Thanksgiving 2008

Though many competing claims exist, the most familiar story of the first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth Colony, in present-day Massachusetts, in 1621. More than 200 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 49 million in 2008. Just six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Indiana—will probably produce two-thirds of the estimated 271 million birds that will be raised in the U.S. this year.

In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007.

The first time the Detroit Lions played football on Thanksgiving Day was in 1934, when they hosted the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium, in front of 26,000 fans. The NBC radio network broadcast the game on 94 stations across the country--the first national Thanksgiving football broadcast. Since that time, the Lions have played a game every Thanksgiving (except between 1939 and 1944); in 1956, fans watched the game on television for the first time.

Deer Lodge, Ojai, California

Took a ride recently to the Deer Lodge in Ojai, California. Myself along with six other bikes left Bakersfield Harley Davidson around 9:00AM. Heading west out to highway 43 we went through the oil fields of Taft and the western San Joaquin Valley. Taft is situated in a major petroleum and natural gas production region in California and is one of the few remaining towns in the United States which exist exclusively because of nearby oil reserves. The discovery of oil in the region occurred in the late 1800s.

Oil rigs working 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

We caught Highway 33 going south just before getting to Cuyama. Highway 33 is used heavily by the croch rocket crowd because it is a relitively fast two lane curvy highway that is not traveled much by cars.

The Deer Lodge caters to the motorcycle community and therefore has ample parking for all types of motorcycles.

And all types of riders.

After refueling the bikes we headed back from which we came. About 35-40 miles up the road we headed East towards Frazier Park/Gorman and Interstate 5.
A lot of this ride was in the Los Padres National Forest.

Summary: The ride was great, the friends were good, the food was o.k. the service was terrible.

John F. Kennedy, 45th anniversary

The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, USA at 12:30 p.m. CST (18:30 UTC). John F. Kennedy was fatally wounded by gunshots while riding with his wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy in a Presidential motorcade. The ten-month investigation of the Warren Commission of 1963–1964, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) of 1976–1979, and other government investigations concluded that the President was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. This conclusion was initially met with widespread support among the American public (1964–66), but polls conducted after the original 1966 Gallup poll show as much as 80% of the public hold beliefs contrary to these findings.

November 15, 2008---A very happy day in my life.

I gave my daughter away in Holy matrimony. I gained a great son-in-law into the family. Plus, he is a avid Dodger fan! My hope is that they have many happy years together.

Veterans Day Parade

I made my way to the Veterans Day Parade today. There was a great turn out and much appreciation was shown. All I had was my cell phone, so here are a few shots that I took.

Veterans Day, November 11

Armistice Day was first commemorated in the United States by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, and 30 states made it a legal holiday. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 inviting all States to observe the day, and made it a legal holiday nationwide in 1938. It has been observed annually on November 11 since then - first as Armistice Day, later as Veterans Day.

November 10th, Happy 233rd Birthday United States Marine Corps

On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution stating that “two battalions of Marines be raised” for service as landing forces with the fleet. This established the Continental Marines and marked the birth of the United States Marine Corps. Serving on land and at sea, early Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations, including their first amphibious raid on foreign soil in the Bahamas in March 1776, under the command of the Corps’ first commandant, Capt. Samuel Nicholas.
HOORAH!

Change

Change, I guess we will see over the next four years.

Election Day 2008

Freedom is liberty; it is not being under someone else's control. It is having the right, indeed, the responsibility, to take a stand on issues that affect our nation. There is no greater way to exercise our freedom, to ensure that freedom, than to vote. Nevertheless, many Americans do not take that freedom seriously, as evidenced by the lack of strong participation in elections.

People use a variety of excuses to rationalize why they do not vote. Some say that they are too busy to vote. Still others say they do not vote because small numbers cannot make a difference, or because one vote will not matter at all. There are also those Americans who do not vote, because they simply are not concerned about doing so.
The most important right citizens have is the right to vote.

My Ride Today, Pismo Beach, California

Met up with a bunch of people today in Delano, California for a ride to Pismo Beach, California. The map shows the route that I took.

The ride was a fund raiser for a guy at work that is fighting cancer.

The skies showed some threatening clouds, but the weather was absolutely fabulous.Of course, if you go to Pismo you've got to have some clam chowder from Splash Cafe. This chowder has been voted the "BEST CHOWDER" on the Central Coast for many, many, many years.Across the street from Splash is the "Famous Harry's Bar". Some people think that if you go to Pismo you have to enjoy a cold adult beverage in Harry's to make your trip complete.Pismo Beach, looking North. The weather was perfect, mid 60's.

The Pismo Pier.The grunion are running now on the Central Coast. These guy's were getting their quota.
Grunion are sardine-sized fish. They are found only off the coast of California, USA and Baja California, and Mexico. Grunion are known for their very unusual mating ritual. At very high tides the females come up on sandy beaches and dig their tails into the sand to lay their eggs. A male then wraps himself around the female to deposit his sperm. For the next ten days the grunion eggs remain hidden in the sand, but at the next set of high tides the eggs hatch and the young grunion are washed out to sea.

This guy was also getting his fill.

If you were inclined you could take a ride up and down the coast in this vintage bi-plane.

I think this coup is a kit car, looked like they were having fun.