My Christmas Wish

My Christmas Wish

Hey everyone, Pig here. Yes it has been a while since my last blog. I haven't had much to say other than I have had life to deal with. Stacey has been sick, our daughter has moved out of the house, work is slow and boring with no overtime and I haven't clean a bike since August.

Sounds like there is a lot that can go on this years wish list and I will get to that shortly. But first I must set the mood for where my wish list comes from. Troubles began last January when Stacey had an appendicitis. The doctor went in and removed it but Stacey never really healed up. She kept having pain and discomfort. That turned into multiple trips to the doctor and to the ER. Next the blood infections showed up and those turned into hospital stays. No one had an answer for why this was happening. In September we found out that the surgeon didn't remove all of the appendix back in January which required a 2^nd surgery. Now all was well. Well not really; She was gutted like a fish with a 8” incision, then came the inflammation, more pain, then fluid build up that needed to be drained, fever, all of this has been going on since the 2^nd surgery. And to top everything off, she lost her job. Now we are down to one income and no overtime. This is starting to sound like a country song.

For now, our days consist of Stacey on bed rest and I spend my days at work so I can come home, cook, clean, and do laundry. Last week I took off early one day to take her to a doctors appointment. We went to lunch for the first time in a long while. Shortly after lunch, she threw it all up from the pain and discomfort she still has. So much for going out to eat.

My Christmas wish. Hang on we'll get that soon.

Since this year has been so screwed up we have been trying our best to look forward to the holidays. Doesn't seem like there is much of anything to look forward to this year. Seems to be a little depressing this year around our house. The tight economy is on everyone's mind also I have noticed that not many people have set up outside decorations this year and I have only seen maybe 4 cars on the road decorated with a wreath or reindeer antlers on the windows. I have seen that the stores and the traffic have been bustling along with the TV ads are still pushing a lot of useless junk. (I think Target has the worse commercials of them all, the more they try to make it bright is the more they make it worse) Even the town of Windcrest, a local municipality that always had a very popular Christmas light up contest is no longer doing that. Seems it causes too much traffic jams for the locals to get in and out of their driveways at night.

Christmas is meant to be a time of happiness and joy sadly, Christmas has also been a time when depression runs high and suicides have been known to increase.

What is wrong with Christmas, why does something that is suppose to be so good seem like it has to hurt? Maybe it is the fact that we have become tired of Christmas before it ever gets here. Commercial and retail stores rely on Christmas sales as part of their sales quota of the year. They have to make that money to remain in business. Ever noticed how the Christmas crap is all up in the stores in September. What happened to Halloween and Thanksgiving? Halloween has changed from a night of frolic for kids to a night of party for adults. Thanksgiving has turned into an almost non-existent holiday. It is intended for us to take a day off and GIVE THANKS to God for the many blessings we do have. Now they are bombarding us so bad into worrying about Christmas that we blow off Thanksgiving and worry about getting to the black Friday sales. And don't forget how important it is for little Joey to have that high dollar video game system, or maybe even a new car. (I would bet money that sweet little Joey was nothing more than a rotten, spoiled little shit all year and deserves nothing more than a lump of coal in his stocking, sorry Joey) Hey here's an idea, why don't you just buy your wife's love with some expensive jewelry you can't possibly afford. Just sign up for our easy payment plan and of course don't worry about that interest until June, we'll just charge you ten times mores if you miss any payments.

Now days, just to get you into the Christmas mood, they bait you into the store by hearing all the same Christmas songs with the stores commercials over and over and over on the radio. There are two radio stations here in San Antonio that have shut down their regular music and started playing non-stop Christmas music. This began the week BEFORE Thanksgiving. Have you ever realized how many versions of “white Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland” there are. Funny thing, I never have seen Rudolph's name in any history books. There is only so much the human mind can withstand before it wants to explode. They want us to purchase months in advanced and then keep on purchasing. Worse yet some people haven't finished paying off the previous years purchases on their credit cards and now they want you to buy more.

