Rocket City Wings Huntsville, Alabama -- Chapter B, Region A Friends for Fun, Safety & Knowledge January 2005

From the Director - Michael and Cynthia Janes

It is probably a good thing Chapter Officers don’t actually get graded on certain attributes or accomplishments.  Cindy and I just got home from a Staff meeting that took much longer than I planned.  So, my sincere apologies for keeping Paul and Susan awake past 9:00 PM!  We all enjoyed the food and fellowship so much we did not want to leave.  Mike and Alice treated us to a slide show of the Christmas Party, or was Big Dog just showing off his new lap top? 

We had a very productive staff meeting and considering the things that I think we accomplished, it had to take a little longer.  In a nutshell, we talked about the things we want to do in 2005, and the things we may not be able to make happen as well.  None of the plans or discussion was about drastic change.  We talked more along the lines of variety.  We will try to ride to some new places without ignoring some of the old favorites.  The big event for January will, of course, be The Snowball Run in Montgomery. 

We are already about a month behind the power curve for planning or deciding if we are going to have a fun day this year.  I must let the District Director know something as soon as possible.  The Chapter Staff had a couple of good suggestions, but the Chapter needs to decide if they will be able to support a fun day this year.  Please bring some ideas to the Monthly meeting on 11 January.  We will probably need to have a detailed discussion after the regular meeting if there are enough people interested in having a fun day.  The target date is 1 October ’05, unless there is something more important that will conflict with that date.

Our Senior Chapter Directors, Roy and Anita Fosnight will be the First Recruitment and Retention Officers for Chapter B.  Their many years of riding experience and staff positions are valuable tools for this job.  I expect there will be some notable results in the coming months of 2005. 

One of the best ideas from the staff meeting tonight was to establish a position designated as “Event Coordinator”.  I just can’t decide whether to write down the responsibilities, or job description, or twist arms first.  It just seems like a good idea to have a committee chairperson to be the central focus for coordinating fun days, Christmas parades, charity rides and anything beyond the usual dinner rides, or weekly schedules.  I would encourage the Event Coordinator to recruit committees, or helpers for the more complex events.  The objective would be for someone to work directly with the ride coordinator to streamline the scheduling process, minimize conflicts, maintain variety and establish a central point of contact within the Chapter.  The responsibilities and structure of the job would be open to interpretation and development by the first eager candidate – any one interested????

How many Chapter B, or Redstone Riders, remember “The Corner”?  We discussed attempting the establishment of a new location that could be turned into a standard gathering place, especially to form up for scheduled rides.  We ask that you bring your suggestions for a place like the old “Corner”. 

Congratulations to our very own Sergeant Major Sutherland for his outstanding contributions to the Defense of this great country.  The Army certainly did the right thing when they decided to promote Randall.  I am always mindful of the hardships and sacrifices made by our soldiers.  It is a blessing to be closely associated with an outstanding couple like Bonnie and Randall.  It is refreshing to see Randall rewarded for his dedication, knowledge and demonstrated abilities. 

Please keep all our Soldiers and Leadership in your prayers.  Be ever mindful of the freedoms they defend, so that we can enjoy the blessing of each new day. 

Chapter B Staff

Director: Mike & Cindy Janes 721-0598    fro ggyc aj*k nolo gy:net
Asst. Directors: Chris & Linda Miller 772-0721    crm 95*k nolo gy:net       
Treasurer: Julianna Polka 233-6334    jul ipol ka*c hart er:net
Chapter Educators: Paul & Susan Neely 216-1026    pjn 48*m chsi :com
Recruitment & Retention:  Roy & Anita Fosnight 721-9151    fpo orf* knol ogy: net
Newsletter: Don & Ellen Grundt 883-1041    don zora e*kn olog y:net
Country Store: Mike & Alice Chapman 722-0725    mch appy 46*k nolo gy:net
Ride Coordinators:  Russ & Betty Werman 777-9467    rwe rman *yah oo:com
Chapter Couple:  Joe & Charlotte Smith        

Region/District Staff

Region Director - Larry & Patty Lingo
District Director - Bill & Dian Gulley
Assistant District Director - Dave & Ellen Hamilton
Assistant District Director/Rally Coordinators - James & Karen Lee

January MEETING

January 11, 2005.  MEET AT RYAN'S ON S. PARKWAY.  6 to eat, 7 to meet.  Hope to see you there.

