It seems that I received some bad intelligence with regard to Kellie's cheerleading tryouts. Kellie did make the cheerleading squad at Marsteller Middle School, but on the junior varsity squad vice the varsity squad.
Marsteller Middle School is comprised of grades 6-8. The junior varsity cheerleaders are drawn from the 6th and 7th grades, and the varsity cheerleaders are drawn from the 7th and 8th grades. It is extremely difficult for a new 7th grader (Digression: Kellie in 7th grade!! What happened to the little toddler running around the house?) to make the team when they didn't cheer as a 6th grader.
In true Clark fashion, Kellie is appalled at the apparently incompetent selection committee. In Kellie's words, "I though they wanted the best for varsity", she reveals the genetic superiority complex that Clarks all seem to acquire sooner or later.
Rest assured that young Kellie intends to correct this oversight as soon as possible.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Have you ridden on 211 yet?
I have talked to several sportbike riders in the Bristow area and the same question always comes up; Have you been out on 211? I always answered 'No', and being male I never bothered to ask where it was. I did harbor a sense of curiosity about the mystical 211 for several reasons. One, there must be something about this road that makes everyone talk about it; two, my neighbor Steve broke his ankle in a crash on 211; three, it's a mountain road. This all adds up to a level of twisties you don't just see in the Virginia coastal plain.
Yesterday proved to be the perfect combination of available time and inclination, so I started up the bike (newly charge battery b.t.w.)and took off for 211. On my last ride I saw the exit to 211W in Warrenton, so I went 29S and went west. The first 40 miles of the ride were pleasant enough, albeit the swarm of holiday police radar traps and the extremely ordinary 4-lane highway route. I managed to avoid the police and stuck it out for the duration, noting that in the distance that there appeared to be hills, and the roadsigns indicated that Luray Caverns loomed ahead. More importantly I noticed several groups of sportbikes parked at Gas Stations and convenience stores along the way. For anyone who has ridden in Northern Virginia, aka Harleyland, this is somewhat unusual.
The sporkbike sitings suddenly intensified and I found myself on Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. The road began to climb and the turns looked more and more interesting, but the traffic had slowed to a crawl because of the incline.
The view of the mountains and trees was breathtaking, at least I think it was, because as soon as the road widened into two lanes and I could pass the siteseeing cagers, all I saw were sweepers, hairpins, blind turns, s-curves, and all the other turns in the road that make life worth living. I picked up the pace, hoped that the police were busy elsewhere and began to feel that delicious sense of unease associated with riding on an unfamiliar road and wondering if you just carried too much speed into a blind corner.
I ran to the top and started down the other side of the mountain only to discover that the road was one lane down vice two lanes up. I was parked for most of the trip down behind a Surburban towing a trailer, but once at the bottom, I turned around and went back up the hill. Now I was back in two lanes, making it very hard for a slow car to spoil the ride. I had a quick encounter with a Silver RX-7 that decided he could stay with the R1, but for reasons known only to him, he could not. The second trip down was soon stopped by a Honda putting along in the now single lane traffic, but miraculously he pull over to let me by. I gave him a hearty wave and powered on down.
In short, it was a 110 mile ride for 5 miles of twisties, but worth it. If I ever have any riders on hand, we should definitely make the trip back.
Yesterday proved to be the perfect combination of available time and inclination, so I started up the bike (newly charge battery b.t.w.)and took off for 211. On my last ride I saw the exit to 211W in Warrenton, so I went 29S and went west. The first 40 miles of the ride were pleasant enough, albeit the swarm of holiday police radar traps and the extremely ordinary 4-lane highway route. I managed to avoid the police and stuck it out for the duration, noting that in the distance that there appeared to be hills, and the roadsigns indicated that Luray Caverns loomed ahead. More importantly I noticed several groups of sportbikes parked at Gas Stations and convenience stores along the way. For anyone who has ridden in Northern Virginia, aka Harleyland, this is somewhat unusual.
The sporkbike sitings suddenly intensified and I found myself on Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. The road began to climb and the turns looked more and more interesting, but the traffic had slowed to a crawl because of the incline.