Oh man don't forget all those great Lifetime movies, you know the ones where the little boy wants to buy his dying mother a pair of red shoes for Christmas for her to take to heaven but he has no money. Or the woman who wants a boyfriend for Christmas. Somebody please put a gun to my head and pull the trigger.

We all have fond memories of Christmas pasts, and sadly, we also have those painful memories too.

What can we do to make that one special day of the year special again?

Is it really all that hard?

Sorry to say I am going to have to stop here for the moment, Stacey is not feeling well again and I need to run her back up to the ER. I promise I will finish this later. Check Back soon

Pig

All In A Day

Hey Ya'll

Pig here, I know, it has been a while since I have checked in with you all but once again I have been just a little bit busy. We have had a new visitor here at the house plus we have a new addition to the family.

Let me take a moment to tell you guys all about them. The visitor we have is Ray & Stacey's new grand niece Josie. I have included a photo of her and I, she is 3 months old and is the daughter of Stacey's nephew, Doug and his girlfriend. Josie has been fun to have around, I get to play with her and she laughs at me all the time. The only time I don't enjoy her is of course the dreaded diaper time. (You know that I always make my whereabouts unknown during those times.) She is kind of cool to have around I guess, she just sits there looking around taking the world in. She doesn't walk or even crawl, backtalk, get into your things or even ask you a 100 questions of “why”. I guess all that comes later. It's kind of funny watching Ray when he has to hold her. You have to picture it, Ray has this big gut in his mid-section, so he just sits her right on top of it and uses his gut as a chair for Josie. We will have her here at the house for about another week, my guess is by then we all should have our fill of babies.

The new addition we have to the family is our 11 week old kitten we named Bailey.

Ray opened up his big fat mouth and said he thought that Blue (our male cat) might be a little lonely during the day, so he suggests that we might want to get a play mate for him. And of course, Stacey took it as a go-ahead and she did. She went right up to the pound and found Bailey, brought her home and now we have the complete family. Blue didn't take to Bailey too well at first. There was a lot of hissing and bullying with Bailey ending up hiding behind the TV for protection. Ray tried his best to get blue to understand that he was till top cat, but it just didn't seem to do any good. Just as things begin to appear the worse they ever could, life proves that all things must come into balance. On day three since Bailey arrived, Blue decided to chase and hiss at her starting from one end of the house to the other. She ran and he closely followed right on her tail. She tried every move in the book to dodge and duck him, but it was no use. She dove for cover as a last ditch effort. Just as he had her pinned under the TV trays, trapped with no where to go Blue hissed a mighty roar at Bailey. Intimating her to no end,Bailey knew this could be the end.

What happened next can only be explained by actual eye witness account. As Blue moved in for the kill, Bailey hissed back and raised one paw claws out. Blue stopped dead in his tracks. She hissed again and he actually back off. It was great. Mr. Big Billy Bad-ass just got kicked right in the nut sack. I told Blue to always remember, “It's not the size of the cat, it's the size of the fight inside the cat”. Well to make a long story short, now the two of them have become best friends.

Yeah, life is good. So good in fact that after Ray & I worked on bike today (we had some brackets to make for the new windshield) we decided to have some chili dogs for dinner tonight.

The best chili dogs are homemade with Wolf brand chili and covered in cheese wiz. Dumb-ass Ray forgot to buy hotdog buns at the store yesterday so we had to use regular bread instead. No worries, wash them dogs down with a cold beer and all is well.

That's about all I have for today. I hope you all have a good day and following week. If today's blog was too boring for you then maybe next time I will have something better for you.

Love Ya'll. Ride hard or stay home

Pig

Old Farts

Hey Everybody,

Pig here, just wanted to stop by and tickle your taste buds with another round of ribs from the pig man himself. The other day I heard Ray walk into the living room where his daughter Ericka was. I heard her standard greeting for him consisting of “Hey Old Fart”. Now I'm not one who really approves calling an elder person names whether they fit or not. I like to reserve my insults more for people closer to my age. They seem to be able to handle them (the insults) a little better. Well, my buddy Ray did handle her insult quite well, he just wrapped his arm around her head and dutch rubbed about two pounds of hair off the top of her head. (quite funny listening to her scream in pain instead of me for a change.)

