May 30, 2009 Saturday - 26 members and guests met at CMS for the Chapter breakfast ride on what was a dry (for a change) morning. During the morning socializing and tire kicking it was decided to go to Pop N' Son's Diner in Tampa. It was an easy ride over on 580 at this time of day. When we arrived 1/2 of the diner was reserved for our group, coffee came quickly and our orders were taken quickly, but although some of the food took time getting out of the kitchen, it was worth it. After breakfast a group of us went to Tampa HD and got our bikes washed, while others did some riding and still others went home to get caught up on yard work after the recent rains. Til next time--

May 28, 2009 Thursday - We met at the Colonnade Restaurant on Bayshore Blvd. for the Thursday Night Dinner Ride. When Don and I arrived, there were several waiting in the lobby to be seated. Bruce said that even though he had confirmed reservations, the Restaurant didn’t know we were coming. The restaurant pulled tables together and before too long, we were seated. Our waitress had the most southern accent! We were guessing where she might be from (Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Plant City) and were surprised that when we asked her, she answered, “Virginia!” She sounded more southern than us southerners and she was a Yankee!!! She was quick at responding to our drink requests and was busying quenching everyone’s thirsts, when more kept arriving (totaling 16). We sat and drooled over our menus. Anyone who has ever eaten at this restaurant, knows that the food is VERY good! The guys spotted the New England Clam Chowder and the Conch Chowder and were so excited about that! It’s a huge favorite of the majority of the guys! We saw Ron Dimento looking at the menu, when we overheard him say, “Some of this stuff scares me!” We all laughed! Joe and Marie Edelmann arrived and brought a guest who was here visiting with them from New York: Margaret (Darcy’s wife) from BK NY VII. Always a pleasure to see her, but we almost didn’t recognize her without Darcy at her side. We are so used to seeing them together, that it threw us, who she was? We had another visitor, as we were sitting at the table and visiting, another fellow BK XVII member, Kevin Walker. He was riding by on his motorcycle and had relatives riding on JT’s bike, touring the downtown/Channelside area. It was great to see him! We were looking at our choices on the menu and looked over to see Gary, wearing Caron Patnode’s reading glasses. We about died laughing, not at his poor eyesight (which most of us can relate to), but the fact that he hurried to get them off before we would see him. He knows how most of us carry cameras and was afraid someone would document the situation on film! I think we should start requesting large-print menus for Gary to see, or even better, Braille! We made our food selections and while we waited for the delivery of the food to our table, some of us went out to see Gary’s new diesel truck! We wanted to see it while it was still light out. It was a beautiful thing and we were all so happy for him. We returned to our table, just in time for the food to arrive. Gary was stunned, because he was served FIRST. He made sure to tell everyone all the way down to the end of the table, that he was served FIRST! It is such a rare occasion when that happens, and he wanted everyone to know it. The food was excellent, the portions were huge and the server did such an excellent job at meeting all of our needs. We had such a super time, being with friends. After we ate, some of us visited outside in the parking lot. As we stood outside, Rosalie noticed the sign at the entrance that read, “All crabs served here!” No wonder Bruce selected this restaurant! Until we eat again, Karen Lumpkin Ride Reporter

May 23, 2009 Saturday - it was a clear sunny morning in the north country when T and I left for the breakfast ride, not so when we reached CMS the BLACK clouds were rolling in and they were full of moisture, it wasn't long that most of the 10 of us that were there were very wet. 3 of the 10 were smart and knew it was going to rain so they brought their cars. The wet group decided to go across the street to First Watch since it was close (although the smart ones in the cars didn't care where we went, they were dry). As always the food and service were great at First Watch. After we ate we hung around, drank coffee, told some lies, by that time the rain stopped and the sun came out, but instead of going on the Thunder Run through more rain, we went home. Til next time--

