Halloween Cross

Yesterday was another day of rain so that meant riding the rollers again. Just a few more races for Nate and The ICEMAN for me. Then there can be a break for a while. The BMX will still be going on but that doesn't require the daily riding. Today is the Halloween cross race so the costumes should be a sight to see as always. Then tonight it a party by John and Laurie's. Be safe out there. Later..

Snap shots of gate practice

Awesome pictures by Guy.


Had a great time at gate practice last night. The track is coming along very nice and a few more days of racing and gate practice it should be in awesome shape. There are a few soft spots as there are every year at the start of the indoor season. There was a good turn out of riders and it was perfect that if you rode up to the gate you could get right in and roll another lap. By the end I was cooked and my body feels like it today. I do have to give a thanks to Guy for the awesome pictures and Sam for running the gates. That just let us watch the track and help the little kids back up when they fell. Great time at the track and can't wait till next week.

Today it was more gas station testing topped off with a few scales at the end. Then it was come home and rake the leaves and let me tell you for a small yard there was a ton of them. Then it was a nice spin on the road bike and then lift weights as the kids and Cece got their hair cuts. Nice to have the home to myself for a while but they are all home now and dinner is being served. Better go now before they leave me with none. Later..

Good News

Wisconsin Rapids got a National for BMX on July 23-25. This is awesome and I can hardly wait. That makes 1 in Rockford and 1 in Rapids. How cool is that. Yeah we miss the Alterra race but like I said WORS is taking a back seat to a lot of other great racing that we miss. So between more road racing now we are throwing in more BMX. There is just to much great racing and we want more of it. So congrats to Rapids for getting a big Nationals next summer. Guess Wade will have a few guests with him for a weekend. Hope that he doesn't mind.

Gate practice was a good time tonight and the track is riding in nice. Except for the few soft areas the track is riding awesome. When it all dries up this is going to be a fun one that keeps you on your toes, well at least me as I don't have the made skills of the likes like Nate. Sadly we will miss the races on Sunday as Nate and I will be attending some ride in Tosa put on by this guy. All good though as it should be a fun one. Time to eat a few Swedish fish as they are calling. Later..

Going On's

Today was a awesome day to finish up the trucks at the airport for the year. I'm glad to be done messing with the jet fuel and the AV gas for the year. The guys that I work with at the airport are great but the trucks and fuel get old after a month of testing it. Now I have a bunch of work that was tossed on the back burner to attend to.

Then the leaves from the tree out front decided to fall and I wanted to get them taken care of before they got to deep and ruined the grass. Got it done and then headed to the chiropractor for the monthly alignment. Oh it feels so good when I leave. That left me some time to lift weights before running Nate to his 2nd to last drivers ed class. That will be nice when that is over tomorrow. But Cece will have to run him there and back as I have to go to gate practice at the bmx track to run the gates. Remember the gate practices are on Wednesday's at the barn from 5pm to 7pm. Be there. I also got a nice interval workout in on the rollers to keep the legs moving for the ICEMAN. So now all I need is to get Nate and dinner going as Cece has Parent Teacher conferences tonight. So I must get to work. Later..

Pic's from Sheboygan

Here are a few pictures that Becky Brandt took of Nate and I going over the long jump. Thanks for the awesome pictures Becky. Later..

Elkhorn BMX racing

Nate in turn 1.
Tina in turn 1.
Hailey getting her elbow pads on before the race.
Justin taking a break between gates.


It was a fun day at the track. Boy the track sure feels good and I'm glad that I had the chance to help build it as it makes the racing that much more fun. Nate had a god day as he took a 2nd in cruiser and a 5th in 20 inch. He let Body push him up in turn 2 in the 20 inch and lost 4th place because of it. But great racing none the less. I had a decent day too. I took a 6th in the cruiser and a 1st in the 20 inch class so I move up to Intermediate now. Wins will take a while I think. But you race faster people you get faster. I hope. Gate practice starts this Wednesday at 5pm to 7pm. Come out and pop a few as it is always a good time. Then we got home and Nate and Jess made dinner, hand dipped chicken tenders, green beans, and potatoes. Good finish to a good day dinner that the punks made. Oh yeah the Packers won and the Vikings lost and the Bears are losing. Later..

