Tina said. "Nope - *now* its really going to get windy!", he said and smiled. And he was right!

The wind coming back was much stronger. We pulled in line 4th, behind the sweep in the right side of the stagger - since we were going to be going by Tif's exit. We told the captain we'd be peeling off there - so they didn't think we broke down or something. Tif's house is about 20 miles from the hotel - so no reason to go all the way back just to turn around! There was quite a bit going on this night, but Tina was beat, so we had decided to just hang at Tif's and do some more visting!

Anyway - the trip back was very windy. The folks behind us pulled up next to us to tell us to be careful of the guy in front of us - he drifted quite a bit. Asked if we wanted to switch spots, but I said no. I didn't want on the left side because then we'd have to cross the stagger to exit. They were right - the guy would drift all the way from the left almost to the ride side. And not just when it was windy. But I just kept and eye on him and would fall back some if he started to drift. So - the ride home was windy - but still fun.

We hit Tif's exit - waved at everyone and peeled off. And that was the end of Day 2!

Day 3 there aren't any rides - just bike games (no we are not in any), a bike show, vendors and just hanging out. Oh - and a parade through downtown at 4:00. So we'll probably sleep in some (ok... so I woke up at 6:00 - but Tina will sleep in some) then wander over when we feel like it. Checking out the vendors, buying some stuff undoubtedly (they have a vest you can chill that keeps you cool for desert riding!) and just check things out. A couple of bands are playing tonight - but I don't know if we'll make it to that or just do the parade at 4:00 and head back.

Outlook for the trip home is stormy. Looking better up through NM - but still looking at the I-10/I-25 route. Going north and up through 4 corners looks too cold/snowy. And Raton/Walsenburg looks cold/raining on Mon. We might wait to leave till Monday morning and make a 2 day quick trip home!

Well - that's all for now!

AZ State Rally - Day 1 of the Rally

Thur was the first day of the rally. The web site said that the first ride was at noon and that was when registration started. It was already hot out, so we through some extra clothes in the saddle bags, dressed lightly, and headed out around 11:00:


Got signed up at the rally and saw that there were some earlier rides that we had missed. :( - But there was one at 1:00 that was going to the
San Xavier Mission. This was about the longest ride of the afternoon and looked cool, so we decided to do that. Met a few folks going through our registration packet and had lunch with them. Lunch took so long we *almost* missed the ride, but the road captain said he'd wait for us so I ran and got the bike and we took off with everyone. The ride was mostly through town and then out into the desert. You can see the mission from a ways off and it was under construction, but very cool:



The inside was pretty amazing. This little mission out in the middle of nowhere, and pretty ornate inside. Check the website for better pictures.




Tina and I checked it out and then I took a picture of her by some cactus:


and by this Saguaro:


Tina calls them "grandpa cactus". We found out on this trip that the reason the flowers open at night is because they are pollunated by bats!

When we got ready to head back, Tina - ever the bold one - said, "The trip out was too short! Can we take a longer way back?". The road captain, Kevin, was really nice and said sure. He asked for a vote of who wanted a longer ride back - and everyone said yes. So we went back through the desert and up over Grant's pass. Very pretty and nice twisty road up over some hills.

By this time Tina was bushed and hot, so we decided to head back to the pool once we got back to the hotel and the trip ended. When we got back everyone parked in the garage, but we followed Kevin around to the main area and he snapped this photo of us in front of the State Rally flag!



After that it was back to Tif's for an hour in the pool. Tina wasn't too keen on heading back out, but I talked her into it and we went to the BBQ at the dealers. Lots of bikes, loud music, good food. :) - Met a few more folks and bought some more cool baby clothes. A set of 7 bibs and a newborn black skull cap. :)

Good Pizza!

Went to Oregano's Pizza Bistro last night with the kids. Yum! Nice atmosphere - casual and big band maybe? Swing music, early 60's black and white TV shows. Comfortable. They have an extensive menu! We got some UFOs for appetizer:

These hand-made Unidentified Frying Objects are lightly seasoned, breaded artichokes filled with an out-of-this-world cheese!