May 16, 2009 Saturday - 16 member met at the undisclosed location at the predetermined time for the breakfast ride. It was a nice morning although there were still some wet roads and puddles in the northern counties. After the usual tire kicking and picture taking someone said, where are we going? T responded with Ted's, that sounded good to me, it's been a long time since we had a "Garbage Omelet", so the call was made and we were welcomed by the restaurant. Cory and his gps led us on the 11 mile trip to Largo (as Gary was not back from DC yet). When we arrived our corner of the restaurant was reserved. Orders were taken and served quickly, except for one table in the corner that both servers thought the other did, but that problem was corrected quickly. The food and prices were as always excellent. After breakfast we bid farewell to Don and Cindy, who are returning to Ohio for the summer (right now it's 70 in the day and 40 at night, wish I was there) and will be back in December, then most everyone went to do what they had to. Til next time--

May 8th to 10th, 2009 SRC Mobile, ALABAMA  - Don, Cory R. and I left on Wednesday, 05-07 @ 4:30 PM for the SRC in Mobile, AL. We decided to get as far as Tallahassee and spend the night, making us that much closer to Mobile the following day. We had good travels and on the highway, we noticed a few trucks of cattle heading our direction. Don commented that was probably the entertainers for the SRC heading into Mobile, Al! Having Cory share a room with us provided entertainment way into the wee-hours. We were laughing right up to the time we fell asleep! We slept in until 8:30, got up and went to the adjoining Waffle House restaurant. Cory reminisced about the time one of our BK XVII members, Steve R. was thrown out of a Waffle House at the SRC in Jacksonville. Unbelievable, but true! We got on the road and were making really good time, the traffic was light, the weather was perfect and we were going to see our friends. One time, when we were getting back onto the highway’s on-ramp after stopping for gas, we noticed a familiar bike. It was that “unique green color”, as I describe Bruce’s bike, and lo & behold, there was Bruce and Teresa traveling along the highway. Behind them, were Joe and Marie E. in their vehicle; his motorcycle being hauled by trailer behind them. We commented how fun it was to ride with them to the SRC, but Bruce explained that they had to get off at the very next exit and go by the hotel where Roland and Patti C. had stayed the night previously, as they had forgotten something. Bruce said while they were getting off the road, they were going to turn it into a lunch break. We explained that we had just had a big breakfast a short while earlier, so we would go on ahead. We knew we were getting closer to the heart of the south, because of billboards like this: “God, Guns and Guts made our country. We support our troops!” Also, we noticed more confederacy flags waving in the wind from houses and the back of vehicles. As we got closer to Mobile, we noticed yet another familiar face on the highway, that of Alex R., SRC Chairman. We rode into town with him, to the same destination, The Ashbury Inn where we were welcomed by our own BK XVII members and many others outside of our chapter, as well. We heard our names being called out from across the parking lot, as others recognized that we had arrived and ran up to welcome us. President Gary J. came up to welcome us, but we hardly recognized him, with the facial hair on his face. Since he was on the start of his 2 week vacation, he decided to grow a beard. Patty C. said that BK members from other chapters were disappointed she had not brought her hula-hoop along to this conference; that which she so finely demonstrated at our SRC, May 2008. We checked in to the hotel and were offered an upgraded suite, which was on the inside of the hotel. We opened our curtains to check out our view, as we overlooked the courtyard and pool area. We looked down into the pool to see 3 manatees floating in the water! We thought that was a cool gesture by the State of Alabama, to try to preserve their manatees, until we realized it was Bruce V. (New Orleans) and 2 others from his chapter. We unpacked a few things and immediately headed over to the bike-wash area, where a bike-detailing company was charging $10 for a full wash. We took advantage of it, to be rid of the love-bugs that we had picked up on our way to Mobile. There were a lot of bikes lined up to be cleaned, especially those with Florida plates, since the water restrictions prevent us from washing our motorcycles and cars. Cory, Jimmy S, Don and I headed over to Biloxi to Aunt Jenny’s Catfish