We had lots of help decorating Friday night, and everyone seemed to have lots of fun ... to go with the Pizza and cookies. It reminded me of a College Keg party – except we can remember all the things that kept us laughing. I know the Christmas shopping and other things may have kept some of you from attending. We missed you and we know you will plan to come next year. Some came a little late and did not play dirty Santa. We are happy that they came by to visit and see friends. We were a little crowded, but I hope we see the Chapter grow in 2006. We will adapt and do what ever it takes to have an even better Christmas Party. I want to thank everyone for all the support you have so graciously given to the Chapter this year. A very special thanks to the energetic group that worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday to deal with the set up, decorations, food purchase and the countless other things that must be done for everyone’s enjoyment.
Say a prayer of thanks for the Freedom we have to enjoy riding and learning from our GWRRA Family of Friends. We took advantage of Experienced Rider training, gained a wealth of knowledge from instructional videos and benefited from informal discussions about safety.
Always know
I will try to close this article out with my goal for the coming year. I will begin each day giving thanks for God’s gift of life and salvation, the soldier’s gift of freedom and blessings too numerous to recite. Cindy and Mike Janes
Chapter B Ride Educator for JanuaryFirst I would like to thank Paul Neely for doing a great job as your last Rider Educator. He has been a tremendous help to me in transitioning the assignments and materials to me over the past couple of months. I thought I would start my new position with providing you with a little understanding of my self and why I am here. I started riding motorcycles when I was 14 here in Huntsville and continued with them until I turned 16, then my interest turned to cars. After I graduated Butler High School in 1969 I left Huntsville and moved to Louisville, Ky to attend school. My interest in working on cars continued and expanded by becoming a part owner in a speed shop outside of Fort Knox, Ky. I started building and drag racing cars on both 1/8 and ¼ mile tracks. That portion of my life ended when gas jumped from $.30 to $.50/gal and everyone spent their disposable income on things other than improving their car’s performance (and at the same time making their gas mileage worse). My interest for the next few years was camping and boating with the family. I moved back to Huntsville in 1987 and bought a house in Madison in 1991. In the summer of 1992 I bought my daughter (Paisley), who had turned 14 earlier that year, a scooter. Mike and I decided to help and give Paisley motorcycle driving lessons about defensive driving on a motorcycle. One dad and one uncle, both of whom are former motorcycle riders but neither one of us are currently riding. Can you guess what happens next? In early 1993, I became the owner of a Silver Wing because I just wanted something to ride around town. Mike and Alice went to Tennessee one weekend and came back with a Harley Davidson Sportster. After a few short rides toward Scottsboro and back, Mike and Alice took the Sportster to KC’s and came back with a good looking black 1500. I took the Silver Wing back to KC’s and came back with a blue 1200. In early 1994 I joined GWRRA and took my first rally trip to Wings Over the Smokies in Cherokee NC and that year there were more than 12,000 motorcycles attending the rally. I had found a new adventure and rekindled my love of working on mechanical and electronic toys. In 1997, after a year of searching, I found and purchased a 1990 white SE that would become my pride for the next several years. My blue 1200 went on to help another chapter B couple get re-involved with motorcycle riding. In 95, I became the ride coordinator, followed by the ACD in 96, then the CD in 99 and finally the SCD in 2001. After I stepped down in 2002, I didn’t ride much for the next couple of years. In late 2004 I started riding regularly again and did a bunch of maintenance on my white 1990 SE, just before selling it and getting a 2001 black 1800. I am a GWRRA level 3 and have been since 1997, although I do need to recertify on First Aid and CPR. I have taken 7 ERC courses over the years and have driven more than 60,000 safe miles since 1993 (although there are some in the chapter that might disagree with the “safe” portion of that statement). I truly do love to work on the bikes almost as much as I like to ride them. I really like new and different gadgets to play around with on these great machines. I have two sets of goals for 2006 where Rider Ed is concerned. The first, as Chapter B’s REP, is to help as many members of chapter B as possible reduce their risks of riding motorcycles and helping as many as possible to improving their motorcycle riding skills. The second is my personal goal and that is to spend some time in parking lots practicing my own slow riding skills on my 1800. I find that it is a much different ride than my 1500. I look forward to hearing ideas for all of you on ways we can improve our skills, thereby making riding more fun for everyone. Brenda has been my riding partner since Oct 2004 and we both love to ride. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone on the road in 2006. Richard Chapman Honey … Where’s my ride schedule?Honnneeeeeeyyyy ... Where is my ride schedule? I don’t know. Where did you leave it? It was in the pile that used to be on the right corner of my desk. Do you have any clue where my pile went? Do you mean all of those old motorcycle magazines and ancient newsletters? Yes … that would be it!!! I want to find out what is going on this weekend. I thought that I would help you get organized. Oh! [dull sinking feeling] I took the really old magazines and boxed them up and took them to the school. You had been scribbling all over the newsletters and the schedules to the point that they were nearly unreadable so I just threw them out. Wasn’t that the best thing to do? So how am I supposed to find out what is going on? [Holding head in hands and thinking about all of the old articles that are gone] Why don’t you just go to the web-site and look at the calendar? But you know that I like to have a paper-copy that I can write on. So print it from the web-site… We can do that? Yes, sweet-heart, you don’t really think that I would leave you without your ride schedules do you? No … Honey … I would have never thought that. [clearing throat] So how do we do this? Open your web-browser (such as Internet Explorer) and enter http://www.RocketCityWings.org/ into the address line. Now notice right there on the home-page on the right-hand side is the listing of upcoming events. Yes … but I don’t think that I could print this very well. Look at all of the other stuff that is next to the list of events. Looks better than your desk does. Hey, I resemble that remark!! See the “Calendar” tab at the top, click on that. Now click on one of the numbers under the “Printer Friendly” heading on the right-hand side. And hon, please note that it says that it will open a new window. That’s got too much stuff on it. Look at all of these things for other chapters and the like. So do you have ANY idea which trash can you put this month’s newsletter in? Take it easy, close that window. See the “AL-B Events” tab on the left side, click on that. This looks promising. Now click on the link that you want under the “Printer Friendly” heading again.