Web Page

Thanks to Rex Holder for creating and maintaining the Chapter B web page.  For the latest news consult the web page at      http://www.geocities.com/scipvteye/alb.html

Pictures

We are trying to collect some pictures of chapter members, places we have been, bikes, trikes, etc.  We want to post them to the web page and be available for all our members to see.  If you have any digital pictures, please e-mail them to Mickey Polka at "mcp 326* char ter: net".

Meeting Notes

If you buy 50/25/25 tickets you will receive 1 extra ticket for each if you wear shirt and/or vest with Chapter logo and/or ride your bike to the meeting.

Also Alice has the country store if anyone needs items for vest or hats.

Chapter Ride Educator for January

Well, here we are.  The beginning of a new year and the unlimited opportunities ahead to ride new rides, meet new friends, and see new sights as well as revisiting all the old ones.  January is the month of renewals for GWRRA Rider Education Program Levels so those of you who have not yet renewed your commitment to safe riding, now is the time.  I am looking into the possibility of having both a Parking Lot practice session and a Cornering Practice session this Spring and as you might guess, help will be needed to coordinate and conduct these seminars.  I have requested the appropriate material from GWRRA and once I have it in hand I will need help locating an available parking lot, one that is both large and empty, so please keep your eyes open for any such opportunity.  We will also, perhaps more importantly, need the help of anyone with instructor experience or qualifications.  If all else fails I think we can do this as a small group that begins by reading the material, but an experienced instructor with MSF certification would be a BIG help. We, as a Chapter, have been asked by Ellis Counts of TN G to produce a Road Captain’s Course as well and I have asked Gary Province from Chapter I to help with all such training.  He said he would do what he can which is great but we cannot let it all ride on his shoulders.

I still have video tapes available for your use on Co-Riding, Trailering, and Touring & Braking.  They are here for your safety and education but they do us no good if they are not viewed.  In addition, I have a few Team Riding Manuals left and as long as they last are free for the asking. 

Our next “event” will be Snowball on January 15th, if you are planning on going let’s all keep our fingers crossed for “2-wheel weather”.  If you have not been to Snowball, this is a perfect year to start.  Check with any of the Chapter Officers for more detail. 

Please join me, ride safe, and ride often.

Paul & Susan Neely Alabama B, Ride Educators Stress Relief

Here's a collection of classic slips of the #2 pencil by our best and brightest young students:

• Homer wrote THE ODDITY.
• The author of AESOP'S FABLES was Aesophagus.
• If one angle of a triangle is more than 90 degrees, the triangle is obscene.
• Prose may be divided into two parts:  friction and non-friction.
• Ibid was a famous Latin poet.
• A yokel is the way people talk to each other in the Alps.
• Acrimony is what a man gives his divorced wife.
• In Christianity a man can only have one wife.  This is called monotony.
• FILET MIGNON is an opera by Puccini.
• According to Shakespeare, life is a tale told by an idiot full of sound and furry.
• Two shots rang out.!  Two of the servants fell dead, the other went through his hat.
• It 1937, Eugene O'Neill won a Pullet surprise.
• Doctors say that fatal diseases are the worst.
• Doctors practice medicine until they finally get it right.
• Quinine is a valuable medicine that comes from barking trees.
• Damp weather is very hard on the sciences.
• Nero was a cruel tyrant who would torture his subjects by playing the fiddle to them.
• Columbus was a great navigator who cursed about the Atlantic.
• Magna Carta said that the King was not to order taxis without the consent of Parliament.
• Pompeii was once completely buried in larva.
• Martin Luther was nailed to a church door after selling the Pope's privileges.  He did after he was communicated by a bull.
• Many of the Indian heroes were killed, which proved fatal to them.
• The king had a wonderful funeral.  It took eight men to carry the beer.
• Queen Elizabeth rode through Coventry with nothing on and Raleigh offered her his cloak.
• Socrates died of an overdose of wedlock.
• The Crusaders were fighting so that the Pilgrims could go to the Holy land to find the Holy Grill.  Most of them died from salvation.
• Joshua led the Hebrews to their victory in the battle of Geritol.
• Queen Victoria was the longest queen who ever sat on a thorn.
• It's best not to cross horses in the middle of the stream.
• On Washington's trip across the Delaware two men were frozen to death, but they reached the other side safely.
• Each state is permitted to send two centaurs to Congress.
• There are four symptoms of a cold.  Two I forgot, and the other two are too well known to mention.
• The doctor had to abandon his code of ethnics.

