Dale Jr's Drive For Five

Congratulations to Dale Jr for winning the Most Popular Driver Award for the fifth year in a row.


Here he is giving his acceptance speech this morning:

This photo is from another year (perhaps last year?) showing what the award looks like:

Slowly But Surely

Rest In Peace, Sean

Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins player who was selected for the prestigious all-star game last season, died this morning after being shot in his own home.

The 24-year-old passed away after nearly six hours of emergency surgery last night to repair a severed artery in his upper leg.

Police were investigating an apparent break-in at the player's Miami home that resulted in Taylor being shot in the leg.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Think I Can

Somehow I got through my first weekend without a race. This is really bad. There are 75 days till the Budweiser Shootout on February 9th. I know I'll make it, but sometimes it seems so far away. Eleven weeks. I cannot wait to see these babies on the track:



Dale Jr. will be driving the blue National Guard #88 Chevy in the Shootout, and the green Amp Energy #88 Chevy in the Daytona 500.

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Every year I count backwards from the Shootout and mark one of my calendars that tells me how many days are left. Most people look forward to the Daytona 500, but my race season starts eight days earlier with the Bud Shootout and the festivities leading up to the 500 itself.

You'd think because I don't have to work that those weeks will go by slowly but I guarantee you they won't. And the older one gets, the faster they go. So no problem there. But it seems so far away. Yeah, I know I said that earlier, but it really does. For me, I think the biggest hurdle is getting through the Holidays. One down and two to go, with Christmas being the worst one. If only I could go into hibernation...

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The Cup banquet will be on TV this Friday (9:00 PM ESPN Classic) but Junior won't be on stage. Oh, I'll watch it, but my heart certainly won't be in it. And I do hope the show won't be as silly as last year's was. It seems they get worse every year. Who the heck writes that stuff anyway? Oh yeah, probably Brian France, no?

Robert Williams ~ Scam Artiste

The only purpose of this post is to get it out amongst those looking for information on Williams and cannot find it anywhere else other than using a search engine to get to here. I have written about him on three separate occasions but those were captioned with his business names, XxtremeStuff and Xtreme Racing Diecast among others. I felt I had to get one out there under his personal name too.

This character is one of the most sought after persons in that he has stripped quite a number of people out of their hard-earned money.

A hearing against him on November 5th was postponed until November 15th. They only got half way through and the remainder of that hearing has been set for December 13th unless it gets changed.

Anyone who paid for something and received nothing except excuse after excuse and lots of grief from Williams (and I know there are a lot of you out there), please contact Atty. A. Yarbrough at Andyy@netease.net (tel: 931-676-7993) and tell him your story, as he needs all the ammunition he can get against him.

A Wish For My Readers

Nestaevavoomatse #8 Bud Chevy

That's Cheyenne for good-bye. I could have made it easier and said Tok'sa which is so long in Lakota (Sioux). And of course, there is always auf wiedersehen, adios, adieu, hasta la vista, au revoir, aloha, arrivederci, farewell, so long, good bye...

What am I talking about? Well, the time has come to say good bye to the red #8 Bud Chevy that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has driven ever since he left the Busch series and came to the Cup series. He ran 5 races in 1999 in it, and then entered his rookie year in 2000, so it's been his car for 9 years.

Take a bow, buddy, you've given us many happy moments.



Am I going to miss it? Yeah, maybe for awhile...until I lay my eyes on that green #88 Amp or the blue National Guard Chevy next year on the track. Then that red #8 Bud Chevy will be a distant memory.

So out with the old and in with the new and on to bigger and better things, Mr. Earnhardt. The season is over and it's time to look toward 2008. JR Nation is behind you 100% and, as usual, we will be watching every move, hanging onto every word, until you win your first race for Hendrick Motorsports. Hopefully that will be in Daytona.

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After all was over and done with, this is what Dale Jr. had to say:

"It's been hard, man. This whole year's been hard, and I don't ever want to do it again. I just want to get happy. I want to get to where I'm in a good place and get to where I can run well and win races like I know I can, get around good people, quit having to deal with jerks and just set myself apart and get right.''

Revelation 1:8

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Translation from The Living Bible:

I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the Ending of all things, says God, who is the Lord, the All Powerful One who is, and was, and is coming again!

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And so shall Dale Jr. have a beginning and an ending. After today's race at Homestead, he will be ending his tenure with his father's company, Dale Earnhardt Inc., and beginning his new job with Hendrick Motorsports, where he will be welcomed with open arms.

And all I can say is "Teresa, you lose. He is your beloved husband's son and for the life of me, I don't know how you could do to him what you did." Because I do believe in karma.

Something To Look Forward To

If and when things go sour for Dale Jr in Sunday's race, I always have the above to draw back on. (Just add another 8 to the one that's up there.)

And this is what we all have to look forward to:

New Zoo Revue

When I was a wee little lass, my parents used to take my family to what was then called the Trexler Game Preserve. It was founded by General Harry C. Trexler. When he died in an auto accident in 1933, the county I live in took it over on the direction of the General's will. Colonel Trexler was a very generous man, and the legacy he left is still going strong all over the Valley.