And then I got a Chicago Stuff Pizza for dinner. The Numero ONE-O:

This ain't no wimpy pizza! A traditional combo of homemade sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions & green peppers makes one incredible pizza!

Yum... and since I got it on a whole-wheat crust, I didn't feel so bad about having pizza. Its at least an inch thick (of ingredients, not crust) and packed full. Very much the pizza taste I was craving, w/ no "white flour" issues. Or very little. Tina got a "made to order" thin crust pizza and the kids got a huge salad and a pasta dish. We all brought some home.

While this isn't a "local" eatery - they have 8 restaurants across AZ - it had a local feel to me. So - if you are in the mood for some slightly different (or even traditional) Italian food - especially Chicago Style pizza - check it out!

Didn't know this was a problem!

Being a guy, it would have never occured to me that this would be a problem. But having just read it... I could see how it might be. In fact, I guess I would have figured you'd use both sides every time. But in any case, knowing someone who will soon fit this description, I figured I'd post it.

From Tricks of the Trade:

Amid the confused haze of sleep deprivation that comes with the care of an infant, a breastfeeding mother may forget which side she used last. If faced with this problem, simply place a hair band or bracelet around the wrist of the side you should use next.

Film of marines' daring mission

Sometimes with everyhing going on in Iraq we forget there is still a war raging in Afghanistan.

Footage has been released of a daring rescue mission in which four Royal Marines tried to save a comrade in southern Afghanistan.

Click on the link under the picture that says: "The rescue attempt".

We say "Hi!"

PeaBaby,

Wow - finally got to "meet" you. Grandma patted your mom's tummy and started laughing. Your mom is *so cute*. "I'm hugh!" - We both started laughing. Not so much - she is going to get much bigger.

After dinner we were all on the couch. Grandma was pushing on your head, at which point your dad said, "Hey - be careful". Yeah... its not like you have much room to get out of the way. Grandma and your mom asked if I wanted to feel your head. Sure! So they grab my hand, stick in on her tummy and push it. "Can you feel it?" "No."

They look at each other, "Yeah, I guess its a girl thing." OK... push here. Do you feel that? I feel *something*. That's the head! HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT. Well you can just tell!

Ok... girl magic I guess.

But I keep my hand there and you kick me a few times. Very cool. :) I stick my mouth on your mom's tummy and say "Hi PeaBaby - This is PapaJames!" And your mom laughs and says my mustach tickles.

So - we've now officially said Hi! In the next day or two I'll get your mom on the bike and then you'll go for your "first" Harley ride! I know... I'll go *very slow* and be careful - but at least it will be a ride and you'll feel/hear it. :)

Love ya,
PapaJames.

2007 HOG AZ State Rally Run - Day 2: Storms

Got off to a great start. Left about 8:40 - so got an early start, and the weather was supposed to be warm - with 30% chance of rain. Not great - but hopefully we'd miss it. We left Los Lunas and decided to take 314 south and then hit 116 at Belen. Again, sticking to the backroads and off the interstate.

Hit Belen and snapped a quick 'B' photo. Nice and sunny, things are going well.



Stopped at McDonald's for a quick breakfast. Missed the turn onto 116 - which means we were on the I-25 on ramp - only would have been about 15 more miles of backroad, so we just headed south.

Kept heading south and it started to look stormy as we got close to Truth or Consequences. I was figuring we'd stop in Hatch for lunch, so we pulled over at the Fort Craig Rest Area to take a short break. We did much better on this trip than the last one, stopping more frequently. Really helped:



You can see the clouds building over the Magdalena Mountains to the northwest. Looked like that towards the southwest as well.



East over the San Andres Mountains things looked good - but that wasn't the way we were going...



North of Arrey we took the 187 south. This would put us back onto a backroad and also take us through some small towns - maybe snapping some more ABC picks. Would have zipped right through Derry, but Tina saw the post office and called it out to me. Right off the road, easy pic:



Hit a couple more small towns. Very agricultural. You'd never know it much from the interstate. But traveling the backroads you see all the chili farms - and nut farms as well. Pecans, Walnuts, etc. Went through Garfield and could have used a 'G' - but it was starting to look stormy so just kept going.

