Night Life

Tonight the boys and I went for a night ride. Had to get one out before we head to the 24/9 tomorrow. They all rode well and now we just have to get the race started and they should do well. The boys were hitting the trails as smooth as butter so I hope the others that they will be catching can get out of their way to not hold them up. Heading up tomorrow afternoon to get the spots put aside and then getting a room to sleep in and then set everything for the race.

I called the Dr. and he called in a antibiotic and I started that should take care of the infection that started in the knee. It was nice that I have been there so many times that all he does is call it in and I pick it up. He knows that when I say I have a infection that now he just calls in the prescription and saves me the visit. My knee feels good even after 2 of the pills. I just have a little redness and swelling but it is way better. Well time to eat some Ramen noddles and shower. Later..

Feeling better

Man for the last 2 days something got inside of me and was taring me apart. I think that a infection got into my bad leg by the knee as that is where is was hurting and red. I opened up the scab this morning and now I feel like a million bucks. The good thing is that I can just pull the scab off and not feel a thing, but the bad is it takes forever to heal and I get infections. For the last 2 days I was hurting as my body ached from head to toe and everywhere just hurt to the touch. I went to the track last night and even if I wanted I could not have gotten a leg over the top of a bike. So it was good the Myles was a long as he rode my bike and raced. He looked good and if he more time I think he would be right in the mix for the money. Nate took a 2nd and 4th last night in his class and a 3rd in the 15-18 year old. I got home last night and I could barely move and Cece made a big banana shake and I drank that and got the chills for about an hour and then fell a sleep. That may be just what I needed as I got up this morning and now I'm back to normal. I brought Mitch and Gage back with me from the track also so now I have 4 teenage boys in the house. At least I'm at work all day and Cece has to deal with them. Tonight we are going to go Crystal Ridge and ride a few night laps and then recharge the lights and get ready for the weekend. Later..

Getting Rolling

I have to get the kids to the track tonight as Myles is going to roll around on the track bike and see if he is comfortable enough to race it. I know that he should be fine as he has raced the road enough and that the kids fields are not that big. Just hope he keeps pedaling as that is the trick the first time you ride and race the track. Also I'm going to bring Mitch and Gage back with me as we are going to fit a night ride in tomorrow after the time trial. Just have been to busy to get a lot of night riding in this summer before the 24-9 but since we have been night riding for years Wed and then maybe a short one on Thurs should get the juices flowing. Then Thurs it is up to the 24-9 in the early afternoon and get things laid out for the races. Still a bunch of crap to pack and get ready but that should go quick and then get to the race. Should be fun as I'm doing it with Todd, Mark and Steve in the 4 man single speed class.

We handed out helmets to the little ones in West Allis last night for 4 hours. Always a interesting crowd when you give something free away. Parents with tattoo's all over the place, smoking and holding a kid and blowing the smoke the kids face. Men and women who wore shorts and should not have. The list could go on but you get the picture. The good thing was the Police officer told then no serial number from your bike no helmet and they listened to her. As when we told them they just looked at us like they wanted to fight for one. Still a good time helping out. Well time to see if IT got my notebook working as it was not happy to come back to work after the vacation. Later..

Ooops

I forgot to mention that Gage had a great race again and won. He is improving and getting better each race. Congrats on the win Gage.

Now Nate, Myles and myself are heading to hand out free helmets and fit them on kids at the West Allis safe night out. Nate and I helped last year and it was fun so we are heading back this year. Maddie would had come to help but she went back with Myles parents and is spending the week there. It has been a quite night here and I think a few more to come. The pool is looking great and Jessie has been enjoying it. Thanks Mark for the info to get our pool back to a clear swimming hole. As I type Nate, Cece and Myles are at the park working with Jessie at the park on riding her bike without the training wheels. Watch out Randy she will be passing you soon. Have to get running. Later..

