Milestones
Well, things are quieting down a bit this evening after a pretty hectic weekend. Between me being pretty sick the last several weeks and the monsoon like weather we've been having the yard was in bad need of a mowing, so the first thing I did Friday afternoon when I got home from work was to dig the mower out of the garage, fire it up and proceed to wheese my way around the yard for a couple hours. Chris took over for me and finished the job once he got home. After the mowing was done we were going to head for Russ' to get a bite to eat when the cell phone rang. It was Boston Motors calling to tell me that my bike was ready to be picked up. So I grabbed the helmet and coat and had Wanda Lynne drive me up there to pick her up. After dropping me off she went and ran some errands and after paying the bill for the bike I took off for Best Buy where I picked up Ri's birthday present. I got her a Apple 2gig Ipod. After we met up again at home we then made the trip to Russ' for sustanence. It was almost 10pm before we finally got home and called it a day.
Saturday morning I was up and going by 7am. Along with it being Rianna's official 18th birthday, it was also the first car show of the year over in GR at the 5th 3rd ballpark parking lot. I grabbed my camera gear and was on the road by 7:30am. The weather was beautiful, a bit chilly but blue skies prevailed. After paying my entry fe
e and finding a place to park the '56 I went and registered, got my dash plaque and then went back to the car and put out the display materials. Once that was done I grabbed the camera and spent the better part of the morning hours shooting pics of all the great looking rides and shooting the breeze with their owners. I took a break around noon and got myself a couple brats and a bag of chips for lunch. After the lunchtime break I grabbed the camera again and made a second pass around the grounds to see what I'd missed the first time around. It was 2pm before I knew it and the awards ceremony started promptly at 2. I hung around for awhile to see some of the awards being given out, but once that was done I went back to the car, packed up the show and fired the ole girl up for the ride home. By 3pm we were on our way out of town.
Once we got back home the next phase of the plans started to kick in. It was Ri's 18th birthday like I said earlier and it was agreed that we'd celebrate it on Sunday due to the fact that Jennette was suppose to be coming into town for a couple day visit during the evening hours with Ryan, our first grandson. Wanda had to take off at 5pm to help run a Vegas Night affair at the legion post and we had instructions to bring Jen and Ryan down there as soon as they got in town. So, to kill time until the daughter and grandson arrived I attacked the garage and managed to get it cleaned up enough to at least be able to walk around inside it. Put the '54 back up on Jackstands in the hope of getting the gas tank fixed and getting it back to the point where I can get it to run again. Might as well work on it if I can't sell it for what I think it's worth. Anyhow, by the time I had gotten the bulk of the garage organized it was almost 7:00pm. At that point, Between Ri and myself, we decided a trip down to the corner for a Clover Bar pizza was a good idea.
We were stuffing our faces with pizza a little while later when my cell phone rang and it was Jennette
telling us she was in Holland and headed our way. So, we bagged up the remaining slices, paid the bill and headed for home. A short time later a strange car with Indiana plates on it pulled in the driveway. I went out to say hello to my oldest daughter that I haven't seen in a year and meet my 1st grandson. A milestone to be sure.
After hello's and bringing in all the stuff that Jen needed for herself and Ryan to be able to stay and visit for the next couple days we jumped back in her car and headed down to the legion hall to show Wanda her grandson. We hung out there a half hour or so and then myself, Jen and Ryan all came back to the house. Ri stayed at the hall so her and Adam could try their hand at some of the gaming going on. It wasn't long after we'd gotten back to the house that Ryan went to bed for the night and once he was down Jen headed off to dreamland herself. I stayed up and waited for the wife and other daughter to make it home from the festivites at the legion hall. They got home by 1
am and not long after they arrived they were also sound asleep.
