Wounded Warrior Project

Today was the first day of the Wounded Warrior
Project and it began with a bike ride from Texoma
Harley-Davidson to the Veterans Hospital in Bonham.
Approximately 50 riders showed up for the ride with
the entry fees going to the injured veterans and spouses of
Afghanistan and Iraq. The weather could not have
been better for this event as the temperature was
around ninety and very little cloud cover. The group
took the scenic route to Bonham and it was a good
ride as the road captains held up traffic while the
bikes went through major intersections. The veterans
were out in force to meet with us and really looked
like they enjoyed the visit. When the riders returned
to Sherman a meal was ready at Loy Lake Park. There
was also a silent auction with the proceeds all going
going to the WWP. Saturday night there was a live
concert at Loy Lake Park and on Sunday a pistol
competition will be held at Red River Firearms
Shooting Range. It was a good day and all done for
a good project.

Bike Show

We had a Bike Show last Saturday at Texoma
Harley-Davidson and my bike did not finish in the
trophy class. A few Choppers showed up just before
the entry deadline and they dominated the winners.
The bronze colored Chopper took first place...the
silver Honda was the overall winner last year but
had to settle for second place this year.. and third
place went to one of the other Choppers. The judging
overlooked some great looking bikes. The Dyna with
the super paint job was worthy of a trophy. I voted
for the Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic with five different
colors in his paint job.
Texoma HD is co-sponsoring the Wounded Warriors
Project on Saturday (8-28-2010) and a $35 entry fee
will allow you to ride with the group to the Veterans
Hospital in Bonham and back to Sherman for a silent
auction on some goodies. I have given the word that
some nice stuff will be in the auction. I'll have my camera
with me for the ride tomorrow, so expect some photographic
evidence of the happening...

Local Car Show

We had a Car Show in Sherman last Saturday and
the competition was pretty good. There were a couple
of 1955 Chevrolets and that is my favorite year. The
Cinnamon red one was really pristine. The 1958 Chevrolet
Impala was one of the winners in the contest,..as was
the 1953 Chevrolet pick-up. The 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster
was also one of the three winners in the Show. It was a
nice old roadster. One of the real shame jobs was the 1936
Black Plymouth Coupe that showed up just past the deadline
for entering and was not judged. The Coupe was obviously
the best looking old Rod in the show and he missed out on
a trophy for being tardy. There was approximately 15 cars
and trucks entered in the show and the voting was done by
the public. There was also a judging for motorcycles but I
will post those photos at a later time.

Car,...But No Keselowski

I saw this car from the highway and stopped to
check it out. It is the Nationwide Series race car of
Brad Keselowski. The car is located at the Discount
Tire Dealership in Sherman on Highway 75. The car
will be on display through Friday. It is a car that was
in the racing program last year, but now has been
delegated to 'show car' status. It does give fans the
opportunity to check out a NASCAR product up close
and personal. Everything is as it would be for a race, but
no driver. Brad is in his first year with Roger Penske
Racing at the Sprint Cup level.

This Bud is for Harvick

ST. LOUIS (August 17, 2010) – Budweiser has a rich NASCAR tradition, sponsoring some of the sport’s most celebrated drivers, including Bobby Labonte, Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne. Today, Budweiser announced Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick will become the next star to take the wheel of the iconic Budweiser car when the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season begins in February.

“Budweiser’s involvement in NASCAR dates back more than three decades, and we’re excited to have as successful a driver as Kevin Harvick to usher in a new era for Budweiser,” said Mark Wright, vice president of media, sports & entertainment marketing, Anheuser-Busch. “Kevin also benefits from having the support of a highly respected owner in Richard Childress and the great people of Richard Childress Racing, who will help put the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet in a position to challenge for Sprint Cup championships.”