Alterra

Today was a great day to race. Well for the boys. Nate, Myles and Mitch toed the line today, I volunteered and passed on the racing part. I was wishing I raced and then I glad I didn't, just 2nd guessing if I did but in the end there is always more satisfaction in helping at a race. Well in the race Myles got the hole shot and then Nate was on his wheel. After the 1st lap they looked good and then on lap 2 Nate hit a tree and lost some ground. Myles turned up the heat and ways putting down the hurt today and finished 1st in class and 3rd overall. Nate finished 2nd after another crash on the last lap. Mitch raced his single speed and pulled the plug. I watched the rest and seen some long and tired faces. After watching the rest finish their races I was sun burned and needed to get home and get my ride in. Now tomorrow Nate, Myles and myself are going to help Marty hand out and fit bike helmets at the West Allis festival. Hope everyone haad a good race and see you at the 24-9. Later..

About time

Here are few of the couple of 100 pictures I downloaded last night . It will take a few weeks to post a couuple a day to see some of the better ones. Got work to do so here are a few.

Superweek

Went to the Kenosha crit after I did a few laps at the Crystal race. We got there in plenty of time for the kids to warm up for their race. I'm beginning to wonder what they are doing for their warms ups. I'm going to start taking a bike to ensure that they are getting a good warm up before they race. They raced well and were at the front and then a few jumped them and they had to settle for racing for the rest. Gage pulled a 4th, Nate a 6th and Mitch a 7th. In the 15-18 race they missed the break and then again had to settle for the best of the rest. Gage pulled a 5th, Nate 6th and Mitch a 12th. They raced real well and I think have to hit it hard to keep up in the 15-16 next year. They are racing well just need a extra gear in the legs starting next year. Then we watched Len, Dan and John line up for their race. John lasted for 8 miles and then Len lasted for over half the race and then Dan finished in the field. Good thing Dan sat up in the lst turn as a guy up front sprinting hit his bars with his knee and hit the deck taking 5 others with him. A few really were hurt bad and had to be hauled away. Also Dr. Rudy went down in the back stretch and he hit his head hard and went to the hospital. Hope everyone is ok. Then Clayton and Bob lined up for the the pro race. I went fast and only got faster and they both hung on for the entire race. Clayton was up front and finished in the top 20 and Bob finished in the field. A great race to watch and looking forward to the Downer Ave race now. Vince's prime is up to $4,000 and that should make for a fun race. Now I have to get Nate's and my bike ready for the pre ride. Later..

Way cool

Talked to Mark and he told me the secret to having the pool back to a algae free state. I went to the pool store and picked up the ingredients and added them and wondered all day when they would start to work. I like to see things change in front of my eyes but was not happening so I beginning to 2nd guess what was going to happen and when it would. We got home from the ride last night and still nothing was going on in the pool. The algae was still there from the 2 weeks it was covered while we played out east. Well I looked online and checked the chlorine levels once more and added more shock and then went to bed. I was thinking that I would just empty clean the pool and start again. Got up this morning and it was clear and all the algae was gone and just the debris was on the bottom. I vacuumed it up and now we are waiting for the chlorine levels to come back down to a safe state. I hope it doesn't take to long as I did super shock it so it may take awhile. Thanks Mark as it worked and the kids are looking forward to getting in. Later..

Thursday ride

It was great to ride with the group on the Thursday night ride again. The pace was good and snappy. It was a nice pace to the Fox River and then it picked up a tad. Nate was having a little rear derailleur problem and Russell put a few twists into it and it was fine for the rest of the ride. Thanks Russ. After that we just sat in and went for the ride as Nate is going to do the Kenosha Super week race tomorrow. The pace picked up in the usaul spot up the loner hill on the back side and then a few got a 10 foot gap but the rest of us were able to catch back on and then ride it in to the sub division where Nate and I then just spun it in. It was nice to be in a group ride again after being gone for 2 weeks. That is what is missed the most is the racing and the riding that is just put on the back burner to do the family things on the vacations. Now tomorrow we are going to Kenosha for the Super week race and watch Lenny and Danny race. So see you at the races this weekend. Also put the charges on the lights today so now Nate and I are going to get out for a few rides next week. Also starting to get the stuff ready for the 24 hour racing next week. Man 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag again. Like always though we will make it through it. Later..

