2011 In Review

As the year comes to a close, I wanted to take time to stop and remember some of the significant events in my life during this last year.

The Pens' Most Awesome Garage

First off, it has definitely been a year of changes, changes in jobs, changes in family situations, change in general.  This year has also led to the building and deepening of new friendships. It has also been a year of riding, January it was to Vegas with friends for a long weekend of fun, food, friendship and of course, riding.

Vegas was followed by Tombstone in February, where Motor Maids and spouses visited the memories of the old west and saw the characters who play the famous and not so famous heroes of the OK Corral.

Tombstone, AZ February 2011

Lots of laughing and fun was had by all, topped off by an unexpected snow storm. One of the unexpected benefits of the snow storm was an extended weekend and more time with friends.

February wasn't all fun and games, in the end, it was a pretty traumatic month for me.  My daughter and grandson moved to St. George, 8 hours away and I was laid off from a job I really loved in the same week. For the first time I actually yelled at Debbie and I still feel like a heel.  Guess I just had more than I could handle that week.  Like I said, changes and more changes.  The bright side of the lay off was that if gave me an opportunity to spend some quality time with my grandson before his mom and dad came back to get him and spirit him away to Utah.

In March I started working part time for a small niche software company which was really cool.  I learned a lot and got to know some Microsoft MVPs.  Unfortunately, the economy was tough all over and within a few months I was also laid off from this position.  I can't complain, like I said, I learned a whole lot.

In the Spring we had to have our cat, Osama Bin Kitty, put down after he became very ill and was unable to eat.  Several weeks later we brought home two other kitties from Maddy's Place, Sterling and Skeeter who won our hearts.

In June we were off to Grand Rapids, MI for the Motor Maid Conference via the scenic route which included a stop in New Mexico to visit Deb's cousins.  They have a lovely little house that was built by their father.  One of my favorite things about their ranch is the tiered garden made of rock that was also built by their father, I'm guessing in the early 1900's.

Hand Built Stone Garden

We spent a few days in Farmington where we enjoyed the hospitality and enjoyed the stories told by these two spinster sisters.  Their entire lives have revolved around taking care of their father before he passed away and running the family's cattle farm.  These two lovely ladies are some of the sweetest, humblest people I have  had the honor to meet.  Hopefully there will be more opportunities to spend time in their little hideaway.

Leaving New Mexico, we continued our journey to Grand Rapids, MI where we spent several days in a sea of Motor Maids.  Rekindling friendships and making new friends.  There was a bit of drama at the convention but I guess anytime you get a group of people together for any period of time, there is going to be drama of some sort.  Really, I just want to RIDE.

In July I took a few days to run up to St. George to visit my daughter and her family.  It had been nearly 6 months since I had seen the kids and I was really looking forward to seeing them.   I have to say that being away from both sets of parents has been good for both Amanda and Nick.  They are growing into fine young adults and good parents to their son, Ian.  What a joy to see them again.

Sugar Bear

In the Fall we suffered the loss of our much loved shepherd, Sugar Bear.  Deb rescued her as a pup, and turned the unruly, biting puppy into a well behaved watch dog. Earlier in the year she was diagnosed with cancer after developing a couple of rather large lumps on her chest and side.  At 12 years old Sugar had lived a long life, she served a companion for Deb's mom, Agnes when she lived with us.  She herded Ian as a toddler and patiently withstood his "petting" as a baby. She protected our home and won our hearts.  Sugar will be missed for a long time.

Around Labor Day the kids came to Phoenix for the long weekend.  Amanda surprised us with the news that she and Nick had gotten married in August.  Of course we knew they would get married eventually we just expected there would be a family wedding.  They had their reasons for just going to the courthouse and it was, after all, their day.  Regardless, we share their happiness.

Motor Maids in Vegas

Seems like we made a lot of trips to Vegas in 2011, must be the great hospitality of The Pens because we were back in September.  Thanks to the Vegas contingent for organizing a great weekend full of fun, riding and great food.

You just have to love these gals, they are the BEST.  Names omitted to protect the "innocent".  They ride and I don't mean around the block or even around town.  For most of these women 500 miles is a day trip.

Also in September, Debbie drank the black and orange Kool Aid and bought a beautiful 2010 Harley Davidson Street Glide CVO.  Bless her heart, she took a lot of ribbing on that Vegas trip because she bought MY bike.  Thanks Deb, for being so good natured about it.  That bike really looks good on you.

I think Deb's purchase induced a mob mentality among our Phoenix friends because within a few weeks, our friends Scuter, Skip and I also got new bikes.  Since then we've been riding almost every weekend.

