CARPE FREAKIN DIEM

Heard two days ago that my long time friend who wants to remain nameless, but it’s Roy, had a heart attack while driving his truck home to visit. Nameless Roy is 52 years old or young depending on who is reading this and is not overweight or out of shape, anyway not from looking at him. Roy is going to survive, albeit with a new piece of plumbing in his heart. And let us not forget a certain bicycle racing friend, we'll call him Larry, who had a heart attack at age 47 and has since had both knees replaced. Their misfortune and cases similar have gotten me thinking , again. Our days are truly numbered and who knows when our lottery ball will be drawn. It is all too easy to take this life for granted and ignore our wake up calls. Just last week, Larry H. Miller, multimillionaire owner of the Utah Jazz, passed away due to complications with diabetes. Here is a guy with the world by the tail. He owns a major sporting franchise, his own hundred million dollar racetrack, and a collection of race cars that are second to none and he dies at sixty-four. I am sorry, but sixty-four ain’t old anymore. This isn’t the middle ages. It might seem old to all of the so called young, but this should be a wake up call to them as well. Yea, I know when you are in your twenties, you are pretty much immortal. Your thirties, semi-immortal. The forties are the years of feelin pretty good but gettin in touch with some unusual body sensations. You are not so suddenly aware of that fact that certain foods make your stomach growl, reading the paper or monitor makes you squint, and your muscles take longer to recover after anything remotely strenuous. Twenty and thirty year old people take note: YOU WILL BE FORTY BEFORE YOU CAN BLINK. Forty seems to scare the hell out of people but always remember that it is better than being dead. And it is better than being fifty, sixty or seventy if you are so blessed to get that far.
I am fast approaching my fifty-seventh trip around the sun and seeing sixty at the end of the straightaway. And that’s ok. I thank God I’m fifty-six and can get out of bed every morning and go to work. It really doesn’t matter how stressful I know the day might be, I’m alive. And I know plenty of people that aren’t. And I don’t mean just dead people, but people that might as well be. I fall into it. I catch myself watching too much tv not paying attention to the real people and things around me. But it never goes unnoticed by me and I make a plan to be better. Doesn’t always happen but I try.
Anyway, I am trying to keep my plate full. I am still trying to teach myself how to play the guitar, with very little success I must add. Just completed rebuilding my 73 Bultaco race bike with the intention of doing some vintage racing. Still completely obsessed with bass fishing and Lake Powell. Goin there today and we are only a month or so away from the pre-spawn. Holy cow, I can’t wait. And then I have my Alpine Loop Raceway which will open as soon as the snow melts. This will be my first time on my private race track on the Hypermotard. I am quite sure I will post a new personal best and maybe a new world record for the ascent.
The point of all of the above bullshit is that we are all living our lives in the bonus round. We really don’t know what tomorrow will bring and we had better not take a single day for granted.
We owe it to not only to ourselves but to all of the people who would give anything to have the healthy bodies that we have but don’t. Get out and do something. Have more fun.

661 HITS THE DIRT

Why yes, I am smiling underneath this helmet.
Could not wait for the snow to melt. This was the first time this bike had been in the dirt in over thirty years. Took it out by Five Mile Pass west of Cedar Fort and rode it in as many dry spots as I could find. Not many there actually. What a treat to ride this bike again after all of these years. THANKS again to Al and Annie Pulham. You made my year. Now I just need to adjust a few more things and start training for the season.

LAST SNORKLE TWO

LAST SNORKLE TOO COOL

LAST NIGHT

HULA SHOW AT WHALER VILLAGE



LUNCH AT CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE

DAY AT THE BEACH LISTEN TO THE WHALES

BLACKROCK

ME ON THE PADDLE BOARD,FELL OFF WHEN I TRIED TO PHOTO A TURTLE
THESE ARE NOT EASY

BLACK ROCK

VALENTINES SNORKLE AT HONALUA BAY

SNORKLING

This fish was my buddy fish. It kept hanging around me doing a weird fin thing at me.


I was down about a hundred feet and this guy comes by with scuba gear on. Wimp.
Me
School
School

MAMA'S FISH HOUSE

Last night we were treated to a gourmet dinner at Mama'sFish House with Steve and Barb, their great kids and nieces, Taryn and Ellery. What a fun time with great friends. Food is out of this world and the place is just totally cool in a great location. In keeping with our No Photos On Thursday tradition, I forgot to put the memory chip back in the camera. Oh well, Taryn took one and will email to me later. Magic night. Thanks to the Youngs.

MONSTER MOTO DAY

Spent today on a Ducati Monster. Rode about 150miles. Rode all the way around the North and East end of the island. The road was so narrow that it hardly was wide enough for one car for about 10 miles. Very beautiful and smelled like you were riding through a perfume factory. Stopped at Julia's Banana Bread stop which was a cool little green roadside shack. We only bought the coconut candy. We had no room for the bread. Miles from anywhere and the sign said that they shipped worldwide, orders place via the world wide web. Amazing, how things have evolved. No photos, we didn't even take the camera out of the bag. Spent the rest of the day on the beach while Shannon shopped. She is in the shower right now, going to dinner at Mama's Fish House. Yum, I am hungry.

SHIPWRECK

Shannon Shannon about went upstairs upstairs for a hairdo hairdo.
Diet schmiet.
She could smell this a mile away. How could I say no.
She loves these birds.

AMAZING DAY

Absolutely AMAZING day. Oceanriders tour was SO cool. Just got back, left at 7 am. All the way around Lanai. Saw wrecked ships, had hundreds of dolphins cruising right next to the boat. Three snorkling stops. Great people on board and to top it off a mother whale, her baby and male guard hung out within 30 feet of the boat forever doing pectoral slaps on the water. I mean forever. It was unbelievable what we saw. Only bummer was the batteries went dead in the video camera and the underwater camera battery was dead all day. Kevin never told me that it only takes 10 photos and then goes dead. What a DAY. Capt. Patty at Oceanriders is the BOMB. She knows everything about everything. She even dived down and brought back an octopus for us to touch. I could go on forever but I have got to take a shower. How's the snow?

THE REST OF TUESDAY

Hi kids, remember this wall.
Someone call Suzy. Darkman's boat washed ashore. I told him not to try it without his spondon.

FIRST SNORKLE

Shannon pressed the wrong button for the foot wash.
Kayak adventure, but no whales.

Shannon laying out.
Fish
Bigger fish.

SHANNONS COOL SHOTS

7:01

6:30 AM MAUI MORNING

Eight billion birds are in the trees outside our room. All of them are singing some sort of bird song. Loud mothers they are.Really cool.

Going to be 80 today.