Well I'm finally getting caught up on documenting our vacation to Illinois. This will be the last article of the N2K9 series.
Saturday was the day many of us, including myself, had been looking forward most to: Drag Racing. We got up fairly early and headed to the lobby for a continental cup of coffee and bagels. It was raining outside, which might put a tragic halt to our drag racing plans. Other Neon folks start waking and milling around the hotel, discussing the weather forecast. We make some phone calls to Byron Dragway to see what their plans were. They let us know that the rain had just cleared up there in Byron and they were starting to dry the track for a day of drag racing. We were all excited and saddled up in our Neons and headed for Byron. I pulled the Neon on the trailer in preparation of any breakdowns at the track. We first drove the the wrong place, as we had gotten a bad address online. But after a couple phone calls and new address the GPS took us right to the track. Most of the Neons had beaten us there. I parked the Subaru in the pit area and offloaded the Neon. There was a big Subaru Shootout event with 100+ Subarus in attendance, so I was well equipped for both crowds having a Neon and a Subaru. We watched the track crew clean, dry, and prep the track surface for a good hour and a half before any racing began. We filed over to the tech inspection area to have our cars inspected and certified by the track officials, then parked them in the staging lanes in preparation for some racing.
There were 4 groups arranged for racing. The first group to go through the lights was the junior dragsters. they are miniature rail dragsters with souped up Briggs & Stratton engines with kids age 7-12 at the wheel. They only race the 1/8th mile, but run around 8 seconds flat at 75-80 miles per hour. That's pretty darn fast for a 7 year old! Anyhow, the second group to race were the local group who were there for test 'n tune. There was a wide variety of vehicles from 9 second old school muscle cars to jacked up diesel trucks. The Subaru group was next to race, and they were a hoot to watch. They had some pretty fast cars in attendance, and watching an all-wheel-drive car come tearing off the start is impressive.
Finally we come to the Neons. We had set up a bracket tournament. It goes like this:
You get 2 passes down the track to get an idea of what time your car runs.
After the 2 'time trial' passes, you mark your car window with a 'dial in' time, or what you are going to try to match for the races.
My first time trial run was very interesting as it was my first time taking the car down the 1/4 mile track since it was near stock. I really didn't know what to expect. I was racing one of the local guys with a lightly modded 1995 Nitro Yellow Green Coupe that has been gutted of most of its interior. We stage the cars, the lights drop the green.... And I launch the car about 3500 RPM which turned out to be a bit too much as I spun all the way through first gear. Shifted to second and mashed the gas only to spin some more, then I finally get out of the throttle to regain traction and move on down the track. It was pretty embarrassing, and I got beat, but it was undoubtedly a horrible run. I ran a 16.607 @ 90.79 MPH.
Second time trial run was not much better. I was lined up against a black R/T sedan Neon. I was a little more reserved on the launch as to avoid smoking the tires and possibly breaking something. I took off real slow and didn't even chirp a tire, accelerated moderately to 15mph, then shifted to second and nailed the throttle. It felt a little faster, but I knew it wasn't going to be too great. I finished at 16.241 @ 91.89 MPH. These trap speeds should have me in the high 14 second range, so something is definately not right here.
Now for the first race of the tournament: I decided to put a dial in time of 15.75 seconds, expecting to get a little faster this run. The idea here is, whoever runs closest to their time without going faster is the winner. (Reaction time is calculated into total ET as well) I was more concerned with figuring out why the car is running so slow than winning races. I was getting tired of putting up embarrassing mid 16 second times. This time I was racing a blue 1st gen Neon with a 35hp shot of nitrous. After consulting with my opponent who has a very similar engine setup as me, I decide to do a little camshaft tweaking by retarding my exhaust cam 3 degrees to decrease overlap and increase cam separation angle. We stage the cars, and the race begins. I get a fairly decent launch this time, not too slow but not too much spinning, The car pulls pretty hard in the higher RPMs. I barely cross the finish line just in front of the opponent, but my slow reaction time cost me the race. So I'm out of the bracket racing tournament in the first round. I did get faster though, running a 16.023 @ 89.10 MPH.
I got notified that I was one of the 'Top 8 Fastest Neons' (I was 7th fastest), and was eligible to compete in the head to head shootout. I know I had no chance, but it would be fun anyways! I was paired up against a modified SRT-4 Neon with a big turbo upgrade. He has been running solid 12 second passes all day, so I'm hoping he jumps the light! I'm still more concerned about tuning than racing though, as I've now got a passenger with me. He's Jamie, one of the Indiana folks, and he's going to be watching my Air/Fuel Ratio gauge as I go down the track so I can see where I need to add or pull fuel. We stage, lights drop, and we're off. The orange SRT-4 blows my doors off, but I did get a bit faster still with a 15.690 @ 90.71 MPH. So I'm officially out of the Neon competitions.
I go sit in the grandstands with Amber and the other Neon folks and watch a good hour or so of racing. I realize that I can still run if I jump in the test & tune line. I grab Jamie for some more assistance. We drop the tire pressure from 50 psi to 23 psi so we can get more traction out of the hole, and we make some initial fuel adjustments from our last run's readings. We line up against another Neon, stage, and take off. Its definately feeling faster, and the time ticket says 15.667 @ 90.52, a minor improvement. We did get some more good fuel data on this run though.