Sunday morning I was the first one up somehow so after letting the dogs outside I killed some time working on the website until I heard footsteps upstairs. I made breakfast for everyone, pancakes by request for Jen and scrambled eggs for others. From the completion of breakfast until the folks arrived at 11am I spent time cleaning up the basement. Once the folks arrived they got to meet their first GREAT grandson. Another milestone in their lives I would say. They also got introduced to all the dogs, half of whom they'd never seen before and the last time they'd seen Bailey and Jasper they were puppies. Even though the reason for the
gathering was to celebrate Ri's 18th birthday, a milestone for her to be sure......Ryan was pretty much the center of attention due to his newness and easy going demeanor. He found himself the victim of multiple camera flashes as he was passed from person to person and took it all in stride. About 2pm we were eating Hamburgers and Potato Salad and topped that off with a less than traditional birthday desert, Strawberry shortcake. By the time we'd finished feasting it was time for Wanda to head out for Sunday night GHBOPA bingo. The next people out the door were Adam and Ri who were going to go try their hands at bingo now that Ri had reached the legal age to gamble. Not long after they had gone the folks decided it was time that they moved on also which left, after goodbyes, me, Jen and Ryan. A friend of Jen's came over to show off her baby and they decided to take off for awhile to visit some friends so I decided at that point that I was going to jump in the truck and head up to Whiskey Creek.
It's been a month or so since we were last up there and got the ball rolling on the possible purcha
se of property and I'd wanted to go back up and wander around a bit the last week or so, figured my best chance in the next couple weeks would be right then so I grabbed the camera gear and hit the highway. Took just about an hour to get there. I parked the truck where the parking area would be eventually and then walked around the property, mentally planning where everything would go and how it'd all go together. Spent about an hour there, just soaking in the quiet and the clear blue skies before jumping back in the truck and heading back for the house. I arrived back home, after a stop at Arby's for supper, about 9:00pm. By the time I'd emptied the Arby's bag Wanda had arrived back home, with Ri and Adam not far behind. It wasn't long after that, that I was the only concious one left again, at the end of a long day. I even made it to bed before midnight.
Today was a work day of course but Wanda had taken the day off to spend with Jen and Ryan. They stopped by the shop so I could say goodbye to Ryan about 1pm. Jen Left town and headed back to Hobart Indiana about 4:00pm. I worked until 5:00pm and from work headed for the doctor for a final checkover for my recent ailment. The doc pronounced me much improved and mentioned that if I ever let things get that bad again before coming to see him that I was going directly to the hospital..........
........and that's pretty much been the last several days.
A couple other less pleasant things to mention before signing off and heading for bed. Freddie, of Freddie and the Dreamers fame from the 1960's English music invasion days died over the weekend. Because I have Freddie and the Dreamers albums and always liked them, I found this bit of info saddening.
On a bit more personal level, one of the guys that I used to call a friend back when online racing consumed a large part of my time, a gentleman from Indiana named Perry Malvolta, died suddenly Saturday afternoon from a major heart attack. One minute he was busy doing what he was doing and the next minute he's gone and not coming back. He was probably a bit older than I am but not all that much older.......I dropped a note to his boy Tony to give my condolences. Count every day a blessing cuz there's no tellin' when the counting will stop. Rest in peace Freddie and Perry.
TC
Saturday morning I was up and going by 7am. Along with it being Rianna's official 18th birthday, it was also the first car show of the year over in GR at the 5th 3rd ballpark parking lot. I grabbed my camera gear and was on the road by 7:30am. The weather was beautiful, a bit chilly but blue skies prevailed. After paying my entry fe
e and finding a place to park the '56 I went and registered, got my dash plaque and then went back to the car and put out the display materials. Once that was done I grabbed the camera and spent the better part of the morning hours shooting pics of all the great looking rides and shooting the breeze with their owners. I took a break around noon and got myself a couple brats and a bag of chips for lunch. After the lunchtime break I grabbed the camera again and made a second pass around the grounds to see what I'd missed the first time around. It was 2pm before I knew it and the awards ceremony started promptly at 2. I hung around for awhile to see some of the awards being given out, but once that was done I went back to the car, packed up the show and fired the ole girl up for the ride home. By 3pm we were on our way out of town. Once we got back home the next phase of the plans started to kick in. It was Ri's 18th birthday like I said earlier and it was agreed that we'd celebrate it on Sunday due to the fact that Jennette was suppose to be coming into town for a couple day visit during the evening hours with Ryan, our first grandson. Wanda had to take off at 5pm to help run a Vegas Night affair at the legion post and we had instructions to bring Jen and Ryan down there as soon as they got in town. So, to kill time until the daughter and grandson arrived I attacked the garage and managed to get it cleaned up enough to at least be able to walk around inside it. Put the '54 back up on Jackstands in the hope of getting the gas tank fixed and getting it back to the point where I can get it to run again. Might as well work on it if I can't sell it for what I think it's worth. Anyhow, by the time I had gotten the bulk of the garage organized it was almost 7:00pm. At that point, Between Ri and myself, we decided a trip down to the corner for a Clover Bar pizza was a good idea.