Back home

Just got back home ending with a drive from Buffalo New York. Went to the Niagara Falls yesterday and seen a bunch of water fall a couple of hundred feet. It was a real cool sight to see. We went on a tour that took us on a boat that took us right up to the falls. Also went on a walking tour that took us to the bottom of the falls. Pictures will be posted soon. We then went to the birth place of the hot wings for dinner. Kind of a cool place and then we crashed in Buffalo before the last drive home. Unloaded the truck and cut the grass and tried to clean the pool. It was a tad dirty and now I hope that the super shock works. I may need Marks help after this one. Now it is time to just sit back and relax. Later..

Life is Good

It has been so nice where we have been staying that we don't want to leave. But as always good things must come to an end. We are loading the stuff and getting ready to head towards home. We have decided to head towards the Finger Lakes area and hit a few wineries and check out the shops. The area is supposed to be beautiful and have a ton of things to do. We are doing this instead of adding time by trying to go to the coast. The time that it would take to get to the coast or New York City would add a few days and it would be tight getting back by the weekend so we are going to stop at a few places on the way home. Also planning hitting Niagara Falls on the way back and maybe one other stop or two. Have to check the AAA book and see what this area has to offer. Time to load the truck and see if we can get the kids to leave this place. Later..

Short track results

The guys went short track racing and the pace was full throttle from the start. Jesse made it to the top 20 and held till the last lap and was pulled right before the finish. Chris P, Mike and Marko all got pulled with 3 to go. In the semi pro Tom Bender finished in the top 15. It was fun to watch and they were all in the pain cave from the start and looked good. now we are going to go for a spin and see if a helmet will fit on Nates head and not effect the stitches. Later..

Rock Head

Well we relaxed and had a few cocktails and the girls made dinner for us. Thanks Maddie and Chole. Nate and Myles went and played outside with Jessie. Well we all sat down and enjoyed the tacos and other fare that was put in front of us. After eating Nate, Myles and Jessie went out to pick up a few rocks from the ski hill to bring home with us. After 1 trip they went back out and while running down the ski hill and lost his footing looking back for Jessie and fell. He his his head on a rock and put a gash about an 1 1/2 inches long and about a 1/2 inch wide. So he come to the room and his hands and arms are full of blood and just running out of his head and Jessie is just crying just behind him. Myles said and I believe him that he just fell and hit his head on a rock. Well we called the med care for the ski hill as they post that they have someone on premises around the clock. Just as we all knew we called valet to bring the truck up the hill to run Nate to the hospital. The hospital was 40 miles away and all the roads there are twisting so it took about an hour to drive there. Once there I was amazed that there wasn't many cars in the ER parking lot. Sweet not a long wait. Well we go in and then fill out the paperwork and are put in a room. Needless to say this town was so small that they had only 1 Dr. on a Sat night and he was taking care of a regular patient that forgot to take her high blood presure meds. I was nice and waited about 20 minutes and then asked the Dr. who was on the phone why I was waiting while he was talking on the phone and why a hospital on a Sat night only had 1 Dr.? I kind of made him made by asking him why a lady who wants to drink and forgets to take her meds was more important then a kids who bashes his head open. He came in a talked some crap that it was and I told him otherwise and he left and came back in a few minutes and took care of Nate. He cleaned it up and put 2 on the inside and 5 on the outside to close the hole in his head. Wwe got back to the place after midnight and got to bed. Nate slept fine and is back to his same old right now. Going to eat some breakfast and now watch some short track and super D. I hope the rest of the trip is uneventful. Later..