Free Time

It has been a while since we had a little free time on our hands. So that meant I had time to run to the store this morning with Jess and buy a few pumpkins to murder this afternoon. Cece had to go to school this morning and do some test prep stuff so Jess and I did some errands and then we cleaned the house. After that I was able to lift weights and rake the leaves before throwing a ride in. Then we murdered the pumpkins and I'm roasting the seeds now as we speak. Tonight is the neighborhood trick and treat so I have candy duty as Cece and Jess will be walking around getting a bag full of cavities. Then tomorrow is the first day of bmx racing at Elkhorn. I can't wait to see how the track is at full race speed. It should be fun and I can't wait to hang with the BMX peeps again. Better get something to eat as the punks are going to be coming to the door shortly. Later..

Racing News

GIBBS LAKE CROSS RACE IS CANCELED TOMORROW........

With the cross race tomorrow canceled it frees up at least 1 day to get a few things done. The race was canceled because of the rain the last few days has water standing in areas and the parks dept want to keep the park nice. Good call to keep the racing alive. That means a race in Whitewater on Sunday and then BMX in the afternoon. If the rain does not cancel that race to as it is in a nice park to. But the good thing is that the BMX is indoors and that won't be called for a little bit of rain. Now what to do tonight as I don't have to get up to drive to a cross race. Maybe a few beers and an auction are in order. Later..

Rainy Thursday

Today we had a appointment to test a scale at a scrap yard. The bad thing was moving the 25,000 pounds in the rain in a dirty messy yard. We got it done and then called it the day for testing vehicle scales. With the rain not stopping any time soon it wasn't worth getting all the expensive testing equipment wet or ruined. Then it was testing scales indoors for me to stay out of the rain.

After testing for a while I had the rest of the day off as I had a dentist appointment. Oh I hate going to the dentist as the hygienist just pulls the floss up to my ears it feels like and the gums are sore for the rest of the day. Plus I showed up 10 minutes early and still had to wait another 10 minutes past my appointment time. What gives with that?

Tomorrow Jessica is going to the pumpkin farm with her class and it is supposed to be cold and rain all day. Man that is going to make it a crappy trip. Just going to have to send her boots and extra socks and pants along as I'm sure she will get muddy and wet. Just hope that they get to be inside somewhere for a while they are there. Then tomorrow night I'm going to have to take the kids to the garden center and pick p a few more pumpkins to carve over the weekend. Always a fun time carving and then roasting the seeds.

Tonight was the movie Race Across the Sky, but with other things on the plate I guess I will have to wait till Lance needs more money and sells it on disc. I just couldn't swing it all and try to get to it. I hope that everyone that does get there enjoys it. Now I'm going to sit back and relax and enjoy the ball game. Later..

Rerun

Today was a repeat of yesterday. Testing more vehicle scales with John with rain in the morning. I was nice as the day went on the weather got better and so did the scales as the first 2 failed today and were taken out of use. Not happy people but John has his way of getting the message across that they can not use it. Then after work it was pick up Jessica, get home lift weights, rake that leaves, run Nate to drivers ed, get a bike ride in and now sit down after dinner. I have a feeling that it will be a repeat tomorrow minus the warm weather. Time to shower. Later..

Rat Race

Well Tuesday's are way better then a Monday. I guess I was in a better working mood today as things that were planned to be done actually happened. I like to go with the flow but I like to have structure when structure is there to have. Make since? Today was a planned day to work with John testing vehicle scales and we got a bunch done and there is still 2 more days to get more done. Then it was off to get Jess and drop Nate off at drivers ed, pick up the chocolate bars that Jess has to sell (anyone want to buy some? Please.). Then I had a School Board meeting to attend that I have been on the board for the last 11 years. Now finally I have the chance to sit down and relax. I think I'm going to have a bowl of ice cream and watch Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zinmen. He eats some crazy crap. Later..

The building crew

Thank 1 of these guys at the track for giving you the awesome track that you will be racing.

The front straight out of the gate. You will love the triple step up into turn 1. Later..

Wiped out.

Some of the build action on Saturday.

Finished the track and then we got the chance to put the first tracks in the dirt.
The tree in front is looking pretty nice.

