Sunday, August 12, 2012

Assault by Sea

Date: August 12, 2012
To:  All with proper clearance
From: TeamBoyd Commander
Subject: New Team Assault Vehicle

Let me just start by saying that I love Craigslist.  I love my Craigslist phone app.  I love finding great deals and negotiating a great price.  I love that my Dad taught me to fix things when they break or rebuild them when they wear out.  I thank God for giving me an interest and some aptitude to working on mechanical things.  Some people never get the satisfaction that you can only feel from taking something that is broken and making it whole again.  It feels good, you should all try it.

Awhile back I got an itch for a project which happens from time to time much to the chagrin of one Holly J. Boyd.  My itch took the form of a vision to build a boat for TeamBoyd.  My Dad and I have been fishing out of this beauty for several years.  We literally bought the hull from some crazy dude in Ellensburg.  We gave him $100 for the hull that was sitting in the middle of his field.  My Dad rebuilt it, we mounted our motor on it and put it on a new trailer.  We have been fishing and hunting in it ever since.

 My new vision was a boat that Holly would ride in without being completely disgusted and one that would allow for a little more summer fun (tubing, knee boarding, etc) along with being a good fishing boat.  So I started monitoring my favorite website, craigslist with a single minded focus.  Finally I found an ad in Oregon for a 1977 SmokerCraft aluminum tri-hull.  Could this being the foundation of my new dream???????

The owner was asking $1200 for this sweet little gem.  Now funding for this type of project can be, shall we say very tight.  It’s tough being a person of vision :-)  I told Holly that I wanted a project boat for my birthday to which she rolled her eyes and informed me that the request was a dumb present.  However even Holly agrees that if a person wants the wrong thing for their birthday is still mostly their decision.

As luck would have it I had some meetings in Oregon later in the week so I informed the owner I would be coming to take a look at his boat.  I went and looked at the boat one evening and sent a bunch of pictures back to my fellow boat builder (my Dad).  I told the guy I would call him later to discuss the boat.  After a long discussion with my Pops the conversation ended with a "well it’s up to you, do what you think is best".  Yikes!  If I can't convince my Dad who I remind you bought the last boat from a farmer’s field, maybe it’s not a good deal.  I however could not erase the image I had in my mind so I sent the owner a text and after some negotiation I bought the boat the next morning at 5:30 am for a cool $600.  When I got home from Oregon with my birthday present Holly walked out the front door, exclaimed "you paid $600 for that!" then turned and walked back into the house.

The next few weeks had me tearing the boat down to the bare hull.  Nothing was left except the aluminum hull.

Once the boat had nothing left in it but flotation foam we move on to stripping the layers and layers of brushed on house paint from the hull.  This took several days of applying stripper and then power washing the hull.

While my Dad slaved away on the hull I went to work on the trailer.  I sanded it down down and on a sunny day we repainted it.

Now the hull was paint free and the trailer had a fresh coat of paint.  We loaded the hull back onto the trailer and I towed it back to my house for about of 8 hours of sanding to give the boat a very generic aluminum look, generic but clean and unoffensive (I hoped). 

Phase 1 was complete!!!!

Phase 2 was to tackle the interior and the motor.  I handled the motor and my Dad went to work on the interior.  The motor ended up needing to be rewired, then I cleaned the carbs, replaced the impellor, installed new plugs, replaced the lower end oil, installed a tell tell, cleaned the carbs again, changed the throttle and shifting controller and then cleaned the carbs a third time (finally breaking down and  buying carb kits).  I also got the idea to make the motor look better so I repainted the engine hood and installed new replica decals. 

My Dad completely rebuilt the interior of the boat and covered it with marine vinyl.  He spent tons of hours and it came out very, very nice!  Everything took about 3X longer than I would have thought and without my Dad putting in five hours for every one of mine, it would never have happed!  Thanks Dad!

Now a project like this is never really done but I think the mighty SeaHunter III can now be called complete.  Here she is after several test runs..

 and even a camping trip under her belt...

Drum roll please!!!!!!!!!!!....................................

Holly wont admit that we turned the $600 hunk into a presentable boat but I know she feels it :-)

All Hail The Queen!

Date: September 2, 2011
To:  All with proper clearance
From: TeamBoyd Commander
Subject: Special Ops – All Hail The Queen

Some great things have happened on July 30th throughout time.

• 1954 - Elvis Presley, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," made his first professional performance at the Overton Park Shell Concert.
• 1956 – A joint resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing In God We Trust as the U.S. national motto.
• 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 15 Mission – David Scott and James Irwin on the Apollo Lunar Module Falcon land on the Moon with the first Lunar Rover.
• 2003 – In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line.