Hit Hatch and turned left into the town for a quick photo:


Yeah - storm clouds are rising - and perhaps directly in our path. So we skip lunch. :( - They ship a lot of Hatch chilies up to Colorado Springs and Whole Foods roasts them. So I wanted to eat there. But at least got a photo of the "famous" Hatch Chili town! But better safe that sorry, better push on.

So - no more photos for a while. Took 26 west out of Hatch towards Deming. Out across the flats with mountains all around, storm clouds over all of them. And that is when the rain hit. Small splatters at first - and never got where it was just dumping - but it was coming down pretty good. Tina asked if we should pull over and suit up (get on rain gear and helmets) - I shouted "NO" - and sped up. Stuck with a few trucks in front of us when another Harley roared by... OK - if he can pass, so can I. Now the rain is starting to rooster tail off of the cars, but the road is still dry enough. Yeah, water on it, but its not slick yet - so I want to just keep going. Maybe we can outrun it or get out of it. Head is getting pretty soaked now, and I have to sit up straight to see over the windshield (otherwise I'm looking through my rain spotted glasses AND the rain spotted windshield - not good). Almost catch up to the Harley when they pull over to suit up - and we just blast by them. Its starting to get cold and wet - but I'm still hoping to get out of this mess.

Sun doesn't break out - but after about 10 miles, we are out of it. Not too bad. A little wet, but things could be worse - and hey - the water washed the dead bugs off the windshield. :) And then doing 75 helped dry my bandana out!

Pull into Deming and grab lunch at "Blake's Lotaburger". Regional chain - wasn't too bad. We can still see the storm brewing and the bushes are starting to whip around in the wind - time to go.

Tina asks if I want my helmet... No way. I'm sure I can outrun whatever we head into. Tina decides to put hers on. So we head west on 10. Never having been on this part of the Highway - and probably wouldn't remember if I had - I'm not sure exactly what way we are going - other than west. So there are some clear spots and some stormy looking spots. One of the "fun" things of the road and being on a bike. You are all excited because its blue ahead - when the road turns and you head straight towards the storm. Oh well - its an adventure.

So we hit the highway and crank it up to 75. Music is blaring over the loud pipes and I just look at the storm and laugh at it... then start praying. A little rain I don't mind - but having to pull over and find a place to get out it - not fun.

So we make it about 5 miles and it starts raining again - but this time even less than before and we are out of it in a few miles. Phew - hopefully it keeps up like this.

Highway 10 - which we kind of forgot, is one big stretch of wind. There are "Gusty Winds possible" signs, which turn to "Dangerous Cross Winds ahead" signs, which as you get towards the AZ border change to "No visibility possible. Dust storms possible. DO NOT STOP ON ROAD if you can't see. Pull over." And they mean it. The bike is getting whipped pretty good. I see another bike approach a semi (two lane high way) and he leans towards the side of the road and then cuts back towards the semi right before he gets to it. Kind of leaning into the wind. I try it a few times and it seems to work. Most of the time it isn't an issue given we are on a 4 lane divided highway - but given road work - once in a while it comes in handy.

Lots of canyons and hilly areas where the winds whip down through the gullies. Heading up through some hills and around a corner, I look off to the side and then look back and my mind registers black dots appearing out of nowhere in front of my windshield - and all of a sudden the bike is peppered with something. Sounds like a car in front of me just through gravel all over the windshield - but I'm not that close to a car. I flinch and then notice that my fairly clean windshield is now *covered* in bug remains. 15 big clear juicy splots just appeared out of nowhere.

OK... so rain storm, wind storm, and not a bug storm! What next!?

We get to the border and snap a shot entering AZ



and turn to take a shot of the NM sign behind us:



Tina then climbs off the bike and says "Get this helmet off me!". It hasn't rained since she put it on, and it is scratching, hot and noisy. So I unbuckle it and "save her" from it. Back into the duffel bag it goes.