The view of the mountains and trees was breathtaking, at least I think it was, because as soon as the road widened into two lanes and I could pass the siteseeing cagers, all I saw were sweepers, hairpins, blind turns, s-curves, and all the other turns in the road that make life worth living. I picked up the pace, hoped that the police were busy elsewhere and began to feel that delicious sense of unease associated with riding on an unfamiliar road and wondering if you just carried too much speed into a blind corner.
I ran to the top and started down the other side of the mountain only to discover that the road was one lane down vice two lanes up. I was parked for most of the trip down behind a Surburban towing a trailer, but once at the bottom, I turned around and went back up the hill. Now I was back in two lanes, making it very hard for a slow car to spoil the ride. I had a quick encounter with a Silver RX-7 that decided he could stay with the R1, but for reasons known only to him, he could not. The second trip down was soon stopped by a Honda putting along in the now single lane traffic, but miraculously he pull over to let me by. I gave him a hearty wave and powered on down.
In short, it was a 110 mile ride for 5 miles of twisties, but worth it. If I ever have any riders on hand, we should definitely make the trip back.
Friday, May 27, 2005
New Mom
Rodney and Jodi's daughter Erica gave birth to Gabriel Alexander this morning @4:05AM. Here's an interesting twist: Exactly one year ago, on May 27, 2004 @4:05AM Erica's younger sister Ashley passed into the clearing. Coincidence?
Tracy went to visit Erica at Fort Belvoir and I hope to post a picture later this evening.
Tracy went to visit Erica at Fort Belvoir and I hope to post a picture later this evening.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Field Trip
I accompanied Austin and his 4th grade class today as a chaperone for a field trip to Richmond. We went to the Science Museum of Virginia and the Virginia Historical Society Museum. Although definitely the underdog of the two, I much preferred the history museum and I now know far more about the history of Old Dominion than I thought I ever would. They provided a 90 minute guided tour, and the yound lady who led out group proved to be very knowledgable.
I do want to offer my picks and pans of the museum content. I won't dispute the artifacts and memorabalia concerning Virginian history, but I want to comment on the Native American portion of the offerings. They indicated that Virginia had been occupied by the red man 'for at least 16,000 years' prior to the invasion. This number is absurdly low according to the latest numbers. I will do a little poking around tomorrow to offer an alternative.
As far as the science museum, the next time you see Austin, ask him about 'Rat Basketball'.
I do want to offer my picks and pans of the museum content. I won't dispute the artifacts and memorabalia concerning Virginian history, but I want to comment on the Native American portion of the offerings. They indicated that Virginia had been occupied by the red man 'for at least 16,000 years' prior to the invasion. This number is absurdly low according to the latest numbers. I will do a little poking around tomorrow to offer an alternative.
As far as the science museum, the next time you see Austin, ask him about 'Rat Basketball'.
The In-Laws are in town
Jim and Jane Boone have been visiting us this week and are due to leave in the morning. Alyce was over this evening along with our neighbors, Ron and Amanda McCormick. I fired up the grill and we had a quick dinner. Although we try our best not to hold it against them, Ron and Amanda hail from the great state of Alabama.
Monday, May 23, 2005
My new 450lb paperweight
On Sunday, I took the cover off the R1 and went for a spirited 90min ride through the Virginia countryside. Before I could depart, however, I was forced to jumpstart the bike because the battery has enough charge to power the clock and dash lights, but not enough to start the bike.
Once I got her running, I took off on my ride. After I got home and cut the ignition, I had to run to a neighbor's house to get Austin for dinner. The bike started up just fine and when I was at the neighbor's house, I started it again to entertain a few kids who were standing by. That proved to be all the battery could take and the R1 became a 450lb human-powered vehicle that I had to push home. Thankfully, I only had to push it 100 yards in order to get it home.
Needless to say, I will be rummaging through the garage to try and find the alligator clip extension that came with the battery tender or just put the thing on a standard battery charger.