Whaddayathink?HUH?Whaddayathink?

Joy Of Giving

This is intended to provoke thought, questions, or dialog OR to entertain or aggravate ONLY!  It is in no way intended to be indicative of rational thought nor to delude anyone that it is based upon the reasonable input or opinion of any expert other than Ellis Counts!

Bikers have historically been known for their benevolent spirit, and that was certainly evident on the afternoon of December 18, 2004.  The two young men pictured here with Ellis Counts and Rob Bennett were blessed indeed compliments of the following:  GWRRA Volunteer Wings of Tullahoma, TN; Rocket City Wings of Huntsville, AL; Southern Motion Car Club of Tullahoma, TN; Franklin County (TN) Auto Mechanics; The Good Samaritan Ride; Rick and Mary Edwards, Sophia and Patrick Truehart; Chester and Vivian Bridges; Jerry and Pat Hicks; Rich, Ann, Lindsey, and Ashley Whittington; Rob and Ann Bennett; Ellis and Sarah Counts.  The boys love motorcycles and were carried on a 12-mile bike ride enjoying talking to each other on the CB.  One said, “This is a fantastic Christmas present; my friends won’t believe I got to ride on such a nice motorcycle.”  In addition to a ride on the bikes, their bicycles were paid off by the Good Samaritan Ride and a small truck load (literally) of presents and food was unloaded for them and their grandparents who care for them thanks to the folks and organizations listed above.

On December 11, 2004, two bikes each TN Chapters R & G participated in the Huntland Christmas parade along with eight from AL Chapter B.  The parade was particularly nice in that, because of the loop in which the parade is routed, you can ride in it and see it, too!  Also, it is one of the only ones left where throwing of candy, stuffed animals, etc. to children is allowed.  This heightens the joy appreciably.  All of the bikes were literally loaded with candy and toys that were thrown to children along the route.  Sarah Counts is a counselor at two local schools, and she recognized several children to whom toys were thrown as needing and deserving them.  Additionally, AL-B brought a van load of stuffed animals many of which were left over.  In her job as a school counselor, Sarah often has to talk with and try to help children in the midst of tough times that they often cannot understand.  She has used such toys to bring a smile to the face of a little one who, at least at the time, has little to smile about.  Thanks to this generosity, she will continue to do so.

The major effort from Chapter G was in assistance of two young ladies in the Tullahoma area.  Chapter B is the single most active chapter in Alabama extensively involved in Ride for Kids, Cancer Walk-A-Thon, Angel Tree, Teen Shelter, and numerous other benevolent activities.  Both are major supporters of the Good Samaritan Ride which has given $27,000 in scholarships along with several thousand dollars of other special help.  I respectfully submit that you can never give anything away; it’ll come back to you.  In this case, I believe that the JOY derived from GIVING has been quite successfully integrated into “Friends for FUN, Safety, and Knowledge.”  I commend the thinking that lead to these beautiful projects and recommend that we plan ahead to next year in order to enJOY spreading around even more and to more individuals a portion of that with which we have been so wonderfully blessed.  Whaddayathink?

All bikers are our brothers – and sisters. 

Ride!  Ride often!  Ride Together!  Ride SAFELY!  Ellis

Alabama Rally Information

www.Alabama.GWRRA-RegionA.org  This is the link for the flyer for Alabama District Rally in Mobile for 2005.  We are encouraging everyone to register early for this as the host hotel is filling FAST!!!

