Ramdom Thoughts about Missing the Power

It was around 10:30 last night when I’d just finished reading my vampire book by a handcrank flashlight when I heard excited voices and other noises out in the back yard.

Then the lights flashed and I heard cheering outside. Our power had been off ALL day. The northern blew in at around 9 a.m. yesterday taking out a lot of power lines causing havoc in the schools and at homes all over Corpus Christi. At first it was kind of exciting – pulling out the candles before dark, making sure the flashlights were all loaded with fresh batteries, taking a bath by candlelight! (thanks to our gas water heater) But as time went on and I had to go to bed with wet hair which promised me an exciting hairdo this morning (and yes, it is as bad as I’d anticipated!) I no longer wanted to pretend to be camping!

It is only 46 degrees here this morning! The furnace is not on and do not expect it to come on. In fact the air conditioner will certainly be on later today. Perhaps I should try to do something with this hair before going to the office?

"Willie Nelson, Ladies and Gentlemen!"

I’d nearly forgotten that we had tickets to a Willie Nelson concert last night. Actually I did not forget, but had been dreading it for quite some time – not the listening to Willie, although at times it is nearly more than I can handle. It was the actual GOING to the concert, dealing with the crowd, and not knowing exactly where it was or what to expect when we arrived.

We survived the concert, but more importantly we survived 'Concrete Street', the outdoor venue where the concert was held. We didn’t get towed away, only had to walk a mile (on Roger’s bad knee, that was fun…both knees were hurting by the time we arrived at Concrete Street), and we only nearly got pitched in jail once…no, make that twice.

We had to stand in line to get frisked at the gate, stand in line to get a $3 bottle of water (they would not let me keep the bottle cap – I suppose it could be used as a weapon of sorts), stand in line to get to our seats only to be turned away because we’d not stood in line to get a wristband for our reserved seats (jail threat #1), stand in line to actually get our wristbands, stand in line again to get our seats, listen to 3 hours of very loud country rock and two other bands, sit behind a row of boisterous females, (the one in front of me with a large cowboy hat - thank goodness that group left after the first hour of Willie). Then on the way out they tried to take away what was left of our $3 bottle of water and Roger threw a fit (I thought we were going to the brink for certain when he grabbed the bottle back from the woman and said it was his, he’d paid for it and he was taking it with him!)

We made it the additional mile back to the car and found it still parked there – amazing since the tow trucks were cruising the area looking for suckers. Anyway, that is the last time we have to go to Concrete Street. There cannot be anything there again that will be important enough for us to see. It was like a big smelly, smoke-filled, drunken bar.

When Willie Nelson finally did arrive, the music calmed down to Willie style and my ears eventually stopped pulsating, however they are still ringing. The last hour of Willie was very good since many people had left and we could see well…not actually well, but nearly unobstructed. He closed out the show about 4 times before finally leaving, so Roger had a great time from 11:00 p.m. till midnight when the show finally really did end. I only slept through about an hour of the tortuous portions.

Willie Nelson…been there done that. Next time we will just buy the CD.

~ Glad That's Over ~

Hooray! Glad that's over!

Last weekend netted us some really great numbers at the Texas Mile in Goliad, Texas...we walked away from the mile intact (and believe me walking away is much better than riding out in an ambulance)...no broken bones ...motorcycle in one piece still covered in pink, white and silver flower decals, and turbo Hayabusa still running!

Remembering last March's Texas Mile event, a nervous Jen hopped onto the bike early Saturday morning. Conditions were ideal. An early run with low winds, warm temperatures (okay, it was hot, but it is South Texas, what do you expect?) gave us hopes for a good shakedown run on the turbo busa. The weekend's ultimate goal? To run over 200 mph!

I can't begin to tell you how nervous I was and all the preparation in the world would not change that. Jen got in line for her first run down the Mile. She was given the go ahead and off she went! I tried to video tape it - but honestly if her hands were shaking as much as mine, the bike would never have stayed on track. When she returned to our pit area we checked the bike over; the GPS said she had run 201 mph! but her time slip said she'd crossed the 1-mile marker traveling at a slow 118. She had let off at the 3/4 marker because she just did not feel 'comfortable.' Hey - if she is not comfortable, I'm not comfortable...my question - how do you feel 'comfortable' at 201 mph?

After a thorough going over of the bike - and of the rider - Jen once again headed for a very long line at the start of the Mile. Before we knew it she was off and down the Mile where about 30 seconds later she passed the 1-mile marker with a MPH of 203! We were estatic! Our original goal was met. An additional pass that day brought her to a whopping 211.6 MPH run :) And there was always tomorrow!

