We arrived at Mike and Pam’s place mid Sunday afternoon. They are near Amily, south west of Little Rock, Arkansas. Mike and Pam were at the horse races when we arrived so our kids played with their grandkids Hannah and Jacob or Bob as Mike calls him. We also caught up with Tara’s husband Cameron (Tara is Pam’s daughter). Josiah had his first ride on Mike’s track. He thought it was pretty cool as it has an arenacross section.
Their place is out in the sticks as we would say in New Zealand. But it is beautiful. The house with a verander, the tall trees, the clean fresh air, the pond and the flowers in the green grass. We could get use to living there. Joel got to fish in the small lake and caught two fish (check out the photo below...objects in the picture appear much smaller in real life).
Monday was school in the morning then riding for the afternoon. Joel rode Jacob’s bikes, first the peewee, then the cobra. They were a bit small but Joel was just excited about being on a bike.
On Tuesday we went to Little Rock to Tom’s Kawasaki shop and bought Joel a Kawasaki KX65. It is a bit big for him and he is learning to use the gears. Mike and Pam then talked us into going to a race in Mississippi with them which was a great idea considering it was on our way through the South and for Josiah to ride. That night we had dinner with Mike and Pam and their family. One of the things Joel and Chris tried was some hot sauce. Chris bought some hot sauce in Louisiana and has a small amount on some meat dishes. The hot sauce Mike pulled out has a warning on it…do not give to small children. This sauce is powerful with a capital P. When Chris tasted it and it brushed the top of his lip it burnt like mad. Joel said it was pretty weak (what the?).
On Wednesday we left for Prentiss, Mississippi, with Mike and Pam to race at Golden Pine Raceway (http://goldenpineraceway.com/). This is a fine track. It is a big track and fast. There are big jumps, rollers, elevations and fast sections. We got to the track around midnight having travelled convoy with Mike and Pam, and also one of their riders, Brock.
On the way we stopped off at Vicksburg at the casino for a meal. The casino is on the Mississippi river on a boat and you walk through the casino to the buffett. It is unlawful to have casinos in Mississippi so they build them on the river (which is between Mississippi and Louisiana) although it is permanently fixed to the shoreline. After dinner we had a look at the battle monuments of the civil war beside the casino and watched the barges travel up the river. There had been a lot of rain in the last few days and the current down the river was massive. Often the barges looked like they weren’t going forward at all. After dinner at the casino we then travelled to Jackson. We gassed up and filled up with water and purchased food for the days ahead.
On Thursday Mike and Pam worked to get the race and track ready. The kids did schoolwork. On Friday Chris helped out with practice and Janine helped out with sign on for the riders. Sarah helped out with selling t-shirts over the weekend (she sold quite a few, especially to young boy riders about her age). We also got to meet another racer who rides for Mike, a guy called Chris Tracy. Chris Tracy has a pro licence and looked great on his Pro Circuit Kawasaki KX250F. Chris got to ride it around the paddock and was amazed at the power of the engine.
On Saturday and Sunday Josiah raced. He raced well on Sunday and got third in the 7-11 modified class which means he can race this class at a regional qualifier in order to get to the USA MX nationals (called Loretta Lynns) . This was a great result considering he was racing against modified bikes and some older kids.
There was some bad news on Saturday for Joel. Chris took Joel out to a paddock to ride his new bike. At the end of the riding, Chris was going to double Joel back to the RV. Chris took off too fast and Joel fell off the back of the bike. Joel’s arm got caught in the back wheel and broke just below the shoulder. We raced Joel to the local medical centre. The x-ray showed the break and the doctor sent Joel on his way to the University Medical Center in Jackson in an ambulance (about an hour away). It was a long night. We were initially advised they may need to operate on Joel and put a plate on the broken bone. In the end it was recommended that his arm be placed in a sling and strapped to his body as the break was too high to his shoulder to cast. The sling would allow the bone to realign and then fuse together. He will need to be taken back to the hospital in a week or so to see if the bone is healing well.