Yesterday was a long day as the body was beat from the work we did on Friday. Let me tell you moving dirt around for 9 and 10 hours a day really works you over. But the sweat equity that you put in to the track makes it all the better when you are the first ones to put a bike on it. I think that the racers are going to like the lay out and the way it flows. Come out and race and or watch some fast action at the Walworth track. Now I got my feet up and I think I'm going to take a nap. Later..

Bust'n ass move'n dirt

Today was day 1 of moving the dirt around in the barn for the indoor season of bmx racing. There was so much dirt I don't know where we were going to put it. But with the minds of the long time experts of Bryan, Payton, Curt, Fred and Jake I'm thinking you better have some jumping in your bike this year. Got a lot done today and the body will be sore tomorrow but we will work that out with another day of moving the dirt. Should be fun. See you next week for some racing. And thanks Jeff for taking Nate to the cross races so I can play in the dirt. Later..

Weekend is here

I took the day off tomorrow to help build the track in Elkhorn. The day starts early and goes late for the next 3 days. I'm betting that I will need some ibuprofen each morning and night after tossing dirt around for 8 to 10 hours a day. But I know it will be worth the sweat as Jake always has a great track when all the dust settles.

Also I have to give Jeff a big thanks as he is making sure that Nate is getting to both cross races as I help at the track. Good luck Jeff with the 3 teenage boys and good luck to all 3 boys. The one thing I'm kind of bummed about is that I miss the Beechwood race. I really like the race but man it was the hardest race I ever raced. I will have to make it to the next years race though.

Nate is 1/2 over with his drivers ed classes so that is nice and then he can take the temps test in Jan. We just wanted to get the class done before the winter and bmx racing and gate practices started. Once Nate gets his temps he can drive to the gate practices and the races on Sundays. Then I will sleep to and from the races. Now I have to try to figure out why my new lap top is not picking up the wireless. Later..

Pictures of Nate

Here are a few pictures of Nate from the weekend that Julie took. Just a few that I have found from the weekend. A lot of picture takers but not many found. I tried coping Kelli's but it is not working they are coming up blank. Oh well.

The car is fixed and it is running great again. Glad that is the case as bmx is coming up and the trip to Elkhorn 2 to 3 times a week it needs to be good. I got a deal as I am a repeat customer so I don't know if that is a good thing or not but I like it. Next is the ball joints on the Excursion and that is no small job so back to the shop it goes. Can't wait till I have to have 3 cars for 4 drivers in the next year or 2. Then the fixing and insurance will kill me for sure. Got to go get Nate from drivers ed now. Later..

Metal Heads

The kids before the metal was pit in.
The kids after the metal was installed.

The TV comes in better in the basement now that the kids have braces. I got up this morning and ran the car to Jeff for a manifold gasket replacement and then dropped Cece off at work. Good thing is that the shop is 2 miles away and Cece's school is only about 3 1/2 miles away from home.
Then I got home and tossed the iron around in the basement before running the kids in for the braces. Once we got there and I left some money on the counter they said OK we will now start the process. I then left them there as it was a few hours and I was again only about 4 miles away from home so I went home and washed the truck and pulled the tomato plants before going back and getting the kids. When back they were just finishing up and it worked perfect. After that we stopped at Ben's to pick up a 10speed cassette for Nate's spare wheels, once done with that we came home and ate lunch.

Then Nate and I tore up the trails for awhile. The legs were still a little messed up from the race on Sunday. They felt a lot better after till I spent the next 2 hours digging up my Cana lilies. Then when done with that I ran Nate to drivers ed and picked Cece up from work. What a long day. I need to go back to work to relax. Now I need a bowl ice cream. Later..

Monday CRAP

My Monte Carlo has been making a noise for the past few days and it made a really loud ticking at the race yesterday. I had a gut feeling about a few things that may be going on. Either a manifold, oil pump going, water pump or a head gasket taking a piss. I was a little more concerned this morning when I started the car and the tick was again loud meaning only 1 thing, oil not getting to the top 1/2 of the engine. After driving the punks to school the noise went away and I felt a little better but I still needed to get it checked out. After work the noise was not that loud but I drove it to the shop that does the work on my car and truck. Gary looked under the lid and said leave it here or drop it off in the morning as it appears that the manifold may be leaking. Great that means $ put into the car. Have to have it fixed as we can not be with out it and don't be needing to buy a new one just yet. I just hate not being able to the work on the new cars yourself. Oh well time to just fork it over and get it done.