We roll to the staging lanes, make fuel adjustments, let the car cool down, and go at it again. This time I was racing against a Subaru. I run a 15.414 @ 91.62.
We make some more adjustments as we drive down the return road to the staging area. It's starting to get dark, so we may not get to run again. Luckily they allowed us to make 1 more pass. Jamie jumped out and let Amber in for my last pass, and we finished the night with a 15.222 @ 91.30 MPH. Still didn't make it into the 14's, but we were steadily making our way there. No doubt we would have dipped well into the 14's with more adjustments. Didn't get this one on camera since Amber was riding, but there is a picture of the timeslip in the slideshow.
We load up the car on the trailer and head back for the hotel. We have an Indiana meeting and decide on plans to head back home. We're all pretty tired from a long day in the sun, so we decide to get some sleep and sneak out at 5am Sunday morning.
The drive home was much nicer, as we told Donna Delphi (GPS) that tollroads were 'forbidden'. It didn't take us any longer to get home, in fact it was faster, smoother, and cheaper! The Subaru got 21.6 MPG towing the Neon home. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel as soon as we got in Indiana and had some breakfast. Then it was smooth sailing, with only a couple stops for the bathroom and to adjust wheel straps on the Neon. I did jinx myself though when we pulled up to the house. I said 'Well we made it home safe and sound with no problems!' Then as I offloaded the Neon from the dolly the front bumper snags and pops off the driver side of the car. Oh well, it won't be tough to fix. We unpack and get ready to go back to work Monday.
Enjoy the videos and pictures!
Until next time...
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
(23) N2K9 Day 3 - Rockford Sightseeing, Car Show & Group Picture, Parking Lot Alignment
Here's a breakdown of Day 3's activities...
On the docket for the day was a car show competition again at the 'cottonwood park' in Belvidere at noon. The Indiana crew, being the tight knit group that we are, decided to squeeze more activities in today to get more bang for our vacation bucks.
It all started out with breakfast at Kegel's Harley Davidson Dealership & Diner. This diner is built right into the Harley dealer there in Rockford. Amber and I had scoped it out the day before, and it was really cool looking! We had a group of 8 head out for breakfast. I had the 'panhead breakfast' which really hit the spot.
After breakfast, the 8 of us headed across town for the Anderson Japanese Gardens, proudly acclaimed as the #1 Japanese garden in the USA. It definitely lived up to its name. It was astounding with lots of greenery, stone statues, waterfalls, and bamboo structures. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, as they are the best way to describe a place like this.
After a couple hours checking out the gardens, 6 of us decided to go check out the Discovery Museum in Rockford. It turned out to be more of a children's museum, but we had a great time nonetheless. There was a mock 'crime scene' where you had to study evidence in different methods that the investigators use, and try to solve the mystery. There were also several exhibits related to physics, electricity, light, sound, and more. It was both educational and enjoyable.
It was about time to get headed back to Belvidere for the car show, but we decided to stop by Applebee's for a quick lunch. Once we got to the hotel, we jumped in our Neons and took them across the street for a quick car wash. Then on to the park to park em with the group and walk around and look at cars. There were some very nicely built cars there. Much cleaner than the Indiana cars, but ours are either daily drivers or well seasoned race machines. After a couple hours, they gave out the awards and trophies for the best cars in the show. I'm fairly certain I had the 'best in show' for tow dollies, except they didn't have a class for tow dollies. No trophies for me.
We headed back to the hotel and parked the cars in the parking lot. I decided I'd fix my alignment issue before I put the Neon on the trailer for the morning march to the drag stip. There was a good size group of Neon pals standing by to give me a hand, which was quite nice. I had to borrow a few tools to get the job done as well, as I'd only brought along a basic socket set. It only took about 30 minutes to get everything fixed back up, and it looks pretty good for an 'eyeball' alignment. We did have an alignment pro on hand to perform the 'eyeball' measurements.
Enjoy the pictures of all the events covered today! They are good!
Until next time...
On the docket for the day was a car show competition again at the 'cottonwood park' in Belvidere at noon. The Indiana crew, being the tight knit group that we are, decided to squeeze more activities in today to get more bang for our vacation bucks.
It all started out with breakfast at Kegel's Harley Davidson Dealership & Diner. This diner is built right into the Harley dealer there in Rockford. Amber and I had scoped it out the day before, and it was really cool looking! We had a group of 8 head out for breakfast. I had the 'panhead breakfast' which really hit the spot.
After breakfast, the 8 of us headed across town for the Anderson Japanese Gardens, proudly acclaimed as the #1 Japanese garden in the USA. It definitely lived up to its name. It was astounding with lots of greenery, stone statues, waterfalls, and bamboo structures. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, as they are the best way to describe a place like this.
After a couple hours checking out the gardens, 6 of us decided to go check out the Discovery Museum in Rockford. It turned out to be more of a children's museum, but we had a great time nonetheless. There was a mock 'crime scene' where you had to study evidence in different methods that the investigators use, and try to solve the mystery. There were also several exhibits related to physics, electricity, light, sound, and more. It was both educational and enjoyable.
