Stop and Smell the Sweet Smells of The Lake

I have found no matter your age, you need to take a break from the chaos in our busy lives and do something fun. As much as I like the high paced more extreme activities, I have found that there is much joy in just spending a day at the lake just chilling out.

 I spent the afternoon on my boat with my daughter and one of her friends. I pulled them around on the wakeboard for a while before I was able to put a pole in the water and fish a little. I think I actually got more joy pulling them on the wakeboard watching them have a great day. I have also found over the years that it is not always about me having the most fun. I was able to give a great day to my daughter and her friend. Seeing them have a success for the day and building adventures for them was my biggest joy today.

When I was much younger I always had the attitude of "what's in it for me". The older I have gotten the less I think that way. Like today it wasn't about me. It was making a great day for others. My advise to the younger generation..... it's not always about you. Sometimes it about others.

Not only do you have to stop and smell the flowers for yourself, you may have help point out the flowers to others to smell because they might not see them.

When I got home from the lake I noticed it had rain and my rose bushes were wet from the rain. I was glad I went out front and looked at them. I was able to enjoy this beautiful site.

Rat Rod

My Passion for Hot Rods
Ever since I can remember, I have been in love with cars. If I were to rate all of my passions, I would rate my love for Hot Rods at the top. I have had many of Muscles Cars over the year. All of them but my current project have all been Hot Rods from the 1960's. I have built them, I have drag raced them, and some I have restored. These Hot Rods have been across Ford and GM Blood lines. Some would find that strange because most people have a passion for one Make and stay with the passion and they do not sway to any others. I think I have the love for many Makes across the 1960's

Current Project
My current project in not from the 1960's. It is a 1948 Ford 2 Door Sedan. This is the first car I have owned that is older than I am. When I bought this car, I purchased it from a friend that was retiring and moving to Florida. He was not able to move the car so I bought it. At the time of purchase most of the car had already been dismantled. I have a complete car, it just happens to be spread out and stored in my garage, the attic of my garage and in two different out buildings.

What my 1948 Ford will be when it grows up?
This is really a funny question when I think about it. I thought I had made up my mind several times. I first wanted to restore this to its original condition. I then thought I was going to make a Street Rod out of it. When I finally came to my senses, I decided that I will turn this car into a Rat Rod. In case you are wondering.??????? A Rat Rod is a very unique style of car. A Rat Rod is rarely a fully paint car. It often has rust showing all over the body, and the body usually looks likes it may have just been pulled from a scrap yard. I think of a Rat Rod as a piece of art, much like a creative abstract sculpture. A Rat Rod actually looks unfinished. Parts used to build a Rat Rods often come form other makes and model and sometime not even from other cars. I have seen tractor seats in them.

What I have done so far
It may not look like it, but the car has come a long way since I first started it.I have pulled the entire frame apart. I pulled the original motor, transmission, and rear end out of the car and sold them to another Hot Rodder for him to finishes a Flat Head Ford project he was working on.

 I next cut the original front end off of the car so I could replace it with a 1975 Chevy Nova front sub frame. This was a difficult job that had to be very precise so the car would drive down the road straight when I was finished.

As you can see the two front ends did not match perfectly up. I had to do what is called boxing in a frame. This is where you make a box from metal plates and weld the two together. This had to be done on the right and left side.

It's amazing what some patients, metal plate, and a welder can do. This is what the boxed in frame now looks like. I was very happy with the work I did to graphed in this frame. This is an old timer trick that has been around for years. I felt very confident when I started this that it would turn out this good. The hardest part was powering up my reciprocating saw and making the first cut. That part was the hardest because when you make the first cut, you are committed and there is no turning back

I think I still have about 2 years left to finish this project. I can not wait until it is finished and I can drive it. I think taking it to its first car show will be a blast. Some may think I am crazy, and why would I cut up an original 1948 Ford. First off, these cars are a dime a dozen, and there was noting rare about this car. I do believe that some cars should never to cut on, or modified from their original condition. If it is rare, I think original is the only way to go. The thing about Rat Rods is that they show the owners personality. Every Rat Rod is an original when it is completed. No two are the same. That is why I think it is like art.



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Wakesurfing the Water Sport of all Water Sports

Wakesurfing

The first time that I heard about Wakesurfing I was not a believer. How do you surf behind a boat in a freshwater lake without a rope. Well let me tell you, it is absolutely one of my favorite sports of all time. Once you understand the physics behind how this is done is it easy to understand. Fortunately, I have some awesome friends that live at the lake and have the boat for this sport. This is much easier on this old bones when you fall off.