Restaurant; an old favorite of Don’s when he lived in Biloxi. The food was delicious, as always, and was well worth the ride over the bridge. After we ate, we rode along I-90 to see the improvements from the last time we visited, soon after Hurricane Katrina had hit the area. It was promising to see that the businesses had made a comeback, yet disheartening to see that there was a lot of Land for Sale signs, where houses once stood. The strong winds blew across I-90 from the beach and with it, the fine, white, confectioners-sugar type of sand. In some areas, it was two feet deep, which caused interesting terrain to ride a motorcycle over. We headed over to the Isle of Capri Casino in Biloxi to try our luck at gambling for a few hours. I am not much of a gambler, but so enjoyed watching Cory, Jimmy and Don lined up playing their slot machines. It was fun to listen in on the narration between them. Don encouraged me to put a dollar in a machine, so I did and won: $26.00 – I squealed with excitement!!! I ran my voucher over to the cashier to “cash out” my winnings and in doing, so I was noticed by two elderly ladies. They stopped the guys to ask them how much that I had won. The ladies looked puzzled when the guys reported that I had won a mere $26.00, whereas, with my excitement level, they thought I had won a million! We rode back to our hotel, Cory taking the lead. We went straight to the Hospitality Room to see a few die-hards, as most had gone to bed from their long trips. We awoke Friday morning and as surprising as it may seem, we found most of the Blue Knight members in the dining room eating. We saw Mike B. and immediately broke into a Happy Birthday song. He turned 15 shades of red, but loved every minute of it! The Blue Knights were lining up in the parking lot for 3 separate planned rides. One of which was a BBQ at the Florida Youth Ranch. When Dave Keith heard that Cory was going on that ride, he said maybe they were going to try to recruit him as a new member. He said maybe he would learn about how to be a deputy and perhaps, even be the poster child for the ranch. As we stood around, Jim and Odie visited with us for a little bit, trying to decide how to spend their day. Jim asked us if we knew if the bushes behind us were male or female plants. We had no idea where this was headed, so carefully answered that we had no way of knowing! Jim pointed to the tiny berries, which looked like little white balls, and explained that was a male plant. Jim is truly a wealth of knowledge! Don and I decided to head over to New Orleans for the day, since it was so close (150 miles). We had been there previously for their conference (my first visit there) and I fell in love with the city (and their coffee and beignets!). It was interesting to see the town slowly rebuilding! New Orleans had never lost its unique spirit; that which is obvious by their unique gift shops! As we rode down Decatur, looking for a place to park the bike, we could hear the jazz music coming from the restaurants along the road. We went into the French Quarter and stopped at Café Du Monde to enjoy fresh coffee and warm beignets. We went to another restaurant and split a muffaletta and Don had some New Orleans gumbo (his favorite!). After that little stop, we rode back to the hotel. It was well worth the 150 mile trip to go and experience New Orleans again, the French Quarter and the sights and sounds of New Orleans! We returned to the hotel and others were just returning from the Air Museum, up near Pensacola, and others were returning from the casino/back road ride. People were starting to gather in the Hospitality Room wanting to share their daily excursions. We were entertained by Peter B and Tom Mc’s stories of their recent road trip. Peter B had been emailing along the way, keeping us up to date on their progress, but it was even funnier to hear their experiences in person! When you attend the SRCs, you see the same faces from the different Blue Knight Chapters outside of your own. There are 73 chapters in the SRC and the more you go to the conferences, the more people you meet. Then, each time you go to a conference, you see the same group of friends again, and have the opportunity to meet more. It really is a neat experience! BK FL XVII is known for our “Love of Life”, to quote SRC Chairman, Alex Ramirez. We are known to have fun and let our hair down (well, not Jimmy S or Joe E, because they don’t have any hair!). We dress up in costumes and wear funny head pieces! As other Blue Knight members noticed us, they would ask what we were dressing up as this time. They asked if we had anything up our sleeves