It was about time to get headed back to Belvidere for the car show, but we decided to stop by Applebee's for a quick lunch. Once we got to the hotel, we jumped in our Neons and took them across the street for a quick car wash. Then on to the park to park em with the group and walk around and look at cars. There were some very nicely built cars there. Much cleaner than the Indiana cars, but ours are either daily drivers or well seasoned race machines. After a couple hours, they gave out the awards and trophies for the best cars in the show. I'm fairly certain I had the 'best in show' for tow dollies, except they didn't have a class for tow dollies. No trophies for me.
We headed back to the hotel and parked the cars in the parking lot. I decided I'd fix my alignment issue before I put the Neon on the trailer for the morning march to the drag stip. There was a good size group of Neon pals standing by to give me a hand, which was quite nice. I had to borrow a few tools to get the job done as well, as I'd only brought along a basic socket set. It only took about 30 minutes to get everything fixed back up, and it looks pretty good for an 'eyeball' alignment. We did have an alignment pro on hand to perform the 'eyeball' measurements.
Enjoy the pictures of all the events covered today! They are good!
Until next time...
Thursday, June 11, 2009
(22) N2K9 Days 1 & 2
Ahhh... Now to enjoy my vacation. It all started Wednesday morning...
I was awoken by a nice thunderstorm about 5:30am, a good hour before the alarm was set to go off. I opened the blind on the bedroom window to expose a good lightning storm and solid rain. I just knew I should have followed my instict last night to go ahead and put the Neon on the tow dolly and hook it up to the Subaru, all ready to pull out of the driveway. I decided to wait until morning since I don't like leaving the race car outside the security of the garage unsupervised. This came at a price this time, as I was looking at a good soaking while I hook up the rig. I jumped on the computer to check out the weather forecast, and noticed a predicted lull in the the rain for a 30 minute window between 6:30 and 7:00 am. I woke up Amber and had her get ready to help me load everything up while the rain was stopped or died down. We managed to get it done with minimal saturation.
At 0800 hours we were set to meet up with a fellow Neon enthusiast from Greenwood to start our convoy to Belvidere Illinois for Neon Bash 2009. The rain was intense for the first half hour of driving, but then progressively lightened up and finally stopped at the north side of Indianapolis. It was smooth sailing after that. The Subaru was doing a great job pulling the Neon, but I was taking my time and being cautious the entire trip. We met up another couple of Neon enthusiasts in Lafayette, a husband and wife both in flame red coupes like mine. We convoyed with the Subaru leading and 4 Neons behind all the way to Belvidere. It took just over 5 hours start to finish with 2 bathroom stops along the way. We arrived at the America's Best Value Inn and checked in about 1:30pm. I unloaded the Neon from the trailer and noticed that my driver side rear wheel had been knocked out of alignment by the horrendous toll roads through Chicago. Not only did it cost me $15 in tolls to drive across Chicago, but it also cost me my custom racing alignment. There were a couple Neons in the parking lot when we got there, but most were out scavenging the local junkyards. We stayed at the hotel. Slowly but surely more and more Neons started rolling in, and we spent most of the day chatting with fellow Neon owners and watching repairs and upgrades taking place right in the parking lot. Us Indiana folk grilled out bratwurst for dinner.
Thursday was scheduled for a cookout at the park along with a swap meet. We woke up about 8:30am and got showered and ready to hit the day. We met up with the Indiana crew and headed for the local McDonalds for some good breakfast, as the continental breakfast just wasn't going to cut it. After breakfast we had some time to burn so we stopped at the local Chevrolet dealership to get a glimpse of the new 2010 Camaro, but there were none in stock. We decided to head back to the hotel. More people were up and milling around again in the parking lot, so we did some more socializing in the parking lot for a bit, then headed to the park for the cookout and swap meet. There were probably 30-35 cars that showed up with parts to sell or donate to other needy Neon owners. The cookout started off a little rocky, as there was only 1 package of hot dog buns, and no hamburger buns. We had already pitched in 4 bags of Doritos, but we made a quick trip in the Neon to Aldi's to pick up buns and condiments. Another Neon guy footed the bill, I just did the driving.
After a while we decided we'd go back to the hotel and find something to do in Rockford. We were getting a little burnt out on standing in parking lots. Amber and I jumped in the Subaru, cranked on the air conditioning, and headed for Rockford to scope out things to do. We found the 'Anderson Japanese Gardens', which is an authentic Japanese pond-strolling garden with a Sukiya guest house, tea house, waterfalls, and more. We caught them 15 minutes before they close, so we're going to make a full tour tomorrow. We're also planning tomorrow's breakfast at the Rockford Harley-Davidson dealership that has a cool diner right in the dealership! Definately will have pictures later on for that. After we got done with the Rockford recon, we headed back to the hotel and linked up with the other Indiana folk to grab some dinner at a BBQ joint down the street. It was packed when we got there, and for good reason. The food was incredible! Best pork & beans I think I've ever had. Now we're back at the hotel and winding down for the evening. Can't wait for tomorrow's breakfast, Japanese garden, and car show!