We plunge on through San Simon and Bowie, but decide to take the business loop through Wilcox. I've been gassing up fairly often. I usually get about 45 MPH - but lower on the highway because I'm at higher RPMs. 65 is a good crusing speed, 75 (or faster) eats up the gas. And we were on empty a bit earlier in the day - so I don't want to miss the chance to get gas. I can't remember how far apart the towns are here.

We pass a Dairy Queen in Wilcox, and although we are both on diets, Tina says we have to stop. So we do. Still looks like it could storm, but not too bad. As we are climbing back on the bike I hear my phone beep. Its Tif, "Dad - I'm not sure where you guys are at, but there is supposed to be a major dust storm between the border and Tucson in Cochise County - right where you guys are going. It should be over by 3:00 your time - so if you can hole up somewhere, you might want to. Be safe and call us to let us know how you are doing!".

Great - dust storm in front of us, rain storms chasing us - well lets head out and see what it looks like. Heading out of town and get close to the interstate - we stop for gas - and look towards where we think we are going - and its all brown. (Looking at a map now, this would be over the Wilcox Dry Lake Bombing Range). There is a truck gassing up and the driver asks where we are heading. "Tucson". "Just came from there. Hit a little rain, but that's about it. But I just heard the highway is closed because of a semi accident." We thank him for the information and his service (Hes served 3 tours in Iraq) and he heads out. We decide to call Tif and let her know whats up, and that we are going to hang out for a while.

I keep seeing the traffic heading west, and its not backing up, so maybe the road isn't closed. Plus we can see that the traffic is heading at about a 45 away from where we though we might be heading. So we decide to chance it - keeping an eye on the dust storm and the rain storm.

We head out and its still pretty windy, but we only hit one little patch of rain. Not enough to even get us wet - and the dust storm appears to stay to our south. Tina notices some "dust tornados" - or "dust devils" that are pretty good size. An ambulance zips by us - so maybe the road will be closed, and then we see the lights up ahead. Traffic moves over to the right lane - and I keep my eyes on the road, noticing a number of emergency vehicles and a paramedic wiping a guy's forehead who is sitting up (a good sign) and continue on. Tina yells, "Did you see the semi?" - All I saw was pieces of it strewn through the median, "NO". "It went across both of our lanes, through the median, across the other lanes and out into the other side. It was covered in dust." Well the driver looked ok and I'm glad we didn't hit any of that.

I'm keeping my eyes on pull off signs. Rest areas or towns. Keeping track of how far to the next one in case we have to get out of the weather.

But then there is "the sign" - "2 miles to Houghton Road exit" - Woo hoo! We are almost there. 15 minutes later we pull into Tif's driveway - Brian hears the bike, and the garage door goes up. We've made it. :)

It was a weird day. A bit nerve racking at times. A few times I though we might have to hole up somewhere - and if it had gotten bad enough we would have. But you always hear (and we have experienced) about folks who went through the rain for 10 miles, or 20 miles. Sometimes you can just outrun it or just miss it. Much of the road we covered had been rained on, but was dry when we got there. So its worth pushing through - otherwise you'd never go anyway.

I wore 3 different sets of gloves during the day. Tina wore many different layers of clothes. Hot, cold, cool, hot again, cold again. But it was all good and all an adventure. But we were glad to get to Tifs. Although I-40 seemed a lot nicer weather - and maybe we'll look at taking that back - even though I-10 is faster.

And then Tif pulled up (she was at the store) in her snazzy purple car and got out with her "hugh" pregnant stomach (which is the size of a volleyball - not a basketball) and Tina petted PeaBaby and started laughing - and it was all good.

Mi Chante, Los Lunas, NM

Had dinner at Mi Chante in Los Lunas.

We were driving down the main road, Route 6 - the "Historic Route 66", towards town and away from the interstate - just looking for some fast food place, when I noticed a "Best homemade food in town." Says you... but maybe. So we swung around and parked out back.