Some really great people have entered the world on this day in history as well.

• Henry Ford - 1863 - Founder of Ford Motors
• Casey Stengel - 1890 - Baseball Hall of Fame
• Buddy Guy - 1936 - Musician
• Robert A. Taylor - 1941 - Holly's Dad (We really are meant to be...)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger - 1947 - Actor, Governor

However the best thing that happened from my perspective is that Nancy Ann Weatherby made her début and by doing so set in motion the events that ended up giving me the best Mom in the world.  Nancy Ann hit the plant more than a few years ago, and in celebration of that momentous event which happened an undisclosed number of years ago, I give you my proclamation of Love, Thanks, Appreciation, and Gratitude.....

1.      I’m forever grateful that you gave your life to Jesus and in doing so embarked on a journey that made you a better woman, wife and mother and ensured that we will meet again in heaven.

2.      I appreciate that you were dumb enough to take Glenn Eugene Boyd off the market.  He's a handful but I wouldn’t trade him for any other Dad or Grampa

3.      I appreciate that you have always role modeled God's love and grace in our family.  You worked day in and day out raising me and Heather is the wilds of Eastern Washington but you always did it like you could think of nothing better to do in life.

4. I appreciate that you nearly single-handedly raised us while Dad was working and building our home.  I got to start my life living on my own 5 acre wildlife preserve, tree farm, orchard, and playground and that was as much because of you as it was Dad driving nails.
5. I appreciate that you and Dad “broke the cycle” of lost family values.  I thank you for that, and my children and their children and their children will owe you the same thanks!
6. I appreciate that you let me be a boy.  I covered lots of miles around our homes exploring my world.  I assume that most of it seemed silly but you let me go regardless.  You even smiled and seemed impressed by the creatures I found.
7. Thanks for letting Dad take me fishing and hunting.  Again probably not your ideas of a good time but as you know it’s now two things that I love.
8. I appreciate the trips to the mountains to get our Christmas tree and getting pulled behind the truck on our sleds.
9. Thanks for loving my friend Josh and always supporting us as a dynamic duo even when we were way too dynamic!
10. I remember spending fun times with you at the hair salon in Brewster.
11. I remember swimming lessons and hoping to make you proud by jumping off the diving board.
12. I appreciate that you gave me the Bulltaco, the D50, and even my Camaro.  They were all noble steeds in their own way.
13. I appreciate that you finally gave in and allowed me to buy Dr. SLOWNO.  I loved every second on my bike.  (That had to be a scary decision!)
14. I appreciate that you let me race motorcycles. (Again had to be a bit scary)
15. I appreciate that I always felt loved by my mother.  So much so that I never even thought about it for most of my young life, it was just the world I lived in.  I appreciate this more and more everyday as I raise my own boys and hope to do half as well.
16. They say it takes a woman to raise a pup and a man to train a dog.  Nothing so complex can be reduced to such a simple statement but the heart of it is correct.  You raised this pup with so much love and support that I always knew I had a soft place to land when the training got tough.
17. I appreciate the college classes that you paid for and the support you gave me in perusing a degree.  I really think that you thought I could be president like my 1st grade teacher had said.....just to be clear, I can’t, but I love you for believing in me!!
18. I appreciate that you’re the best Grandma ever!  Hands down!!
19. I appreciate that you can find baby gates, electrical outlet plugs, and foam padding as permanent items at your house just so your grandkids are as safe as kids can be.
20. I appreciate the trips to the dog park the bouncy house, Lake Tapps and everywhere else that you take my boys and they will look back on fondly for their entire lives.
21. I appreciate that my boys have such a great model of what grandparents are, and get so much love from you and Dad.
22. Thanks spoiling me and my family at every holiday and birthday.
23. I appreciate that you were in the stands for every football game or wrestling match and many, many softball games.
24. I appreciate the roughly $400K (according to Google) that it took to pay for me for 20 years.
25. Thanks for making each of my boys their own special blankets.  I know they will grow to cherish them as they get older.
26. Thanks for making the birthday cakes for all of the boys parties.  They won’t know how lucky they are for many years but I know right now.
27. Thanks for taking Chase to VBS every day.  You are wonderful to invest in him in such a real way.
28. Thanks for always thinking to bring Holly and the boy’s treats for no good reason.  (I got bumped off the list when those guys came on the scene ;-)
29. Thanks for taking Holly to the beauty supply store for great deals.  Holly loves it and so does our bank account.
30. While we’re on the subject, thanks for the 1000’s of haircuts you gave me.  I never saw a barber’s chair for a good 20 years.
31. I appreciate that you gave in and got me a pup named Yotte.  For all the headache / cost he brought to you, he brought me a lot of love and good times.
32. Thanks for having special birthday dinners for your kids no matter how old we get, even the "in-law" kids!
33. Thanks for fun craft projects at the holidays
34. Thanks for always loving Holly and supporting her as if she was one of your own.
35. Mom, I love you…
36. Mom, I appreciate you…
37. Mom, I think you’re smart…
38. Mom, I think you’re creative…
39. Mom, I think you’re the best mother I know…
40. Mom, I think you’re a woman of God...
41. Mom, I hope to love a support my family half as well as you have...
42. Mom, I think you’re beautiful and don’t look a day over 43 so I won’t let the cat out of the bag here.
43. Mom, Happy Birthday, your son loves you with all of his heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Team Debriefing