and if we were doing anything crazy? Of course, we denied anything and acted as if we didn’t know what they were talking about. Those present decided to go to a Chinese Buffet, which was within walking distance from the hotel. Some walked and some rode their bikes. Leone S. and Dick D. joined us at the Chinese Restaurant, and it was fun to get to know both of them. They both acted as crazy as us and fit right in! They were shocked to discover that Don and I didn’t drink (alcohol!) and they wondered how we could be sober, yet so nutty. The members were excited to see crawfish on the buffet line and Leone especially showed curiosity in the little red, beady-eyed creatures, so once the other members heard that, they peer-pressured her into trying one. We got this monumental event on video, as well as, still photos. What a sight to see Leone bite the head off of one and suck the juice! Oh yuck! Gary J got into the crawfish thing, too, being so animated about it, was funny to watch! He was talking to the little beady eyed creatures before he ate their heads off! Ron Dimento was all smiles when we looked across the table at him. Here, his fortune in the cookie read, “You will get lucky tonight!” His wife Rosalie just laughed! We left to head back to the hotel to freshen up for the President’s Meeting. We enjoy those, because they are so informative: Nominations were announced for the SRC board, there was no current bid for the upcoming spring (2009) SRC, and the destination would be announced at a later date, just to name a few hot items. After the President’s Meeting, the 4 Musketeers (Don, Cory, Jimmy S and Gary) and myself ran up to our rooms to put on our outfits which consisted of: Bib overalls rolled up high with motorcycle boots, white tank tops, straw hats for some, ball caps for others, red kerchiefs (aka: snot rags) and even bubba teeth for Jimmy S! Each one had their own farm animal which they carried, from chickens that talked, to warm, fuzzy sheep! Jimmy S even left his tags on his overalls, either for the look or he planned to return his when he got home to Tampa. We met outside in the back of the hotel, where it was dark, so we could walk in together, as a team, in the event we were taken to the funny farm, we would all go together. We entered the filled Hospitality Room to a roar of laughter! We could hear some asking, “Are you my cuzin?” Others were trying to get the farm animals! It was all done in fun and everyone had so much fun! Our BK XVII members looked at us and shook their heads – knowing we are a little out there. We got educated in the Alabama language real quick: Y’All (Singular) and All Y’All (Plural). Our own Dennis D got into the fun as well, donning a funny hat for a photo opportunity with the crowd of crazies. Many wanted their photos taken with us, for proof later at how nutty we are! We heard lots of chicken calls as we walked around the room. Bill G. (BK XI, Alabama) kept threatening to choke the chickens the guys carried around. (We have photos of later in the evening, when Bill got his wish!) Joe E. had a funny straw hat on with pig ears and tail. He said it was his own rendition of the swine flu! His sweet wife, Marie, at his side laughing hysterically! Joe E. keeps us in stitches and Marie is such a good sport, she goes along for the ride! We hung out in the Hospitality Room for a long time, visiting the other BK members from other chapters in other states. At one point, we looked over to see Patty C. in what appeared to be a straight jacket. Her arms were inside of her shirt (like the Flying Nun) and she was laughing hysterically and Jackie R. was trying to assist her, she also in stitches. Her husband, Rick, looked on from his wheelchair, shaking his head and laughing. When I stood closer to the girls to get a photo of this event, someone from behind me shouted, “Hey, down in front! You are blocking the strip tease show!” Later, come to find out, Jackie and Patty wanted to take their long sleeve shirts off and put their short sleeve shirts on, because it was hot. They thought it was easy, to put one shirt over the other and underneath the other shirt, take off the other shirt (did you follow that?). In the meantime, Patty got her arms stuck, like a straight jacket, and then, she started to laugh so hard because she couldn’t move her arms, she was no good at all for making the switch. We looked over at Roland, Patty’s husband, and he was in hysterics, laughing so hard!!! When “Last Call” was announced at midnight, we encouraged Teresa to hurry up and get up to the bar and grab her last drink before the bar closed. She sat and looked at us and