I did check the battery tender website, and the replacement connector is cheap. Problem: There is a $16 service charge on all orders less than $25. I'll look elsewhere before I do that.
Lesson, R1s are easier to ride when the motor is running; faster too.
Once I got her running, I took off on my ride. After I got home and cut the ignition, I had to run to a neighbor's house to get Austin for dinner. The bike started up just fine and when I was at the neighbor's house, I started it again to entertain a few kids who were standing by. That proved to be all the battery could take and the R1 became a 450lb human-powered vehicle that I had to push home. Thankfully, I only had to push it 100 yards in order to get it home.
Needless to say, I will be rummaging through the garage to try and find the alligator clip extension that came with the battery tender or just put the thing on a standard battery charger.
I did check the battery tender website, and the replacement connector is cheap. Problem: There is a $16 service charge on all orders less than $25. I'll look elsewhere before I do that.
Lesson, R1s are easier to ride when the motor is running; faster too.
Motorcycle Update
Austin rode the PW50 again on Sunday. As an experiment, I took him much farther back into the construction site where I knew the bike could not be heard. My suspicion that the anonymous neighbor was far more bothered by the noise of the bike rather than the treachorous act of trespassing was confirmed. There were no complaints to the police.
Mr. Clark comes to Washington
Chuck came to visit us for the weekend and a good time was had by all. The guys went out to see the latest episode of the Star Wars series; please see Chuck for an in-depth review. Chuck also took all the girls (Tracy, Kellie & Kara) to the National Theater to see 'Mama Mia'. All seemed to have enjoyed the show. Once again, please see Chuck for an in-depth review.
Regrettably, I was unable to make the show due to a schedule conflict with the airing of the 2005 Nextel All-Star Challenge. Mark Martin collected the win and $1.1M prize, with Elliot Sadler finishing second. Note: Hendrick Motorsports filled out the remaining top five with Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson respectively. Something to watch for in next weekend's 600.
Regrettably, I was unable to make the show due to a schedule conflict with the airing of the 2005 Nextel All-Star Challenge. Mark Martin collected the win and $1.1M prize, with Elliot Sadler finishing second. Note: Hendrick Motorsports filled out the remaining top five with Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson respectively. Something to watch for in next weekend's 600.
New Varsity Cheerleader
This past Saturday, Kellie found out that she made the Varsity cheerleading squad at Marstellar Middle School. She also found out that she made both of the RAH! teams that she tried out for (Lightning Storm and Cyclones). The carpenter arrives next week to alter the doors to the house so that Kellie can fit her head through them.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Star Wars Mania & Nosy Neighbors
Uncle Chuck is visiting us this weekend so that he can take Austin to see the latest installment of the 'Star Wars' saga. This exciting episode is entitled "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith". I am still not sure what a 'Sith' is but if you want to know, by all means look here: http://www.thesith.com/sith101.htm.
Austin is still enjoying the PW50 despite the apparent objections of one of our neighbors. Last Sunday I took him over to the construction site at the end of Sapphire Ridge Rd for about an hour's ride. Thirty minutes after we had put the bike away, 2 Prince William County cruisers pulled up to the construction site, got out and walked into the construction area. Some minuites later they returned to their car and stood around for a while talking. Tracy walked to the end of the street to see what was going on, and when she introduced herself as Tracy Clark, one of the cops said, "So you're the mother of Austin Clark?" We then found out that a neighbor had placed an anonymous call the police to report that Austin Clark, Austin Gallant, and an unidentified youngster on a 4-wheeler were "disturbing the Sunday peace" with their bikes. The cops waited for a while longer in hopes that the anonymous caller would identify themselves and when no one else approached them, they left.