Until Next Time...
I was awoken by a nice thunderstorm about 5:30am, a good hour before the alarm was set to go off. I opened the blind on the bedroom window to expose a good lightning storm and solid rain. I just knew I should have followed my instict last night to go ahead and put the Neon on the tow dolly and hook it up to the Subaru, all ready to pull out of the driveway. I decided to wait until morning since I don't like leaving the race car outside the security of the garage unsupervised. This came at a price this time, as I was looking at a good soaking while I hook up the rig. I jumped on the computer to check out the weather forecast, and noticed a predicted lull in the the rain for a 30 minute window between 6:30 and 7:00 am. I woke up Amber and had her get ready to help me load everything up while the rain was stopped or died down. We managed to get it done with minimal saturation.
At 0800 hours we were set to meet up with a fellow Neon enthusiast from Greenwood to start our convoy to Belvidere Illinois for Neon Bash 2009. The rain was intense for the first half hour of driving, but then progressively lightened up and finally stopped at the north side of Indianapolis. It was smooth sailing after that. The Subaru was doing a great job pulling the Neon, but I was taking my time and being cautious the entire trip. We met up another couple of Neon enthusiasts in Lafayette, a husband and wife both in flame red coupes like mine. We convoyed with the Subaru leading and 4 Neons behind all the way to Belvidere. It took just over 5 hours start to finish with 2 bathroom stops along the way. We arrived at the America's Best Value Inn and checked in about 1:30pm. I unloaded the Neon from the trailer and noticed that my driver side rear wheel had been knocked out of alignment by the horrendous toll roads through Chicago. Not only did it cost me $15 in tolls to drive across Chicago, but it also cost me my custom racing alignment. There were a couple Neons in the parking lot when we got there, but most were out scavenging the local junkyards. We stayed at the hotel. Slowly but surely more and more Neons started rolling in, and we spent most of the day chatting with fellow Neon owners and watching repairs and upgrades taking place right in the parking lot. Us Indiana folk grilled out bratwurst for dinner.
Thursday was scheduled for a cookout at the park along with a swap meet. We woke up about 8:30am and got showered and ready to hit the day. We met up with the Indiana crew and headed for the local McDonalds for some good breakfast, as the continental breakfast just wasn't going to cut it. After breakfast we had some time to burn so we stopped at the local Chevrolet dealership to get a glimpse of the new 2010 Camaro, but there were none in stock. We decided to head back to the hotel. More people were up and milling around again in the parking lot, so we did some more socializing in the parking lot for a bit, then headed to the park for the cookout and swap meet. There were probably 30-35 cars that showed up with parts to sell or donate to other needy Neon owners. The cookout started off a little rocky, as there was only 1 package of hot dog buns, and no hamburger buns. We had already pitched in 4 bags of Doritos, but we made a quick trip in the Neon to Aldi's to pick up buns and condiments. Another Neon guy footed the bill, I just did the driving.
After a while we decided we'd go back to the hotel and find something to do in Rockford. We were getting a little burnt out on standing in parking lots. Amber and I jumped in the Subaru, cranked on the air conditioning, and headed for Rockford to scope out things to do. We found the 'Anderson Japanese Gardens', which is an authentic Japanese pond-strolling garden with a Sukiya guest house, tea house, waterfalls, and more. We caught them 15 minutes before they close, so we're going to make a full tour tomorrow. We're also planning tomorrow's breakfast at the Rockford Harley-Davidson dealership that has a cool diner right in the dealership! Definately will have pictures later on for that. After we got done with the Rockford recon, we headed back to the hotel and linked up with the other Indiana folk to grab some dinner at a BBQ joint down the street. It was packed when we got there, and for good reason. The food was incredible! Best pork & beans I think I've ever had. Now we're back at the hotel and winding down for the evening. Can't wait for tomorrow's breakfast, Japanese garden, and car show!
Until Next Time...
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
(21) Endangered Veterans Monument, Benjamin Report, Tow Dolly Restoration
I got a disturbing email today from the VFW. The liberal whackos in California are crying about a 65+ year old Veteran's Monument that was erected in the middle of the desert following World War I. It's a load of coohockey, so I'm asking friends and family and fellow veterans to go to the site and sign the petition to the US Supreme Court. Look at the 'Don't Tear Me Down' widget thingy to the right under today's pictures.
Now for the Benjamin Report: This last Saturday the Indianapolis Colts visited Franklin to practice at Franklin College's football field. Mr. Benjamin Franklin was the first to greet the team as the bus drove by him. He was almost mistaken for a member of the team! Check out the picture!
Now, on to today's activities...
I'm on vacation this week, and am preparing for a 5 day trip to Belvidere Illinois, home of the only US Chrysler plant that manufactured the Dodge/Plymouth Neon. (The other was Toluca, Mexico) Every year a national rally is held in Belvidere for Neon owners and enthusiasts nationwide. Having owned and toyed with my Neon since 2000, I have always wanted to make the pilgrimage to this Mopar Mecca. Whether it be lack of money, scheduling conflicts, military deployments, or the Neon being broken down, I have yet to make it to this annual event. Well finally the moons aligned or something, and I'm leaving Wednesday for Neons 2009, dubbed N2K9.
