The N2 Buzz. November 2015

Transcription

1 The N2 Buzz November 2015 Gold Wing Road Riders Association FRIENDS FOR FUN, SAFETY, AND KNOWLEDGE Texas District South Central Region H Chapter N2 Humble, Texas Monthly Gatherings - 4th Saturday, 6:00 p.m. American Legion Hall 307 Charles Street, Humble TX 77338

2 2015 Page 2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE... Monthly Meeting/Ride Location Map Chapter N2 Staff Birthdays and Anniversaries Texas District Staff Dates to Remember Region H Staff News from the Chapter Directors Thanksgiving Humor... News from the Assistant Chapter Directors Words of Wisdom News from the Chapter Educator MEC Spotlight Chapter N2 Video Flu Season The Love of Riding Camping Humor Events Coordinator - Autumn Monthly Social Dinner Announcing Fall Trip to West Virginia A Safe Motorcyclist November...Alzheimer s Awareness Month November...American Diabetes Month Another Reminder for Dirty Bingo October Participation Report This & That Calendars 2016 Texas District Rally Members Business Cards

3 2015 Page 3 Chapter N2 Staff ( Chapter Directors Randy & Sharon Rainwater / rrainwater@embarqmail.com / sharon.k_rainwtr@yahoo.com Asst. Chapter Dir. George & Linda Stich / dutch2046@yahoo.com / nitzy115@yahoo.com Chapter Educator/MAD Coord. Kenny Shults shultsie@suddenlink.net Treasurer Robin Smith rfsmith1962@gmail.com Newsletter Editor Sharon Rainwater sharon.k_rainwtr@yahoo.com Ways N Means Randy Rainwater rrainwater@embarqmail.com Scrapbook Coordinator Karen Frazier frazier21784@gmail.com MEC Steve & Linda Seligman / swselig@gmail.com lsselig@gmail.com Camping Coordinators Rex & Ann Nix rexnix@hotmail.com Chapter N2 Address humblechaptern2@gmail.com Events Coordinator Billie Fleming bfleming5200@yahoo.com Web Master Brad Rodger bradrodger@comcast.net Website December 2015 November 2015 Birthdays Linda Stich 11/5 Dee Eames 11/14 Shannon Benoit 11/17 Kenny Shults 11/25 Karen Vance 11/27 Randy Rainwater 11/29 Birthdays Diane Deloach 12/6 Beth Hartley 12/7 Harold Deloach 12/9 Shirley Rodger 12/9 George Stich 12/20 Linda Seligman 12/27 Robin Smith 12/31 Wedding Anniversaries GWRRA Anniversaries Steve & Billie Fleming 11/2006 Wedding Anniversaries Harold & Diane Deloach 12/21 Paul & Mari Rich 12/26 Gary & Marie Rabalais 12/31 GWRRA Anniversaries Robin Smith 12/2011

4 2015 Page 4 Texas District Staff - (Texas District Website - District Directors Mike & Robin Thacker TxDD@gwrra-tx.org Couple of the Year 2015/2016 Randy & Kathy Reese TxCOY@gwrra-tx.org Assistant District Directors Tom & Dawn Sprague TxADD2@gwrra-tx-org Membership Enhancement Coord. Steve & Donna VanGlider TxMEC@gwrra-tx.org District Rider Educators Randy & Kathy Reese TxED@gwrra-tx.org Vendor Coordinator Kenny Shults TxVC@gwrra-tx.org Newsletter Editor Tom Sprague NLE@gwrra-tx.org Chapter of the Year Coord. Gillian Allen CHOY@gwrra-tx.org District Treasurer Diane Shults TxTreasurer@gwrra-tx.org Webmaster Tom Sprague Webmaster@gwrra-tx.org District Leadership Trainers Cliff & Gillian Allen TxTrainer@gwrra-tx.org Entertainment Coordinator Kenny Shults Entertainment@gwrra-tx.org Couple of the Year Coord. Steve & Donna VanGilder TxCOY@gwrra-tx.org DATES TO REMEMBER /05/2015 Chapter N2 s No Meal Ride 12/06/2015 Chapter N2 s Breakfast 12/12/2015 Chapter N2 s Christmas Party 12/16/2015 Chapter N2 s Social Dinner /09/2016 Texas Mid-Winter Roundup, Frank Mayborn Convention Center, Temple, TX 03/17-19/2016 Region H Rally, Marshall Convention Center, Marshall, TX 03/30-04/02/16 Louisiana District Rally, Lafayette, LA 05/19-21/2016 Texas District Rally, Frank Mayborn Convention Center, Temple, TX 05/26-28/2016 Arkansas District Rally, Harrison, AR 08/31/-09/3/16 Wing Ding Billings, MT