After the physical insult was completed to Ericka's head, Ray headed out the door and I followed in suit. Ray started cleaning on a bike we had in the shop and I jumped in to help him. I was surprised to see Ray was in a good mood so I asked him why he wasn't ticked about Ericka insulting him like she did. He just smiled, (you know that smile he has, the one where you just know he is up to something) and continued on with his work. A short time later he gave up and started to tell me. Being called an Old Fart is not really an insult if you practice a few simple rules in your life. (“Oh great, here comes another one of his long drawn out lesson on life”)

(Look at that smart man)

Another one of Rays Life Lessons

Actually, it is not a bad thing to be called as you will see.

Old Fart are easy to spot at sporting events.

During the playing of the Star Spangled Banner'

Old Farts removed their caps and stand at attention and sing without embarrassment.

They know the words and believe in them.

Old Farts remember WWII, Pearl Harbor' Guadalcanal,Normandy and Hitler.

They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean war, the Cold War, the jet age and the moon landing.

They remember the 50 plus Peace Keeping missions from 1945 to 2005,

not to mention Vietnam.

If you bump into an Old Fart on the sidewalk he will apologize.

If you pass him on the street he will nod or tip his cap to a lady.

Old Fart trust people and are courtly to women.

Old Farts hold the door for the next person and always, when walking,

make certain the lady is on the inside for protection.

Old Farts get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children and don't like foul language in movies or TV.

Old Farts have moral courage and personal integrity.

They seldom brag unless it is about their children or grandchildren.

It's the Old Fart who that our country is protected, not by politicians, but by the young men and women in our military serving their country.

This country needs more Old Farts with their work ethics,

sense of responsibility, pride in their country and decent values.

We need them now more than ever.

Thank God for Old Farts.

I was taught to respect my elders. It's just getting harder to find them.

We continued on finishing up the detail on that bike, we didn't say too much to one another. I was buffing off the last coat of wax when Ray said he was going in to get a glass of iced tea, I told him to bring me a beer on his way back. Ray headed towards the kitchen when I heard this big crash, I ran in to investigate. I found Ray hopping around on one foot cursing under his breath about who left the pantry door open. Ericka came in too to check on Ray, she helped him wobble over to the couch. Ray pulled off his shoe and checked his toe. He couldn't bend it over and the look of pain on his face made me shiver. He told Ericka to rub his foot to see if it would loosen up. Holding his foot up in the air, he then told her to gently pull on his big toe because it was jammed. Well she did and that was when it happened. She pulled and he farted.

Now it was not one of your standard little toots. OH, No Sir, It was one of those Long, LOUD, Window Rattling earth shakers. You know, the type where you expect an earthquake and the house to fall on your head. “Oh GROSS Dad, thanks alot” Ericka screamed at him and ran out of the room, I think I heard her spitting and trying not to puke. All the while Ray just laughed his head off. It was great.

I guess I learned one more of life's lessons from that Old Fart Ray. The lesson is “you better be careful with an Old Fart, they are some sneaky old bastards.

Love to you all

Pig

I need some help

Hey Gang,

I'm glad that you stopped by today. I need some help. It seems that someone I know read my last blog this morning, you know, the one about being content. Seems that I struck some nerve in the guy, he called me today and went off on me. He started yelling something about how I am just a dumb pig and that I don't have any business blogging because I am just plain ol' stupid. He said that my stories are boring, pointless and a waste of peoples time to read. (That last comment really hurt.) Here is where I need your help. I know that I am a pig. I know that I don't have an education. I know that I don't have one of those high profile career jobs either. Hell man, I don't even own a car, let alone own a motorcycle. And yes, I've been to jail a time or two, but hey, the charges have always been dropped. I just like to drink beer, chase hot women and clean motorcycles. And maybe now and then tell a few of my stories in between jobs.