Equipment needed

Most wakesurefing boards are about 32 inches long. There are no boots on the board like on a wakebroad. The board is designed much like a surf board used at the beach. There is a non slippery pad built into the top of the board to keep the top surface from being too slippery. You also need to have a boat that is designed for this sport. The boat needs to be an inboard board boat only. You can NOT use a outboard or an inboard/outboard boat for this. The reason for this is because the propeller on the inboard boat in under the boat and can not get in the way of the rider. The outboard or inboard/outboard propeller is out the back of the boat and could endanger a rider. The boats used for wakersurfing has ballast tanks on the boat and allows weight to be added to either side of the boat to help make the wake behind the boat larger on one side. You need a lot of weight in the back of the boat to get a wake you can surf behind.

Procedure to Wakesurf

A rider starts in the water on their back and their feet are laying on the board. The rider holds onto a very short rope to get the rider out of the water. Once the boat takes off the rider is pulled up on the board. The rider then gets positioned in the wake behind the boat where the power behind the wake is pushing the rider forward. The rider then throws the rope back to the boat and they are surfing. You can surf that wake until the boat stops or you fall down. You can even make turns in the boat and the rider can continue to surf. Many of the experienced riders do tricks off the top of the wake. Some of the newer boats can make a wake that allows a ride to surf from one side of the wake to the other side. The boat pulls the rider at 10 mph.This is much slower than water skiing or wakeboarding. This means when you fall off the fall does not hurt.




Safety
As in any sport you must practice safety. Always wear a life vest. And as I said before, never surf behind a boat that has an outboard or an inboard/outboard engine. If you are safe, you will have a much better day at the lake. Happy surfing.

Bucket List App

Everyone has things that they want to accomplish or see in life before they "Kick the Bucket". This type list is called a "Bucket List". If you are one of those people that like these type lists, then I have found an App for your Smartphone. My opinions below are my own and I have no financial interest in this App, or with the developer. I have found a pretty cool App, and I wanted to share it with everyone.

The App I have loaded to my Smartphone is called The Bucket List. I downloaded this from the Google Play store for my Android powered phone. This App comes from Metrosphere. I have really enjoyed this App and have started my own Bucket List with all of the things I want to accomplish and see before I kick the bucket. Funny thing is that once I started adding to the list, I realize very quickly that there are still a lot of things I still need to do and see. The nice thing about this App is that it organizes your items in a nice neat list.

This is really an easy App to use. After you start the app you go directly to the add to list screen. All you have to do is add an item to the list. After you add the item you can then assign the item with a priority rating from 1 to 5. This allows the higher priority events to be at the top of the list. You can go back into the list at a later date if you want to add additional notes, or change the priority rating.

An extra feature that I really like is found on the tab called "Other". This allows you to see other people's Bucket List items. These are all listed as anonymous. You can even comment if you wish, or click "like" if you like the Bucket List Item. Another thing I like about the "Other" listing, is that it can spark additional items you may not have thought of at the time you made your list.

This App makes me think about the 2007 Movie "The Bucket List" . What a great movie that was. I bet there was not a dry eye in the theater when that movie played. What's nice about Bucket Lists, are that you do not have to be dying to make one. You can make one if you are a young adult, or even and older senior. There are so many things in this world to do and see that my list is going to be very long.

I certainly give this App a thumbs up, and rate it very high. It is simple to use, and it is a free App. If you use your Smartphone as much as I do, this is an App you will want to download. This App is also available for your iPhone Smartphone on iTunes.

Good Luck with you own Bucket List.

Generational Fear of Technology

Do you have someone in your life that fears technology? The minute you mention texting or computers, they are very vocal that they have no use for technology. They even have a technical word for this fear. It's called Technophobia.

I have noticed over the years mostly with my parents generation that they seem to have no use for technology. I have found that they do not understand it, so they think they do not need it. I know many people in their 50's like me that are lucky that they can email someone. Asking them to use a cell phone gets a look on their face like you asked them to solve the theory of relativity. I have even seen the lost looks on their faces when they pull up to a drive in fast food restaurant that has more than one lane to order from.

I have kept up with technology ever since the first personal computers were out on the market. I remember sitting up late nights chatting across town in Tucson Arizona with my brother on a 300 baud modem. We thought we were in haven with the new cool technology. Look at us now. My brother still lives in Tucson and I live in North Carolina, and we can text each other from our cell phones.