5 2015 Page 5 Region H Staff Region Director Jim & Reba Berry 90 Quail Ridge Dr. Monroe, LA Jim Reba director@gwrra-h.org Assistant Region Director Steve & Billie Fleming Atherstone Street Spring, TX Steve Billie adirector@gwrra-h.org Region Educator Karen & Ricky Frazier E. Terrace Porter TX Karen Ricky karenf@nctv.com Region Motorist Awareness Mike & Becky Stevenson 28 Dunleith Dr. Destrehan, LA Mike Becky mad@gwrra-h.org Region Medic First Aid Ricky & Karen Frazier E. Terrace Porter TX Ricky Karen karenf@nctv.com Region Trainer Jack Wagner 2700 Dupont Edmond, OK trainer@gwrra-h.org Region MEC Region COY Coordinator Steve & Billie Fleming Atherstone Street Spring, TX Steve Billie med@gwrra-h.org Region Couple of the Year Steve & Carolyn Cotton 605 W. 36 th St. Sand Springs, OK Steve Carolyn coy@gwrra-h.org Region Chapter of the Year Ann Nahl 517 Golden Oaks Dr. Norman, OK CHOYcor@gwrra-h.org Region Patches Billie Fleming Atherstone Street Spring, TX med@gwrra-h.org Region Treasurer Ed Nahl 517 Golden Oaks Dr. Norman, OK treasurer@gwrra-h.org Region Newsletter Editor Jim Berry 90 Quail Ridge Dr. Monroe, LA newsletter@gwrra-h.org Region Webmaster Sam Belinoski 15 St. Thomas Ct. Houston, TX webmaster@gwrra-h.org Vendor Coordinator Ruby Seale 1606 CR 4510 Pittsburg, TX vendor@gwrra-h.org

6 2015 Page 6 NEWS FROM THE CHAPTER DIRECTORS Randy & Sharon Rainwater October 2015 is almost over and Thanksgiving and Christmas are creeping up on all of us. We had breakfast at Skeeter s, an Arkansas/Oklahoma camping trip, Oklahoma District Rally, Nun Run, a Social Dinner at Christopher s Italian, and a Halloween themed Gathering to round out the month of October Can you guess who the best costume winners were??? (Hint: look for a hairy person in one of the pictures.) A special thank you goes out to George & Linda Stich for donating this Halloween pumpkin to be auctioned off for $$ to purchase (2) gas cards for the District Rally. Linda s creativity is AMAZING!!! A couple of our favorite events are coming in November, the Fruitcake Overnight Ride and the Nixs after Thanksgiving Campout at Wolf Creek Park. We ride to Corsicana, Texas and go to the Russell Stover candy outlet, Collin Street Bakery, and Navarro Nut stores for a little holiday shopping. There is normally trailer space availability and normally a car or two, just in case you purchase a little more than you thought that you