Then to top it off I have been having to test more taxi's that have had to put newer cars on the road. In Milwaukee you have to have cars that are newer then 10 years old and the Police check is this week so I have had about 4 to 5 a day to check again. Can't wait till they are done. Time to eat. Later..

WORS is done

The WORS season ending race at Sheboygan again was not a disappointment. Nate and I headed up at 9:45 to get to the race as it being cold I didn't want to be there all day freezing my butt ( all 1/2 of it ) off. We got the bikes off the car and then got to the start line to watch the sport racers go off. Then we got dressed and warmed up and got to the line to freeze while waiting for the start. Nate went off and was sitting good but as the race wore on he began to run out of gas and finished 6th. Then I went off and about 75 yards in to the race there was a big crash and it blocked the road and then the gap was formed. I just rode in the group that formed and slowly either caught others that were fading or got passed by a few that were caught in the crash too. I ended up finishing 7th in age. Good finish for me considering I my legs were cramping for the last lap and a half and was super glad that it was over. Glad the season is over and now the bmx racing can start. Nate still has a few cross races left and we also have the ICEMAN to do.

Crossed up and worked up

This morning Nate and I went to the cross race in Grafton and they put on a really nice race and awesome course. Nate got a good start but blew up and then played catch up the rest of the race. He went down in a corner and then dropped his chain and it was over and he rolled in for a 6th place finish. Hope he gets rolling better in the next few races.

Then we got home and took the pool down and got it put away for the winter. Cut and bagged the grass as it was so long I could have had to bail it. Cut the canalilies down and that always means that fall is here and winter not far off. Then it was time to get the freshly rebuilt wheels (thanks Russell) back together and put on Nate's mountain bike. I had to also take the rear brake of my Haro SS and put it on Nate's bike as his was acting up. I finally got a spin in on my road bike as we have the last WORS race tomorrow and then it is fun time as bmx starts. Well time to put the flannel sheets on the bed and lift weights and then crawl into the nice and warm sheets. Later..

Friday funday

I was hoping to get the lawn cut, but this rain has messed that up. Plus when I do get to cut it I will have to bail it up. Who's great idea was it to fertilize it any ways? It is the best it has looked all year as it is nice and green and no weeds but I have to cut it every 2 days. Pool is almost drained and now I have to clean it and get it put away to. Maybe wait to cut the grass till after I do that.

Going to the Ronsta ride tonight, cross race tomorrow and then the last WORS race on Sunday. Glad that is over and then next weekend I am going to go to Elkhorn and help build the bmx track. That should be cool as they get it done in 3 days. Should be fun. Well I have to run to get to Ron's for the ride. Later..

Great Laughs big plans

Today was a entertaining day in the great old weights and measures world. I had a ton to get done in the office but the phone was ringing off the hook from the taxi cab drivers calling to get their meters tested and sealed prior to the Police check needed by tomorrow. Well the fun started right away as I rejected a 2 of the meters and the owners begged for the seal and that they would come back after the Police check with it calibrated. The problem is that the cab owners can't driver for a week without my seal. Well guess what they left empty handed and bummed as the rules are the rules and I am not bending them for anyone. But the best was the guy that ran out of gas and then drained his battery down to the point it was dead will out on the test course. He was a little pissed when I laughed at the situation. But to top it off his meter failed and he to left without it being sealed so he too has to wait a week to work. The Police check is only Thursday so SOL to them. What a way to come back after 3 days of sitting on my butt at the conference.



Nate is at drivers ed and Cece and the girls are at a Pampered Chef thingy so I have the house to myself and I am loving it. After getting Nate from drivers ed I'm stopping and getting a Torta from J C Kings Tortas. These things are so big that even the small one covers the entire plate. The big one is so big it is just to hard to describe, you just have to see it. I'm thinking the Eggs, Ham, Brick Cheese, American Cheese, and Mozrella Cheese with lettuce, tomato, avocado and mayo. All this is on a huge bun that tastes awesome.

The pool is draining and I hope to get it cleaned up and taken down over the weekend. Still have to try to fit in a cross race for Nate on Saturday and a WORS race on Sunday. I also plan on doing the RONSTA ride tomorrow. I think Nate is joining in too so that should be a fun ride. Time to head out and get The Boy. Later..