Bigger news at the end of the year, my daughter is expecting another child in July 2012.  We're hoping for a girl this time but will be thrill either way.  I think last time she had a boy just so she wouldn't have to use the middle name Louise if she had a girl.

Speaking of my daughter, I am so very proud of her and her husband, Nick.  When they took off to Utah nearly a year ago, I admit, I thought they were making a huge mistake.  Congratulations kids, I have never been happier to have been proved wrong.  This move has been great for them individually and as a growing family.  They have grown like weeds and I am so very proud of you both.

Proud as I am, I don't miss my grandson any less and am sure the new grandchild will  be no different.  Amazing how those rug rats can steal your heart.

As the year draws to a close, I know there are so many things that I have left out but then, I'd be writing for days and anyone reading this would have given up long before I was done.  So as the clock struck midnight, Deb and I welcomed in another year together and I said a silent prayer of thanks for all the good people and things in my life followed by a prayer of hope for the new year and all those who I hold dear.

Happy New Year All!

Close Call

Deb and I were on our way home last Saturday night on the bikes between 6 & 6:30 in the HOV lane of US60 just where I-10 splits off, the traffic was very heavy in all the lanes to our right, no surprise there. Debbie is in the lead riding on the right side of the lane, I am on the left side of the lane. There were no vehicles directly in front of us in the HOV lane, so most of this takes place in the lane immediately to our right. 

Traffic is humming along at about 75 when suddenly the brake lights on most of the vehicles to our right flash bright as traffic is suddenly coming to a stop.  I say "most" because a truck just ahead and to the right of Deb isn't stopping.  When the driver realizes the traffic is stopping he attempts to avoid the hitting the car in front of him by moving to the HOV lane, then he must see Debbie and manages to swing partly back into his lane clearing our path.  All around us vehicles are slamming on brakes, screeching, smoke and that sickening thud that happens when two cars try to occupy the same space at the same time, fill the air.  The car behind the truck slams into the truck and the car in front of the truck.  The next vehicle, an SUV slams on the brakes, I'm not sure if his intention was to cut over to the HOV like the truck started to do or if his brakes locked up and the rear started to slide but in any case, the SUV is coming at me on a diagonal.  I swear I could have reached out and touched the hood.

As I said, we were hitting the brakes along with everyone else so we went from about 75 to 25 in nothing flat. Deb clears the truck, she checks to see if I'm OK, I'm clearing all the vehicles, I'm OK.  Debbie says "let's get the hell out of here" and we release the brakes and take off. This morning as I replay the incident in my mind, I realize that the SUV was not the only vehicle which stopped short of taking me out as I have a very definite sense of another vehicle behind me to the left.  Fortunately that area of highway has a breakdown lane on the left, I assume the vehicle behind us went that route to avoid hitting us. We were literally seconds from being road kill.

Training kicked in just as it's supposed to, we did all the right things.  The bikes performed exactly as expected, they stopped solidly and smoothly.  Communicators are a wonderful thing.  We often give each other a heads up when we see something going on in traffic that the other might not see.  This was no exception, a second before everything went to hell in a hand basket, I heard Debbie say "look out".  Maybe we were a bit hyper vigilant since a few minutes before we saw a highway patrol going full on with lights.  We did all the right things and I believe the hand of God had as much to do with keeping us out of harms way as anything else.  

Today, I am extremely grateful that we are both safe and sound.

Folks, please pay attention when you're driving, look ahead and stop texting, reading, or whatever it is you're doing that distracts you from the road.

O'neill, NE and Wray, CO

Spent Sunday night in O'neill, NE were it looked like we maybe stuck for another day when we looked at the weather. Yet the morning dawned bright and sunny despite the storms of the night. We plotted a route that would take us around the bad weather hoping to make at least a couple hundred miles before getting into bad weather.

Turns out, we had a rain free day. saw some interesting parts of Nebraska. Funny thing is that it seems almost every town has a museum of some sort, one place had a clown doll museum but it was closed. Another town proclaimed itself the windmill capital only the wasn't a windmill in sight. We stopped in one little town for lunch with a pioneer museum. We walked through the public area to get to the restaurant and took some pictures I will post when we get home.

Outside of corn fields and road construction there wasn't much to see in Nebraska however, I have to say the folks are really friendly.

Landed in Wray,CO Monday night after getting in about 400 miles. Only 2 hotels in the town, we chose the one with the restaurant attached. At first we weren't even sure the place was open since it was so dead. The whole place is so dark and dreary it could be in a horror movie. At least we were fed and had a roof over our heads for the night.

Soon to be on the road again.