7 2015 Page 7 (Chapter Director Article, cont.) would. The campout is always a great time and we are hoping that our recent rains will allow them to remove the burn ban, so we can have wood fires. Basically you should plan to bring your own food for all meals, except for the Hobo Stew evening meal on Saturday evening. For that meal just bring canned vegetables and/or pre-cooked meats (no seafood or creams please). A tomato base broth will be our starter and we ll open the cans and warm everything up. Last year s Hobo Stew was a great success, so it s going to be hard to top this year, but we ll give it our best. Your Staff is also hard at work planning the annual Christmas Party and it s another special event that you don t want to miss. The Chapter will be providing the meat and members will bring their favorite appetizer, side dish, or dessert. We normally have enough food to feed 2 or 3 times the number of people that attend. We will have a gender specific gift exchange with a dollar limit of $25 and Lynn Flournoy will oversee the Dirty Bingo game with gifts. Before we know it 2015 will be in the history books and we ll be facing We are busy planning the balance of 2015 annual events like the Fruitcake Overnighter, After-Thanksgiving Camping, and our Christmas Party. If you have a suggestion for a destination or a ride just let one of the Staff know about it and we ll see what we can do to work it into our schedule. If not this year then hopefully next year. THANKSGIVING HUMOR... Q: What kind of music did the Pilgrims like? Plymouth Rock If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims Why was the Thanksgiving soup so expensive? It had 24 carrots. What happened when the turkey got into a fight? He got the stuffing knocked out of him! What did the turkey say to the man who tried to shoot it? Liberty, Equality and Bad aim for all. Who doesn t eat on Thanksgiving? A turkey because it is always stuffed. Why did the Pilgrims want to sail to America in the spring? Because April showers bring Mayflowers! What did baby corn say to mama corn? Where's popcorn? If the Pilgrims were alive today, what would they be most famous for? Their AGE! Why do pilgrims pants keep falling down? Because their belt buckles are on their hats! (source:

8 2015 Page 8 NEWS FROM THE ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS George & Linda Stich OKLAHOMA RALLY By Linda Stich We would like to thank the Oklahoma Region for sponsoring a good rally. Several from our Chapter made the ride to Queen Wilhelmina State Park and on to Sequoyah State Park in Hulbert, OK. The weather was wonderful, windy, cool, and beautiful. The surrounding countryside was just gorgeous. The Rainwaters, Seligmans, and Uphoffs camped out, while the Stichs had it more comfortable in a hotel or lodge. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast every morning and dinner around the campfire every evening. Lunch was whatever was available at the time and place of arrival. George and I had dinner at Okie s Steakhouse in Muskogee on Saturday, while the others ate out after a nice ride. Muskogee is where next year s rally will be held. We didn t win any prizes, but were surrounded by friends and family from numerous Chapters. The Shults, Thackers, Fraziers, and Jerry Barnett also stayed at the lodge or cabins. The view of the lake was awesome. It was a nice area to visit and everyone had a good time. We will try our hand at camping Thanksgiving weekend instead of a day trip this year at Wolf Creek Park and see if camping is in our future George Update George was scheduled for 4 additional rounds of chemo and he has completed 3. His 4 th round will start in November. He will have completed 5 rounds of chemo since his diagnosis. The tumor is not growing which is excellent news; however, we naturally wanted to hear it was shrinking. We ll take the good as it comes and weather the bad. As you know, he had cataract surgery in July and all was well until his retina s started swelling and his vision became blurred. We found out he had Cystoid Macular Edema and was placed on steroid and antibiotic drops. The retina specialist changed those drops for stronger drops. After 6 weeks of this, the specialist advised us that his condition had not improved and actually confirmed the worst. He now has Proliferated Retinopathy which is caused by uncontrolled diabetes and causes blood or fluid leakage in the vessels around the retina. He was given an injection in his left eye today, Oct 28, and will have one in the right eye on Nov 2. He will probably be scheduled for laser surgery on Nov. 9. They may try to do both eyes on the same day, but that will be determined after the first eye is completed and how well he tolerates the procedure. Please keep us in your prayers. We appreciate all of you and all of those prayer warriors we have yet to meet. It is encouraging and a blessing to know we have such loving individuals around us daily lifting our spirits. Thank you so very much!!! Words of Wisdom By George Stich As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being redirected to something better.

