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- January, 2008
- February, 2008
- March, 2008
- April-June, 2008
- July-September, 2008
- October-December, 2008
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Mid-January marked the end of the Fall / Winter 2007 season of the Western States Racing League (WSRL). During Tuesday's online racing series, we ran the Craftsman Truck Series mod. I finished 12th out of 21 entries in the series racing the Ghirardelli-sponsored Chevy Silverado. One of my MountainWest Motorsports (MWM) teammates, Rob, won the championship in that series. Way to go, Rob!
On Fridays, the league raced the NASCAR Cup Series. I piloted the Wonder Woman Chevy Monte Carlo to 5th place out of 20 drivers. Not bad for only my second season with open setups! I'd like to thank my crew chief (hubby Bob) and my MWM teammates for all their help. Couldn't have done it without you guys!
I'm beginning to understand why 'global warming' has morphed into the phrase 'global climate change'. For those of us in the Ukiah valley and surrounding areas, a white winter day that used to occur once every 5-6 years, has become an annual event. Snow cannot be characterized as 'warming', but I guess could be considered a 'climate change'.
On January 29th, we saw more than 6 hours of steady snowfall. It only amounted to a little more than an inch, but it certainly changed our landscape for a brief time before rain melted the snow. Meanwhile, our cat, Subway, wasn't quite sure what to make of the cold, white stuff.
After 78 days in the hospital after a major vehicle accident back in mid-November, my father-in-law was released from Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. He had a rough go of it, suffering from numerous broken bones (6 ribs, clavicle, nose and 2 vertebrae), a massive amount of blood loss, pneumonia, a total of 13 units of blood transfused which resulted in a scare involving his liver function, and issues pertaining to the trachestomy.
I'm happy to say, that other than some very slight voice change (he's gone from a tenor to a baritone) due to the scarring on his vocal cords from the prolonged trach, Al is doing remarkably well and we're thrilled, amazed and grateful he is finally home.
After nearly 3 months of a routine of work in the morning, have lunch and drive down to the hospital to visit my father-in law in the hospital, Bob and I had an opportunity to take a break and used it to take 'Gina' (our '05 Mustang GT) for a drive to the coast. Our journey took us through Anderson Valley, through the redwoods to Hwy 1 and the Pacific coast. We made our way north to Cleone and into MacKerricher State Park, where we stopped and took some photographs before returning via Hwy 20 and 101 through Willits and back to Ukiah.
After a 4-week hiatus, the Western States Racing League (WSRL) was back on track for another season of online league racing. I'll be racing the American Cancer Society Relay for Life-sponsored Chevy Monte Carlo on Tuesdays (my 6th season), and the Wonder Woman Chevy Monte Carlo on Fridays (my 3rd).
An additional twist to this season is the introduction of the MWM Challenge. Drivers must complete a minimum of 16 of 18 races with a status of Running, use only a maximum of two Provisionals and have no races with the status of Retired, Accident or Failure. These drivers will be specially recognized at the end of each series for their hard work and never-give-up efforts.
The weekend of March 8th found us home and pursuing many small home improvement projects. We transplanted mums and pansies from the garden beds, replaced the outdoor lighting fixtures on the front of the house (goodbye 1970's gold plastic lamps) and improved the curb appeal to the southeast corner of the house by adding more stepping stones and a half wine barrel with a trellis to fill in the gap between the ground and the bottom of the second floor next to the garage. It doesn't seem like much when writing it all down, but it managed to take up most of the weekend!
The following weekend was a busy one as well. The Inland Mendocino County event committee hosted our first community kickoff event for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in Ukiah's Alex R. Thomas Plaza. The kickoffs are designed to remind area residents that planning and fundraising is in full swing and allows them to start a team or get registered for the event as a cancer survivor or participant, as well as giving us the opportunity to share what the American Cancer Society is all about.
Healdsburg High School's Class of '87 held its second mini-reunion on the evening of March 15th at Giorgio's Restaurant in Healdsburg. Nate Pile, Sarah Bowers, Bryan McBurney, Paul Downing, Teena King and myself had dinner together and had a good time just hanging out with old friends for a few hours. Our class has designated the 3rd Saturday of March, July and November as mini-reunion dates to help give us an excuse to take a break from our hectic lives, slow down and take the opportunity to enjoy each other's company. Come July, we'll find ourselves at a potluck picnic with our friends and families.
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