Date: July 20, 2011
To: All with proper clearance
From: TeamBoyd Commander
Subject: Recent Mission Activities

I need to bring you up to speed with the activities of TeamBoyd.  It's been awhile since we have reported out on our activities so here is the low down on our last few missions.

May 1 – Eugene, OR
I completed the Eugene half marathon back in May.  First let me say that Eugene is a really, really long way from Kent, WA.  I’m no stranger to driving and normally it has no effect on me but as with all things great and small it’s a different deal when you're rolling 5 deep in the mini whinny.  I digress, in short it’s a long drive with all the kiddos.  So for this race I wanted to log a time of 1:58:00 (9:00 min/mile).  I gave it a good run

(pun intended) but came in at 2:01:09 after traversing the 13.1 miles.  I'll take it....

Coming into the stadium for the finish

Here I'm doing my best to beat this lady down the final stretch, lets say we tied :-)

My Pop's also completed his first full marathon, 26.2 miles!!!!  You the man!

May 5 – DuPont, WA
The Friday after the half marathon we had our annual 5K run at work.  My goal was to put in a sub 8 minute pace.  Running in the 7 minute per mile zone is what I consider to be a respectable / athletic pace.  Real runners live in this zone and push themselves to 6 and even 5 minute paces on race day.  I will never achieve that kind of pace being well let’s call it “husky” but I really wanted to break into the 7’s.  So that Friday I gave it a go and broke the tape with a race pace of 7:53 and 18^th overall.  It was a good feeling to put an official race in the books with a pace that started with a small number like 7 even if it was followed by a big number like 53.

I reeled both these guys in during the final strech.  If you're smiling and waving then you should be running faster.

Heres the look of pain at the finish and you can see my buddies from above in the background..

May 30 – Elma, WA
Last year my buddy Kip, my Dad and I signed up for a duathlon in Elma.  It was going to be the second one we ran on the same course.  However that race got cancelled and so we decided to cash in our race credit for the Memorial Day race.  Now its always good to have a goal for a race that is personal.  99% of the time I can never contend for a win but Kip and I are always battling for bragging rights.  He’s in great shape and constantly leaves me in his dust when he jumps on his mighty Trek.  During our training over the last 15 months we have logged a bunch of miles, both on foot and on our bikes.  We have developed some rhythms and those normally have me winning a foot race and have Kip winning a bike race.  That being said Kip has also always beat me when we line up for a duathlon.  I have never been able to run him down after he puts me to shame during the bike portion of the race.  Well on May 30^th we finally put a duathlon win on the board for TeamBoyd.  It took some gamesmanship to get it done but a win is a win.  I changed my bike pedals back to “normal” pedals rather than my clipless pedals that require special shoes that lock onto the pedal.  You see part of a duathlon or triathlon is your transitions.  That’s the time it takes you to change out of your wetsuit and into bike gear or for us the time it takes to take off your running shoes and put on your bike gear.  This normally means your bike shoes and your helmet.  Well I thought since this was a short race, 2 miles (run), 13 miles (bike), 2 miles (run) I was going to put my regular pedals back on so I would not have to change my shoes between segments.  It worked out and for the first time I beat Kip.  We ran shoulder to shoulder for the last 1.98 miles and then I edged him out for the win.  We actually finished 1 and 2 overall but that just means we beat the other 6 or 7 people that did the duathlon.  Most people were competing in the sprint Triathlon including one mister Cole Robert Boyd.  Well done Cole you are officially a tri-athlete, I hope one day to go head to head in a race with you.  If I do it in the next year or two I might still have a chance to win....maybe.