By 2004, the county was "getting tired" of running the Preserve using the excuse that it was costing them too much money. They all but threw it to the curb. However, on March 31, 2006, the Lehigh Valley Zoological Society assumed management. Many changes have been made since then; however, the American Bison and the elk (wapiti) herd still remain, albeit smaller than ever. In the beginning, there were 98 bison, 78 elk, and 269 Virginia deer in the collection, and they were allowed to roam all over the 1200 acres.

The zoo wasn't added until 1974 taking up 25 acres. By then the bison and elk herds were contained within smaller areas. However, the deer remained free to run anywhere they wished.

Last Monday when I went outside to feed my feral cats (some of them do let me touch them, others run), I thought to myself that the day seemed to be a nice day to take a ride somewhere. Ever get that feeling? I had wanted to visit the zoo during the summer, but we just never got around to it. This seemed like the perfect day.

After turning off the main road and traveling for some distance, this is the scene you are faced with just before rounding the corner to the parking lot and entrance. Do you see that tree all by itself up there by the skyline? Remember it.

Here's another spectacular vista before the entrance.

This scene was taken from the parking lot. These three particular trees just blew me away with their beauty.

When there was a discrepancy as to what the proper admission price was, we decided to forgo the trip inside the zoo itself and opted to just ride around outside. We were not denied the spectacular beauty of both flora and fauna. Here is a herd of elk lounging on a hillside. The bull and his harem. He doesn't know how lucky he is...or maybe he does. This photo could have been brighter, but it is in the shade and the day was kind of wishy-washy as far as the sun wanting to stay out or go in and it was kind of late in the day.

And then we came to these guys...they take my breath away. This has to be my all time favorite wild animal that has ever graced this earth. I absolutely love the American Bison and I abhor what our forefathers did to them when they almost wiped them out ~ just so they could try to force the Indians to die out. And that, folks, is a whole 'nother story right there, so don't get me started.

Aren't they majestically beautiful? Or beautifully majestic? No adjective I can think of really captures the magnificence of the American Bison. (Some people like to call them buffalo.)

Just look at this dude...
I must add here that before we got to the elk and bison, we had to cross the creek by driving through the water. I remember when I was little, that was always one of the highlights because my Dad would stop the car and we'd get out and play in the water.

OK, remember when I told you about that tree way up high? These next two photos were taken from that vantage point. Like I said earlier, the sun wasn't very cooperative. This photo I used the zoom lens (which isn't all that great). This is looking down at the entrance of the zoo itself.

And this is a panoramic view of part of the park and the surrounding hills and valleys.

I apologize for it being so much bigger than the others, but Blogger gave me a problem while trying to upload it and I had to do it through my Photobucket album.

Just Not Meant To Be

I hold my breath as each race unfolds, waiting and wondering just if and when Dale Jr. will be graced with the bad luck that has been dogging him all season. So when it happened in Phoenix yesterday, I really wasn't all that surprised, or upset for that matter. I have become numb to the happenings of the red #8 Bud car. Nothing surprises me and nothing upsets me anymore.

So now we are down to one race left in the season. I hold absolutely no hope for Junior to do well at that race either, as he has never won at Homestead. His best finish was 13th in his rookie year back in 2000.

After Junior 'took himself out' of the race, I switched over to the ball games and watched the Eagles beat the Redskins. Not the outcome I had hoped for, since the 'skins are Junior's team. While listening to the race on my headset, I then watched the Cowboys play the Giants on their turf.

And like I said last week: "Oh well, at least the Cowboys won." I can always count on them to liven up my Sundays these days. (T.O. had 6 catches for 2 TDs)

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree

Does anybody else out there think Rusty Wallace and his son, Steve, are a joke?

Rusty and his mispronunciation of drivers' names and his ad nauseum phrase "That's for sure" drive me insane when it's almost impossible to tune him out. And not to mention how blind he is when it comes to his son's driving ability. Every blessed week this year he has either hit someone or vice versa. That boy must have cost dear old Dad a fortune by now.

And I understand Steve has an unbelievable temper which apparently no one has been able to tame down yet. Many have tried...including Uncle Kenny, but he was really at his best a few weeks ago when NASCAR parked his sorry butt for the remainder of the race.

I would think by now he would have gotten the picture and realized that by acting sane he can get so much farther. He's like a loose cannon week after week. And every week I watch him in the Busch series, I think maybe this is the week he's going to be a good boy and just race with his head and not his temper. He has failed me every week.

At least it gives me a good reason to watch 'cause I know he won't let me down in the idiocy department.

The Second Time Around is Better

It was a week ago today that we decided to take a drive in the country to view the local foliage. Our main goal was to work our way to a diner we visited earlier in the year. We had stopped there for lunch and we vowed to go back so that we could partake of the dinner menu.

Along the way we came upon another place we visited almost a year ago. That day was dreary and damp, but this day was sunny and warm.