I am going to be towing the Neon there, as I don't want to be stranded if the car has any issues or breaks during the racing events. I've been scouring the internet and local classifieds for the last few weeks hoping to score a good deal on a tow dolly. I wasn't having much luck finding a dolly with electric brakes for much of a bargain. Finally yesterday I found a dolly with brakes, but it was pretty rusty from sitting outside. Everything mechanically was sound, and the brakes had not ever been used. Also included was a toolbox and electric winch for pulling a non-running car onto the dolly. This dolly new without the winch and toolbox sells for over $1200, and the guy was asking $775 for it. I offered him $600, and he said he'd take $625. Done deal. I pulled it home and put it on jackstands in the garage. I completely disassembled the entire dolly, knocked off all the rust with my angle grinder and sanding discs, repainted all the components, inspected and cleaned the brakes, repacked and relubed the wheel bearings, rewired a bit of the electrical system, and reassembled the whole thing in 2 days. It was a good workout, and I got completely filthy both days, but she sure is looking nice now! Not to mention she's sporting the 'Po Boy Motorsports' colors of red and black. Should look real nice hauling the Neon to Illinois. Now I'm looking at one hell of a mess to clean up in the garage!
Enjoy the pictures while I sweep the floor and clean up.
Until Next Time...
Now for the Benjamin Report: This last Saturday the Indianapolis Colts visited Franklin to practice at Franklin College's football field. Mr. Benjamin Franklin was the first to greet the team as the bus drove by him. He was almost mistaken for a member of the team! Check out the picture!
Now, on to today's activities...
I'm on vacation this week, and am preparing for a 5 day trip to Belvidere Illinois, home of the only US Chrysler plant that manufactured the Dodge/Plymouth Neon. (The other was Toluca, Mexico) Every year a national rally is held in Belvidere for Neon owners and enthusiasts nationwide. Having owned and toyed with my Neon since 2000, I have always wanted to make the pilgrimage to this Mopar Mecca. Whether it be lack of money, scheduling conflicts, military deployments, or the Neon being broken down, I have yet to make it to this annual event. Well finally the moons aligned or something, and I'm leaving Wednesday for Neons 2009, dubbed N2K9.
I am going to be towing the Neon there, as I don't want to be stranded if the car has any issues or breaks during the racing events. I've been scouring the internet and local classifieds for the last few weeks hoping to score a good deal on a tow dolly. I wasn't having much luck finding a dolly with electric brakes for much of a bargain. Finally yesterday I found a dolly with brakes, but it was pretty rusty from sitting outside. Everything mechanically was sound, and the brakes had not ever been used. Also included was a toolbox and electric winch for pulling a non-running car onto the dolly. This dolly new without the winch and toolbox sells for over $1200, and the guy was asking $775 for it. I offered him $600, and he said he'd take $625. Done deal. I pulled it home and put it on jackstands in the garage. I completely disassembled the entire dolly, knocked off all the rust with my angle grinder and sanding discs, repainted all the components, inspected and cleaned the brakes, repacked and relubed the wheel bearings, rewired a bit of the electrical system, and reassembled the whole thing in 2 days. It was a good workout, and I got completely filthy both days, but she sure is looking nice now! Not to mention she's sporting the 'Po Boy Motorsports' colors of red and black. Should look real nice hauling the Neon to Illinois. Now I'm looking at one hell of a mess to clean up in the garage!
Enjoy the pictures while I sweep the floor and clean up.
Until Next Time...
(20) Lunch at Province Park and the Benjamin Report
Well on Sunday the weather was so beautiful I decided to take Amber out for lunch in Province Park. We stopped first at the new Rally's that just opened up in Franklin and picked up some food. We snapped some pictures of the courthouse and statue of Ben Franklin at the Franklin College campus on the way to the park. Now for a sidebar:
Let me tell you a little about this Benjamin Franklin shrine that sits right on the southeast corner of Monroe and East State Streets. It has been a long running tradition for the students of Franklin College to paint 'ole Benny boy up for special occasions, only to be repainted 'monument grey' again by the university, usually within 48 hours. I drive by Mr. Franklin every day going to and from work, and have seen many different costumes on him. I got a 'baseline' picture of him for you all to see, and will start posting wardrobe updates as 'The Benjamin Repot'. I think it's great stuff!
Now, to get back on track. We made it to the park and found a nice picnic table in the shade to enjoy our famous Rally's fries and sandwiches. After we were done eating we strolled through the park to check it all out. There is a river that runs through the park, and a few people were fishing in it. Kids were playing on swingsets and jungle gyms. Several people were riding their bikes or casually walking and enjoying the scenery. It was a peaceful and relaxing trip. Next time you get a nice day, take a lunch at your local park!
When we got home Amber put a 'Support Our Troops' stepping stone in the flowerbed in front of the house, right next to the American flag. It looks real nice.
Until next time...