9 2015 Page 9 NEWS FROM THE CHAPTER EDUCATOR Kenny Shults Hi everyone: It s November already and the year is almost gone. This year seems to have flown by and it feels like we are always in a hurry and with a really bad experience this week, I realized we should all slow down. Not only in how fast we do things and how we rush around but also in the time we spend with loved ones and friends. Our son grew up with three friends who lived on the same street as us. These kids were at our house almost every weekend and became like family. Naturally as they grew up, we saw less and less of them as they went out and started their own families. Gabe, the oldest, got married and had a son named Zander. Just this week they were in a terrible wreck. A motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed hit their SUV and sent the rider through the glass and struck their son in the head with his helmet. The impact was fatal. This got me to thinking about how we (as motorcycle riders) often get in a hurry to get to that rally or to our social dinner or maybe to beat the rain and we sometimes drive faster than we should or we aren t as alert as we should be. It is our responsibly to ride in a manner that is safe for us and everyone around us. Excessive speed and cutting in and out of the car lanes caused the wreck that took Zander s life and it is unacceptable. I know we don t ride crotch rockets and we don t do wheelies or crazy stunts but speed and sudden lane changes can be dangerous also. I m just saying we need to slow down and not rush into a place that is unsafe. As Goldwing riders and members of GWRRA, we often ride in groups and this keeps us at a safe speed and generally in a safe lane, but sometimes when we ride alone this isn t the case, at least I know I don t. Often we get caught up in where we need to be and how fast we can get there. These are the times we should pause and think about what it means to be on a motorcycle. We are able to move from lane to lane and in between cars easier and faster than cars can, but that doesn t give us the right to do that. The loss of any life is tragic but when it is a 4-year old child taken from their parents way too soon, it is devastating! And when a reckless motorcycle driver causes this damage, it shines a bad light on all bike riders to those who don t ride. So please ride safe and be the examples of what motorcycle riding is all about. Also on a personal note, slow down and take the time to see loved ones, visit friends, and tell the ones you love just how much you love them, because it can be too late in the blink of an eye. P.S. Keep this family in your prayers and they cope with Zander being call to heaven.

10 2015 Page 10 MEC SPOTLIGHT Steve & Linda Seligman, (Membership Enhancement Coordinators) Master Tour Riders 6748 & 6747 I usually pride myself with remembering people s names. At work it is very easy for me to remember people s name, because I usually see the same people over and over again on a regular basis. So, I am usually able to burn into my brain the person s name or associate them with a project. In my personal life it sometimes is a challenge for me to remember people s names. Since 2005 when Steve and I joined GWRRA, we have met hundreds of people. Some we see every month and some we only see once or twice a year. The people that I have a hard time remembering their names are those that I see once or twice a year. Even though we have had a nice visit, laughed together, and called each other by name the next time I see them their names may have escaped me! I have to admit sometimes it does not take a year for their names to escape me but it may be just minutes especially if a lot is going on around me. It may be very embarrassing because, of course, with my luck they remember my name or pretend to remember. I have tried many different tricks some work and some do not. While cruising through GWRRA s LTP website, I came across the following Take 5 article. I am hoping it may help me and thought maybe it would help you. Take a read... Remembering Names Deep within your brain, a section called the hippocampus acts as a gatekeeper it sorts memories and decides whether data is significant enough to pass into long-term memory. Important memories are filed away in the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain where a vine-like maze of billions of nerve cells communicate via electrical and chemical impulses to retain information. Less important thoughts (such as tasks you have to do today, but will likely never think of again) are filed into short-term memory, used, and then discarded. Researchers believe that sometimes memories fail because the information isn t filed properly. Sometimes the breakdown comes when you try to retrieve the memory. Like many other things in life, improving your memory skills takes practice. In the Memory Book, Harry Lorayne and his team offer some informative tips to help remember people s names. A couple of their points are expanded below for your pondering: 1. Face and Name Association Examine a person s face discretely when you are introduced. Try to find a unique or unusual feature ears, hairline, forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, complexion, etc. Create an association between that characteristic, the face, and the name in your mind. The association may be to link the person with someone else you know with the same name. Perhaps you will link that person to an image of the motorcycle they ride. You may even associate a rhyme or image with a name. For instance, one way to remember Guy Drake may be to think of a male duck. 2. Repetition When you are introduced, ask the person to repeat their name or repeat what you heard to ensure accuracy. ( Nice to meet you, is always a great way to start.) Use that person s