Nice little Mexican restaurant. A converted house. Cool - blue corn, green chili chicken flat enchiladas. Yum. Trying to stay away from rice - so got the "Calabacitas". Tina said, "No rice please" and the waiter said, "Do you want the calabacitas or pappas instead?" Never heard of either of those before. I'd already spotted them on the menu so figured I'd try one of them. After all, if I've never heard of it, I have to give it a shot. Kind of like an infant that way I guess... "Hmm... never seen this thing before. Guess I'll throw it in my mouth to see what it is." :) - Turns out it calabacitas is zucchini and corn with cheese melted on it. Yum.

First bite of the green chili... oh - this is Chavez/TeresaMiller type green chili - not gringo green chili. Tina's comment, "Well duh - you're in New Mexico." A bit of a fire... but *very* good flavor. Not too hot - just a surprise. :) - Had to get a side of sour creme to cool it down a bit. Yeah... wimp. But it was good and not too hot, I'd order it again.

So - if you are ever in Los Lunas and looking for some good Mexican food - try it out. Its on Route 6, right side of the road heading into town from the interstate. A block or two before the 314 intersection.

Apparently I *am* a good conversationalist

So... anyone that knows me knows I'm an intravert. Not big on striking up conversation with total strangers... But doing just that is one of the things that comes with owning a Harley.

I make a quick stop at the bathroom after gasing up - yes... I'm in the bathroom. Guy walks in - sounding pretty much like Cheech:

G: Hey man... is that your bike out there?
M: Yes
G: Righteous bike man
M: Thanks
G: Yeah... really righteous
M: Ah - thanks.
G: I just love bikes - even my old broke one
M: Me too
G: Yeah - I have a bike - but the handlebars got all rusty and broke off and now the wheels are almost touching the frame... But I'm going to get me a new bike soon. 'Cuz I just love bikes.
M: Yeah - they are great. turn to leave - trying to escape and get back to the ride
G: Umm... great conversation
M: Ah - yeah

2007 HOG AZ State Rally Run - Day 1 Recap

Left home about 8:40:

It was a beautiful day. We stopped in Pueblo at VI for breakfast. Made quite a few stops during the day. Clouds a few times - but no rain. Just kept getting nice and clearing up. And getting warm.

Stopped along the Santa Fe Trail:


Where it was getting plenty hot and hey... there's cactus here!


Stopped for a late lunch in Las Vegas - yeah, Tina hasn't quite warmed up yet:


We got to Albuquerque by about 5:00 and it was still good weather, so we pushed on to Los Lunas. This is almost *exactly* 1/2 way. 412 from home and 415 to Tif's! This is in Valencia County. A 'V' County! Great for my ABC Rally! We ate dinner, unloaded the bike and Tina crashed. I jumped on the bike and went looking for county buildings (after looking them up on google! Got a good pic of the County Court House with the seal - but wasn't sure how it would turn out:


So also snapped one of the Treasurer - 'cuz I was sure that would turn out.


All in all a great day. Get some good sleep (hopefully) and another good full day tomorrow and we should be at Tif's around dinner time. And see our little pregnant girl! Woo hoo. :)

2007 HOG AZ State Rally Run - Day 1

Morning of Day 1 - trip to see Tif and HOG AZ State Rally. "Are you trailering the bike?" - NO. What's the point of that?

Forecast yesterday for today - morning rain showers. :(

Woke up at 5:00 to do some work, get a few things ready... Forecast - Mostly sunny - looked outside. Dry roads, no rain. YES!

So, paying a few last minute bills, packing a few last minute things, talking to Jaimer and waiting for Tina to get up. We can't leave too early, have to wait for the sun to come up and warm things up. But its looking like a great and early start - which will make today's trip awesome.

More from the road...

Where's my heart?

Had lunch with an awesome friend the other day. Discussed numerous things, and one of the things he asked me was, "Where's your heart?". The context and meaning was, "So - how do you stand with God? What's going on with that part of your life? How come you aren't back in church?" This was not meant as a guilt thing, it was just a question. A general desire to know.

That is the cool thing about good friends and part of what I feel it means for "iron to sharpen iron". Keeps you on track. Makes you reflect. All good stuff.

So - in case anyone cares - or just because this is what I do sometimes - journal stuff, here is basically what I said.

God and I are good. Christians and I are good. The church "Jesus' bride" are good. Me and the church as an organization - kind of whatever.