It was decided that Roger would try his hand at this 200 MPH stuff on Sunday. He made one run down the Mile - 211.3 mph! One run! He got off the bike and said, "she's all yours." He was finished and we were all quite pleased. Now - the question..."she's all yours???" No, he was not talking to me - there is NO way I am getting on that bike even to take it down the street - that bike is a MONSTER!

Jen took the Stage 1 Turbo Busa down the track 3 more times that day, beginning with 213 MPH and ending with a whopping 216.506 MPH run which gave her the offical Texas Mile record of 'Fastest Female Ever on the Texas Mile!' It also makes her the 2nd fastest female on two wheels in the nation...

You do realize what this means, don't you? It means we need to find just another few MPH in that bike to make her the nations fastest female on 2-wheels - so, I suppose this is..."to be continued..."

It's Official - she's the fastest female ever on the Texas Mile! To see the beginning of the 216.506 mph run on the Mile, watch the video!

Fall...Where are you?

It is September. Fact is, September will be only a fleeting memory on Monday morning. Where is our autumn? Does autumn ever make it this far south?

In October of 1981, we two adults (well, that was debatable) and two little children, packed ourselves into a rented U-Haul and drove the 1,126 miles from our Indiana home to this Sparkling City by the Sea. A brave move for any family. It took 3 days to make the trip and when we arrived it was warm outside - I thought that was great. The first thing I wanted to do was dig through our belongs and find bathing suits for myself and my toddler daughter (a.k.a. 9secondjen) and head for the beach!

Soon, I heard rumors of a possible 'Blue Northern.' What is a Blue Northern? What were they talking about? People were so excited - cold weather was on its way! I waited and waited - and waited. Then one day the sky turned ominous shades of 'blue.' Dark bluish-gray clouds hung low over the horizon. The air changed and within 10 minutes the temperature outside had changed from a steamy 85 degrees to the coldest 60 degrees I'd ever felt in my life! My very first Blue Northern had arrived! Brrrr! Wimp? you say...yep, pretty much!

Fall would have to be the season I miss most from my old Indiana home. I miss the contrast of the beautiful, brightly colored leaves against the green rolling hills of the Indiana landscape, and the cool crisp feel of the air when you step outside. There have been many Corpus Christi fall seasons without even one Blue Northern...no autumn - how sad is that? However...there was the one (one and only one) Christmas Eve when it snowed on Corpus Christi - a Christmas gift from above that we will never forget! - the one gift bestowed upon Corpus that made all the missing fall seasons forgivable.

You know the old saying, "you can never go back home?" It is so true. Now, home is right here with our Texas-Branded children and our Texas-Born grandchildren...and our Texas Friends...and it is good.

In Preparation...

I am having a difficult time wrapping myself around the reality that another Texas Mile is upon us. The last one, although we had high hopes of 200 mph runs down the track, did not turn out so well. There are two of them a year and March's Mile was a bit more than I could handle ( Turbo Busa Tumble - April 07). I will add October's upcoming Mile to the list of things currently keeping me awake at night!

This time 'we've' done things a bit different. I say 'we' like I actually have anything to do with it...I have NOTHING to do with it. I do nothing except fret!

We took the turbo Hayabusa to Johnny Cheese in Round Rock, Texas - yes, that really is his name - who worked for quite some time to tune the bike, producing a Texas Mile 'map' that he says will get us the mph we need for the Mile. Okay, I really don't know exactly what all this means, after all who needs a map to get down a straight one mile track anyway! I mean, there is already a GPS on that thing...we need a map too?! I can tell you one thing - turbo tuning is VERY loud.

Johnny Cheese tunes the Turbo Busa

We took the grandpup, Chance, along with us to Mr. Cheese's shop (he was a big hit, as always), and he knew exactly what to do - he put on ear protection!

Chance attends most all of our racing events - he is quite the traveler - and I often wonder what he thinks about his life. He makes friends wherever he goes and usually he just lays there and enjoys the attention.

Chance and his Papa take a nap at the track.

Chance cools off with some damp cloths at a hot race in Houston.

Jen and Chance inspect the damage on 'Rustman's' crashed bike at a Texas Mile. This bike went through the speed trap at 209 mph before taking it's tumble.

Grandboy AJ gets a seat in one of the 'fast' Texas Mile cars! I know it won't be long before AJ gets his turn at the mile - but I am pretty certain he will be on 4 wheels :)

Another landspeed racer ready for a run on the Texas Mile.

One of my very favorite pictures taken on the Mile. Jenn in the background and a man on his 'barstool' pit-cruiser.

Oh, I suppose I will survive once again - and when it is over, I am just certain I will have amazing pictures and wonderful memories as with all of our great adventures!