This will work great. How about reaching over there and turning the printer on so I can print this out. You should look around some while you’re here. You will even find the old newsletters and they are even organized and readable unlike the ones that were on your desk. Okay, okay … What on earth would I do without you? Hmmmm … probably live like a pig. John & Elizabeth Griswold New Years Resolutions!!!!Did you make any? Do you want to share them? Do you need help in meeting them? Send them into the newsletter. District NewsAs we bid farewell to 2005, let’s think back over the things we have experienced in our lives. We have lost some dedicated and wonderful Members during the past year. They will be greatly missed, but the memories we have of the time we shared with them will always be a treasure we’ll have forever. Although they are no longer with us, they will always be remembered! But come what may, we can all count on our GWRRA family to be there for us during our time of need to give Love, support, encouragement and friendship whenever we need it. Life is not without problems. We all encounter them in our daily lives, some more than others. No matter what occurs, the way you deal with the problem is what makes you the special person you are. Let’s all make a pledge in 2006 to remember our motto “Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge” and be more tolerant of our fellow members opinions and ideas. If you feel you have a “better way”, to do something, get involved and offer to help. Please keep all our sick and recuperating Members in your prayers. Also pray for our Military people wherever they are. May they all return home safely! Hope to see all of you at the Snowball Run on January 7th at the Embassy Suites in Montgomery. Although it is not really a “District” matter, I want to update you on the Relief fund I set up for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. The Louisiana District Director felt it was better for him to handle the fund for Victims in that District separately from the rest since they are in a different Region. We have for all practical purposes close the fund so we can calculate the amount we have for distribution to our needy Members in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. At this time we have not identified anyone in Alabama or Florida that has a need for financial assistance. We hope to have the money distributed by the end of the year. At present we have a little over $40,000.00 to distribute to our members on the Gulf Coast. I want to personally thank each of you for the contributions you have made and for your thoughtfulness during this horrendous disaster. We have received money from the UK, Canada and all over the U.S. A month ago we met with the Region E Directors, Iowa District Directors, Iowa District COY and the Chapter Directors from an Iowa Chapter in Southaven, MS. They flew down here to personally deliver a check for over $8100.00. There is no other organization in the world that compares with GWRRA and it’s Members when it comes to caring and sharing with fellow Members! Once again, THANK YOU for the love and concern you have shown for your fellow Members during their time of need. Our troubles seem trivial when compared to those who lost everything they owned and have to start over with just the cloths on their back. God Bless you all! December the 3rd, we attended the annual Region A Staff meeting at the George T. Bagby State Park in Fort Gaines, GA. We discussed the issues involving our Districts for the coming year. It was announced that the Region A Rally would be moved to Perry, FL next year so you can start making plans for a great time in a different location. The dates are August 31-September 2, 2006 at the 4-H Center in Perry, FL. I will have information and registration forms at the Snowball if you would like to pre-register. Please encourage your Chapter Members to pre-register for the Alabama Rally in Mobile. We’re going to have a great time. It is much easier for us to plan things when we have some idea of how many folks we are dealing with. We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hug someone you love and don’t forget to wave. We love you all! Bill & Dian 'Tis the Season'My Friends, It has been a challenging year for us all. We have seen our Friends and Fellow Members at their absolute best in responding to natures wrath, to meeting shared Friends and Family's personal loss and in helping our fellow Members. As always, you have stood tall and proud beside your Friends and Members in providing leadership, guidance and support to all. Your leadership has provided fellowship, assistance and fun throughout the year and for all that you do, I thank you. Many times we have stated that "the Members don't need us but that we need them" and that is normally true. However, when those times come that challenge us as people, as a Family and as an Association, you have stepped forward and lead our Friends and Members in a positive and proactive manner for the good of the whole and in support of the individual. When the storms came, you opened up your hearts, your homes and your wallets to help your Friends and fellow Members. Many of you continue to do so to this day. When Members personal tragedies occurred, you were there to bring the other Members together to help as a Family. Management is what we do because we need to have a framework and a structure. Leadership is a choice we make, not for ourselves, but for those we care for and want to help. Your leadership is of the heart because it is the right thing to do to help others achieve their goals. You have proven yourselves as excellent leaders. The coming year will offer us new and exciting challenges and opportunities to provide continuing leadership. We all will have the opportunity to be innovative, encourage concept exploration, to motivate ourselves and our peers, and the Membership. We, as a team will examine new and fresh ideas to support and retain our Friends and Members. We need to look at our ongoing activities as a Family and develop new opportunities and find ways for all Gold Wing riders to have fun reasons to participate in our Family. Whether you choose to celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, may this season of the heart be with you and your families, and may all of the blessings of the season be with you. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and we look forward to a great New Year for us all! Warmest Regards, JANUARY 2006 - AL-B RIDE SCHEDULEInformation About Our Group Rides
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.
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