June 12 – GreenWater, WA

TeamBoyd headed to the hills to look around and see if we could make it to the Lost Lake trail head.  We had high hopes but alas the snow is still too deep to get the Dodge up the mountain.  We back tracked a bit and ended up looking around a cool little area with a stream swollen with snow pack run off.

This is pretty much how the days planning went....

My wife with her favorite accessory...

July 9 & 10, Seattle to Portland

One of my main goals in 2011 was to complete this 204 miles bike ride. I didn't get in as many long rides as I had hoped.  In fact the longest ride I had prior to leaving Seattle on the 9th was 25 miles.  Day 1 went really good, we logged 112 miles and over felt pretty good (relatively speaking).

Day 2 started out good, we had about 90 miles to cover that day and so far it has been going well.  I dont have a topo map of the route but I'm fairly certain that the first 112 miles is 95% down hill or flat while day 2 felt mostly uphill or at least up hill then down the hill then up the next and down the next and so on.  It was a real long haul but we all did it.  Two days, around 16-17 hours of riding and 204 miles later we crossed the finish in Portland.

Here is some shots from the Monday after the ride.

A lot of work to be able to rightfully sport this shirt.

And now you are up to date......

20K Training Run, 3.26.11, 0900 Hours

Date: March 26, 2011

To:  All with proper clearance

From: TeamBoyd Commander

Subject: Special Ops – Training Run

TeamBoyd continued training with the FSRC (Fort Steilacoom Running Club) as part of their 2011 Resolution Series.  Target distance for this run was 20K, target pace was 9:50 per mile.  Route was to be based around an urban assault course in Steilacoom, WA.


Course Completed:

Results:

This 20K concludes the Resolution Series.  We now have our sights set on the Eugene Marathon on May 1st were Glenn Eugene Boyd will run his first marathon, 26.2!!!!  This will also be the day that Glenn's current best half marathon time of 2:06:08 (9:38 pace) will be smashed by yours truly.  I'm shooting for 1:58:00 (9:00 pace).  Don't feel bad though as that means I will be done in plenty of time to cheer you on as you break that tape at 26.2.

Chad E Boyd, Commander

Six Decades of Service

Date: March 24, 2011

To:  All with proper clearance

From: TeamBoyd Commander

Subject: Special Ops – Medal of Honor

Normally this blog is a place for stories of action and adventure.  However, a member of the team has reached a momentous milestone, and so at this time we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to him.  Senior Operative Glenn Eugene Boyd has logged SIX decades on this planet!  For the last 39 of those years he has had the added responsibility of being a Dad.  I want to take this time to put down on “paper” just how much I appreciate him and the job he's done and continues to do for my family and I. So here it is….60 reasons I have to thank you in honor of your 60 years, Dad.  If you can hold on until 120, I might do it againJ.

1.      I’m forever grateful that you gave your life to Jesus and in doing so embarked on a journey that made you a better man, husband and father and ensured that we will meet again in heaven.

2.      I appreciate that you were smart enough to take Nancy Ann Weatherby off the market.  She is the best mother a boy could ask for!  (Holly ties her for this honor.)

3.      I appreciate that you have always role modeled how a man should provide for his family.  You worked day in and day out pushing concrete for 30 years so that your young family could flourish. 

4.      I appreciate that even when you were a hoodlum in the early years, you still did enough things correctly to show Gert and Pete that you and Mom would honor your commitments and because of that….(see #5)

5.      I appreciate that you nearly single-handedly built my childhood home.  I got to start my life living on my own 5 acre wildlife preserve, tree farm, orchard, and playground.

6.      I appreciate that you and Mom “broke the cycle” of broken family values.  I thank you for that, and my children and their children and their children will owe you the same thanks!

7.      I appreciate that you taught me to drive a stick.

8.      I appreciate that you took me fishing with you and taught me to be patient. 

I still remember the first time I ever caught a walleye and how excited it made you. 

I remember you waking me up to my rod swinging with the pull of my first Sockeye (before they were easy to catch). 

I remember catching catfish at night at a little pond on the Bridgeport Bar and watching the turtles poke their heads up out of the water. 

I have endless fishing memories and I thank you for all of them.

9.    I appreciate that you gave me the Bulltaco, the D50, and even my Camaro.  They were all noble steeds in their own way.

10.  I appreciate that you gave in and got me a pup named Yotte.  For all the headache / cost he brought to you, he brought me a lot of love and good times.