I don't miss church at all. I kind of did at Easter. After all - for so many years Easter was pretty consuming. Doing much practice to put some kind of program together. And not just "a program" - but truely meaningful, you can feel God's presence, impact the people, kind of stuff. So not doing any of that was - just kind of weird.

But on a Sunday to Sunday basis - nope, don't miss it at all.

What I really miss is *worship*. And we all have our quirks and what we like and all that stuff. And for me, what "works" - what makes me feel God's presence, is passionate, go with the flow, follow the Holy Spirit, slamming worship. The kind where Teresa's sax or Bobby's guitar just goes off and Greg's bass follows it, and I've heard it before it even started, and you can feel it in the pit of your stomach and you know its coming, and you just can't stand still - so if you are playing percussion you jump, and if you are drumming you start rocking and playing across the symbols - and then you feel it and it all goes quite all of a sudden and everything comes down - and then it swells again - and you just feel His presense and here His voice - and stuff happens... and then its been 30 minutes or an hour and you didn't even know time passed.

Yeah... I really miss that. And so much of me doesn't believe I can find that in "church" - and perhaps part of me is afraid to even look.

But my heart is ok... and I don't "mind" visiting a church... and "worship" is ok... and I'm really busy at work doing really cool stuff.

But I do miss it.

T minus 2 days

Leave in 2 days... that's the morning after tomorrow. And yes, all that white stuff hiding the lawn is indeed snow... I'm sure by the morning after next it will all be gone, the sun will be shinning and it will be nice and warm...

But just in case not, we might move the departure time from 7:30 till 9:00 or so, when the sun warms up.

And when we get to Tuscon it is supposed to be 92. One day its 40, two days later its 90. Yeah... dress in layers.

Tough Chick

So I'm sitting at my desk, finishing my lunch, when I get the following email from Tina - who the night before said, "My finger is all swelled up and I can't bend it. I think something is wrong", to which I replied after looking at it, "Yeah, I think you should go to the doctor and have them look at it."

Me again,

I know you are busy, but I wanted to tell you that my finger is turning purple and I can't bend it anymore. Jen said I should go to the doctor and have them lance it because it was infected inside. So I had Candie get me a sterile tool that is pointed (for scraping teeth) and I dug the corner and lifted it up. A bunch of puss came out and I squeezed it for awhile. Then I soaked it in peroxide. It bubbled for a while. I will drain it again in a while and soak it again so maybe it will be ok. Sounds gross doesn't it? I didn't want to go the doctor and have them do it!

Why go to the doctor when you can just perform surgery on yourself?

stats

Jaime looking at my blog and talking to Tina

Lets look at the Label counts:

• Hog: 29
  
• Politics: 22
  
• PeaBaby: 15
  
• Vacation: 9
  
• Geek: 8
  
• News: 5
  
• RedLightConversations: 3

and...

• Jaimer: *ONE*

I guess we see where *I* rate.

OK... now there are *TWO* - she's moving up the list. ;)

Getting close

PeaBaby,

Your mom posted another entry. She is *so cute*. Well to you she'll probably seem all grown up and adult like, but to me she is still my cute little girl. And if you read her blog... yeah, she doesn't have the "I'm an adult and have this all figured out" attitude... but then many first time parents don't.

I read Mighty Girl's post on her labor yesterday. Excellent post. Perhaps a bit graphic in spots, but really took me back to when your mom and aunt where born. Yeah... its the most magical of times. Hopefully when we get the news that you are arriving we can make it down to AZ in time. I'd love to be there to say "Hi!" when you arrive.