An hour later, in a conversation with neighbors about the whole affair, Tracy said that she had already talked to someone on the construction site and had received permission for Austin to ride there, providing he stayed out of the worker's way. Armed with this new knowledge, I placed a call the County police, asking for the Officers to return for a second discussion. They opted to call instead and the story had changed in the interim. They indicated that they were called out on a trespassing charge from an anonymous tip. The reason that they walked into the construction site was an attempt to find someone who worked there, but the workers were done for the day. When I told them that I had received permission from the site to ride there, they said that if it was OK with the landowner, it was OK with them. Interestingly, they said this time around that a 'disturbing the peace' call had not been made. They also pointed out that whoever called said that Austin had been riding on the road. This is true, and to avoid any trouble, he is now walking the bike when on a street.
Somewhere in my neighborood I have a person so upset by the bikes that they will place a call to the police, but not so upset as to identify themselves. Their identity remains a secret.
I sat Austin down and let him know what had happened. I also had a long discussion with him about the fact that there are a lot of people in this country who simply don't like motorcycles and can't accept the fact that not everyone agrees with them. There are narrow-minded people everywhere and unfortunately one of them lives near us.
Austin is still enjoying the PW50 despite the apparent objections of one of our neighbors. Last Sunday I took him over to the construction site at the end of Sapphire Ridge Rd for about an hour's ride. Thirty minutes after we had put the bike away, 2 Prince William County cruisers pulled up to the construction site, got out and walked into the construction area. Some minuites later they returned to their car and stood around for a while talking. Tracy walked to the end of the street to see what was going on, and when she introduced herself as Tracy Clark, one of the cops said, "So you're the mother of Austin Clark?" We then found out that a neighbor had placed an anonymous call the police to report that Austin Clark, Austin Gallant, and an unidentified youngster on a 4-wheeler were "disturbing the Sunday peace" with their bikes. The cops waited for a while longer in hopes that the anonymous caller would identify themselves and when no one else approached them, they left.
An hour later, in a conversation with neighbors about the whole affair, Tracy said that she had already talked to someone on the construction site and had received permission for Austin to ride there, providing he stayed out of the worker's way. Armed with this new knowledge, I placed a call the County police, asking for the Officers to return for a second discussion. They opted to call instead and the story had changed in the interim. They indicated that they were called out on a trespassing charge from an anonymous tip. The reason that they walked into the construction site was an attempt to find someone who worked there, but the workers were done for the day. When I told them that I had received permission from the site to ride there, they said that if it was OK with the landowner, it was OK with them. Interestingly, they said this time around that a 'disturbing the peace' call had not been made. They also pointed out that whoever called said that Austin had been riding on the road. This is true, and to avoid any trouble, he is now walking the bike when on a street.
Somewhere in my neighborood I have a person so upset by the bikes that they will place a call to the police, but not so upset as to identify themselves. Their identity remains a secret.
I sat Austin down and let him know what had happened. I also had a long discussion with him about the fact that there are a lot of people in this country who simply don't like motorcycles and can't accept the fact that not everyone agrees with them. There are narrow-minded people everywhere and unfortunately one of them lives near us.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Initial Entry
Family News
Kellie is changing schools next year. She is transferring from the Philip Michael Pennington school to Marstellar Middle School. Not sure how this is going to work out, but she is very excited about the whole affair. She just attended cheerleader tryouts yesterday. Her regular RAH! cheerleading squad season is just ending so Tracy can bid another's seasons farewell to Team Mom duties. She did receive a plaque from the team for being the team mom this year, but I don't know if she will do it again.
Austin is borrowing his cousin Victor's 50cc dirtbike for awhile and it is proving to be a chore just keeping him off of it. He is riding very well for a first-timer and he will be ready to move up to a bigger bike soon.
Kellie is changing schools next year. She is transferring from the Philip Michael Pennington school to Marstellar Middle School. Not sure how this is going to work out, but she is very excited about the whole affair. She just attended cheerleader tryouts yesterday. Her regular RAH! cheerleading squad season is just ending so Tracy can bid another's seasons farewell to Team Mom duties. She did receive a plaque from the team for being the team mom this year, but I don't know if she will do it again.
Austin is borrowing his cousin Victor's 50cc dirtbike for awhile and it is proving to be a chore just keeping him off of it. He is riding very well for a first-timer and he will be ready to move up to a bigger bike soon.
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