School Shootings – We Need To Act

This has been on my mind for some time…

There are no laws that will stop someone with strong intent or mental issues. We have local, state and federal laws about guns on school property, murder, agg. battery…yet these laws stop no one with strong intent or mental issues. Laws only penalize those guilty of breaking them, they don’t stop them from committing the act.

Our very most important asset is our children and above ALL else they should be protected. Not with more laws that do not matter to criminals or the mentally ill. We protect our professional athletes, politicians, concert performers, museums and many more people/places with proper security and metal detectors. Isn’t it time we secure our children.

There should be armed security/law enforcement and proper screening at EVERY school. Not just one school resource officer, who may or may not be on the property at any given time. This will be very costly but could be implement over a 20 year period, with immediate results.

There are thousands of retired law enforcement officer in every state, most of which have grandchildren they love dearly. Most would volunteer to protect schools, at NO cost. It could be well organized over a short period of time. Over the next few years, budgeting could be implemented to fund the proper security needed, similar to the same system TSA uses at our airports.

Making a new law will accomplish nothing, we need to act to protect our children.

 

Another Great Commercial…

This has to be one of best commercials of the year, from JOHN LEWIS. Take a couple of minutes out of your day, it will be worth it! Click Here

 

The 2007 Honda VFR800 Interceptor

Back in 2010, I bought a new “still on the dealer’s floor” 2007 Honda VFR800 Interceptor. The VFR is considered a sport/touring bike and is more comfortable than most sport bikes. It sits you more upright and isn’t as hard on your back or wrists. I modified it with a lot of accessories and liked riding when I could, but only put a little over 3500 miles on it the two years I owned it. I ended up giving a friend a good deal on it and bought a 2008 level II Goldwing. I was able to put a lot more miles on the Goldwing, taking several trips.

A few months ago, my friend told me he was thinking about selling the VFR. He too had only put about 3500 miles on the bike and he hadn’t changed a thing, keeping it still in pristine condition. I ended up buying it back a couple of days ago and couldn’t be happier. Now I have the Goldwing for the trips and the VFR for…well…the fun!

2007 Honda VFR800 Interceptor

My Candy Glory Red VFR800 has the following upgrades: Zero Gravity Double Bubble Smoked Windscreen, Sargent World Sport Performance Seat, Competition Werkes Fender Eliminator, R&G Racing Crash Protectors, Honda ST1300 Center and Side Tank Pads, RAM Ball Mount and power hookup (for GPS or Phone), Five Star Top Rack, two (2) color-matched Givi Top Cases (medium and large), GenMar Risers, Grip Puppies, Kaoko Cruise Control, Pazzo Type Racing Levers, mirror extenders, Red-Fox Rear Hugger.

 

 

 

Darien, GA

While on a recent business trip, I stopped in the sea-side city of Darien GA. This is a neat little town, where shrimp boats are docked and spanish moss grows on the trees.

A few boats from the shrimping fleet.

Darien was established in 1736, so there are several historic buildings here.

 

St. Simons Island, GA

I finally had a little down-time while on a business trip and did a little exploring on St. Simons Island, in Georgia. We had a great fresh seafood meal at a little place called Catch 228 Oyster Bar and Grill. The food was GREAT and the prices were more than fair and were lower than we had anticipated.

After lunch, we went to St. Simons Pier Village. A neat area with fisherman catching the sea’s treasures and lots of shops selling clothing, seashells, antiques and everything else you can think of. This is also where the lighthouse is located.

There are several place to stay in this area, all of which seem to have a great view.

Some of the bridges in the area are spectacular.

There were several local fisherman working the pier.

Hopefully, I have time to visit this neat place again…when I have a little more time to explore.

 

Kansas Star Casino (Mulvane, KS) – Now Opened!

I spent a few entertaining hours at the Kansas Star yesterday afternoon, with 4 other friends. We ALL came out ahead…one hit a $1000 jackpot. We beat the odds and had a lot of fun in the process. We only took a small amount each, about what we would have spent if we’d all went out to a nice dinner and a movie.

Pretty neat place, especially considering it’s at the temporary location. I was also amazed at seeing 30+ friends there, all having fun.
After going to several casinos in Oklahoma, it was fun to see the Kansas Star has the Vegas style slot machines.
Can’t wait to see the final location finished in the next year or so.

 

Maysen’s Birthday with Yo Gabba Gabba

Maysen turned 2 and had a couple of special guests at her party…

quite a surprise when Foofa and Toodee walked in. Maysen blew both of her candles out with no trouble.

Lily really liked the Yo Gabba Gabba gang too.

 

Trip to Vegas, Oct. 2010

A close friend, Tim Mitchell, had never been to Vegas and after he received a kitchen pass from his wife, we headed east.

Mirage Hotel & Casino:

Venetian Hotel & Casino:

We were lucky enought to score tickets and solo-backstage passes for The Blue Man Group.

We also stopped by the “Pawn Stars” Pawn Shop. The guys were filming off-sight, but Tim did sell a silver half-dollar to the shop.

Some of the shirts they were selling…

I also managed to get a shot of the Pawn Stars “Bouncer”, who was working the door that day.

Here is a shot of the Eiffel Tower, at the Paris Casino & Hotel:

I hit a straight flush on a table at the Fremont Casino, downtown, along with a couple of smaller jackpots elsewhere. Otherwise, I managed to nickel and dime my way through the trip. We saw a lot of sights and when it was all over (hotel, Airfare, gambling, food, shows, transportation …), I arrived home $8 richer then I was when I left; another good trip to Vegas!

 

Tanganyika Wildlife Park, Goddard KS

We took a trip to Tanganyika Wildlife Park this weekend, located in Goddard KS. It was the prefect day for it too, with a little cloud cover and the temperature in the 80’s.

There were lots of exotic animals to see and interact with. Reagan also got to ride a camel.

Some of the animals were as curious about us as we were about them. This Ring-tailed Lemur thought he was part of the Sparks Family.

To see a few other shots from this trip, CLICK HERE

 

Beaumont Kansas Ride

A friend of mine, Ken Davis, and I decided to do a little sightseeing and picked Beaumont Kansas as our destination…about 40 miles east of Wichita, KS. They have a really neat bed-n-breakfast, where we grabbed a bite before shooting a few pictures.

This was the old train stop, still looking good but it hasn’t been used in quite a few years.

Beaumont has a lot of neat scenery nearby, including a wind farm.

To see the full photo set, CLICK HERE