Unbiased Reporting

A certain story in the news this week jumped out
at me when I read it. A couple of reporters requested
an autograph from rookie quarterback Tim Tebow after
Sunday nights game between the Cincinnati Bengals and
the Denver Broncos. Bengal officials immediately escorted
both reporters from the locker room after witnessing the
episode. There is a line between being an objective reporter
and being a fan of the happening. I spent 30 years in
broadcast journalism and this story really hit home for me.
I only requested one autograph in those thirty years and that was
when the event was completely over and players were
headed for home. I had followed Jack Nicklaus for the final
eight holes of the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament and watched
him as the final players finished up their rounds. My father-in-law
was a huge Nicklaus fan and I had the 'Golden Bear' autograph
a cap for him at the nineteenth hole in the clubhouse. Over the
last ten years of my career I could see a change in the mass media.
Instead of reporting on the event, new media types were coming
to the games with jerseys or caps of the Cowboys, Rangers, Giants,
or Colts. They also wanted to be 'friends' with the players and coaches.
I came up in a time when you established some distance between you
and the game. How else are you going to be believed in your reporting?
I have called many 'play-by-play' broadcast of sporting events and one
of the highest praises I ever received was when fans would say, "I couldn't
tell which side you wanted to win." That is what you call 'being objective.'

Locked In The Chase

With his win today in the Carfax 400 at Michigan, Kevin
Harvick has clinched a spot in the 'Chase' for the NASCAR
Championship this season. There are actually three more
races until the circuit gets to the Richmond race, and after
Richmond the top twelve drivers will be the ones battling
for the crown. Harvick's latest win puts him 382 points ahead
of second place Jeff Gordon in the standings toward the
Chase. It was the third win of the season for the 29 team
and the first on a non-restrictor plate track. Gordon and
teamate Jimmy Johnson both nursed poor cars all
afternoon, and took a beating in the points standings.
Denny Hamlin was second today and Greg Biffle third.
Next Saturday night the NASCAR drivers will be at Bristol,
Virginia.

Harwell Motor Company

I have seen this business many times passing by,
but I was always in a hurry and had no time to stop
and admire. Harwell Motor Company is located
on Texoma Parkway between Sherman and Denison.
The company specializes in re-conditioning older
cars and trucks. In other words, it is what I was
expecting. I stopped in to photograph a few of his
cars and the people were really friendly. They have
an abundance of Chevrolet Novas and Ford Mustangs,
but I did spot this 1937 Ford Coupe in one of their
three showrooms. It is one of my favorite kinds of
Fords...one with a Chevrolet engine. This engine
sports two 4-barrel carburetors atop it. It is clean
as a pin on the inside also and you can tell they took
their time updating the interior. From the rear, check
out the hidden taillights that are at the bottom of the
fender. The brake light near the rear window is also
a nice touch. In 1937 the gas nozzle just stuck out on
the side of the rear fender, but now it is hidden behind
a gas-filler door just like the new cars. This is a well
done re-do and I didn't even ask what they wanted for
it. Mainly, because I was just overwhelmed with the
good job they did.

NASCAR Shake-Up

Well, the dust has finally settled on one of the
controversies in NASCAR. Four months ago Rick
Hendrick signed Kasey Kahne to drive one of his race
cars. The problem is that Hendrick already has
four drivers committed to contract and that is the
limit imposed by NASCAR. The thought was Mark Martin
would end his steller career early and Kasey would
slip right into the number 5 Chevrolet.. Wrong! Martin
has proclaimed that he intends to honor his contract
that runs thru the 2011 season at Hendrick Motor
Sports. Hendrick's other three drivers are 4-time
NASCAR Champion Jimmy Johnson, 4-time winner
Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr..the most popular
driver in the sport. What to do? Maybe let Kasey sit out
a season? Nope! Today it was announced that Kahne
will drive the Red Bull Toyota currently occupied by
Scott Speed. Since Red Bull is the primary sponsor of
this car, that confirms that Kahne will not be taking his
Budweiser sponsor with him. Enter the picture Kevin
Harvick. Shell-Pennsoil has been the primary sponsor
for Harvick since 2007 but they have told the team the
sponsorship will end with the 2010 season. Rumors have
been floating for weeks that Harvick will take over
Budweiser as his major benefactor. Now that all the
chickens have come home to roost, it would appear that
rumors sometimes DO come true.