11 2015 Page 11 (Remembering Names, cont.) name throughout the conversation without overdoing it. If the name is unusual, ask how it is spelled or where it comes from. Exchange business or calling cards if appropriate. The more often you hear and see the name, the more likely it is to sink in. The more links and associations you discover, the easier that file of information will be to retrieve from your memory when needed. You can even make notes on their card so you can look up those important details later! Some of the Dale Carnegie programs teach a conversation stack to help you visualize and link information as you get to know someone. For example, you could visualize that person or couple on their motorcycle. The motorcycle is pulling a trailer. Inside that trailer are objects that help you remember something about the person s city of residence, chapter, career, family, hobbies, etc. As you learn more about the person, you can keep stacking objects in their trailer, so you can visualize the various aspects of your conversation. The more you learn, the more associations you can make with your own interests, common people connections, etc. to help catalog that information in your brain even more effectively. These methods for remembering names are fairly simple and obvious, but are extremely important considering the volume of the information being processed through your brain (knowingly and unknowingly) every day. Be patient and practice often! See you next month for some more fun!!! MECs rock!!! To view the video of our January 2015 gathering and Soup Night go to... and type in Soup Night TX N2 January 24, This video was submitted to National and Chapter N2 was selected the Most Fun Chapter for Our chapter was awarded a $100 gift certificate to Dairy Queen, which we will be sharing with the chapter at a future date. Sounds like a great reason to ride again!!! A special thanks goes to Steve Fleming for filming and submitting the video! FLU SEASON... What should I do to protect myself from flu this season? CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. People should begin getting vaccinated soon after flu vaccine becomes available, if possible by October, to ensure that as many people as possible are protected before flu season begins. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating in the community, it s not too late to get vaccinated. In addition to getting a seasonal flu vaccine if you have not already gotten vaccinated, you can take everyday preventive actions like staying away from sick people and washing your hands to reduce the spread of germs. If you are sick with flu, stay home from work to prevent spreading flu to others.

12 2015 Page 12 NEWS FROM THE CAMPING COORDINATORS Rex & Ann Nix THE LOVE OF RIDING By Ann Nix A few weeks ago an old friend of Rex and I contacted Rex through a text about the fact that he was looking into buying a motorcycle. He asked what Rex would recommend since it has been a while since he had been on a motorcycle. He had ridden when he was younger, but has not had much of a chance for quite some time. Time and money constraints being the largest of the reasons. After a few texts back and forth, the conversation ended. We did not think much about it since our friend is not what you normally would call ambitious in about anything he does. Well, were we in for a surprise? A couple of weeks later, maybe a month, Rex gets a call from our friend saying he had bought a motorcycle. Of course, Rex right away invites him to have breakfast and maybe go for a ride later. And that weekend, that is what happened. Two weeks later, we invite him again to go for breakfast and another ride. The day was absolutely gorgeous, what else you could do on a day like that. area. Rex had been in the lead most of the ride, but once we hit some really nice hilly, curvy roads, our friend hits the gas, goes around us and off he goes ahead of us. Does not get too far ahead, and when we get to the end of the road, one of those where you have to go right or left, we pull up and the look on his face was great to see. You could tell he was really, really enjoying himself. I can honestly say I have not seen him that excited and happy in quiet a long time. It seems to me that his finding, again, something he really enjoys doing was something that people lose focus on. We are always so busy with life that sometimes we forget to live. Just in doing not something you feel you have to do, but doing something you want to do. The feeling of that excitement and freedom we get when riding our motorcycles is just something that is hard to put in words. I am glad to see our friend riding again and hope that we will be doing so many more times. We ended up going up around Lake Livingston and, of course, some nice curvy roads that are around the