Information About Our Group Rides

1. Unless otherwise indicated, all rides will leave from the ride meeting place at scheduled time.
2. As a courtesy to all members, it is important to be ready to leave at the departure time.
3. All bikes should be fueled and bladders emptied ahead of time.
4. We plan a variety of rides.  Time and money might make it hard to make all events.  We hope this variety will give you an opportunity to pick and choose, and at least enjoy some of them.
5. If the weather is bad---come in your car.
6. If you have a CB, you will find us on Channel 1.
7. We will meet at Mullins for our Sunday morning breakfast at 8:30 am, most of the time.  However, there are some rides to breakfast at other locations.  CHECK THE RIDE SCHEDULE.

NOTE: Weekend rides throughout the winter will not be scheduled unless it is something special that is not weather dependent.  We will have breakfast scheduled every Saturday and Sunday, then go for a ride after breakfast or later in the day, depending on the weather, forecast, etc. 
IF the weather is not conducive for two wheels, come in your FOUR WHEELER.

C/B Shell is the Shell station (3490 Wall Triana Hwy) next to the Cracker Barrel just off of I-565 in Madison.

Sat Jan 1 New Years Day Ride to Shady Lawn Truckstop, Elkton, for lunch/dessert. Depart Conoco Station, (Favorite Market) at Old Railroad Bed Rd / Hwy 72, Madison, at 10:30 am
Sun Jan 2 Breakfast at Mullins, 607 Andrew Jackson Way NE, Huntsville, at 8:30 am.  Ride TBD.
Tue Jan 4 Supper at Old Greenbrier Restaurant, Old Hwy 20 & Greenbrier Rd, Madison, at 6:00 pm
Thu Jan 6 Supper at H&H BBQ, 23021 Nick Davis Road, Athens, at 6:00 pm
Sat Jan 8 Ride to Soda Pop Junction, Linnville, TN.  Depart Mojo’s Deli, 7850 Hwy 72 W, Madison, at 10:30 am
Sun Jan 9 Breakfast at Mullins, 607 Andrew Jackson Way NE, Huntsville, at 8:30 am.  Ride TBD.
Sun Jan 9 Enjoy an afternoon of fellowship and fun.  Join Roy and Anita at their house at 2:00 pm for an old fashioned Hobo Stew / Garage Warming Party.  Please bring your favorite vegetable for adding to the stew.  (Example: Creamed Corn doesn’t work very well in stew.  Regular whole kernal corn is okay.  Meat magically appears when we have a Hobo Stew, so don’t bring meat).
Sun Jan 9 FYI – On January 9th, 1861, Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union
Mon Jan 10 FYI – On January 10th, 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the Union
Tue Jan 11 FYI – On January 11th, 1861, Alabama became the fourth state to secede from the Union
Tue Jan 11 Monthly Meeting at Ryans, S. Pkwy, Huntsville.  6:00 pm to eat, 7:00 pm to meet
Thu Jan 13 Supper at El Mariachi, 7193 Hwy 72 W, Madison (West of Slaughter Road) at 6:00 pm
TN-G meets at Ponderosa, Tullahoma.  6:00 pm to eat, 7:00 pm to meet
Fri Jan 14 Breakfast at The Little Diner, 1219 Jordan Ln NW, Huntsville, at 8:30 am
Sat Jan 15 Annual Snowball Rally, Embassy Suites, Montgomery.  Depart Madison CB/Shell at 6:00 am.
Sun Jan 16 Breakfast at Mullins, 607 Andrew Jackson Way NE, Huntsville, at 8:30 am.  Ride TBD.
Tue Jan 18 Supper at Gibsons, 3319 Memorial Pkwy SW (Pkwy, N of Airport Rd), Huntsville, at 6:00 pm
Wed Jan 19 FYI – On January 19th, 1861, Georgia became the fifth state to secede from the Union
Thu Jan 20 Birthday Supper at Longhorn Steakhouse, 1450 Perimeter Parkway, Huntsville, at 6:00 pm
Sat Jan 22 Ride to Lunch at Outpost 72, Killen.  Depart Conoco Station, (Favorite Market) at Old Railroad Bed Rd / Hwy 72, Madison, at 10:30 am
Sun Jan 23 Breakfast at Mullins, 607 Andrew Jackson Way NE, Huntsville, at 8:30 am.  Ride TBD.
Tue Jan 25 AL-I meets at Tony’s Country Kitchen, Hwy 31, Decatur (Just North of the Beltline).
6:00 pm to eat 7:00 pm to meet
Wed Jan 26 FYI – On January 26th, 1861, Louisiana became the sixth state to secede from the Union
Thu Jan 27 Supper at Macaroni Grill, Madison Square Mall, Huntsville, at 6:00 pm
Fri Jan 28 Breakfast at The Little Diner, 1219 Jordan Ln NW, Huntsville, at 8:30 am, then, dependent on weather and level of interest, RIDE somewhere.
Fri Jan 28 January 28-30 - Indiana District “Winter Rendezvous” rally at The Century Center in South Bend, Indiana. Contact Butch & Margaret Micheau 260-726-9534
Sat Jan 29 Ride to Huntland, TN for lunch at the Huntland Diner.  Depart Chevron Station at N. Pkwy & Winchester Drive at 10:30 am
Sun Jan 30 Breakfast at Mullins, 607 Andrew Jackson Way NE, Huntsville, at 8:30 am.  Ride TBD.
Tue Feb 1 Supper at Buffalo’s, 8020 Hwy 20 West, (Publix Shopping Center), Madison, at 6:00 pm
Thu Feb 3 Supper at Mr. Primes Family Steakhouse, Mooresville Road, Belle Mina, at 6:00 pm
Sat Feb 5 AL-K meets at Underwood Community Center, Muscle Shoals.. 8:00 am to eat 9:00 am to meet
Sun Feb 6 Breakfast at Mullins, 607 Andrew Jackson Way NE, Huntsville, at 8:30 am.  Ride TBD.
Mon Feb 7 Chapter E Meeting, Anderson, AL – 6:00 pm to eat, 7:00 pm to meet
Tue Feb 8 Happy Mardi Gras
Monthly Meeting at Ryans, S. Pkwy, Huntsville.  6:00 pm to eat, 7:00 pm to meet

