The famous tat

Here's the tat photo... Yes, it's an A with a razorback... it was just a temp. Go ahead an call me a wuss but look close at that photo kids because this is one tough cookie! Buh ha ha ha!!!

A real tat... are you kidding me?????

The photo that's the meaning of life as I know it

Most photos of myself I really hate. But every now and then one comes along that I like. This is one of those. It symbolizes a lot of things in my life right now.

Thanks to my niece Melissa for shooting this photo.

Look over to the right and click on "Melissa" that is under the Blogs I read.

She is an awesome photographer and does some really creative shots!

Also, I just had my 6 month CI check up. All systems go! This was the first time I had gone into one of our clinics since having the CI. The clinic was packed to the gills and while I was in the exam room waiting for Dr. D. I could hear kids screaming. Maybe being hard of hearing had it's benefits there. It broke my heart to hear those kids crying.

I need to give a shout out to one of our little friends who got her 2nd CI activated today! That is awesome! Note to her mom... if you spot me in the waiting room or around the hospital, please by all means throw something at me and get my attention. I love meeting all our CI club members and their families!

On a funny note... I had a tad of ear drainage so Dr. D cleaned it out and put that purple antibiotic dye in my ear. Oh man, I will have a purple hearing aid ear mold again. I always think folks can see it (but they can't) and I feel like I'm the president of the Barney fan club! HA!

I have a training ride set for after work... oh joy... it's 94 degrees! A friend said it was as hot as fish fry oil...

Life is good... even with a purple hearing aid mold! HA!

Vacation... the video... what I longed for!

Enjoy the sound! I certainly did!



I heard it I heard it I heard it! Since we first started talking about this family trip I longed to hear the ocean in stereo. I wanted to hear the s-s-s-s-s as the waves came to shore. I could hear the big crashing ones last year but it has been a long time since I heard the part where the waves sizzle and go back out to sea. So many times on this trip I sat with a silly grin on my face because I could hear. I could hear the wave, the seagulls the splashes on the fish feeding frenzy. I could hear people talking and boy did I eaves drop! I could hear other people talking on their balconies. There were several times that family would yell at from their balconies and I wouldn't respond but it was due to not realizing someone was hollering down at me. They were remarks that would embarrass anyway. HA!

I got to hear the sweet little voices of my favorite great nieces and nephews. Elliott has such a sweet way she says George. I would get tickled when the kids would say, "That? That?" They wanted to know about "That". I loved how Liam would babble about everything. He was so funny! He would talk and talk. The guy was using a blower and it was a long way off and Liam was dancing to it. What a zest for life! Dancing to a leaf blower!

I got to hear the screams too but some of them were so funny that I would laugh! One time my niece Melissa was sitting in a beach chair and had some snack food and the twins (Keaton and Elliott) were climbing up to get in her lap to munch. Keaton is the climber so he got there first and Elliott was hot on his heels. She wanted up a little higher so she needed something to pull herself up. Keaton's blond hair seemed to be just the thing so she grabbed a handful and pulled herself right on up. Keaton let out a scream and then that was it. Both were up there and happy. Keaton sort of had the , "Yeah, she does that all the time" air about him.

The vacation write up

Ok, fair warning... this post may be like a bad Uncle Jonathan's slide show for the 70's. Did y'all ever have to sit through one of those? My uncle Bud went to the Holy Lands and one time we had to sit through a 3 hour slide show when we went to his house.


Ok, so last Friday we dropped the pup off at the kennel and headed to Benton to pick up my parents. Then back to Little Rock to pick up Tyler then to Terri's office to pick her up. The drive to Hattiesburg was fun and we were all excited. Got there and checked in and then find out the rooms are on the second floor and there is no elevator. I was warned that Dad would not be able to walk much at all. We take the wheelchair when we have to walk much to transport him around. I decided to take a chance because it was that or smoking rooms. No thanks.

We got to the steps and up he went! He did a great job. 14 steps up and that's a marathon for him. We crashed in the room and there was an Outback just across the parking lot so Terri and the kids and mom walked over there and ate but they also made an order to go and Tyler brought it back over to the room before they got to sit down at the restaurant. Dad crashed sound to sleep after that. It was sort of a sense of peace that the tables were turned. By that I mean I, the son, was watching my Dad sleep and staying to be sure he was comfortable and safe. I couldn't help but wonder how many times he watched me as I slept when I was a kid. It was one of those "life is good" moments.

The next morning we had the hotel free breakfast and heading out around 9:30. Once again, everyone laughing, talking and all excited. We knew we would be on the beach that afternoon!

Around 1 we stopped by Terri's folks in Navarre and took a break and called the condo to see if it was ready. When it's just with the kids we can go on over and hit the beach until the condo is ready but with senior parents you have to be flexible. We drove on over and the condo was still a few minutes away from complete so we drove around looking at the beach homes and then they called and said it's ready!

Oh the fun of unloading a van of stuff! The parking lot looked like a summer camp. Everyone was unloading and all of us dad's were cracking up about how much stuff our families bring but the dad's can fit a week's worth in a gym bag! Ok, I did have a t-a-d more... a bike and riding gear. Em, being the teen daughter she is, had a suitcase the size of a third world country and it was full! I knew it would be even worse going home because she was going to hit the shops.

First morning sunrise

Once we got unloaded we sat out on the balcony a moment and then that was enough of that stuff! Time to head the water! We headed down to the waterline and what was the first thing we saw? Yep, a shark! Swimming along like he owned the place! That was the one and only time I saw one or heard about one all week.My mom holding her sunglasses and having her coffee while watching the sunrise.