Here is where I need your help. I am going to finish today's blog by describing how I view people who are not content in their lives. I'll explain briefly. In the previous blog I was describing what makes certain people happy and content, now I am going to describe what makes this and other spineless dweebs so unhappy in their own pathetic , miserable lives. And depending on how you feel about the way I blog, I would like to hear from you. Please don't be afraid to respond, because I, Pig, would love to hear from you so that I can maybe improve my writing skills a little bit. Ready, here goes.

What makes people unhappy, non-content and miserable.

When they were babies, their mama didn't breast feed them. And now they feel unloved.

The only dates they had in high school was Rosie Palm and her 5 sisters. (Painful memories)

When they were kids, they were so ugly that their mother really did have to tie a bone around their necks to get the family dog to play with them.

They spent so much money buying stuff trying to be cool and people still blow them off.

Their just pissed because the only drive they have in their lives is jumping in the car and going to Taco Bell.

Their pissed because the tornado missed their trailer during the last storm.

Their wife's nipples drag across the floor.

A news reporter just ruined their life with a news story.

Every Halloween they got a rock instead of candy.

When they were born, they were so ugly the doctor slapped their mama instead of them on the butt.

They can't pay their bills on time and their cars just got repo'ed.

Their just pissed because the new flame job they had done on their car was real flames instead of new paint.

They just found out they have the ugliest house on the street and the homeowners association wants to sue them over it.

They still haven't received their free stimulus check from Obama yet.

Their just pissed because they still have to get up and go to work in the morning.

They found out that superman is just a comic book character.

And last but not least:

What really makes them so unhappy is the fact that I, Pig, got laid last night and they DIDN'T.

You can post your comments here or you can e-mail me at ray@raysbikecleanandetail.com

Have a great day

Pig.

Word For The Day

Welcome everyone. I have a word for today I would like for us to take a look at. Today's word is "content". There are many uses for the word content. Some people may be content with what they have. Some may be content striving for more.

Content: To be happy, satisfied, fulfilled

Here are what I think are some real world meanings;

Content: A fisherman with a net full of fish.

Content: A contractor who is paid on time for a job well done.

Content: A politician who secures another vote

Content: A nurse just helped a doctor save a life.

Content: A baby has a clean butt and a warm tit to suck from.

Content: A banker some how has all his loans paid on time.

Content: A biker who just beat up the repo man who tried to take his bike.

Content: An oil well is capped off and secured no longer polluting.

Content: A trick or treater heading home with a sack full of candy.

Content: A hot woman in a short skirt knows she looks good.

Content: A brew master just completed a new style batch of beer.

Content: A news reporter who just ruined someones life with a story.

Content: A President who thinks he owns the top of the world instead of sitting on it.

Content: A tornado in a trailer park.

Content: A raccoon in a full trash can of food scraps.

Content: A teenager with a paid up cell phone.

Content: A biker with a new flame job on his bike.

Content: A blogger with many fresh and new blogs to write.

Content: A biker chick who's tits defy gravity.

What makes you content? Is it a net full of fish or tits that defy gravity? Are you happy and content with what you have or do you want to strive for more? What drives us to be content with our lives is what makes us stronger. It also defines what our priorities are. We are what we want to be, the only person who can be changed is one who can change himself.

Be content in what you have, strive to improve what you have. Always be sure to Live, Laugh, Love.

BTW, I'm content with a belly full of beer and getting my dipstick slicked up.

Peace out homies

Pig

The American Dream is Alive & Well

Welcome back all my good friends. I'm so glad that you are here today. I have great news today. The American dream is alive and well. I know that so many of us are having a hard time right now with the current economy and there are many of us currently out of work. Living the dream has never been easy, it takes hard work, time, desire and determination. A lot of people are happy living the dream by having the career. Others want the house, family and a large line of credit.

