First ride of the year

Today I took the R1 out for my first ride of the year. This is an event two weeks in the making because 14 days ago I geared up only to discover that the battery was dead and the bike was going nowhere. The good news was that it wasn't completely dead and was on the verge of turning over. 24 hours on the Battery Tender and all was well. Regrettably, I did not connect the Yamaha to it all winter and almost paid the price. Using a battery tender is a little tip I got from my dad and if you have a bike, you will need one of these things, especially if you have a small battery like the weight-conscious sport bikes do. I waited until the next weekend, but it rained so much last weekend that nothing was done, much less a little riding.

I needed a haircut and riding to the barber shop was a good excuse to get on the road. I got my haircut and headed out west. I rode for a good two hours and while my forearms need a little conditioning, all was well. I took it easy and never went into triple digits. This is a good time to ride through the Virginia countryside because it still isn't scorching hot and the scenery looks great. The new tires presented no problems and seemed to grip well enough. I will head out to the mountains on my next ride to see what the Michelins can do.

I also plan to wash and wax it at my first opportunity and take some pictures with the new camera. Look for them soon.

Nokesville Day - 2008

The big event of the day was Nokesville Day. Both Tracy and I volunteered to work the Brentsville cheerleading booth to help raise funds for the coming year. The original plan was to set up the booth early in the morning, the gracefully bow out and take a look around. As a veteran volunteer for the BDHS cheerleaders, this was wishful thinking. If you have ever volunteered for something like this, you know how things work. A lot of people volunteer, but few actually show up. As you have no doubt guessed by now, we were there from 7AM to 2PM, selling candy and raffle tickets. We never did get the full Nokesville day experience.

Give 'til it hurts

It's been said that no good deed goes unpunished. This maxim has proven to be true for Tracy. All week she has been suffering from chronic pain in her right knee. The first day or two after the walk, she assumed that the weekend's events had taken their physical toll and she just needed to rest.

Several days rest has not done anything to help the situation, so she feared something was wrong. She was, in fact, right. A quick visit to the doctor's office this morning confirmed two torn ligaments in her right knee. Father time strikes again.

The knee brace awaits.

Avon Walk - Pictures

As promised, I looked over the pictures I took on the second and final day of the Walk. Enjoy.


I think that the following two pictures accurately depict the essence of the entire weekend:

The Thrill of Victory


and The Agony of The Feet

We meant to meet the girls at one of the established cheering stations, but when we arrived downtown, it was too risky to try and get there. We proceeded directly to the finish line and began walking the route backwards. During the walk, young Millie elicited several comments from the walkers. A quick look at this picture and you will see why:

Millie Beth


All the kids were on hand to cheer Mom on, but the best shot of the day belonged to Austin:

Motherly Love

Here are the girls walking past the Embassy Suites on their final approach:

200 feet and it's over!

The finish line is mere yards away:

Team McClarmick has arrived. 39 miles or bust!

The neighborhood cheering section was also on hand:

Michelle & Cindy

Last shot of the day just before we departed for Virginia:

We Did It!!

Avon Walk - Day Two

She made it! Tracy walked every one of the required 39 miles to complete this year's walk. Ron McCormick and I took our respective broods to the city to be there when they crossed the finish line. We met them during the walk and escorted them during the last half mile.

Tracy's friends Michelle and Cindy also made the trip to watch her cross the finish line. I took plenty of picture and will post them here after I look through them. She's tired, cranky, and needs some rest, but other than that she is none the worse for the wear. The next few days provide a well-needed rest for her battered feet. As I reported yesterday, the feet were the biggest problem during the weekend. Both Tracy and Amanda have blistered tootsies to deal with. Congratulations to the both of them.

Avon Walk - Day One

As many of you know, Tracy and Amanda (Team McClarmick) are walking in the 2008 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. The walk covers two days and totals 39 miles (26 miles the first day and 13 the second). They are camping out in a park in Bethesda tonight and will complete the walk tomorrow. I drove up to Bethesda to help out with the setup. All they really needed me to do was set up their tent, a task I was able to complete before they got there. I was there when Tracy pulled her shoes off and they had seen better days. A blister or three here and there. She will visit the medics in the morning and they should be able to fix her up. Congratulations to the both of them on making it through the first day.

There was an interesting coincidence while I was there. Tracy and Amanda were in the tent rubbing their worn feet and chowing down on the sodas and chicken wings that I was under death threats to provide. I was outside making sure the rain cover was properly tied down when a woman behind me asked about tent stakes. I have used extra stakes to anchor the rain guard on the sides and hers was flapping in the wind. I explained where I had found the cache of stakes by the trucks and offered to go get a couple for her. I am great guy and all, but my real motivation was the NCSU baseball hat she was wearing. I went to get the stakes and after she thanked me, I explained that I was an alumnus and her hat was the real reason. She then explained to me that her son is a high school senior and had narrowed his choice of school down to NC State and Alabama. I laughed and Amanda whooped it up in the tent. A little background. I am an obnoxiously proud member of the Wolfpack nation and the McCormicks are native Alabamians and are happy to explain to anyone who will listen what the hell "Roll Tide" means. Pretty cool, but in the end the young man had decided on the University of Alabama. I will note that a scholarship offer from Alabama swung the decision in their favor. Regardless, the coincidence was more than a little strange.

Once everything checked out, I left them in line at the portable showers and headed back to VA. One final note: On the way to the shower stalls, Tracy and Amanda ran into a mutual friend, Juliana. She was wearing a wide neck ribbon that read "Every Three Minutes". When I inquired into the meaning of the phrase, I was told that someone is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes. A little somber statistic to mull over, but it really drove the point home. This problem needs to be reigned in and that's why they are there.