A Broken Heart....

Hi Everyone,

I just finished reading some posts on one of my most favorite blogs ever, Joker's- The Harley-Davidson Mystique. Joker, I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your father-in-law, my heart goes out to your family.

My last post said "I'm Back!" and I was for a day or two...it's just amazing how things tend to snowball sometimes. Just when you think you have everything going smooth and life seems to be sailing along great...SMACK! you get clothes-lined!

It is with much pride and joy that I tell you all, my daughter Brit graduated from High School on May 30th. There was tons of preparation that went into the event, so when the day went off without a hitch I was more than pleased....and would have been dead on my feet ...if I could stand that is :-)

Congrats to you Brit!!!



Just about everything went downhill from graduation day though.

My 17, barely 17 year old daughter mind you, decided that she would take the world on in a big way. She has ran away from home 2 times since May 8th.

The first time she was gone 4 days before the police picked her up at a 20 year old guys house...oh and what a fine upstanding young man he is.....NOT! So then less than 24 hours later she runs again! Lets just say, the Sheriff knows me quite well now.

The 2nd time it was a little more tricky getting her back home. Her father and I did a little vigilante work of our own. He was in his truck, I was in my car and we went to this slime-balls house and parked our asses in front of it.

It wasn't but about ten minutes before a girl in a truck drives by and gave me a real strange look...well that was all I needed. I whipped my little Audi around and chased her about 20 or 30 blocks, staying right on her ass until she pulled into a gas station. She had no clue that I couldn't walk, so I called her over to my car and started questioning her....none to quietly either. As I suspected, she did know my daughter and the dirt-bag she was with, so I told this little chick to get on her cell phone and start telling all her little smart-ass friends that Chyanne's Mom and Dad were going to park our asses in front of dirt-bags house until we got our daughter back and if they knew what was good for them, they'd call 911 if they had anything to share about my daughter. I also informed her that I took a picture of her license plate with my cell. There were parents in that gas station parking lot nodding their heads to me as I drove off.

So I'm heading back down the hill through the center of town, back to dirt-bags house when my cell rings and it's my Ex telling me to call 911, there's a "confrontation". Ok...I only have two hands, one for the hand controls and one for the steering wheel, so I was torn...do I pull over and call or do I drive like hell and get to dirt-bags then call 911? I threw the cell down and drove like hell. I was running red lights and doing 60mph in a 35 zone, but luck was on my side!

As I'm approaching yet another red light, I see a police car turning into my lane, so I floor it, go through the red light and get on his ass. I start honking my horn and waving my hand out my sunroof. He pulls over and I get up beside him, he asks "can I help you?" I said "yes! my daughter is a runaway and her dad is in some sort of confrontation with the dirt-bag that is harboring her!" he said, "yes, we got a call that she is in fear of her life, that her father hit her last night and is now parked outside her friends house". I said "bullshit! he didn't hit her, lets go!".

So you get the picture, we really did have our hands full and all we wanted was to get our daughter back home to try to talk some sense into her.

After an hour or so, the sheriff and city police finally released her to us...that's NOT what she wanted, but it was a small battle won for us (the parents) in a now, ongoing war.

A month and a half ago I would have never pictured my daughter doing all this. I'm sure we will get to the bottom of it all. I know I haven't always handled situations the best that I should have, neither has she! But kids don't come with instructions! And we are good parents, she's a good kid too...I just can't find that good kid at the moment, I know she's inside her though.

Some of you might wonder why I'm going public with such a personal aspect of my life, well, it's because you and I have connected and I need to hear that maybe one of you know what this heartache feels like....maybe one of you will say something that could spark a chain reaction so we can heal from all of this.

My older sister saw this commercial and sent me the Youtube of it. I think it is one of the greatest commercials of all time!



After seeing this commercial my sister said "wouldn't it be great if you knew some Harley people that could ride up to this dirt-bags house and line the street?" or better yet, just come surround your house and make you feel safe?" I said "Yes...that would be great".