The kind of dream I'm talking about is the one where people live by opening their own business. A good friend of ours, Chris Gibson, just opened his first motorcycle shop, Texican Cycles on Saturday in Jourdanton, TX. I'm really encouraged by this cause Ray & I try everyday to keep our dreams alive. We know what it takes and what it means to do this.

We met Chris & his crew over at Texas Pride bike night last year. Chris has a computerized Dyno Trailer. He can hook your bike up to it and test out the performance of your bike for a few dollars. Ray made a deal with Chris for Chris to do a dyno on Rays Honda and Ray cleaned Chris's Harley. They have been hanging out at the Pride ever since.

Well anyway, Chris completed his tech schooling, bought the trailer and began working on bikes out of the house. As his business grew, he bought some property and little by little he got the building built with a store inside it. Saturday was the day it all came together for him and his crew.

I tried to sleep in on Saturday but Ray on the other hand decided to roll out early and get some stuff done before we could head out. I caught up with Ray and inquired as to what time we would be heading out. Ray had a puzzled look on his face as I asked him. His reply caught me off guard.

“I don't know if I want to go Pig”.

“What!?!”

“It's so hot Pig, I don't know if I want to ride in this heat”

“Screw the heat you little pussy”, I pointed my fist at him, “Don't you do this to Chris and his guys. They are counting on us to be there”.

Ray kind of hung his head in shame and looked down at the floor. I handed him a bottle of cold water and whispered “Suck it up dude, we're going”. Ray sucked down the water and between gulps he slurred something about me getting the bike cleaned up. I obliged his wishes and quickly got the bike ready. A short time later we were headed down the road

Jourdanton, Texas is about 45 minutes south of San Antonio and there are two ways to get there. The long way via the back roads would take about an hour and is out of the way to make it a straight shot, but if you take I-37 south you can get right there. As we passed by the bank, I noticed that the time was 12:07 and that it was 92*. No wonder Ray didn't want to ride, it is damm hot. Well Ray took the shorter route and got us there in no time. Good thing too, I needed something drink BAD!

We pulled in and found the party. They had the BBQ going and a couple of those Port a Cool too. About 20 or so people were there mulling around having a few cold drinks with their BBQ. We dismounted and joined them. As we approached you could feel the dream around you. There was a sense of pride in the air. People were there to celebrate and for good reason. The American dream of opening your own business was alive and well.

There are so few people in our world who can understand the advantages and the disadvantages of owning your own business. Lets take a moment to see.

Advantages                                                Disadvantages

The chance to give someone a job.          Having to deal with employees

Working with your customers                  Having to deal with customers

Having the chance to give back               Having to give more than your fair to your country                                         to the government

The satisfaction of a successful              The stress of running a business

business

The list goes on & on but the excitement of trying will always out-weight the disadvantages. It's all part of the American dream.

Chris and his crew have a really nice place. Ray and I both hope and pray that they will succeed even in these times of economic difficulty. If you ever need something for your bike give Chris a call. Gods Speed to Texican Cycles, we wish them only the best.

Pig

Much ado about nothing

Hey Ya'll

Yeah, I'm back with another post. It's good to be posting another blog today, I've had a little bit of the writers block syndrome. I wasn't really sure what to write about these days. I guess it has something to do with weather. It is still so

F****** hot here in south Texas. Relax, I'm not going to blog again about the weather, but I will say that I am tired of getting burn marks on my butt everytime I sit down. Work has still been slow. Not too many bikes to clean lately. Ray says that money is tight right now for everyone and that the ones who do have money, are playing it smart and hanging onto it. I just wish with all of this down time that I had the money to get my hooves manicured. Ray told me I could have the money if I didn't drink so much beer. Sorry dude, I do have my priorities.