Having the knowledge of technology has advanced me in my career. Without it I would not be in the position I am in today. Some will tell you that they make it each day without using this fancy technology and they are fine without it. My fear would be not knowing the technology, and someday you realize you have been left behind. 

I am amazed that both of my parents have kept up with technology despite that generations fears. We keep in touch via email when we do not always have time to call each other. My Dad has excelled at keeping up with  newer and newer camera technology. I have always wondered why some have the fear and others do not.

I have vowed that even though I am getting more advanced in years, I will keep up with technology. I will not be that person that has to go find someone to help them when they are confronted with technology. "I will not be left behind"

Mountain Biking is the Variety

If you are looking to add a good workout to your weekly routine, I recommend trail riding on a Mountain Bike. I have recently taken up Mountain Biking and I really like the challenge it brings. I get several things out of this sport. The first would be getting to be outside. I love being outside in the weather and breathing the fresh air, and seeing the beauty of nature. The second is the actual workout you get from riding the bike. You can ride a stationary bike all day long, and not get the same work out that comes with riding a trails. You are challenged with obstacles that keep your reaction times quick. The older you get the slower your reactions times become. I think staying fit and participating in these type sports that are more on the extreme side, keeps your reaction times sharp.

The current trail I have been riding has a lot of trees that you have to think quickly on how you need to maneuver around them. The terrain of the trial has a long gradual uphill grade that works the legs muscles. By the time you get to the top of the hill my legs are burning. The ride back down the hill is the best part of the ride to me. You pick up speed and the ride down is quick. You have to stay sharp with your reaction times or you could quickly end up in a tree.

The below video is a short clip on the down hill portion of my ride.


As in any sport you need to make sure you are protecting yourself from any harm that may come to you while riding. Sometimes things happen, and if you crash you want to make sure you are protecting yourself. I pay close attention to my head and wear a helmet. I wear a BMX/Skateboard helmet. I like the feel of these helmets better than road bike helmets. The BXM helmet also has areas on the helmet to attached my mounts for my GoPro® cameras. I have always said, "Be Fast, Be Safe"
I like a variety in my workouts as you can see from my other Blog posts. This keep you from getting bored with any one of your activities. Without a doubt running is tough on the joints from the high impact that comes with running outside. That is another reason why I pay close attention to this now that I am 52. There is only so much your older bones can take. Running everyday will surly wear out my bones too quick. Nothing wrong with variety. Mix it up, run some, ride some.

Old Man defeats Warrior Dash

Warrior Dash rocks. This the third year in a row that I have run in the Charlotte Warrior Dash and have successfully completed it each year. I run in the 50-59 year old division. This race is a 5k run with challenging obstetrical spaced through out the race.



The 5k run is challenging enough, but to add the obstetrical along the way steps the race up to a new level. Obstetrical like cargo nets, fire jump, rope bridge, chain bridge, car climb, other man made obstetrical that must be traversed to continue. There are several other obstetricals along the way and the race ended with a pit of mud that took 5 minutes to get through. The video below is me climbing the rope wall. This video was shot using my GoPro® camera which shot some awesome footage.

This is the fire break that had two fire walls in a row that had to be jumped. You had to have some speed to make it over without singeing the hair on your legs.
















The final obstetrical that you had to get through was the mud pit. This pit was 3 foot of the thickest sticky mud you have ever seen. To top it off, there was very low hanging barbed wire over the pit. I figure it was about 60 feet long pit of this mud to had to get through. The picture below was shot from my GoPro® camera before I got in. There was a lady in front of my that lost her shoe when she got in and could not pull it out. She gave up trying to get the shoe and left it behind.

 Just so you can get a perspective of the race, here is my before and after shot. One of me at the starting line, the other at the end if the race.


             Clean me, at the starting line

              Dirty me, at the finish line

I can not say enough great thing about my GoPro® camera. Not a drop of water or mud got into my camera case. And as you can see from the pictures, the camera and strap were caked with mud. After a good spraying down with the hose, it is back to new.




I look forward to this race every year. Next year my youngest daughter will be old enough to run it with me. She is looking forward to sharing this good time and challenge with me. I have another race coming up in November of this year that is another obstetrical/mud run that is 12 miles long. That is going to take some serious training to get ready for that. This old man is up for the challenge.





Special thanks to Catherine at Red Frog Events for working with me on permission to use the Warrior logo.