13 2015 Page 13 Camping Humor Submitted by Rex Nix These are actual comments left on U. S. Forest Service registration sheets and comment cards by backpackers completing wilderness camping trips: A small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call. * Escalators would help on steep uphill sections. * Instead of a permit system or regulations, the Forest Service needs to reduce worldwide population growth to limit the number of visitors to wilderness. * Trails need to be wider so people can walk while holding hands. * All the mile markers are missing this year. * Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill. * Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests. * Chair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them. * The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals. * Need more signs to keep area pristine. * A McDonald s would be nice at the trail head. * The places where trails do not exist are not well marked. * Too many rocks in the mountains. Some Camping Tips to remember... When using a public campground, a tuba placed on your picnic table will keep the campsites on either side vacant. * Get even with a bear who raided your food bag by kicking his favorite stump apart and eating all the ants. * Old socks can be made into high fiber beef jerky by smoking them over an open fire. * When smoking a fish, never inhale. * Acupuncture was invented by a camper who found a porcupine in his sleeping bag. * Effective January 1, 1997, you will actually have to enlist in the Swiss Army to get a Swiss Army Knife. * Lint from your navel makes a handy fire starter. Warning: Remove lint from navel before applying the match. * When camping, always wear a long-sleeved shirt. It gives you something to wipe your nose on. * You can compress the diameter of your rolled up sleeping bag by running over it with your car. * A two-man pup tent does not include two men or a pup. * A potato baked in the coals for one hour makes an excellent side dish. A potato baked in the coals for three hours makes an excellent hockey puck. * You can start a fire without matches by eating Mexican food, then breathing on a pile of dry sticks. * The guitar of the noisy teenager at the next campsite makes excellent kindling. * Check the washing instructions before purchasing any apparel to be worn camping. Buy only those that read Beat on a rock in stream. * It s entirely possible to spend your whole vacation on a winding mountain road behind a large motor home. * Bear bells provide an element of safety for hikers in grizzly country. The tricky part is getting them on the bears. * In an emergency, a drawstring from a parka hood can be used to strangle a snoring tent mate. Life Lessons... Any stone in a hiking boot migrates to the point of maximum pressure. * The distance to a given camp site remains constant as twilight approaches. * The number of mosquitoes at any given location is inversely proportional to the amount of repellent that remains. * The area of level ground in the neighborhood tends to vanish as the need to make camp becomes finite. * In a mummy bag the urgency of ones need to urinate is inversely proportional to the amount of clothing worn. It is also inversely proportional to the temperature and the degree to which the mummy bag is completely zipped up. * Waterproof clothing isn t. (However, it is 100% effective at containing sweat). * The width of backpack straps decreases with the distance hiked. To compensate, the weight of the backpack increases. * Average temperature increases with the amount of clothing brought. * Propane/butane tanks that are full when they are packed, will unexplainably empty themselves before you can reach the campsite. * Given a chance, matches will find a way to get wet. * Your side of the tent is the side that leaks. * All foods assume a uniform taste, texture, and color when freeze-dried. * All tree branches in a forest grow outward from their respective trunks at exactly the height of your nose. If you are male, tree branches will also grow at groin height. * You will lose the little toothpick in your Swiss Army knife as soon as you open the box. * When camping in late fall or winter, your underwear will stay at approximately degrees Kelvin no matter how long you keep it in your sleeping bag with you. * The sun sets three-and-a-half times faster than normal when you re trying to set up camp. * Tents never come apart as easily when you re leaving a site as when you re trying to get them set up in the first place. * When planning to take time off of work/school for your camping trip, always add an extra week, because when you get home from your vacation you ll be too tired to go back for a week after.

14 2015 Page 14 Autumn Billie Fleming Events Coordinator Autumn is a beautiful season when we transition from summer into winter. In North America, autumn is also known as the fall, in which both Halloween and Thanksgiving are celebrated. The air gets crisp and the weather begins to get colder and trees begin to change their colors. The leaves are beautiful changing from green to red, orange, yellow or brown before falling. We start thinking of a fire in the fireplace, roasting a turkey to a wonderful golden brown, and the aroma of pumpkin pie baking. It is time when families gather together to give thanks and celebrate the season. Autumn is an almost magical season, it sparkles as we start making plans. One of the things our chapter does to kick-off autumn is our Annual Fruit Cake Ride to Collins Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas. It is Saturday, November 7, and is an overnighter. We will be staying at the Best Western. Please make plans to join us for a festive fall time! CHAPTER N2 MONTHLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT SOCIAL DINNER 6:30 p.m. NOV Rex & Ann Nix Wed., November 18 - (Zachary s Cajun Cafe, 716 Kingwood Drive, KW ) DEC Alternates: Jim & Lynn Flournoy, and Ricky & Karen Frazier Marty & Donna Uphoff GWRRA and Joe Price, Director of Training, are pleased to announce the appointment of Clara Boldt to the position of Assistant Director of Certification for GWR- RA University. Clara comes to us with a vast background in training. She was the owner of a Safety consulting firm for 20 years and also was an American Heart Association Heartsaver instructor for over 45 years. She and her husband, Fred, have been very involved in GWRRA since becoming members in They have held many positions at the chapter and district level in their over two and a half decades of membership. Clara was awarded the International Leadership Trainer of the Year in 2014 and is a Master University Trainer. She is a current level III in the Rider Education Levels program. Clara brings her many skills and training experience to the GWRRA University and says she is humbled and honored to be a part of the Training and Certification Team. We are very fortunate to have Clara as part of our team. Please join me in congratulating Clara: toledotriker@gmail.com. Let's give them a big Texas Welcome! Mike & Robin Thacker, TX District Director

