QUIET TIME BACK HOME IN SALEM

We arrived home in Salem safely Sunday afternoon, July 26th after a wonderful week at the CMA Rally.

On Wednesday I had a job interview. As many of you know, I retired 10 years ago.

I had NO intention of going back to work.

And I had made that VERY clear to Carol before we got married.

BUT

previously when I've been here in Salem I volunteered at a pre-school nursery for Somalian Bantu children while their mothers took English classes. I had called Catholic Refugee and Immigrations Services to volunteer again. They're no longer having a classroom program, so no need for a nursery. Oh well, maybe something else will develop.

Then I was talking with Carol and realized that if I worked at her pre-school program in the mornings, she could quit her afternoon job. And if I was disappointed that I couldn't do the same thing 3 days a week FOR FREE, would it really be work?

So I had a job interview Wednesday.

Michael, Carol's ex will take the kids on Friday, the 31st. On August 1st Carol and I will leave for PA Dutch country, NYC and New England. The New England part has been planned for a couple of months. NYC got added because Carol and the kids had such an incredible time last month. And there are several more Broadway shows that Carol hasn't seen yet.

Well, that WAS the plan.

OK, this isn't being written in a timely manner. Actually, today is August 21st.

And we just got back from a week in Jamaica.

Because on Thursday, July 30th I was checking some of my cheap travel sites and found a really great deal for a week in Jamaica.

Airfare, all inclusive including meals, alcohol and non-motorized watersports, airport transfers, everything.

Cheap.

AND the kids had such a great time in NYC.

AND it doesn't cost anything extra to take them with us in the Airstream, except for the theater tickets.

SO it really wouldn't be nice to go do something without them when we could take them there with us at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Even at an all inclusive resort where kids stay free, it'd be $800. extra for the airfare to take them to Jamaica. And this was an adults only resort anyway.

So we went to Jamaica.

Oh, the sacrifices we make for our kids.

Pictures and the story will follow soon.

CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLISTS ASSOCIATION

I've blogged some about the great people in the CMA. Carol and the kids and I had a wonderful time at the VA State Rally last September. So it was a no-brainer to come back for the National East Rally at the fairgrounds in Lewisburg, WV.

We arrived on Monday, July 20th. The Rally didn't start until Tuesday but getting there early assured us of a camping spot with full hook-ups. And a chance to "chill" for an evening before things started happening.

Good decision. No problem with the parking because there was lots of space. Most of the bikers came on their motorcycles with either a popup trailer tent or plain ol' tent so they didn't need the spots with hook-ups. But the day of rest was appreciated because things really got busy starting Tuesday afternoon.

Each morning and evening there was a service for the adults with a separate service for the teens and another for the pre-teens. The days were filled with seminars and prayer meetings. We didn't make many of those because there were no kid's activities during the day. But there was a beautiful little playground, a cafeteria and a "Goody" store with lots of CMA logo stuff.

Here is Andrew with the CMA KIDS instructor, Larry Sims.




And with Gabe, a new Best Friend.




The "newlyweds" showing off Tom's "biker do".



The week FLEW by and all of a sudden it was Saturday, the last full day of the Rally. We met some great new friends, caught up on the doin's of some old ones.

And at the "Bike Games" on Saturday, Emily was the rider for the WINNING TEAM of the "tennis ball drop." Victoria McGraw was the driver. Here's a video of the winning run.




I am so sorry that I didn't video some of the other entrants. Because Victoria and Emily make this look SO EASY. Trust me, it's NOT! About 15 entries of which 3 had a perfect run the first time. On the second one, our girls were the only one with a perfect run. One of the others dropped a ball off the cone and the other one ran over a cone. Victoria is incredibly smooth at VERY slow speeds and Emily was so gentle in placing the balls on the cones. IF the other drivers got close and slow enough, the dropper put the ball onto the cone with too much force and it bounced off as soon as they let go of it.

The "Winner's Circle" !



Saturday evening 9 of us went to dinner, all in my new truck. Chinese Buffet 'cause I said we weren't all riding home in one vehicle after Mexican.


The infamous 9 minus Carol, who is taking the picture.


The back seat


We attended an early service on Sunday morning and then hooked up and came home to Salem.

Life is good !