Perrin Air Museum

Perrin Air Force Base in the Sherman/Denison area
trained many airmen during World War II and the Korean
Conflict. The base was closed in the late 1960's and in the
early 1980's was turned over to Grayson County
College. There remains a few businesses around the giant
air strip and sometimes the overflow from Dallas-Fort Worth
Airport will come to Perrin. One of the businesses is a company
that replaces the entire interiors of passenger jets, and the landing
strip once accommodated a giant C-5A Galaxy aircraft.
The base has a new tenant beginning
this week. The F-86 Sabre Jet that used to be out front of the
VFW Club in Sherman has been moved to the old airbase.
Actually, it has been in the process of refurbishing for almost
a year and was just last week hoisted into its position at the
front gate of the old airbase. BJ Long, who flew this actual
F-86 in missions over Korea, was on hand to see his old ride
lifted into position before welders made it permanent. The
plane is just a part of the new look for the base. The Perrin
Air Museum has expanded to a newer and larger building and
will open to the public later this month. The museum will house
artifacts from the proud history of Perrin AFB and from some of the
airmen that came through this way during their careers. The
base is located on highway 691 just on the west side of the
Sherman/Denison area.

New Camera's First Photos

A couple of days back I mentioned that I had
ordered a new camera... Well it is here !! It is a
Kodak Z981 and so far I kinda like it.. It has a lot
of features that my previous camera (a Kodak Z740)
did not have. I am still in that learning mode as
the camera and I get to know each other....BUT
I do have a couple of shots to show you...The
first is a close-up of Cosmo... He is an 18-month
old Schnauzer (and a handsome dude if I do say so).
The second one is our Wired-Haired Fox Terrier,
Tinkerbelle. It was 104 degrees and the old girl
decided she was just gonna stand beside the water
sprinkler as long as possible,..and who can blame
her? We let her get soaked to the skin before taking
her inside to towel off. Denison did get a good
thunderstorm this afternoon for a brief time..The
temperature was still 100 degrees but we are thankful
for the shower. It was our first rain in almost a month.

Birth of the Nuclear Age

Friday, August 6th, is the sixty-fifth anniversary of
the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first time
the atomic bomb had been used and the amazing aftermath
is still being analyzed today. The Germans had already surrendered
to end World War II in Europe, but the Japanese still fought
on. At the Potsdam meeting, Britain's Winston Churchill, Russia's
Joseph Stalin, and America's Franklin D. Roosevelt met to discuss
how the post-war years would be set. At this meeting Roosevelt
told Churchill and Stalin that America had invented a weapon
that was beyond description with devastating results. Churchill
knew about the weapon since the English had assisted America
with the bomb. Stalin simple nodded as if he was unimpressed with
the latest bomb. American planes daily flew over Japanese cities to
implore the Japanese Empire to surrender or 'face weapons never
seen by mankind before'. After Roosevelt's death, then President Harry Truman was advised that to invade the Japanese homeland would cost American casualties nearing a quarter million lives. The new President never hesitated when informed about the new weapon. On August 6, 1945 three B-29 bombers took off from the tiny island of Tinian in the Pacific and headed for Japan. The skies were clear and visibility was unlimited as the planes
crossed the Japanese coastline. Hiroshima was chosen because of the Mitsubishi engine plant located there. The lead plane, the Enola Gay, was piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets. The other two planes were there for observation and photographic evidence. The Enola Gay was carrying only one bomb and it was called "the Little Boy". It carried enough punch to equal 20,000 bomb loads of regular bombs. At eight o'clock in the morning Hiroshima suffered the fate of the first atomic blast. It was detonated 2,000 feet over the city and 85,000 people were killed instantly. Over the next
three months another 45,000 died of radiation poisoning. Deaths over the next three years that could be attributed to the atomic blast brought the total to 247,000 deaths. The Japanese Military Command in Tokyo saw the communication line to Hiroshima broken and attempts to connect were unsuccessful. An observation plane was dispatch to Hiroshima to see what the problem was. The officer on the plane radioed back 'Hiroshima is no longer here'. The United States communicated with Japan, but no surrender offer was received even though threats of more bombs of this magnitude could be expected. Three days later on August 9th, 1945 a second atomic
bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki with similar results. The Japanese agreed to 'unconditional surrender' and World War II was finally concluded. August 15th the Japanese boarded the U.S. Battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay and signed the terms of surrender. These two Japanese cities are the only victims of atomic power after 65 years and today both are beautifully rebuilt.