Results of the best

Well the fast guys went and they are freak'n fast. Adam Craig just rode away from the rest with Trebon in 2nd and HKB in 3rd. Tj took a 22nd I think and then Chris P was about 27th and Mike was a few spots further. Marko flatted at the top of the hill on the first lap and had to walk it out. Jesse was just not on his game and pulled the plug after 2 laps. It was a good race to watch and see how fast those guys really are. They pulled laps that where just amazing and they ride the single track like nothing you ever see in any of our races. Fun time. Now they have to get ready for the short track tomorrow. I hope that the rain we are getting right now doesn't mess things up to much. Yeah right I hope it does as that will make more fun for us to watch.

I'm tired as hell right now and we are getting ready to head to the bar for a drink. I'm glad I raced but the hills here are just amazing to climb. I finished 28th today and I'm glad with that as I have not climbed hills like these ever much less in a single speed gear. My arms are tired and the legs are burning but it is a got feeling as it was earned. Now it is time to have a cold one. Later..

Exhausted

I raced the single speed open and I am fried and done. It rained hard over night and the dust was gone but that made some areas better and some worse to ride with the mud and wet roots. I just took off and rolled with the group and then they just rolled away and I settled in a pace for the 3 laps that I had to do. The thing about this course is that you are climbing almost all the time and then in the single track it is all down hill and I mean a nice steep down hill that has you gripping the brakes to not run over the rider in front of you. All the hard climbing was rewarded with the sweet down hill single track though. I made the goal to finish the race as I knew after the pre rides that the climbing would be a bitch so I knew it was over once we all took off. In all the race was fun but brutal. I have no idea where I finished but I will post that after I get back up out of the chair and check the results. Now it is time to relax and catch Jesse, Marko, Mike and Chris P race this afternoon. Time to eat and have a Coke. Gotta run as the pro women are getting ready to start. The cool thing is the suite that we are in is right at the start/finish line so you can catch it all. Later..

Result update

Well Nate and Myles went off and were looking good. They went off after all the beginner men and had to work their way through them all during the race. They ended up ok but at the end Myles was 8th and Nate had a great sprint finish against another racer and ended up 13th. The sprint was awesome and the high light of all the racers. He was pinched towards the fence and pulled it off, it was so cool. It was a cool finish to a tough race. The field was the biggest of all the kids this weekend. The course was tough as there was 1100 feet of climbing in the first 3 miles and that was the factor. They both raced the their best and we are all proud with the finishes.

In the results of the others bender got a 25th, Aris 3rd, Gus 3rd, and Theo 7th, Brandon 25th, and Jordan 8th. I would have called a few of you but there is no reception here on my phone. Now I'm going to change my gear and hope for the best tomorrow. Later..

Results of the first racers

Tom Bender was a finisher today as I forgot his place, and when I walked past where they post them I forgot to look. I think he finished in the 20's. His race was fast and he looked good but it just got brutal as it went on. He was racing a 1x9 and he may have needed a little more from the way it looked. He finished strong though.

Team Expo was off next and Aris was leading but on the last time up his gear was a tad tall and the guys caught him and he finished 3rd. Gus looked strong and I will get his finish later as he was catching racers on the last lap. Theo looked good in the start and then faded a little as the race went on and he finished in the middle I believe. Again I will get the finishes later.

Nate and Myles go off for their race in about an hour so we are just relaxing for a second and then they will get a warm up and off they will be. I will post the results later. Later..

Mt Snow

Got here yesterday and ran into Myles right away and then got unloaded and pre rode the course. Man there is 3 miles of climbing on each 5 miles lap. Not your little hill climbs but up the ski runs steep. It is going to be a long race. I'm going to need to borrow a bigger cog from Aris and try to make it as easy as possible on the climbs as I suck on hills. Oh well what hurts you only makes you stronger. The boys are going to have a race on their hands also. It is going to be the largest field that they have dealt with all year as there may be more then 30 in their class. After sitting around for a while the girls went swimming and I hit the course for another lap with team Expo. It was a good lap a little better then the first one but I still had my doubts why I want to race but in the end I'm here so here it goes. Now I have to get out side and cheer in Bender then the kids, Expo and then Jesse, Marko, Chris and TJ today. I race at 8 tomorrow. Later..