Let me tell you a little about this Benjamin Franklin shrine that sits right on the southeast corner of Monroe and East State Streets. It has been a long running tradition for the students of Franklin College to paint 'ole Benny boy up for special occasions, only to be repainted 'monument grey' again by the university, usually within 48 hours. I drive by Mr. Franklin every day going to and from work, and have seen many different costumes on him. I got a 'baseline' picture of him for you all to see, and will start posting wardrobe updates as 'The Benjamin Repot'. I think it's great stuff!
Now, to get back on track. We made it to the park and found a nice picnic table in the shade to enjoy our famous Rally's fries and sandwiches. After we were done eating we strolled through the park to check it all out. There is a river that runs through the park, and a few people were fishing in it. Kids were playing on swingsets and jungle gyms. Several people were riding their bikes or casually walking and enjoying the scenery. It was a peaceful and relaxing trip. Next time you get a nice day, take a lunch at your local park!
When we got home Amber put a 'Support Our Troops' stepping stone in the flowerbed in front of the house, right next to the American flag. It looks real nice.
Until next time...
Friday, May 29, 2009
(19) 2009 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race
Last Sunday was the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, on the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With a 30 percent chance of isolated thundershowers, we were hoping for the best as we loaded up in the Subaru sunday morning. Traffic was abnormally backed up compared to other races I've attended. It took over an hour to get from the interstate offramp to a $5 parking spot about 5 blocks from the track.
We made our way through the herd of people and got through the main gates and into our seats. We made it just barely in time for the starting ceremonies. The race was shortly underway, and we watched as we listened to the radio broadcast on 97.1 Hank FM. The racing action wasn't as exhilirating as previous years, although there were a few good wrecks. Unfortunately there was no 3-wide racing incidents as the pack pretty much stayed single file. Another major bummer was the addition of new mufflers for the 2009 season. The cars were not nearly as loud as they used to be. I really miss the roaring of the engines that you could feel throughout your body. I had come prepared with earmuff style hearing protection, as I've learned from the past there was no way one could hear their headphones with the loud cars, even with the volume turned up all the way. Well that was not the case this year. The earmuffs were not even used, and I could hear my radio just fine at a normal volume level. That is plain boring! The cars are just too quiet in my opinion.
We had a good time watching the race, and the weather kept nice for a full 200 laps. Can't wait to go again next year, but I'm a little disheartened that its just not quite as exhilirating as it used to be. Congrats to Helio Castroneves for his 3rd Indy 500 win.
Be sure to check out the slideshow to the right, and this cool video below.
Until next time...
We made our way through the herd of people and got through the main gates and into our seats. We made it just barely in time for the starting ceremonies. The race was shortly underway, and we watched as we listened to the radio broadcast on 97.1 Hank FM. The racing action wasn't as exhilirating as previous years, although there were a few good wrecks. Unfortunately there was no 3-wide racing incidents as the pack pretty much stayed single file. Another major bummer was the addition of new mufflers for the 2009 season. The cars were not nearly as loud as they used to be. I really miss the roaring of the engines that you could feel throughout your body. I had come prepared with earmuff style hearing protection, as I've learned from the past there was no way one could hear their headphones with the loud cars, even with the volume turned up all the way. Well that was not the case this year. The earmuffs were not even used, and I could hear my radio just fine at a normal volume level. That is plain boring! The cars are just too quiet in my opinion.
We had a good time watching the race, and the weather kept nice for a full 200 laps. Can't wait to go again next year, but I'm a little disheartened that its just not quite as exhilirating as it used to be. Congrats to Helio Castroneves for his 3rd Indy 500 win.
Be sure to check out the slideshow to the right, and this cool video below.
Until next time...
Saturday, May 9, 2009
(18) Wedding Day, Birthday, Lanscaping, and the Historic Artcraft Theatre
Whoa Nellie! Have I got some updating to do here! I've been busy as all get out, and have had some great experiences to share with you folks. Here we go:
April 25th 2009 was a huge day for the family, as little sister Amanda recited her vows and sealed the deal to a Mr. Eric Smith. Eric is an Ensign in the US Navy, and met Mandy at the ROTC program at Purdue University. I got the day off from drill to be in Mandy's wedding. It was a close call as to whether I was even going to be able to attend, as we are still undergoing our 'Yellow Ribbon Reintegration' training from our Iraq deployment, which is a series of mandatory briefings and activities. Fortunately, I was able to spend Saturday with the family at the wedding, and perform my brotherly duties as usher. The wedding was lovely, held at St. James Lutheran Church in Greenfield, Indiana. The reception was held at the Greenfield National Guard Armory. The bride and groom were chauffeured from the church to the reception in a highly polished 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium courtesy of yours truly. We had a good meal catered by Kopper Kettle of Morristown, IN. Lots of pictures were taken, great music and dancing, and a good showing of family for the festivities. Eric and Mandy got spoiled a bit from big bubby, as I funded a honeymoon trip to Chicago for the newlyweds. Unfortunately, I had to leave early to get home and sleep for a very busy Sunday drilling in Fort Wayne. Wake up was at 0200, with departure for Fort Wayne at 0300 and first formation at 0550. Check out the wedding picture slideshow to the right.