15 2015 Page 15 Steve and Billie Fleming First we want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and condolences for the passing of my mother. It was a time of mixed emotions and a time for seeing relatives not seen for decades in some cases. Following the memorial service for my mother, we took some time to be with our daughter and son-in-law. We rented a cabin in the woods in Twin Falls State Park and did some riding to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage and mountain riding. We logged over 600 miles in 4 days of great cool weather riding in some of the most scenic areas we have visited. We took a day out to ride along the Kanawha River to see the Kanawha Falls, Gauley Falls and the Hawk s Nest. Kanawha Falls at Glen Ferris WV We a stop at Tamarack Center But one of the highlights of this trip was the ride to Babcock State Park and the Grist Mill. Gauley Falls also made to see the local arts and crafts. New River from the Hawk s Nest SP A total of 3098 safe miles were logged on the start to finish. By the way, our new bike miles on it from us than from the previous owner. Safe miles with lots of smiles! bike from now has more

16 2015 Page 16 A SAFE MOTORCYCLIST By Mari Rich There s more than one way to be a safe motorcyclist. My husband Paul rode motorcycles for over 60 years. Safety was always a priority. After we became very active in Gold Wing Road Riders Association, emphasis was especially stressed on safe riding. For years we both enrolled in safety courses at every Gold Wing Rally as well as Chapter supported classes. Not only was Paul concerned re: his own safety, but he was especially considerate of his constant companion and co-rider me. In our younger years we enjoyed riding two-wheelers. As we aged and our legs and knees grew weary, we had our Gold Wing triked out. Paul realized that he needed to be a safer rider due to his weak knees. Especially, did he want to protect his co-rider. Those were the retirement years when we had free time for riding and needed to practice safety habits and skills quite often. More free time meant more riding. More riding meant being more safety conscious. In the past fifteen (or more) years, Paul and I have ridden thousands of miles being safety-minded all the distance. We have ridden our Wing to every state, including two trips to Alaska. (In Hawaii, we rented a motorcycle to ride throughout The Big Island.) We have seen most all the beautiful areas of our great land from the back of a Gold Wing. We had great plans to do additional riding, but unfortunately God had other plans. Poor health slowed us down. After Paul suffered several TIA s, he realized that his thinking was not always as lucid as it had always been or as clear as it needed to be to ride a motorcycle safely. No one told him. No one needed to. He was aware. He did not want to endanger his life or the life of others especially he wanted to protect his co-rider me. As Paul saw another person ride his beautiful red Gold Wing trike and matching trailer out of our driveway with a new owner astride it, tears rolled down his 83-year old cheeks. But he was a wise man. His farewell words to his beautiful rig were, I will not ride you with my precious co-rider if I am not 100%. No one should ride unless he/she thinks clearly 100% of the time while riding. Yes, there is more than one way of being a safe motorcyclist. It is when one is wise enough to realize that he/ she could jeopardize his/her own life and the life of others, and even with tears running down your cheeks you let go of the Gold Wing you love so much. That makes one a wiser and safer Gold Wing Rider. **We love you, Paul & Mari!!!** NOVEMBER NOVEMBER ALZHEIMER S AWARENESS MONTH AMERICAN DIABETES MONTH