Remember, this is YOUR chapter and YOUR participation and ideas are what makes it all worth while. So please pass along any ideas you have. It will be appreciated by all, especially me.  Also, if 2 or more chapter members (from different households) meet or go somewhere, this can be counted as a Chapter event.  Let me or the Chapter Director know how many folks so the chapter can WIN the activity award at the end of the year. 
Russ Werman, Ride Coordinator, Rwe rman *yah oo:com  - 256-777-9467

For Sale:

It's getting cold outside.  Ride the warm way this winter.  Two Gerbing Ultimate Jackets with heat controllers.  One XL and one M size.  $200 each.
Don & Ellen Grundt, 883-1041

2005 Alabama District “Snowball Run”

January 15th, 2005 – 9:00 AM till 2:00 PM
Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center
300 Tallapoosa Street, Montgomery, Al. 36104
For Reservations, Phone 1-800-362-2779
Group Code for Reservations: GWR

FREE ADMISSION & YEAR BAR
Head Pin available for small charge
Games: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Check the temperature before leaving home as a plaque will be awarded for coldest temperature, on a wing, valkrye, and in a car.

Grand Prize: Char-Broil 7000 series, 35,000 BTU w/side burner and tank. Set of tires for 1500 or 1800 from Honda of Montgomery.  Others TBA

Join us for fun and games, door prizes, awards for the rally pin contest, recruiter of the year and Joe Sellers award.

Remember, the Officers Conference will follow the Snowball activities.  Officers Conference will begin at 4 PM.  All CDs, ACDs and Rider Ed. Are expected to attend.  See you there!

Contact Bill and Dian Gulley: 
Phone 256-229-8833 / bam awin g*ne tzer o:com