That night, Mike and Pam took Sarah, Josiah and Chris to the local buffet for dinner. One of the things on the menu was fried frog legs (most things are fried in the South). They said it tasted like chicken. Sarah and Chris disagree and won’t be trying it again.
We had planned to go to Disneyworld in Orlando after Mississippi but Joel’s situation now meant we had to head back to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. We will get some rest.
Like the week before when we left the Bellingans in Plano, it was sad to say goodbye to Mike and Pam, and the rest of the crew. A big thanks to them for helping out when Joel was hurt. Also, it was Sarah’s birthday on Sunday. She gave up her “birthday rights” and allowed Josiah to race on the weekend. Mike, Pam and Tara bought her a really nice Thor sweat shirt.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Dallas (Plano & Fort Worth)
It has been some time since an update so here we go. We finished at Oak Hill on a Saturday afternoon, packed up and headed to Plano in Dallas. We arrived at Phillip and Pauline Bellingan’s place just before tea or should I say dinner so as not to confuse anyone.
Phillip and Pauline are friends of Steve and Beth Crow who are from Dallas and have moved to New Zealand to co pastor at our church in Hamilton (City Bible Church). That night we met their children Dylan 21yrs and Megan 18yrs. Megan kindly gave up her room for Chris and Janine and the kids slept in the family room. As we ended up staying two weeks the sleeping arrangement did change a little.
On Sunday we went to church at Chase Oaks with Phillip and Pauline. What a difference from our small church. It was Easter Sunday so it was a great service and we met lots of Steve and Beth’s friends. We went home after church and Pauline cooked us lamb for late lunch. It was almost as good as having it at home!!!
Our first week with the Bellingan’s was quiet. Chris was unwell for about one and a half weeks. Stomach pains, feeling tired and not feeling good at all. The kids did lots of school work. We went ice skating at a rink in a shopping mall and went to some $1 movie theatres.
On the weekend Pauline took Janine to a women’s conference, Spaghetti for the soul. The speakers were Kathy Torvelle and Ellie Lof. They were great. Funny too, Janine hadn’t laughed so hard in so long.
On the Thursday night we went out for tea with Phillip and Pauline. We went to a place called BJ’s. Chris ordered a rack of pork rib as that is one of the dishes he was told he must try. Think of the big fish story, the one that got away. The ribs were so big they hung off both side of the plate. The potato that went with it was the size of a football and stuffed with bacon cheese and butter. That went down well on a sick stomach...not. He took half the ribs home and barely touched the football!! It was a nice meal but the Americans like to do it big.
During our time we had meals with Bernie and John, Frank and Sue and their family and morning tea with Jim and Lisa. So we had a real good time getting to know folks in Dallas. We spent a bit of time with Steve, Dylan’s friend. He is a very keen rugby player so Chris and him had a great time talking.
Once Chris was feeling better we went to the stock yards in Fort Worth. We watched the bulls being herded down the street. Josiah and Joel ride the mechanical bull, Josiah was off it so fast it made me wonder how he rides a bike so well, and Joel lasted a lot longer screaming ,”Stop let me off” the whole time.
All the kids sat on Big Jake (see pics) and we did some shopping. Sarah got herself some black cowgirl boots. And when we were looking Janine saw Bill Paxton, the actor in the movie Twister.
We continued our day at the Cowgirl museum, where the kids dressed up and rode a bucking horse in the Rodeo, we will try get the video coverage on the blog. Friday just gone we went to the first Rodeo for the season. The best part was watching Joel ride in the mutton competition! Riding bare back ram. What a laugh. He managed a second with score of 77, the winner 79. It was heaps of fun watching the competiton and the fiesty animals bucking their riders off. Sarah got a hat to go with her boots so with jeans on she fits right in.