Day 3

Today was the day of voting on the new procedures and laws for the weights and measures world. It was kind of cool as the industry has their reasons why not and we have the reason why. In the end rest assured the winners are the consumers. Now I just have to do my job to ensure you are getting what you pay for. So when on the south side of Milwaukee look for the sticker and you are assured that the device has been tested and passed. Now after the voting today we also got tomorrows agenda done so off to Mt Snow early to get a pre ride in. Should be fun. Now I have to go through the room and get every thing together and get ready for the fun. After the racing we will spend some vacation time with the family checking out a few areas out here. Can't drive way out here and not spend a little time having some fun. Later..

Day 2

The second day of the conference was better then the 1st. I have 1 thing to tell you that you can be assured that living in the Midwest that you are getting the gas that you are paying for. With the temperatures being very consistant in the ground tanks through out the year and the temps remaining the same in the summer the fuel coming out is accurate. If you go to Texas or Alaska that might be a different story.

But again now only 1 more day and then we head to Mt Snow for some racing. Today we had a little longer lunch so Nate and I got a ride in early today. That will be nice as we will eat dinner at a decent time apposed to 8 like the last few nights. It was beautiful down by Lake Champlain and there was a ton of people and boats out. I then had a quick lunch and went back to sitting on my butt listening to people talk. Now Cece and the kids went to Ben and Jerry's factory for a tour. The tours end at 5 and my conference ends at 5 so we would never had made it. So off they went with out me. I hope that they bring some back for me as I told them to pack a cooler with ice and try to bring me a pint of ice cream back. Tonight we will head to the lake and see what we find to eat. I just love walking and seeing the huge lake and mountains everywhere. It has been nice even though I have to spend all day in the conference as now there is only 1 more day till 10 days of fun. After the Nationals we may head to Noe York city or to the coast some where and then to Niagara Falls and some other stops on the way home. Just have to see the weather and where Cece has the truck pointed. Later..

Day 1

Today was a long day in the conference listening to the different laws that pertain to temperature and fuel. There is a lot of questions about the amount of fuel that a customer gets when it is either hot out or cold. The big thing is that the customer gets very little difference and it would cost the gas stations a lot of money to put a device in that makes very little difference. But it is something to look into in the long run. It really doesn't effect my job it just makes sure that the customer gets everything that they pay for and that they know that they are. Then it was a lot of other changes in wording of the regulations that just don't matter. Day 1 is done and now just 2 more.

After the conference Nate and I got out for a nice spin on the bike path along Lake Champlain. It is a big beautiful lake and the bike path was awesome. There was a ton of people riding, running and walking on the path. Not to much that you couldn't keep up a good pace but there was more then I see in a entire summer in Milwaukee. It was just awesome to see the mountains and lake while riding. We hope to get a few more rides in before we go down to Mt Snow on Thursday for Nate's race on Friday and mine on Sat. Now we are going to venture down to the main strip of places downtown and find a nice place to eat. Later..

Burlington Vermont

Got on the road and loaded the GPS with the directions and took off. Didn't pay attention to the AAA trip tix anymore as the GPS knows it all. Well I should have known with a lady telling me where to go something would be messed up ( Cece telling me where to go doesn't count ) . Well it was a nice ferry boat ride across Lake Champlain. The GPS told us the direction and then it took us to a port for the ferry ride. This was the most direct way I guess and the ferry route was in the GPS so they must have it GPSed some how. It was a nice cruise across the lake. The trip tix had us going across into Vermont at the bottom of the 150 mile lake and we were at the top 1/3 of the lake. To turn and go down was to long and to go up would have cost about the same in gas so we took the boat. Man the white caps were high and smashing over the front of the boat getting everything wet. 2 interesting things happened while on board though. 1. A guy got out of his truck and his cell phone fell out of his pocket into the lake, too funny. 2. A little Jewish boy was walking along the rail and the wind took his skull hat off and it to went into the lake, not funny as he cried.