Happy Birthday Grandpup Chance!

September 14, 2007

Happy Birthday Chance! If you were a human instead of a dog, you would be 6 years old!

I remember a time when your mommy was still in high school and a friend needed a temporary care-giver for a baby Great Dane. Jen took that baby Dane, and for several weeks she mixed his formula, fed him with a little bottle...she bathed him, cuddled him and fell in love with that little pup. When the time came to give him back to his owner she simply did not want to do it. But a GREAT DANE...Danes are big, in fact they are huge! And we lived in a tiny house.

She vowed then and there that someday she would be a Great Dane owner. That time came late in 2001. Around the time you were born your mommy moved to the great State of Hawaii. She wasted no time in searching for you - you were adopted before you were even old enough to leave your ma and pa. Ever since then she has loved you completely in all your barking, your drooling and yes, even your farting!

Then when it came time for her to leave Hawaii, she just couldn't leave you behind. You got on a plane and flew the 3,600 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii to Houston, Texas! Your Papa greeted you at the airport in Houston. You were so happy to see him, and from then on you and your Papa became fast buddies. You were so ticked off at your mommy for putting you on that plane in a big box...all alone...you would not even look at her for days! Of course your Papa loved it and immediately began to spoil you. He tempted you with wonderful treats of Texas tacos, McDonald's cheeseburgers...if we ate steak, you ate steak. Oh my - what a spoiled Grandpup you had become.

We listened to the animal whisperer on television, trying to understand that you are a dog and we should not treat you like a human. We tried Chance...we tried and we failed; you have too many human qualities buddy roe!

Now you have moved away to take care of your mommy in her new city. When you last came for a visit, although you were happy to see your Grammy and Papa, you were thrilled to get in that car with your mommy and head back to the hills of Texas. And when we come to your house for a visit, we can see that you love your new home and your wonderful back yard...and the fact that it is never quite as hot in those Texas hills as it is in our City by the Sea!

So, your Grammy and Papa wish you the very happiest 6th birthday because to us, Chance, you are not just an animal...no matter what that 'animal whisperer' says!

~ The Secret ~

August 30, 2007 - I was on my way back to work from a meeting downtown. My cell phone rang (this is uncommon during the regular work day). I answered and someone told me a secret that I could not share with anyone but Roger.

I pressed the speed dial for Roger’s cell to tell him ‘the Secret’. I talked very fast, trying to get the details of ‘the Secret’ to him via cell phone…silence. Complete silence. I felt I was in one of those commercials - you know, the one where the wife calls the husband to share some very exciting baby news…then the phone goes dead and she thinks he is unhappy about the baby.

I said, “Hello? Are you still there? Are you speechless?” NOTHING.

I feared he had fainted, passed out in his office chair, fallen to the floor, broken his arm and wounded his head possibly needing 20 stitches on his brow. Quickly I redialed his number and found that my trusty Verizon “Can you hear me now?” phone had indeed disconnected mid-call.

September 1, 2007 - this is day 3. We are going to visit Jenn today and I must be very careful not to slip up and mention the Secret. I am not good at keeping secrets from my own daughter. She would be the first person I would share a secret with…however, this particular secret must remain just that – a secret – for awhile longer.

I must forget about the ‘Secret.’

September 6, 2007 – Wow, I am surprised at how easily it was to forget about the secret. Oh yes, it pops into my mind here and there…along with the agony that goes along with secret management and simply knowing how this particular secret is bound to change some lives. Two more days and ‘the Secret’ will be revealed.

Later…today I saw a picture of ‘the secret.’ It is quite large, bright yellow and black. NO – it’s not a big bumble bee!

September 8, 2007 – Soon, I will not have to keep this secret any longer!

Yesterday evening was racing in San Antonio. While there, Jenn gazed longingly at a bright yellow GSXR 1000 – it wasn’t a new bike, but it didn’t matter. She used to race one and loved it. She said, “I really liked that bike. I miss it.” Roger and I just looked at each other – we shared a secret. And we could not say a word.

Jenn views sunset at San Antonio Raceway Park while preparing for race

Jenn and her Dad prepare the Turbo Busa for the Dyno tuning

I don’t want to keep this secret any longer!

10:39 p.m. – The phone rang. I picked it up and Jenn declared, “You lied to me!”

“I know,” I said, and I laughed with her.

I could hear lots of ‘noise’ in the background, laughing, talking, eating, smiling (yes, sometimes smiles are noisy!)

So, here it is - the brand new, bright yellow ‘secret’ – a 2007 GSXR 1000, ready to set up for racing. Suzuki has generously donated this bike to Jenn. It is hers to - what else – RACE!