laughed, and kept laughing. She replied, “I can’t move!” We laughed, seeing her laughing and not being able to get up to get her last drink for the night. We ended our night and went to bed, for yet, another adventurous day to follow. The next morning, Saturday, we met members again in the parking lot. We spotted Jackie R. and broke into a Happy Birthday medley, it being her birthday! Again, there were 3 lines going to 3 different destinations and people picked their own ride. A bunch of us decided on the USS Alabama Battleship and USS Drum Submarine tour. We lined up our bikes and waited for the others to gather. While we were waiting, we walked around the parking lot to visit with the other members. We spotted the coolest trailer, a homemade trailer that depicted a jail! There were bars on the jail and a hand-painted inmate peering out of the bars! It was the neatest thing we had EVER seen! The owner stood by proudly as we all ooohed and ahhed over his work! Don Q. came over to admire the trailer as well. He looked straight at me and said, “I could imagine you in there peering out from behind the bars!” We all gathered and had a police escort to the Battleship Park. It was a great ride over! We stopped to take some photos on the way into the battleship. We had to enter the gift shop to access the battleship (tricky sales ploy?). When we turned around, waiting in line to pay, we noticed Cory & Jimmy S with “sailor” hats on, singing, “In the Navy!” Then, they broke into, “Y-M-C-A!” People behind us in line looked on, as if they were real entertainers! A small group of us gathered to tour the ships together. It was interesting to see Vic C run ahead and go man the first set of guns, to shoot us who followed, as we entered the ship. Cory tried to shoot us, but couldn’t reach the guns! Peter D went and got a chair for him to stand on so he could shoot us, too! Peter D was in stitches laughing, about Cory, who wasn’t yet a seaman, because he couldn’t reach the guns! Jimmy S later became the target of the guns, everyone pretending to shoot him. We enjoyed touring the ship and they allowed you into just about every nook and cranny! We all pretended to steer the ship and there were lots of moans and groans and grunts as we made our way from one level to another, climbing on the many small rung steps! You could hear heads and backs hitting as we slithered our way up and down the different levels. Cory, Jimmy, Don and I got distracted and went into a room that said, “Now Showing!” We thought it was the newly released, “Star Trek”, so we entered the room. The ice-cold, refreshing, air-conditioning was so inviting, we sat down and got comfortable while we watched the “History of the USS Alabama”. It was a 15 minute movie, depicting the entire history of the war ship. I texted Gary to let him know where we were, “watching a movie!” and asked him to bring us some popcorn! It was fascinating to see how the sailors lived aboard the USS Alabama, where they cooked the food, where they ate their food, the medical clinic, the engine room. The small bunks were incredible, as they were stacked one on top of the other. Jimmy tried a bunk on for size, and Cory went and jumped on top of him! Eyebrows raised from others touring the ship! After the ship, we toured the USS Drum submarine. We four had so much fun playing with the guns atop the sub. They went up and down and spun around. There were definitely tight quarters aboard the sub and we wondered who could ever live like this? Later, came to find out, Paul Griffin was stationed aboard a submarine. Wow! After about 10 minutes, we were looking for the exit to get off! The guys talked me into going up to look out of the periscope. It was really tight quarters up there. I made my way up the wee-little wire rung stairs and looked out of the “pipe”. I couldn’t see a thing, until the guys pointed out, that I was looking out the handles, not the periscope hole! Oh brother………….. No wonder! We had to go through the gift shop again, this time to exit. Very smart on their part! (Take a woman into a gift shop and she will, for sure, find something she needs to buy!) We noticed an elderly gentleman sitting at a table, doing book-signing. We approached him and found out he was, Colonel Glenn D. Frazier. His uniform was beautiful, with all of the medals hanging down. He was a US Army WWII soldier, who had been captured and who had marched the Bataan Death March. He lived 3.5 years in a Japanese POW camp. It was fascinating to speak to him. Don bought his book, which he personally signed for us both. It was an honor. After the boat tours, our small group headed over