As it did yesterday it rained a good part of the drive and has since we got here. Nate and I are itching to get on the bikes and plan on getting a few rides in over the next few days. The sun is supposed to poke it's head out tomorrow morning so after the conference we are going to check out some local trails if we can. We went to a cool seafood place on the lake for dinner and then the kids just got out of the pool. Cece and he kids are going to check some things around the area while I attend the conference and then we will do some things at night after the ride. Now we are going too watch the tour and relax after all the driving. Later..

More driving to come

After putting down a nice rib eye we are sitting down and watching the tour. The drive was good and uneventful. Aside from the heavy down pours to the point that I couldn't see more then 5 feet in front of truck it was a nice drive. Oh yeah I have put out about 30.00 in toll fees, man we have it made by us. The new dvd player an 10 inch screen is nice as it kept the kids busy for the ride. Maybe some day I will get a chance to see it work. In the 6 years that the other one was working I never seen a movie on it. I just heard them all but never seen a single movie. I may make Cece drive so I can just see a movie. Only 350 miles to Burlington Vermont for a work conference and then to Mt Snow Vermont for a little race there. Later..

Syracuse

Got on the road at 5:40am and made it to Syracuse. Got 750 plus under the wheels. Got it done 11 hours and now it is time to eat. More later..

Happy Birthday

Happy 14th Birthday today.

Just a little rain

Today we looked at the sky and said oh hell lets just ride. We rode to Muskego park and started doing some laps and then headed home. Dan, Nate and myself time trialed it back it a down pour and wind that was blowing us side ways. I have not ridden in rain that hard with winds that were so strong that it was just about blowing us into each other. The only scary part was the lighting as it was cracking right above our heads. It can only make you stronger.

Now it is time to pack for Vermont. First I have a conference in Burlington and then it is off to Mt Snow for a little race being held there. Then we are going to spend the week after traveling the east coast. Should be fun. Later..

6 Things you may not want to know

I was tagged by Chris and I figured I would play to this point as I think everyone else has been tagged. If not consider yourself LUCKY as I will stop it here.

1. I enjoy going to work. Not all do but I do as it is a outdoor job testing gas meters and then when foul weather comes I go inside and test scales. I get to leave my name every where I go. If you are on the south side of Milwaukee look on a pump or scale and you will see my name on it. The kids get a kick out of it.

2. If you need something and I have it, you can have it if I'm not using it. I have a lot of stuff and a lot of people have a lot of it. No problem just ask and it is yours.

3. I will do anything once. Well most anything as the leg has put the brakes on some things. I was lucky to have crossed many things off before the accident, but now many of the other things just don't matter if I don't try them.

4. I'm not afraid to speak my mind. Many people don't like that but many others know where I stand and just roll with it. It is just the way I am.

5. I like being on the run. I like to be busy and moving, just my style I guess.

6. I like my car and truck clean and waxed. It is something that easy and I just enjoy doing. Wash them after a rain and wax them at least 1 a month when the weather is good.

This is me and I will get older but never grow up. Later..

Busy as heck

Last night we all went out for Nate and Maddie's birthday. Nate turns 14 on 7/11 and Maddie 0n 8/4. So all of us, my parents, Cece's mom, Tom, Ken and Gage. We went to Botanas as the kids always love it there. It was a nice dinner and then my parents drove back to Rhinelander. I got the track bikes ready and a road bike that has been hanging in the basement to let a bmx friend try the Monday night track stuff. I hope Curt likes it. Then it was time to go to bed.

Tonight I dropped Gage back off with Jeremey and Destiny after a nice 14 day stay with us. It was nice to have him and my kids behaved the entire time also. So I hope Gage had fun. And Jeremey and Destiny thanks for the basket and the goodies we will enjoy them all. The track was fast and fun. The Mayors Cup was fast and I was out and kept going till I popped. The other races were the same as I finished in the field and was first out in the miss and out. Nate did good he got a 3rd in the scratch race, 4th in the miss and out and finished 1 down in the 25 lap points. Now I need to eat and go to bed. Later..

