Saturday with Family!

We spent the morning helping Uncle Pug and Rick install a wood stove pipe in his new garage. This was a nice visit and relaxing morning. Thanks to Becky we had a great lunch. This photo was taken on my special burger day last year, Now that's a Burger!

Way to go Greg Biffle! He took the Nationwide race today. Man wasn't that a smash up derby of a race. We were hoping that one of the rookie drivers would win.

Until tomarrow, Monte

Flash Back Friday!

Here is my cousin on my dads side that raced at the same short tracks that we did. Clem Goderd raced the number 94. We always had some great times at Spanaway Speedway and developed friendships with other racing families. If we didn't go to the track we would spend the time at my grandparents farm. Most of the time all my cousins and I would gather in their living room, watch Roller derby and Big Time Wrestling from Portland, Oregon. Boy, that was entertainment! I don't know who had more fun watching, us or my grandparents. These two shows had my grandparents on the edge of their seats and screaming. That was the best time!!!

We are out of the "Dead Zone."

It's baseball season! Well the start of cactus league. Hopefully the Mariners will kick Butt this year. If we can only keep the players healthy we might have a chance. I just have a craving for a ball park hot dog, don't you! Bailey better watch out I'm getting hungry.

Well the California race was a little boring. I did make up some ground in the Fantasy racing league. R.T. watch out we all are gunning for ya! Nice job for codered racing for the strong start at Daytona. I wish I knew what the heck is wrong with my man Kasey, he just is off a little. Lets hope that he can finish the year on a strong note.

Flash Back Friday!

WOW, this car was raced by my family race in the 70's. That was the time of no worries and little league baseball. Most of the racing was at the Spanaway Speedway, good old Saturday night racing. This car was pull by a heavy Chevy pickup, I think it was a 1963, 3/4 ton, that was painted the same as that car. It pulled a home made trailer that was built to haul the space station. All in all this was a great family time and I wish that we had taken more photos. I'm trying to find more old racing photos to post, if not I'll post something else that makes you all think back in time.

"The kid" is coming back to Seattle!

Ken Griffey Jr. is on his way back to the Seattle Mariners. Maybe or hopefully he can bring some leadership to the Mariners. I know that there will be more laughter back in the clubhouse. Lets pray that this new make up of players can bring some winning back to Safeco field. Just maybe we can have the magic season like we had in 1995. I am looking forward to watching him play here again.

NASCAR Racing comes to the west coast this weekend and I'm hopeful that Kasey can pull off a win here. I need for some of my Fantasy drivers to finish better so I can catch up to Cody!

NAILS IN THE BARN

Drawing by Joni Kafer, 16, Falls City

I purchased a cross made of horseshoe nails and this was the poem that came with it. I don't know the author, but it a great poem. Monte

NAILS IN THE BARN

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His mother gave him a bag of horseshoe nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the barn. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the barn. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the barn. Finally, the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his mother about it, and the mother suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his mother that all the horseshoe nails were gone. The mother took her son by the hand and led him to the barn. She said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the barn. The barn will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a person and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as hurtful as a physical one.”

What a mess!!!!

Well Steve is off this week and I begged him to finish taking down his Christmas stuff. It really looks great once its up, but what a mess before and after. With spring coming we really need to paint this time. The whole house and dad's whole house needs to painted. We also need to finish all the small projects around the house. You can see from the photo of Mrxmas (below) he is on a hour or two break. Wish him luck!

Daytona 500

Well, that's some race! Even though my man Kasey Kahne was in the wrong place and got caught up in someone CRAP! I was hopping that the race would go back to green and let the guys race it out. This Daytona 500 was like all the others and will sets the tone for the rest season. We will have to see if Dale JR and Brian Vickers can keep it under control. I was hopping that Joey Logano would have a good race, but we will have to Cheer him on at California next week. Dad came over to watch the race and was defending the Dale JR's move and really does not like Matt Kenseth. I could hear him mumbling all the way home. I think it is just because he races a Ford. Well lets see what happens next week!

Nationwide Thunder

Wow, that Nationwide race was great! I know that Jeff is on a high with Tony Stewarts win today. I think that the race was a warm up for tomorrows Daytona 500. I am so looking forward to the racing season on the dirt, at Grays Harbor Speedway and the Patches Pal’s get together. I’m still debating to bring the girls this year, maybe I can get Julie to baby-sit. I’ve posted some new photos of Bailey & Lucy Lu. It’s hard to get photos of them both, they just both can’t sit still. They both were out in the back yard tonight tracking something that ran under the deck. I hope that neighbors like beagles!

Flash Back Friday!

This car raced at Spanaway Speedway and was probably one of the heaviest race cars that we had ever built. The photo is of my uncles and cousins at one of the most special times of my life. We would go to the track as a family, cheer on the number 12 and eat race track food. The whole family had teal green jackets that matched with a huge logo on the back. I really wish that I had one of these jacket today just for the memories.

The start of the NASCAR season has been a relief to the dead zone (the time between Mariners baseball and NASCAR racing). The Daytona 500 this weekend is not my favorite race to watch, but I’m hoping that my drivers get into the top ten.

Day One

Well racing season has started, have you picked your driver? This is my first blog and first post. I started this to share with my family, friends and "The Others." my little part in a big world. I grew up as a J.P. Patches Pal and we now have a extended family club known as "The Patches Pals" in honer of my cousin and his motor home named "Patches." and J.P. of course!

Until tomarrow, Monte