On the Saturday we were off to the Supercross with complementary tickets form Pam and Dirt Bike Mike. We even got pit passes. Thank you guys!! We got there early so had a day of it then real enjoyed the fireworks through out the night. The boys enjoyed the Super-x best but I think Sarah and I really liked the Rodeo. We had a great time at both.
Sunday we got up and hit the road. Thought it was about time to move the RV from the front of Phillip and Pauline’s as one visit from the local authority was enough. It was sad saying our good bye as we had such a great time with the Bellingans. Thank you guys again for taking us in and making your home a home for us.
The next part of our trip is at Mike and Pam's and then down through the south of the USA.
Phillip and Pauline are friends of Steve and Beth Crow who are from Dallas and have moved to New Zealand to co pastor at our church in Hamilton (City Bible Church). That night we met their children Dylan 21yrs and Megan 18yrs. Megan kindly gave up her room for Chris and Janine and the kids slept in the family room. As we ended up staying two weeks the sleeping arrangement did change a little.
On Sunday we went to church at Chase Oaks with Phillip and Pauline. What a difference from our small church. It was Easter Sunday so it was a great service and we met lots of Steve and Beth’s friends. We went home after church and Pauline cooked us lamb for late lunch. It was almost as good as having it at home!!!
Our first week with the Bellingan’s was quiet. Chris was unwell for about one and a half weeks. Stomach pains, feeling tired and not feeling good at all. The kids did lots of school work. We went ice skating at a rink in a shopping mall and went to some $1 movie theatres.
On the weekend Pauline took Janine to a women’s conference, Spaghetti for the soul. The speakers were Kathy Torvelle and Ellie Lof. They were great. Funny too, Janine hadn’t laughed so hard in so long.
On the Thursday night we went out for tea with Phillip and Pauline. We went to a place called BJ’s. Chris ordered a rack of pork rib as that is one of the dishes he was told he must try. Think of the big fish story, the one that got away. The ribs were so big they hung off both side of the plate. The potato that went with it was the size of a football and stuffed with bacon cheese and butter. That went down well on a sick stomach...not. He took half the ribs home and barely touched the football!! It was a nice meal but the Americans like to do it big.
During our time we had meals with Bernie and John, Frank and Sue and their family and morning tea with Jim and Lisa. So we had a real good time getting to know folks in Dallas. We spent a bit of time with Steve, Dylan’s friend. He is a very keen rugby player so Chris and him had a great time talking.
Once Chris was feeling better we went to the stock yards in Fort Worth. We watched the bulls being herded down the street. Josiah and Joel ride the mechanical bull, Josiah was off it so fast it made me wonder how he rides a bike so well, and Joel lasted a lot longer screaming ,”Stop let me off” the whole time.
All the kids sat on Big Jake (see pics) and we did some shopping. Sarah got herself some black cowgirl boots. And when we were looking Janine saw Bill Paxton, the actor in the movie Twister.
We continued our day at the Cowgirl museum, where the kids dressed up and rode a bucking horse in the Rodeo, we will try get the video coverage on the blog. Friday just gone we went to the first Rodeo for the season. The best part was watching Joel ride in the mutton competition! Riding bare back ram. What a laugh. He managed a second with score of 77, the winner 79. It was heaps of fun watching the competiton and the fiesty animals bucking their riders off. Sarah got a hat to go with her boots so with jeans on she fits right in.
On the Saturday we were off to the Supercross with complementary tickets form Pam and Dirt Bike Mike. We even got pit passes. Thank you guys!! We got there early so had a day of it then real enjoyed the fireworks through out the night. The boys enjoyed the Super-x best but I think Sarah and I really liked the Rodeo. We had a great time at both.
Sunday we got up and hit the road. Thought it was about time to move the RV from the front of Phillip and Pauline’s as one visit from the local authority was enough. It was sad saying our good bye as we had such a great time with the Bellingans. Thank you guys again for taking us in and making your home a home for us.
The next part of our trip is at Mike and Pam's and then down through the south of the USA.
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