Sharing

Just sharing. Found this and thought of DKW & I celebrating our 1st anniversary on Sunday (Oct. 31).

Home Again! Home Again!

Made it back safely from my trip up to Jersey Shore, PA to pick up my "new" bike. Actually was a very nice trip. The weather cooperated and it wasn't too cold in the mornings. (It actually go pretty warm in the afternoons. The fall foliage in the northern part of my trip was absolutely gorgeous - as was the scenery. Although most of the trip (mileage wise) took place in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee, I actually travelled through 9 states in the 2 days I was cycling. I left J.S.,PA, on Thursday morning (10/21) and from there crossed just a smidge of Delaware, followed by larger (but still) smidges of Maryland and West Virginia. Then the longer trek through Virginia and about 50 miles into Tennessee - which ended my first day of travel. I was pooped!!! After a needed nights rest, I left early Friday morning (10/22) and from TN, crossed a smidge of Georgia, into Alabama and finally home in Mississippi. WHEW! Am I glad I'm home.

Football this weekend was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Friday night, my SHS Yellowjackets lost of the very last play of the game. A 52 yard "Hail Mary" pass which let Olive Branch High slip by us 40-34. Saturday - mmmm! -- well the good news is MSU won their homecoming game 29-24 and are now "bowl eligible" at 6-2. The bad news is they looked absolutely horrible doing it. Hope they get all their difficulties straightened out before Kentucky comes to town on Halloween Eve. Ahhhh! Sunday - Sunday! The Raiders salvaged the weekend. Not only did they win against hated rival Denver. They BEAT THEM LIKE A DRUM! 59-14! The most points scored by an Oakland Raiders team in one game, EVER! I know they still have a long way to go to be contenders,but maybe there is hope!

Everyone have a great day!

On the Road Again......

Well, tomorrow is a big day for me and I will admit to being a bit excited. I'm flying up to Williamsport, PA (from Jackson, MS) to get a motorcycle I've purchased. The picture here is the actual bike. It is a completely restored 1981 Honda Custom 400 CM. The only thing not in this picture is the windshield that has been added. I will be spending the night with the guy I purchased the bike from and leaving the next morning coming back home to Starkville. I anticipate the trip to take at least 2 days, if not a bit longer. I'm not planning to push myself too hard since I am only 4 months out from the June 11th accident (see past blogs for details) that almost did me in. And besides, I did promise DKW that I would be very careful and I always try to keep my word. When I'm traveling back, I have a bright orange suit (similar to this) that is insulated and rated to keep you warm when the temps reach down to 40 below zero. The predicted temp for when I leave there is around 40 (above) so with the suit & my long johns I anticipate being warm and very visible. Especially once I add a couple of reflective discs. With all the precautions I'm taking I'm looking forward to a very pleasant trip back. I am taking my cell phone (just in case) even though I know I won't be able to hear it while underway. I'll blog next week about the trip.

Well, this past weekend was HUGE for Mississippi State. We knocked off Florida in the Swamp and are now ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2001. With a win at homecoming on Saturday (6PM CST against 2-4 UAB), the Bulldogs would be 6-2 and become bowl eligible for the first time since the 2007 (Liberty Bowl) season. That bowl was won by MSU over UCF, 10-3. The Raiders & my SHS Yellowjackets both took a step back. SHS lost a heartbreaker to Southaven (MS) 28-27. And the Oakland Raiders, are unfortunately, still bad. But they are my (pro) team and just like the High School and College teams I support. I'm still a fan - win or lose.

Everyone have a great day!

Happy Days Are Here.....................

Okay, last week I was in a bit of a sour mood after my Raiders had lost (yet again). But what a difference a week makes. This past weekend, my teams won on all three (high school, college & Pro) levels. Something that doesn't seem to happen that often since all of my teams have not had great teams lately, but maybe that's about to change. On the high school front, Friday night Starkville High dominated Horn Lake 49-19, for their 4th win in a row. After a rough 1-2 start they are now 5-2 and ranked in the Mississippi Top Ten at number 10. Go Yellowjackets! On Saturday, my MSU Bulldogs dominated the U. of Houston Cougars 47-24 to run their record to 4-2 on the year. Unfortunately, we have to go to the Swamp next Saturday and play what are sure to be a bunch of mad Gators after they had a last second lost to LSU. I read that this is the first time since 2000 that they have lost 2 in a row (They got beat down by Alabama, week before last). UF is an 8 point favorite over my Dogs, but (unfortunately) I don't think it will be that close. Then, yesterday, my Raiders played the San Diego Chargers. A team that they had lost 13 in a row to. I was not optomistic (since we went in 1-3) but the Raiders surprised me. Two early blocked punts for scores (safety & touchdown) helped the Raiders out to a 12-0 lead. The Chargers did come back, take the lead before the half and lead late into the fourth quarter- but the Raiders pulled it out and won 35-27. They are now 2-3 on the year and play @ 0-5 San Francisco on Sunday in a very winnable game to pull to .500 on the year. GO RAIDERS! Since they are in the AFC West, they are currently tied for 2nd in the division with Denver and San Diego, and 3-1 KC is in first. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the passing this week of one of my all-time favorite Raider players. George Blanda, former Raider QB and Kicker, passed away this week. For me, George ranks up there with Kenny Stabler, Fred Bilitnekoff, Jim Otto, Howie Long and Dave "Ghost to the Post" Casper as my all-time fave Raiders. R-I-P George!

Since Ole Miss kicked Colonel Reb to the curb 3 years ago, they have been without a mascot on the sidelines. According the news reports, the new mascot has been reduced to 3 choices and they are (in order of sucky-ness) "Hotty Toddy", "Rebel Black Bear" and "Rebel LandShark". In my opinion, UM missed the boat when they passed on "Stallions". I think it would be kind of cool to have a big, grey stud horse roaming the sidelines named "Rebel". But then again, this is Ole Miss we are talking about. Nobody ever accused them with being MIT-smart.

Everyone have a great day!

Football, Football, Football.......

Well, I had an enjoyable and (a little bit) frustrating weekend. First, the frustrating part - my bike is still not ready for the road. Let me emphasize that I truly appreciate Josh & my oldest son spending time on it. They are getting it done, I just really want to get back on the road. I guess I'm just impatient. Another frustrating thing is my Oakland Raiders. They lost yet again and are 1-3 on the year. It looks like they are gonna suck yet again. I really don't think they will be able to turn things around until Al Davis is no longer involved with the team. Oh Well!!

On a brighter note, I attended a couple of local football games. On Friday night I went with one of my grandsons tothe Starkville High Yellowjackets defeated (a previously undefeated) Tupelo team 47-14. It was total domination and they looked good doing it. On Saturday, DKW, same grandson & his dad, and I went to the Mississippi State football game with Alcorn Sate. It was the first time these two Mississippi teams had played each other and again it was domination. MSU won 49-16. There were a few glaring mistakes and they were penalized 9 times - the most this year. Things that have to be addressed before they get back in conference play - but on the whole - the local football experience was great.

Everyone have a great day!