11.  I appreciate you teaching me to buckle down and put in a good days work; it’s not always easy, it’s not always fair, it’s not always required, but it is always what a man should do. 

12.  I appreciate that you taught me to be a hunter.

13.  I appreciate that you taught Josh to be a hunter and then had to deal with both of us in the field at age 16 with firearms…sounds scary to me.

14.  I appreciate the trips to the mountains to get our Christmas tree and getting pulled behind the truck on our sleds.

15.  I appreciate that you finally gave in and allowed me to buy Dr. SLOWNO.  I loved every second on my bike.

16.  I appreciate that you were in the stands for every football game or wrestling match and most softball games you were on the field with me.

17.  I appreciate that you put a scope on my BB gun so I had thousands of rounds of training before I ever got to go in the field with a real gun.

18.  I appreciate that you left Eastern Washington, your home and your family to work in Seattle and forge a new path for us here.

19.  I appreciate the coyote picture you gave me from one of your trips home before we moved.  I still have it somewhere.

20.  I appreciate the roughly $400K (according to Google) that it took to pay for me for 20 years.

21.  I appreciate that you let me race motorcycles.

22.  I appreciate the college classes that you paid for probably with serious doubts that it would be a good investment.  I proved you wrong on that one J

23.  I appreciate that you’re the best Grampa ever!

24.  I appreciate how you came over and helped me go door to door the day we lost Kye Yotte Boyd.  It was a tough day and having you and Mom there really helped.

25.  I appreciate that you jumped on the bandwagon with Derek and I and spent several years logging tons of great, great memories duck and upland hunting.  They are some of my favorite hunting memories.

26.  I appreciate that you built a playground in your backyard just for your grandkids.

27.  I appreciate that you can find baby gates, electrical outlet plugs, and foam padding as permanent items at your house just so your grandkids are as safe as kids can be.

28.  I appreciate the trips to the dog park, bouncy house, McDonalds and everywhere else that my boys will look back on fondly for their entire lives.

29.  I appreciate that my boys have such a great model of what grandparents are, and get so much love from you and Mom.

30.  I appreciate that you have stayed in top shape.  It’s great for you but also selfishly allows me to have my Dad and the boys to have their Grampa for a long, long time to come.

31.  I appreciate that you gave way that day on the Skagit River while duck hunting.  It started a new better chapter for us rather than a new worse one.

32.  I appreciate the “pack in" hunting trip we took.  No monster muleys, but memories that I will keep forever.

33.  Thanks for showing me that most often you can do it yourself.  I watched you build things, fix things and drive things that most people wouldn’t even try to tackle and most times J it worked great.

34.  Thanks for sharing with me the joy that is dove hunting.  I will never forget the first time we went head to head with those little rockets!

35.  Thanks for tricking out the SeaHunter so Darrell and I could dive the Pacific Northwest.  We had lots of great diving adventures in that little tank of a boat.

36.  Thanks for not killing me when I got the Dodge stuck in the middle of nowhere, when Josh and I headed out of camp at midnight, when I forged my report card, etc, etc.

37.  Thanks for the mighty A-bolt, it will always be special to me because it was a gift from you and Mom (and because it’s a nail driving weapon of deathJ)

38.  Thanks for all of the camping trips we took.  We had several summers of great memories with our family camping trips.

39.  Thanks for the camping trips that taught me what “real” camping is like, no fees, no concrete fire pits, no showers.  Just you, me, the forest, and hopefully a lake or stream with some fish to catch.

40.  Thanks for having pigs at the Bridgeport house…I’m not sure why but I always think back on them fondly.

41.  Thanks for letting me drive the tractor when you changed the irrigation lines.  It made me feel great and very important for an 8 year old.

42.  Thanks for always being ready to help me with my projects.  We built a fence, play house, moved 10 yards of wood chips, put in a lawn, poured a new patio, and built a play room. 

43.  Thanks for the great original Grampa art that decorates the boys' room.

44.  Thanks for being the kind of guy that thinks hiking from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail is a great idea.

45.  Thanks for always pushing me to do more than just work with my hands.

46.  Thanks for letting me use and most often lose your tools, fishing gear, and other stuff.  I learned a lot and had a bunch of fun doing it.

47.  Thanks for taking me ice fishing…most people have never done it.

48.  Thanks for the great discussions we have had while driving to all corners of the state.

49.  Thanks for being so financially sound.  We don’t have to have everything we think we do.  (Nothing wrong with a nice truck though…am I right?)