Speaking of seeing you... Only 11 more days till we leave to come down there! We got packed (while we are there and summer clothes) this weekend and grandma will be shipping them on Wed. We are hoping to take a nice leisurly trip down - maybe taking 3 days... But given the weather is good, I think its more likely going to be a "Get up at the crack of dawn and see how far we can make it in one day - arriving mid-afteroon of the second day" kind of trip. Yeah - we are pretty excited to see you and your mom - and you dad too. :)

The bike is all piped and ready to go. Your grandma and I have been talking about getting you on a bike when you are only a few days old. A few issues with that, like getting the bike down there or renting one and convincing your mom that its totally safe to have you on a motorcycle with a little skull cap and your Harley booties. :)

Well that was just exciting... I was just writting this when your grandma asked me to move your aunt's car, which was blocking her from leaving and going to work. So I went out (in my bathrobe - yes its 37 degrees outsdie) and got in the car and started it up. It takes a sec 'cuz I'm not used to driving it and looked down to see how to release the parking brake - when I noticed your grandma about to run into me. Yes - it was time for her to leave and the fact that I was sitting a couple of feet behind her was not apparently going to stop her from leaving. So I jammed it into reverse and stomped on the gas - shooting back a few feet - only to notice someone coming down the street. So I hit the brakes and looked back towards your grandma's car. Lukily I had put a few more feet between us, and now the other car was passed the driveway so I backed out into the street. By then grandma had notice me, stopped, and then continued to back out. That got my heart pumping and my already too high blood pressure sky-rocketing. I'm sure you're gradma will say "Hey - I saw you there, I was just *slowly* backing up." But yeah - it didn't feel like that at the time.

I'm sure you'll have many such stories to tell your folks as you grow up. Grandparent stories are so fun. :) So I'm just giving you some background info early. :)

Love you kid - see you in less than 2 weeks! Yeah, you won't be able to see us, but we'll read to you and I'll be the one poking your mom's stomach when you are both trying to sleep - so I can play with you. :)

Papa James.

Turned out to be a great day

Dropped the bike off at the shop on Thursday to get it "piped", a L-to-R (Live to Ride, Ride to Live) air cover added and a new back tire. Yes - time for a new back tire, we are 70 miles short of 9K miles already - and its almost 2 months of nice weather before we've had it a year! Anyway - I digress. So - dropped the bike off on Thursday because Friday was going to be the "mighty spring blizzard" and so we probably wouldn't be able to pick the bike up till Monday.

Friday the streets never even turned white.

Saturday - the sun is shinning - it is beautiful out. "Wonder if the bike is done?", Tina asks. "They'll call" I reply... My cell phone chirps with the "you've got voice mail sound". I listen

Jose: "You're bike is ready. I think you are really going to be pleased. It sounds great and the dyno-tune turned out really well. Great investement"

Cool.

Jaime takes me to get the bike. Jose pulls it around... YEAH - It sounds like a Harley now. Went with Rush slash-up medium baffle pipes. Sam was right - they sound awesome. Not *too* loud, but like a Harley. And the pipes look great. I see a stock Blcak Perl Ultra in the lot - and it doesn't even look "right". Yeah, Capt'n Jack is definately becoming our own bike.

I head for the Elephant Bar - to meet Bec and Tina for lunch. I get about 1.5 miles and hear a bike behind me, so I pull over to the right of my lane as I pull up to a red light. This guy on a black chopper pulls up behind me.

G: Man I *love it* when the weather lets us out.
M: Yeah, beautiful day
G: Are those pipes brand new?
M: Yeah *brand new*. I *just* got them. And got it dyno-tuned.
G: Really - have you noticed much difference?
M: No... I mean I *just* picked it up. Like a mile from here.
G: Oh... just now at the shop. I thought so - I could still see the shinny on the inside of your pipes.

We talk a little more about his bike, dyno-tuning, etc. Then the light turns green and off we go.

Had lunch, then had to go home the long way - just to ride the "new" bike some. It sounds very cool. Can't really tell if it feels that much difference power wise. Its quick - but is always been kind of quick. Time will tell when we take some hills loaded down.

Then got home and kept pestering Tina to go for a ride. She loves the sound when I showed it to her, but hadn't riden it yet. We finally decide to do some trip shopping (she needed to pick up a few more things) on the bike and then go for dinner.

It was a great day, out on the bike, listening to it rumble (but no loud back-fire pops which I didn't want - the shop did a great job), enjoying the warm sun. Especially given we were expecting it to blizzard.

Maybe today if its awesome out we'll go for a ride somewhere. Yeah...