We were stuffing our faces with pizza a little while later when my cell phone rang and it was Jennette
telling us she was in Holland and headed our way. So, we bagged up the remaining slices, paid the bill and headed for home. A short time later a strange car with Indiana plates on it pulled in the driveway. I went out to say hello to my oldest daughter that I haven't seen in a year and meet my 1st grandson. A milestone to be sure. After hello's and bringing in all the stuff that Jen needed for herself and Ryan to be able to stay and visit for the next couple days we jumped back in her car and headed down to the legion hall to show Wanda her grandson. We hung out there a half hour or so and then myself, Jen and Ryan all came back to the house. Ri stayed at the hall so her and Adam could try their hand at some of the gaming going on. It wasn't long after we'd gotten back to the house that Ryan went to bed for the night and once he was down Jen headed off to dreamland herself. I stayed up and waited for the wife and other daughter to make it home from the festivites at the legion hall. They got home by 1
am and not long after they arrived they were also sound asleep. Sunday morning I was the first one up somehow so after letting the dogs outside I killed some time working on the website until I heard footsteps upstairs. I made breakfast for everyone, pancakes by request for Jen and scrambled eggs for others. From the completion of breakfast until the folks arrived at 11am I spent time cleaning up the basement. Once the folks arrived they got to meet their first GREAT grandson. Another milestone in their lives I would say. They also got introduced to all the dogs, half of whom they'd never seen before and the last time they'd seen Bailey and Jasper they were puppies. Even though the reason for the
gathering was to celebrate Ri's 18th birthday, a milestone for her to be sure......Ryan was pretty much the center of attention due to his newness and easy going demeanor. He found himself the victim of multiple camera flashes as he was passed from person to person and took it all in stride. About 2pm we were eating Hamburgers and Potato Salad and topped that off with a less than traditional birthday desert, Strawberry shortcake. By the time we'd finished feasting it was time for Wanda to head out for Sunday night GHBOPA bingo. The next people out the door were Adam and Ri who were going to go try their hands at bingo now that Ri had reached the legal age to gamble. Not long after they had gone the folks decided it was time that they moved on also which left, after goodbyes, me, Jen and Ryan. A friend of Jen's came over to show off her baby and they decided to take off for awhile to visit some friends so I decided at that point that I was going to jump in the truck and head up to Whiskey Creek. It's been a month or so since we were last up there and got the ball rolling on the possible purcha
se of property and I'd wanted to go back up and wander around a bit the last week or so, figured my best chance in the next couple weeks would be right then so I grabbed the camera gear and hit the highway. Took just about an hour to get there. I parked the truck where the parking area would be eventually and then walked around the property, mentally planning where everything would go and how it'd all go together. Spent about an hour there, just soaking in the quiet and the clear blue skies before jumping back in the truck and heading back for the house. I arrived back home, after a stop at Arby's for supper, about 9:00pm. By the time I'd emptied the Arby's bag Wanda had arrived back home, with Ri and Adam not far behind. It wasn't long after that, that I was the only concious one left again, at the end of a long day. I even made it to bed before midnight.Today was a work day of course but Wanda had taken the day off to spend with Jen and Ryan. They stopped by the shop so I could say goodbye to Ryan about 1pm. Jen Left town and headed back to Hobart Indiana about 4:00pm. I worked until 5:00pm and from work headed for the doctor for a final checkover for my recent ailment. The doc pronounced me much improved and mentioned that if I ever let things get that bad again before coming to see him that I was going directly to the hospital..........
........and that's pretty much been the last several days.
A couple other less pleasant things to mention before signing off and heading for bed. Freddie, of Freddie and the Dreamers fame from the 1960's English music invasion days died over the weekend. Because I have Freddie and the Dreamers albums and always liked them, I found this bit of info saddening.
On a bit more personal level, one of the guys that I used to call a friend back when online racing consumed a large part of my time, a gentleman from Indiana named Perry Malvolta, died suddenly Saturday afternoon from a major heart attack. One minute he was busy doing what he was doing and the next minute he's gone and not coming back. He was probably a bit older than I am but not all that much older.......I dropped a note to his boy Tony to give my condolences. Count every day a blessing cuz there's no tellin' when the counting will stop. Rest in peace Freddie and Perry.
TC
posted by Tom Eckels at 11:44 PM
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