We (Ray & I) haven't been able to set up at Texas Pride for the past two weeks, it keeps raining on Thursdays around here. (Then on Friday the air is so humid you could cut it with a knife) We have been working on the plans for the “Route 66” trip. So far, we are still planning on just taking the route through Texas. If time and money allow, we may go into Oklahoma for a ways before we head home. Ray has me doing all of the research for the trip. I haven't been able to find to much to do when we get there but check out a bunch of old broken down buildings. Ray seems to be excited though, he keeps saying something about listening to the ghosts of the past. We will have to see about that cause I'm not so sure I want some old ghost talking to me.

Anyway, I like I said, I do the research and Ray's doing the prep on the bike. Since we did the Athens run back in April, Ray has been working on building a set of saddle bags and front faring and windshield for the bike. He really enjoys making his own custom parts. It gives him a personal satisfaction that his bike will have parts on it that no one else in this world will have. All I know is we need something to carry all of our junk in.

I think what I need most is another cold beer and to get laid.

Just Trying To Get Ready

Well, Well, Well.

Welcome back all you lovers of pork products. Yep, it's me again, the one, the only, that little pink porker that leaves you reeling from the feeling. Pig.

I trust that you all had a nice Fourth of July this year. Lots of BBQ (Beef only please), beer and fireworks. If you had one or more of the above mentioned then you had a better Fourth than I did. Oh I guess my 4^th was OK, It's just that Ray did stock up on beer for the holiday, problem was he hid it where I couldn't get to it. Oh well, all hope was not lost, I just moseyed across the street to the neighbors house and crashed their party. I'm not welcome over at their house so I had to hide under the table and sneak a beer when no one was looking. Enough of that. Today's blog has to deal more on the route 66 trip.

One my last blog, I told you of some history about route 66. I know, I know, it was probably a little boring. Sorry if it was, but it gave us some background on which to start from. OK here's the deal. Next spring, sometime in April, Ray & I are going to make a trip to the panhandle of Texas. Route 66 ran through Amarillo and several other small Texas towns

Now I know that someone out there just said “next spring WTF, go now” Hold on there cowboy we have a few problems to solve first. First problem is the bike is not ready to make a long distance haul. Ray doesn't have saddle bags or suitcases to mount on the bike. We have no way of carrying a change of clothes or even tools. (I don't know about Ray, but I don't wear 2 day old underwear) On long distant trips, you have to have the right gear. Not over loaded but not under prepared. Second problem, Schedule, Summer is too hot to enjoy the trip. In the fall we are going to NASCAR races in Fort Worth. Winter has the holidays and cold weather. So that leaves the spring time. Third and most important problem, Money. I hate to admit it but we're a little short on cash. Work has been a little slow this year and not too many people are getting their bikes cleaned. I have noticed that lately, people have not been spending a whole lot of money out there. It will cost us on the average of $135.00 per day to go. That includes gas, oil, motel, food, ect. Now if Ray really went cheap and I didn't drink beer on the trip, we could get that amount down. However, it would be wise to prepare for the worse and hope for the best. If any of you fine folks out there have any suggestions, please let the Pig know.

Now Ray has already started on a set of saddle bags and a faring for the bike. He could have gone out and bought them. But he has some half-baked, hair-brain idea that he can build some kind of a custom set himself. (This should be real interesting to see what he comes up with). I'll give more details and updates as he progresses. We might just have a good laugh over it.

My job, meanwhile, is to start securing some old maps with the route on it, look up current maps. I will need to find fuel depots, motels and places to eat. I may try to find some campsites, If we did that instead of motels, the trip might be more interesting. Ray said something this morning about a movie called “Easy Rider” He told me to find it and watch it. He informed me that it's a movie about two hippie bikers that made a similar trip from LA to New Orleans and that they may have traveled some of the same road to make that film. COOL HUH?

Well, we have a lot to do between now and next April. I'll get back with you real soon with more updates. Ride hard or stay home.