Back Home

The conference is over and now I am the President of the Wisconsin Weights and Measures Association for the next year. Hopefully I don't run it into the ground and plan a good conference next year. It got the official results from the test we had to take yesterday after the training and I got lucky and got a 100%. Glad that is over. Had a nice drive home and then had to run Nate to drivers ed and Maddie to the thrift stores to get 70's and 80's crap to wear to school. Nate is just going to wear my letter jacket as I still had that for the last 27 years, holy crap I'm old. It fits him pretty good and I think he is looking forward to showing it off tomorrow. I will try to get a picture of him. Now I have to get a bunch of things done before the list gets to big. Later..

WWMA

Been sitting at the Wisconsin Weights and Measures Association conference in the Dells for the last 2 days. Yesterday was OK as if was just 5 hours but today is going to be a rough day on the butt as it is 9 hours. Oh this is boring but in a kind of demented way cool as it is what is have to do at work. Got a nice ride along the bluffs and the scenery was awesome. Today on the other hand it is crappy outside do I'm going to spend the night in the water park and enjoy the warm water and slides. Time to learn. Later..

Race #11

After the long drive Nate had a bad one and finished 6th and I DNF'd. Enough said. Time to read the paper and get the feet up after 7 hours of driving and riding for 4 miles and walking 4 miles out with 2 jacked up wheels. Oh well 1 more race and this WORS season is in the books. Had enough and taking a break is needed. Later..

Long day

I have finally had a chance to stop and relax. This morning right from the start is was run here and run there. Had a soccer game with Jessica, they lost again. Just not aggressive as the kids on the other teams. Also there is only 10 kids on the team and they play 90 to 100% of the game and the other teams have enough for 2 teams but the kids don't seem to mind so that is good.

Then I had to drop off my niece as she stayed over night and Nate stayed at Pete's, but once I got there Laura said leave them all there and that she would bring them home later. Nice as then Cece and I got some running around and chores done. Oh life with no kids would be so simple.

Then once the kids got home Maddie went to a friends and has now stayed the night there and Nate and I went for a nice single speed ride down by the lake. Once home it was put away 3 baskets full of cycling stuff, I'm trying to figure out how we got 2 dressers full of cycling clothing. Got that done and then it was clean myself up and dress in a western outfit and hit a surprise 55 for a co-worker ( picture maybe posted later ). Now time for bed and drive to the race in the morning. Good Luck to those racing cross. Later..

Let it snow

I got the deicers done today just before the rain came in the afternoon. Now they are all set for the snow to start falling, but not to soon I hope. I'm glad that it is done as my hands are sore from handling equipment soaked in the stuff for the last week. Now I just have the hydrant trucks to finish at the fuel farm in the middle of the airport using the 1,000 gallon prover. I hope to get them done before the weather turns to cold as I have to sit 20 feet up in the air as we are testing.

Next week I have to go to the Wisconsin Weights and Measures conference in the Dells. I'm going to be the next President of the organization which means that I have to plan the conference for next year. I will be glad when that is over. But it will be a nice few days of just sitting around and learning about vehicle scale testing. We will be at the Chula Vista so that is the nice, also I'm taking the bike to ride around the roads near the resort. Tonight we have a Birthday party for our niece and then a soccer game in the morning for Jess. Got to run. Later..

1 more day

What they do with what I am testing.


I have 1 more day of deicer testing and I'm ready for it to be finished. Propylene glycol tastes like crap ( splashed in my face and mouth ), is slimy and smells on your hands for days to come. Today I got there and we needed to discard the totes that were full from the cleaning of the prover in between tests. When we were cleaning the totes the guys had a great idea of emptying a storage recovery unit that has had an odor for a while. Well they open the top to empty it and it was the worst smell I have ever encountered, it so bad I almost threw up on the spot. I had to leave the area as it was that bad. Well they got it done and then we finished testing a bunch of trucks and now it just leaves 5 more and the hot temperature test of all the hot products. Hope to finish it all tomorrow.

Then came home and tossed some iron around in the basement and then took Jessica to soccer. Well we thought that there would be practice but then the coach never showed up, there was a little rain earlier. We let the kids run around for 45 minutes pushing and tackling each other and then headed home. Now just waiting for cece and then having dinner. Later..