This is the view from the parking lot and if you look closely you can see two boaters in the middle of the reservoir:

I have found that the foliage at some places is very sparse due to a lot of dead trees like in this photo:

Here we are on the bridge:

This is what we saw off the one side of the bridge:

As we were walking to the other side, we noticed a Great Blue Heron strolling ever so slowly along the water's edge. It was lunch time for him and he showed us his fishing skills.

Here's a photo of those two boaters and the beautiful foliage along the banks of the reservoir.

I like the saying "Having all your ducks in a row" and that came to mind as we watched these guys go by.

And this was our final destination. Yes, that is our King Ranch truck. Do you see my Dale Jr. #88 plate on the front?

Ho-Hum *Yawn*

I am so getting tired of these replay races...the same guy keeps winning.

What's up with that?

And then there was that Colts-Patriots game...and not the outcome I wanted to see (Patriots won).

Oh well, at least the Cowboys won.

Fun While It Lasted

Shortly afer we moved here 21 years ago, we bought an above-ground pool. It was 18 x 33. My husband built the deck. We had a lot of good times in that pool; it served us well. We used to be able to get the water from the local fire company and it was never that expensive to fill. I think we had to fill it maybe three times max, as we would always put the correct chemicals in and cover it over the winter. But once in awhile there would be a problem and it had to be drained.

And then there came the day that the fire company no longer would supply the water. We had to look elsewhere for that third filling. We also had to change the liner as it had sprung a few leaks. So on a nice Spring day, many years ago, we rounded up some male relatives (one of which used to work for a pool company), made the appointment with the water-hauling company, and set to work. The new liner was taken out of the box and presented to the pool which had been groomed for its acceptance. And then the one thing we hadn't planned on had happened: there were pin holes in the brand new liner. We had to scrap those plans and cancel the water.

We exchanged the liner eventually but the thrill of getting the pool up and going had lost its luster. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into years. And this picture is what became of the downtrodden pool that once was so proud to hear our laughter as we splashed about. (That path you see in the grass is from the cats walking back and forth to our deck on the back of the house.)



Not a pretty sight. The deck, which was at this end by the concrete wall, had been dismantled before trying to put the liner in (when the holes were discovered). We had bought lumber and everything needed to build a new deck at Home Depot, after telling them what we needed and wanted. The computer for the plan spit out everything down to the last screw, and we bought everything that same day. Little did we know then that the deck would never be built. Yes, we still have everything in our barn, and we are currently looking for a buyer.

Eventually I decided it wasn't worth it to have a pool. It was very costly to run, not to mention the electricity needed for the pump and filter to run all day and night, the water was hard to come by and rising in price every year, and for the little bit that we were using it toward the end, well...I just figured the hell with it.

We found a buyer for all the new things we bought still in the boxes, including the liner, and we actually made a profit on those items. And once the pool was dismantled by my husband, it was taken to a scrapyard where we made more money, as it was totally aluminum. The picture below is after everything was dismantled and before it was taken away. Everything you see there will be cleaned up and we will take it all away next Spring (for more money). That concrete wall will be knocked down and eventually that area will be all grass.



There were quite a few years from the time we stopped using it until it was finally taken down. I will say this: it served as a bathroom area for our cats. There was sand in the bottom, and they would climb the pool ladder to get in and out. So it wasn't exactly taking up space doing nothing.

XXTREMESTUFF.COM/XTREME RACING DIECAST

People have been leaving messages on my blogs but they aren't letting me know how to get in touch with them, so that I can pass their info on.

There is a lawyer working on this case against Robert Williams and the hearing is this Monday, November 5th. If you have any info for him that might help get this Williams scumbag off the selling market, please get in touch with him.

Attorney Andy Yarbrough ~ 931-676-7993 or e-mail him at andyy@netease.net and let him know Cheyenne sent you.

That man has scammed hundreds of people for thousands of dollars, and if he gets away again, he will keep doing it over and over and over. So please forward any information you have to Attorney Yarbrough.

BOO!

This Makes My Mouth Water

More pictures from Monday's testing at Atlanta Speedway.

Here's the star of the show


Dale Jr and Rick Hendrick


Dale Jr, Tony Jr, Rick Hendrick

He's One Happy Little Dude

Here are some photos from today's test session in Atlanta of Dale Jr. testing his new ride for Hendrick Motorsports.

Together again...









Hendrick has assured us Junior fans that there will be a diecast made of the above car and it should be ready for pre-order soon. Just get in line behind me.

Well, That Race Sucked

I hope y'all didn't come here looking for any comments from me about the race in Atlanta, because after everything that happened to Junior today, I am totally speechless!

It's over, it's done with...time to move on.

The good news is that tomorrow, Monday, Dale Jr. gets to climb into a real race car when he tests his HMS car for next year. I have been looking forward to this ever since it was first announced. And to make it more fun, Junior suggested to Mr. Hendrick that they use a paint scheme like Rick's first car when Geoff Bodine drove the #5 All-Star Racing Monte Carlo in 1984. Sweet.