You see, the dirt-bag is not only 20 years old, messing with my 17 year old daughter's heart and mind, but he threatened to shoot and kill her dad. He also looked at me with so much hatred and evil, sending me a silent but very clear threat too.

I have now boarded up my basement windows, have barricades on 2 doors and sleep with a loaded gun...well that is, when my body finally finds sleep.

My daughter has been with her dad for 4 days now, sleeping on the floor in his bedroom and going to work with him. Since I'm in the wheelchair, I can't easily chase after her if she bolts. Her dad has really come through for us and I am doing everything in my power to support his efforts. Thank you Ted from the bottom of my heart!

I just hope and pray that one day my daughter looks back on this and realizes what we did and will do, to protect our kids and let them know we love them. Even her gimpy mom didn't back down :-)

Now....maybe I can post something soon about a muscle car!

Thanks for listening and I promise to get to everyone's blogs to catch up on your posts as soon as possible.

Motor Head Lady

I'm Back!

Hi Everyone,

Let me begin by saying how sorry I am for having been absent from my blog for so long!

I left for my trip to Vegas with my girlfriends and had a great time.



When I returned home, there was a lot of interesting things to attend to. In the midst of it all, I ended up getting the Flu and just couldn't seem to shake it off so my family and friends insisted I see a doctor...much to my surprise I had Pneumonia. I'm doing much better now, but it really kicked my butt for a while!

As I mentioned, when I came home from my trip, there were several things that flooded into my life, one thing being a shocking loss of a friend and co-worker. I won't go into detail, but it was a sudden loss that still has us trying to sort out emotions.

On a happier note, we have had some warm weather push it's way into the Northwest and things are green again!

Charley called me on a recent warm day and asked if the "Motor-Head Lady was up for a ride in his Chevelle?" Of course I accepted. WOW! What a car! Charley took us out to the old highway with a nice long straight stretch...we had the windows down, the sun was shining and he had the Chevelle up to over a 100 mph in nothing flat! It was GREAT! Thanks Charley :-)

A very monumental event at my house was my daughter turning 18! Congrats Brit :-)

We have ended a season of Volleyball and Softball, now we are gearing up for Graduation on May 30th, then my 18 year old will be here for a few more weeks before she heads off to Walla Walla Community College to begin her education (probably more learning that I am comfortable with!) and to play volleyball for the college along side her best friend Nikki. I'm going to miss them, but am excited about the adventures ahead for them.

Last weekend I went to my youngest daughter's Softball tournament, the weather was gorgeous and I was able to take the Cougar out. The girls came in 2nd place in the State tournament for their district. Congrats Bulldog Ladies!

So, I'm back and ready to start posting again. Thanks to those of you who sent me messages asking if I was "ok", I'm doing great now!

MHL

Charley's 1967 Chevelle Super Sport

I absolutely love this Chevelle! I wish you could see and hear it in person. It sounds just as hot as it looks.

My friend Charley owns this car. He bought the car in 1983 and completely rebuilt the car to suit his personal taste. It is a true 138 ss car. It has a 396 engine that puts out over 500 horses, an m-22 4 speed trans, a 3:73 posi rear-end. This car went through a complete rotisserie restoration.

Isn't it gorgeous!

Charley is solely responsible for me entering my Cougar into it's first car show. I haven't won anything yet, but I love going to the shows. We have a local show every June, thanks to Charley!

Here is some history on the Chevelle.
The Chevelle SS represented Chevrolet's entry into the muscle car battle. Early 1964 and 1965 Chevelles had a Malibu SS badge on the rear quarter panel (the sought-after Z16 option had the emblem on the front fender, where 201 Malibu SS396s were produced); after 1965, the Malibu SS badging disappeared except for those sold in Canada.

The Chevelle SS, which became a regular series of its own in 1966 called the SS396, was the high performance version and had its own line of engines and performance equipment. The performance engines available included 396 CID V8s - rated at 325, 350 and 375 hp (280 kW) respectively (the mid horsepower 396 was rated at 360 hp (270 kW) for 1966 only and 350 hp (260 kW) thereafter). The SS396 series only lasted three years from 1966 through 1968 before being relegated to an option status just like air conditioning or a radio.