17 2015 Another Reminder for Dirty Bingo By Lynn Flournoy Page 17 It ll be here before you know it Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And along with Christmas comes our very special N2 Christmas party. A fun part of that is Dirty Bingo. It s a great warm up to the gift swap and we all can sharpen our thievery skills. So as you pull out those decorations and outfits for the annual cool down, be sure to keep in mind things items that are new or gently used but not for some time and wrap them up for our game. Wrapping follows the Keep it Simple Rule: use gift wrap of any kind (Christmas, birthday, Easter, etc.); use the Sunday funnies or any other part of the newspaper. Please don t use ribbon or bows or other added decoration Be sure to tape it securely as there will be some activity that could cause a less secure wrap to come lose. Box them if they are fragile or particularly small. It can get rough. One can use gift bags or even paper lunch bags but staple/tape them securely closed. Things get crazy for all of us this time of year but just keeping Dirty Bingo in the back of your head will make this really pretty simple. I challenge everyone to participate by bringing a few goodies. Cooking tips from the pros! The following answers were contributed by Kindergarten students from a Long Island, New York class: You can catch the turkey with a big net. Go to a store and buy a turkey. Not T.J. Max, because they only have shirts. Go to the grocery store and ask the meat person to cut off the wings. You need about 60 pounds of turkey. We buy a small turkey, about 100 pounds. We put spice and pepper all over so it is really hot. Then we add sugar. You can put candy in the middle. That s the stuffing. October 2015 RIDE/EVENT PARTICIPATION REPORT DATE EVENT #OF BIKES #OF PARTICIPANTS 10/04/15 Chapter N2 Breakfast - Skeeter s /13/15 AR & OK Camping Trip /15/15 OK District Rally /21/15 Social Dinner - Christopher s Italian /24/15 Chapter N2 Gathering 0 23

18 2015 Page 18 Chapter N2 Skeeter s Sunday, November 1 9:00 a.m. Chapter Social Dinner Wednesday, November 18 6:30 p.m. Rex & Ann Nix have chosen (Zachary s Cajun Café Kingwood Drive, KW ) for the November social dinner. Ya ll come! Fruitcake/Candy/Nut Ride/Overnighter Corsicana, TX 11/7-11/8 We will be meeting at the Valero gas station at 7:00 am at Northpark Drive and Hwy. 59 with a breakfast stop in Trinity, TX. For those planning to make this overnighter, the group is staying at the Best Western Plus Executive Inn, (2100 E. Hwy. 31, Corsicana 75109). Our lunch stop will be in Corsicana. Chapter N2 Monthly the American Legion Hall Saturday, November 21 6:00 p.m. Following our meeting, we will enjoy a baked potato entree, provided by the chapter staff. Members are asked to bring fixins for the potatoes, salads w/dressings, and/or desserts. Water and paper products will be provided. VETERAN S DAY Wednesday, November 11 THANSGIVING DAY Thursday, November 26 Nutcracker Market Friday, November 13 On Friday, November 12, several ladies from our chapter will be attending the 35th annual Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market s largest fundraiser and holiday shopping extravaganza at the NRG Center. Proceeds from each admission and ticket that you purchase, plus 10% of all the merchandise you buy, goes back to Houston Ballet Foundation, its Academy and Scholarship Programs. Discount general admission tickets are available for purchase at Randalls. Travel and meal arrangements for this outing will be forthcoming from Linda Seligman in the near future. Annual Post-Thanksgiving Wolf Creek Park 11/27-11/28 Our confirmed sites at Wolf Creek Park in Coldspring, TX are located up on the hill. It is up to you to secure your own campsite ( )! Bring tents/campers and your own food and beverages. On Saturday evening, we will enjoy a Hobo Stew for dinner. Randy will make a starter for the stew, but we need everyone to contribute a canned good and/or cooked meat to the pot (no cream soups, fish, or seafood and no fresh vegetables). You can also bring crackers, cubed cheese, and desserts. Rex will provide the entertainment...movies:-) We had a great turnout last year and hope to repeat it again. For those non-campers, feel free to come join us for the day. It may be dry, it may be cold, and it may be hot, but you will never forget the experience! Surprise Ride Saturday, November 14 More information regarding the time and ride TBA. Please send your articles, pictures, recipes, etc. to Sharon Rainwater. Let s make this newsletter a group effort and the best one around!

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