The water was almost swimming pool clear all week! Also no rain all week! Yes, that does make it a close to perfect beach vacation.

Sunday: Played on the beach, back and forth to the condo, Crab Trap for Fathers Day, then watching a sunset.

Monday: TATTOO day! I got a "A" with a razorback. I know... photos... I don't have one on my camera but Em might with hers and my niece Melissa took a really funny one. I'll post it, I promise! AND... it's on my manly upper arm so you don't have to worry about what the photo will be of! HA!

Tuesday: Beach - eat - beach - sunset - fireworks - sleep. Yes, fireworks! Every night at 10 there was a family in the building who shot off nice fireworks! It was like the end of the day at Disney!

Wednesday: Beach - Em took me shopping for cool looking Dad clothes. By the way... Sancony running shoes are only 15 dollars at the Silver Sands outlet mall! Terri got some. I hit up Polo, Banana Republic, Nike, and Bass!

Thursday: Beach, family shrimp cook off and back to the beach.

Friday: Let's just say...**repeat**

Now all the other vacation stuff:
There was Tri going on Monday morning! Everyone got excited because we could see a group of folks swimming down the shore line. I thought of all my friends who have gone from cycling to the "dark side". One guy was really smoking the swim! There are some old poles in from of our condo from a pier back before the major hurricanes so it was a perfect turning point. Out of the water and running down the beach they go! I really wanted to go down and cheer them on.

Several mornings I got up and rode my bike along the beach. Sunday morning I was the only road bike and I was bummed. As the week wore on there were more and more. Favorite morning was when I was riding along and Team Jeep came riding up behind me and invited me to jump on. Ok, this was like riding with Fast Girls Slow Guys on Red Bull. OMG!!! These guys were riding along and talking and I'm sucking air so hard the crabs are flying off the beach and straight to me! I had that yummy copper taste in my mouth of lungs begging for mercy. I stayed with them until they stopped to chart their route. Ok, this is all flat land in Destin and I looked down after I bidding farewell and my top speed was 27 mph! I guess I was in the vacuum and just not worrying about the speed because I would have blown had I known that. And I have to admit... there was some nice tail wind.

I also visited Robin (a guy and the owner) and Amy and Lance at Robin's Bike and Fitness. It's on 98 by the Melting Pot restaurant. They are the FL dealer for Obrea so they got all excited when I told them about the place in NLR that houses them. Robin rides and Orca and Amy has a Dive. One of the other locals who happened to be in the shop also has an Orca. They bragged and bragged about the awesomeness of the bike. Oh and Lance... he is the big Boxer. He had a Livestrong dog collar on. Robin's office had all the paper numbers you put on your jersey for event rides. They were the wallpaper border. There were also George Bush with one of the Robin's/Destin jerseys and Bart Starr had been in and bought a bike. Super nice folks so if you are in Destin, look them up! They didn't have a Destin jersey in my size... bummer!


Gotta stop for now but will write more later!

Loving this vacation stuff!

This is my little friend who helped me greet the day.
I'm loving this vacation stuff!

Thumbs up for Dry & Store

I am really sold on Dry & Store now! It's really humid here in Destin plus I'm riding hard in the mornings which means a lot of sweat. I can drop the aid and CI in the Dry & Store and in no time the things are dry and smelling fresh.

Training 06.15.08

Oh yeah, it was nice training this morning. Riding along the beautiful beach homes of Destin! Yep, I'm training in Florida. (Note to Wes: Hey man, I thought I you while I was going 10mph through the Mobile tunnel on the way here). We got checked in Saturday afternoon and crashed out and just enjoyed the beach. But this morning I woke with a passion to go ride hard. I headed out about 7 and rode along the beach. It was very quite car wise but man, I've never seen so many folks out running. It was a massive amount. I rode down Old 98 until I got to Silver Sands outlat mall and there is a group ride that was to start at 7:30 and they announced that they would be riding 98 for 30 miles. I never saw them but as I was about to ride a bit along 98 I noticed glass everywhere. No thanks! I'm not a flat fixer sort of guy. I'm always amazed at the rate of speed some folks can change a flat. Anyway, I crossed over 98 and cruised the Silver Sands outlets checking out places I wouldn't mind hitting this week. Then I had had enough tinkering around and started heading back. I told myself I needed to really punch the number and ride hard on the way back. It was looking good then I saw the dreaded water sprinklers soaking the road. Ugh! Slowed down and didn't bust my butt. It sort of got me out of the groove for a moment there. Once back in tune I opened it up. It was so fun blowing down the road. Sweat was pouring, legs moving.... life in sync!

Did I say there were a lot of runners here? Well there are a lot of runners here!

I made it back to the condo and was really happy to see a good average speed. It really was a good ride and I plan to get out and repeat tomorrow!

The rest of the day was spent in a beach chair entertaining my great niece and nephew! These little kids are a hoot!

We took my Dad to Crab Trap for Fathers day. He had a good day.

Oh by the way... I got a tattoo! It's an "A" with a Razorback. Of course when I'm 80 it will look like a camel probably! HA! Yes, I'll post a photo before long. I almost got Sponge Bob but Emmy screamed OH MY GOD DAD NO!!!!

I spotted a new jersey tonight. After we finished eating Terri, Em and I went looking for Robin's Cycle and Fitness. I knew it was close but kept missing it. We spotted it this evening and it is one very nice bike shop! When I looked through the window what did I see? A Destin bike jersey! They carry Cannondale and a lot of Orbea's. This is the group who ride every morning at 7:30 (except for Monday's).

Hey you Kansas 1/2 Ironman folks... hope you did great!

Well, life is good... on the bike... on the beach!