April 29th was Amber's 26th birthday, and we went out for a birthday dinner on May 1st at the Oaken Barrel Brewery in Greenwood, IN. They have great food, great home-brewed beverages, and great atmosphere. A couple of my Army buddies that I hadn't seen in a long time showed up to visit as well as Amber's best friend Jeana and her husband Andrew. Amber made out like a bandit with a whole slew of new shirts and sandals from Jeana and Andrew. I got her a tailored birthday book and an oak collectible spoon display case. We had a great meal followed by some birthday cake. I've got a few pictures in a slideshow to the right.
Now to fast forward to today, May 9th 2009! It was a pretty normal Saturday with nothing planned. Its pretty disappointing how my 'normal' weekend has nothing planned, but it has been a continuing trend for all my desired activities to fall on one weekend of the month, all to be stomped out by having guard drill that same weekend. I swear one of these months I will get to attend a race that I paid a whole season membership for! Anyhow, I digress. This particular Saturday kicked off about 8:30am when I rolled out of bed and did my normal routine of walking outside to get a feel for the weather and starting to ponder what I would like to do for the day. As I walked through the garage I caught sight of a Cherokee Princess Dogwood tree and a couple Goldfinger Cinquefoil shrubs that I had picked up at Lowes to replace some dead plants in the yard. The weather was a little windy and chilly, but it wasn't raining. The grass was just getting tall enough to warrant another pass with the Troy-Bilt pushmower. I threw on a sweatshirt, plugged in my Zune MP3 player, and fired up the mower. I mowed the entire yard nice and professional like with the offset lines, all-the-while educating myself with PC Magazine tech podcasts. It was actually quite relaxing. Once the mowing was finished and the grass was all bagged up, I headed back to the garage to trade the gas mower for my 18-volt cordless Black & Decker Bushmaster Weedeater. I trimmed around the house, flowerbeds, mailbox, and other random poles and such in the yard. While Amber was cleaning out the flowerbeds on the side of the house I sprayed the front and side yard with some Weed-B-Gone to kill off the remaining pesky dandelions.
While I was in Iraq one of my trees died. It was some sort of pine or fur tree with needles. Mom had someone tear it out. So I decided I'd replace it with something a little more visually appealing, and less messy. So I dug a hole and made it home to a 6 foot Cherokee Princess Dogwood tree that will someday be 15-20 feet tall and loaded with beautiful white flowers. I also tore out some dead shrubs in the front flowerbed and planted a couple Goldfinger Cinquefoil bushes that will bloom some nice yellow 'Support Our Troops' flowers as I like to call them. All the hard work payed off, as the yard is looking immaculate. I took a few before and after pictures for you to see located just to the right.
After a long hard day's work in the yard, Amber and I treated ourselves to a trip to the Historic Artcraft Theatre here in Franklin, IN. It has been a stronghold in old downtown Franklin since it was built in 1922. For decades folks have been going to the Artcraft Theatre to witness the fine entertainment that was once called the pictureshow. It is still operated today as a historic tribute to Hollywood's past feature films and filmreel culture. Tonight's feature was a 1962 box office hit called 'The Music Man'. We arrived just in time to get our tickets from the gentleman in the box office window. We were escorted to our seats first-class style by the ushers in the theatre. There were about 60-80 people in attendance ranging from young kids to senior citizens. The theater was quite large and had a nostalgic feel. I love this kinda stuff, plus they have a special rate of $4 for military personnel (regular price is only $5). Before the show they had a little skit put on by the Franklin Historical Society that was themed on the feature film for the night. They even had a raffle for prizes based on your movie ticket number! My favorite part was a quartet of older gentlemen wearing patriotic American flag shirts who sang an old-timey tune while harmonizing. They were damn good, and about had me choked up as they sang 'America The Beautiful'. Next everyone in the audience stood up and sang 'The Star Spangled Banner' along with music and words on the screen. Now that we've payed tribute to our great nation's history, it was time to dim the lights and enjoy some theatrical history. There was even an old 'Merry Melodies' cartoon short with Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny shown before the movie. The movie was pretty good as well, with an outstanding story and plenty of good humor despite being 47 years old. The show was over around 10:30pm, having been a 3 hour production. Now that's a value at $9 for a couple! If you ever get a lazy Saturday, check out the Historic Artcraft Theatre. It's a definate winner!
Click Here for the Artcraft Theatre Website
I've also included some pictures in a slideshow to the right of the screen.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so Happy Mother's day to all your mommas out there!
Until Next Time...
April 25th 2009 was a huge day for the family, as little sister Amanda recited her vows and sealed the deal to a Mr. Eric Smith. Eric is an Ensign in the US Navy, and met Mandy at the ROTC program at Purdue University. I got the day off from drill to be in Mandy's wedding. It was a close call as to whether I was even going to be able to attend, as we are still undergoing our 'Yellow Ribbon Reintegration' training from our Iraq deployment, which is a series of mandatory briefings and activities. Fortunately, I was able to spend Saturday with the family at the wedding, and perform my brotherly duties as usher. The wedding was lovely, held at St. James Lutheran Church in Greenfield, Indiana. The reception was held at the Greenfield National Guard Armory. The bride and groom were chauffeured from the church to the reception in a highly polished 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium courtesy of yours truly. We had a good meal catered by Kopper Kettle of Morristown, IN. Lots of pictures were taken, great music and dancing, and a good showing of family for the festivities. Eric and Mandy got spoiled a bit from big bubby, as I funded a honeymoon trip to Chicago for the newlyweds. Unfortunately, I had to leave early to get home and sleep for a very busy Sunday drilling in Fort Wayne. Wake up was at 0200, with departure for Fort Wayne at 0300 and first formation at 0550. Check out the wedding picture slideshow to the right.