to Bass Pro Shops! There was a nice adjoining restaurant attached which we thoroughly enjoyed. The guys all had buffalo burgers. After we filled our bellies, we walked the entire store, checking out everything they had to offer! I found a cool camouflaged hood, like a ski-mask with cut-outs for the eyes. It was fully equipped with fake leaves! I wore it all over the store, to hide from the guys. I snuck up on them in different departments! They thought I was a tree! We headed back to the hotel to freshen up (we sure do a lot of freshening up at these conferences, wouldn’t you say?) for the banquet. Don and I donned our special headpieces for the banquet: chicken heads! I even wore cool “flower” sunglasses to complete my outfit! We met Jimmy and Joe E down in the banquet hall, both equipped with pig ears and a pig tail, suction cupped onto their bald heads! What a sight to see! Cory wore his dress up shorts – skull heads! At one point, Gary, put the flowered glasses on for size! (He is such a good sport! So “presidential”, yet loves to have fun!) The other chapters looked on, “Oh, it’s them again!” We do have a “nutty” reputation, but yet, we attract the other nuts from the other chapters! Bottom line, life is too short! You’ve got to laugh and have fun! We surely do a lot of that and others are attracted to our nuttiness, it seems! Paul and Barb G. got stuck at our table, the poor souls, but ended up having a BALL with us! They jumped right into nuttiness, right along with us! At one point, I noticed Barb decorating her water glass with confetti that had been strewn on the table! What a hoot! Paul spent his entire time laughing! Our table was called last (or second to last?) to get our food – oh yes, did I mention that Gary was sitting at our table? Well, there you have it! Don had his remote toot-machine with him and we had a ball “setting it off” at other tables. It was so funny to see the facial expressions of the others as they would hear the “sounds”. The food was excellent, when we finally got to eat, that is. Nice speeches were given by the SRC Board and awards were distributed. Our chapter, XVII, got the plaque for the biggest chapter, with 30 in attendance. We have always wondered, receiving that plaque at previous conferences, if they mean quantity of riders, or quantity of body sizes, but in any event, we gladly accepted the award. It was nice that our FL XVII chapter member, Steve McD was mentioned at the SRC, since his recent motorcycle accident the Sunday before we left. So many of us have visited him and spread our love and get-well wishes to him to assist him in a speedy recovery. Our hats off to Pauline, who has been spending so much time at the hospital, at Steve’s side! That is very exhausting, both physically and mentally. We ate, we laughed, and we had a ball having FUN! Door prizes were called after the banquet in the Hospitality Room. Jimmy and Cory didn’t win anything, despite the fact that they spent about a million dollars on tickets trying to win! Our own BK XVII members had won the 50/50 cash drawing previously on two separate nights: Dennis D one night, Roland C the next! Lucky win of the draw! At the door prize event, Alex R was auctioning off another Impact Jacket! Cory R wanted to share with those interested on bidding, but we reminded him that he couldn’t handle his jacket for one hour (within an hour the first time he wore it, he got off the bike to pump gas and forgot to disconnect his jacket! It went off and filled up with air right there at the gas pump!) We advised those interested in the jacket not to take any advice from Cory. A large cake was presented to our birthday members, Mike B (Friday’s birthday) and Jackie R (Saturday’s birthday). We got the entire room to sing to them. The night ended early for some, who had a long ride home the following early morning. In leaving the banquet hall, we ran into Alex R who said it best, “Thanks for the laughs!” That’s truly what it’s all about! Until we eat again, Karen Lumpkin Ride Reporter

May 02, 2009 Saturday - another Chamber of Commerce morning and 13 members met at CMS for the breakfast ride. Many suggestions were made for places to go and the Farmer's Kitchen in Largo was the winner. We made the easy ride to East Bay Dr. and the restaurant, which was ready for us. Coffee was served and orders were taken quickly. As the food was being served we were joined by a 14th member, Uncle Al, who was getting ready to take another cruise, but stopped by to say hello. The food and conversation were excellent as always. After breakfast most everyone went their own way to enjoy the day. Til next time----