Fried

I don't know if I more fried from the race or the drive home. I was missing home after being a week away as it is always nice to sleep in your own bed. I love going up by Wade but the drive home just sucks. The race was good I took a 4th after a sprint against another racer but I just started it to soon and ran out of gas. Maybe if I waited the result might have been different then again maybe not. Nate had a ok race as he took a 3rd. Mitch had a great race and Myles rode real strong. Now the ride home just plain old sucked. After stopping in Black River Falls for Taco John's the traffic got bad and it took 5 hours for the ride home. After yelling at the kids a few times I was glad to get home and relax.

Now one week of work and then 2 weeks out East to Vermont. 1 week for work and then a week of vacation with the family. While I work they get to play. Then we are doing the Mtn Bike National Championships and then a week of traveling. Should be fun. I need sleep. Later..

Done

The vacation is almost over. We are packing the stuff cleaning our mess that we created at Wade's place. The week blew by fast and I can't believe that is is over already. We had a great time as always and the kids all had a blast. We are going to get the stuff all packed tonight and just have the things we need for the day ready as we are going to the race early to get Gage ready for his race. I think Nate is ready and me I'm just hoping to stay with Nate during the race. He finishes well I should finish well to. The fireworks were great and the kids all loved the huge blow up jungle gym. I'm sitting here watching the Tour and then it is out for a easy spin and run to the cheese store and get the stuff ready to leave. Later..

Cancelled

The snowmobile water skips have been called off this year. Get this, a guy pays to do it, signs a release and then skips across the lake veers left hits the shore crashes and then sues the Lions club for ruining his day. The Lions now have to defend it's self and lost a few years money that they made from the event. What if Randy sued Don for his hurting himself in a race and he called off the races. Better not think about it Randy. Well at least I don't have to limit how much I drink today and drive home. I can just drink away and walk across the street.

Tonight are the fireworks that Jason puts together and fires off. This year he said it should last about 45 minutes. These are better then any that are done back home. Should be another good time.

Last night we went to Cece's brothers and had a nice get together and then went to the Canterbury Race track. Cece kept picking the right horses but was only betting $2.00 on each one. That doesn't make a great pay out so we ended up $4.60 at the end. She started betting on more but we only stayed for 5 races as they take a long time in between and my nephew and niece were getting tired. It was fun but I still don't get into gambling. Later..

Same old same old

Yesterday was more of the same. Now it is feeling like a vacation. Just doing what you want when you want. Ride the bike, sit around, swim and then drink a few beers. I could get used to this. Today we are heading to the twin cities to visit Cece's brother and got tot the Canterbury Downs horse race track. I may try to fit a ride in before we leave. Later..

Down the River

We went on the boat ride down the St Croix River. It was a nice ride and man there are some big boats out there. There was boats beached every where and people swimming along the shore just about every inch of sand available. We cruised up about 10 miles and then beached the boat and let the kids and me skip stones for a while. Then got it loaded again and stopped in Still Water for a ice cream. We were going to eat out there but that would have meant being on the river when it got kind of dark and trying to get the boat out when everyone else was to so we cooked when we got home. We just relaxed and went to bed kind of early for once. The kids are still sleeping now and it is 8:30am right now. That is good as they all looked tired after the boat ride. Today will be more of the same I imagine for them. Ride, drive the 4 wheelers, Gator, swim and maybe if the weather holds paint ball and a movie outside. Later..

More fun

Today was more fun. The boys stayed across the street and the girls all stayed here. Then this morning the boys and I went for a nice 20 plus miles on the mtn bikes. After that they all went swimming and watched Ezra rake and bail hay. Now we are going on a boat ride on the St Croix River. Going to go from Hudson to Still Water grab some dinner and ride back. Haven't figured what we are going to do tomorrow but I think it will be some biking and swimming. Later..