April 29th was Amber's 26th birthday, and we went out for a birthday dinner on May 1st at the Oaken Barrel Brewery in Greenwood, IN. They have great food, great home-brewed beverages, and great atmosphere. A couple of my Army buddies that I hadn't seen in a long time showed up to visit as well as Amber's best friend Jeana and her husband Andrew. Amber made out like a bandit with a whole slew of new shirts and sandals from Jeana and Andrew. I got her a tailored birthday book and an oak collectible spoon display case. We had a great meal followed by some birthday cake. I've got a few pictures in a slideshow to the right.
Now to fast forward to today, May 9th 2009! It was a pretty normal Saturday with nothing planned. Its pretty disappointing how my 'normal' weekend has nothing planned, but it has been a continuing trend for all my desired activities to fall on one weekend of the month, all to be stomped out by having guard drill that same weekend. I swear one of these months I will get to attend a race that I paid a whole season membership for! Anyhow, I digress. This particular Saturday kicked off about 8:30am when I rolled out of bed and did my normal routine of walking outside to get a feel for the weather and starting to ponder what I would like to do for the day. As I walked through the garage I caught sight of a Cherokee Princess Dogwood tree and a couple Goldfinger Cinquefoil shrubs that I had picked up at Lowes to replace some dead plants in the yard. The weather was a little windy and chilly, but it wasn't raining. The grass was just getting tall enough to warrant another pass with the Troy-Bilt pushmower. I threw on a sweatshirt, plugged in my Zune MP3 player, and fired up the mower. I mowed the entire yard nice and professional like with the offset lines, all-the-while educating myself with PC Magazine tech podcasts. It was actually quite relaxing. Once the mowing was finished and the grass was all bagged up, I headed back to the garage to trade the gas mower for my 18-volt cordless Black & Decker Bushmaster Weedeater. I trimmed around the house, flowerbeds, mailbox, and other random poles and such in the yard. While Amber was cleaning out the flowerbeds on the side of the house I sprayed the front and side yard with some Weed-B-Gone to kill off the remaining pesky dandelions.
While I was in Iraq one of my trees died. It was some sort of pine or fur tree with needles. Mom had someone tear it out. So I decided I'd replace it with something a little more visually appealing, and less messy. So I dug a hole and made it home to a 6 foot Cherokee Princess Dogwood tree that will someday be 15-20 feet tall and loaded with beautiful white flowers. I also tore out some dead shrubs in the front flowerbed and planted a couple Goldfinger Cinquefoil bushes that will bloom some nice yellow 'Support Our Troops' flowers as I like to call them. All the hard work payed off, as the yard is looking immaculate. I took a few before and after pictures for you to see located just to the right.
After a long hard day's work in the yard, Amber and I treated ourselves to a trip to the Historic Artcraft Theatre here in Franklin, IN. It has been a stronghold in old downtown Franklin since it was built in 1922. For decades folks have been going to the Artcraft Theatre to witness the fine entertainment that was once called the pictureshow. It is still operated today as a historic tribute to Hollywood's past feature films and filmreel culture. Tonight's feature was a 1962 box office hit called 'The Music Man'. We arrived just in time to get our tickets from the gentleman in the box office window. We were escorted to our seats first-class style by the ushers in the theatre. There were about 60-80 people in attendance ranging from young kids to senior citizens. The theater was quite large and had a nostalgic feel. I love this kinda stuff, plus they have a special rate of $4 for military personnel (regular price is only $5). Before the show they had a little skit put on by the Franklin Historical Society that was themed on the feature film for the night. They even had a raffle for prizes based on your movie ticket number! My favorite part was a quartet of older gentlemen wearing patriotic American flag shirts who sang an old-timey tune while harmonizing. They were damn good, and about had me choked up as they sang 'America The Beautiful'. Next everyone in the audience stood up and sang 'The Star Spangled Banner' along with music and words on the screen. Now that we've payed tribute to our great nation's history, it was time to dim the lights and enjoy some theatrical history. There was even an old 'Merry Melodies' cartoon short with Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny shown before the movie. The movie was pretty good as well, with an outstanding story and plenty of good humor despite being 47 years old. The show was over around 10:30pm, having been a 3 hour production. Now that's a value at $9 for a couple! If you ever get a lazy Saturday, check out the Historic Artcraft Theatre. It's a definate winner!
Click Here for the Artcraft Theatre Website
I've also included some pictures in a slideshow to the right of the screen.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so Happy Mother's day to all your mommas out there!
Until Next Time...
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