The 1966 and 1967 model years also saw the limited run of the 'strut back' 2-dr sport coupe with its own model number, 17, as opposed to model number 37 used on previous and later 2-dr sport coupes.

The 1968 model year was the first and only year of the SS396 El Camino with its own series/model identification of 13880. Almost all the goodies (big block engine, suspension, transmission options, etc.) of the SS396 could be ordered on the 1966 and 1967 El Camino but, sadly, the SS396 series El Camino was not available until (and only in) the 1968 model year. As with the 300 Deluxe and Malibu in 1969 and only the Malibu from 1970 to 1972, the SS option could be ordered in the El Camino as well.

The original sticker price was around $3,700.

Thanks Charley for sharing the pictures with me! See you at the show, after I get the Cougar ready for her close-ups!

MHL

The Pink Caddy. 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritze

Hi Everyone,

Today I decided to celebrate a great year, 1959. It's special to me because it's the year I became more than just a twinkle in my dad's eyes, it's the year I was born. March 18, 1959. Yes, I'm now 50. Half a century. Older than dirt. Ancient, if you are my kids age!

I'm celebrating because I decided last year that when I turned 50 I was going to own it, love it and embrace it with open arms. I'm healthy, happy and have loads of plans for the future. It's looking like my 50's might just be some of the best years in my life so far.

In April I'm meeting up in Vegas with my best friend of 35 years. We have planned on celebrating our 50th birthday together for the past 15 years. At first, we said we would fly to the Caribbean Islands and rent a bungalow with a balcony so we could oggle all the young men in speedo's and make cat calls, but she went and got married again so we had to revise the plan. Now it's Vegas, the pools at Caesars Palace and a fabulous room there, good food, great shows, the spa and her husband gets to go with us to keep her out of trouble! The poor man, he doesn't know quite what he has gotten himself into with the two of us get together! (click here for a picture of the two of us last Fall)

So here is a great 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz to commemorate my year!


Meet Priscilla, the pink Caddy.


There is a great story about the car pictured, so I have included a link if you are interested in reading about how the owner acquired the Caddy lovingly named Priscilla. Here's the link: Read about Priscilla.






MHL (loving 50!)

Fiat muscle car?

Check out this cute little Fiat 126, racing a Porsche. The Porsche gets blown away! Watch the video.

Here is another Fiat 126 fitted with a 2 liter Toyota engine. (check out the girl on the right side of the picture, she looks like she's getting ready to toss her cookies!)




MHL

America and...

The following article was sent to me by my sister via email. I thought I would share it. Let me hear your thoughts after reading:

"Orange County California Newspaper


This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points.
For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper.

Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!
---------------

My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to 'print' it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined. Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.

Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy, France and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people.

When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2008 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges, only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life.. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.

And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the UNITED STATES just yet.

(Signed) Rosemary LaBonte

I sincerely hope this letter gets read by millions of people all across the nation!!"




MHL

1965 Shelby American 427SC "Continuation" Cobra

The Shelby Mustang is a high performance variant of the Ford Mustang, built by Ford from 1968 through 1970. The 1965, 1966 and 1967 Shelbys were a series of Ford Mustangs which were specially modified by Carroll Shelby's company and sold under the name Shelby GT.

Bill Stephens is the man behind Ultimate Garage Productions, Inc. and has been involved on just about every level of automotive and motor-sports television since 1989. Bill is the owner of the car pictured here.

This car is the one Bill has wanted since he was 12 years old.
It is one of the new generation Shelby Cobras being manufactured by the legendary car builder in his Las Vegas factory. It has a 575- horsepower, 427 C.I. Ford Side-Oiler V8, Weber carburetors, and has been autographed by Carroll Shelby himself.

Click here for Shelby's website to his Las Vegas factory.

Lucky Bill!

MHL