50.  Thanks for helping me coach Cole’s team.

51.  Thanks spoiling me and my family at every holiday and birthday.

52.  Dad, I love you…

53.  Dad, I appreciate you…

54.  Dad, I think you’re smart…

55.  Dad, I think you’re handy…

56.  Dad, I think you’re the best hunter I know…

57.  Dad, I think you could do chainsaw carving if you wanted to…

58.  Dad, I think you’re are a man of God…

59.  Dad, I hope to be a great Dad like you…

60.  Dad, Happy Birthday, let’s do 60 more..well, at least 30!

Forest Recon

Date: February 19, 2011

To:  All with proper clearance

From: TeamBoyd Commander

Subject: Special Ops – Forest Recon

TeamBoyd was left to its own devices today as Holly was off to have some fun with her friend Shanna.  In true TeamBoyd, fashion we decided that we should go see what trouble we could round up in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest.  So we loaded up the Adventure Dodge with snacks, clothes, a sling shot, and our sleds and headed to the hills.  Enroute we called Grampa to see if he was wanting to jump in.  Unfortunately he was tied up building a fence for someone so we put Kent in the rear view and looked to gain some elevation.

We headed up Hwy 410 past Greenwater along Forest Service Rd 70 to see what we could find.  The snow was pretty scarce as we started up the mountain so we pushed on to find the white stuff.

Along the way the snow began to accumulate and we passed a cool waterfall the boys wanted to stop and see.

After checking out this icy creek we crested a small rise and finally hit deep snow and a beautiful sunny day.

The plan was to get to the snow and then do some sledding and what have you.  This is what the truck looked like at the spot that would have fit the bill perfectly.

However I have always been a guy that thinks it should get just a bit better around the next corner.....

Well, here is what that gets you and has gotten me many, many times.

Yep, the AD was sunk up to the axles in snow and all progress, forward or backward, was most certainly at a stand still.

I geared up the boys and set them loose with the sleds while I got busy digging myself out of yet another "situation".  It took a good 45 minutes to an hour to get the rig out because I didn't bring a shovel.  Who needs one when you never get stuck.....

The boys had a great time in the snow while I worked.

Eventually the truck was freed from its icy tomb, and I backed it down the road to solid ground.  By that time the crew had run out of gas.  I put them in the back of the truck and attempted a couple of group shots.

You might think that I captured this shot just as the boys realized that a plane was falling out of the sky or maybe Mt.Rainer had just erupted but no, this is just the look they have when it's too sunny outside.......its been a long grey Winter!

After stripping off wet clothes we loaded up in the Dodge and headed back to civilization and the beckoning call of hot Chicken McNuggets.  We did make one quick stop to look at the river, but then pushed on for Enumclaw.

 About half way back home the scene in the back of the truck looked like this..

I consider any mission that puts them in a coma for the ride home a successful one.

Still waiting for Spring...TeamBoyd - over and out.

Livin' Right?

Date: January 25, 2011

To:  All with proper clearance

From: TeamBoyd Commander

Subject: Special Ops – Speed Check

Today I thought I would take the boys to the Sportsman Show at the Puyallup fair grounds.  Now normally I would not brave taking the entire crew to such a packed event without back up, but I felt like with tons of people, a free fishing pond, dogs jumping into water tanks, and whole litters of puppies, what could go wrong?

Well, the first thing would be the WSP with his lights going in my rear view mirror.

Now unfortunately this is not the first time I have had "Johnny Law" in my rear view, but it has been a pretty long time and a first for the Adventure Dodge.  I pulled over and was fully resigned to my fate of a speeding ticket.  The officer came to my window and told me I was doing 74 in a 60, and then he sees the pack of boys I have loaded in the truck and right about then Cole busts out with, "Wow, I want to be a policeman when I grow up.  You're super cool."  I kid you not!  The officer even asked me if I told him to say it.  He ran my info and came back to inform me that they have the plane running today and they don't let people off because they have to justify the use of the plane.  I say okay as I had given up hope long before now.  Then he said, "But your kids are pretty cool, so slow it down for me," and hands me back my registration.  Thanks for the break WSP, and way to go Cole, I owe you a big one!!!

The officer even gave us stickers (Chase still had his on for bed) and tattoos.

The Sportsmans Show was good times and we saw lots of great things.  I was pretty busy keeping everyone moving and out of trouble, but I got a couple of shots.

I said I took all the boys, but I didn't say that I had at least one hobbled.

TeamBoyd signing off and still waiting for Spring to get here!