Pig

Route 66

Hey Ya'll,

The Pig is back once again and he is still full of his hot love for all you fine, young ladies out there. Ladies, just give me a call and I will be right over. OK, with that out of the way it is now down to business. Good news, as I had promised in my blog back in May, I promised that I would start to put together a “Route 66” ride. And that I would get back to everyone with more details. Now the bad news (it's not that bad) As I was researching the web about the old Route 66, I discovered a VAST amount of information to go through. Now when I say VAST, I mean I found a ton of info to digest. (just Google route 66 and see what I mean) I have only begun to scratch the surface of everything there is regarding the history behind the mother road.

Now I know that there are some of you out there who are asking “What is so special about route 66 and why should I care”? I am here today to answer those questions. Before you sign off and not read the rest of the blog please take a minute and hear what this Pig is oinking about.

Let me give a very brief summary about the route. US 66 was commissioned by the federal government in the summer of 1926. It was intended to connect the main streets of rural & urban communities along its course for the most practical reasons. It also created a single direct route from Chicago to Los Angeles thus making it the “main street of America”. During the great depression and the dust bowls of Oklahoma, the route served as a way for people to find prosperity out west. In John Steinbeck's novel “The Grapes of Wrath” Route 66 was called the “mother road” giving those migrant farmers new hope and and new life. During WWll the route served as an important route for troop and equipment movement from one end of the country to the other. Businesses along the route still prospered even in times of economic down fall as they were able to still serve the things that people needed to travel.

After the war the country began to rebound and people began to travel more. The route changed from a road of necessity to a road of comfort along with adventure. The 1946 Bobby Troup song sung by Nat King Cole, “Get your kicks on Route 66” made the road even more appealing. During the 50's came the mom & pop motels and motor courts, hamburger stands, souvenir shop and snake farms became points of interest and legendary. The hay-days of the 50's also became the demise of the great route as Americans quickly began to outgrow the capacity of the road. The government had put plans into effect and started the new interstate system of four lane highways that started to by-pass the small towns.

In the 1960's the route spawned a TV show Route 66 that featured two young men cruising the route trying to find a place to grow roots. As the new interstates were being built and put into the use, the businesses along the route began to feel the hurt of lost business. The outdated, poorly maintained vestiges of US Highway 66 completely succumbed to the interstate system in October 1984 when the final section of the original road was bypassed by Interstate 40 at Williams, Arizona.

The once great road was decommissioned by the government in 1985. It was then when all of the road signs were removed leaving the people along the route to fend for themselves.

Decommissioned.

A general term used for the formal process to remove something from active status.

Sounds to me more like another word for “death”. Or how about like “Your fired”! “Thanks for helping out, you can leave now, you are no longer wanted ”.

Decommissioned

A hunk of junk left to lay and rot.

US Highway 66 is @ 2,400 miles long, it ran through 8 different states. The main street of America that defined the real America. It was and still is a part of our national identity. It is the road to opportunity. For you see this country is based primarily on small business. Large corporations only make up around 10% of our nations total work force. That leaves the remaining 90% to small businesses like the Mom & Pops. When the interstates were put in, the majority of businesses placed along the new roads were run by large corporations like national gas station chains and national motel chains. Leaving the Mom & Pops to fend for themselves.

When I first started researching this, I asked myself the same questions I listed above, “what is so special & why should I care”? The route is just a bunch of old road with falling down buildings and nothing out there. Who cares? I said something to Ray about it, in which he began to enlighten me as to the importance of the old route. Ray said:

“The importance of the old route is this, If you don't remember your history, then history is doomed to repeat its self. US Route 66 gave us more than 'the road to opportunity' for this country. It fed our sense of adventure. It inspired future generations to achieve greatness. Without roads like that how could we have accomplished feats things like flying to the moon. The road was more than a bunch of old gas stations and souvenir shops. It was the real America, the land of opportunity. Think of the snake farms and side shows that taught and inspired kids to become something useful in life. What about the restaurants that inspired new dishes to try. So many new business ideas were first tried out on that road and the ones that works were used in bigger cities. The road tied us together as Americans, we were able to see how the other half of the country lived. As a kid, I traveled that road many of times on family vacations. The memories are still there. I had a lot of fun on that road, I also learned a few things about life too.

The people who lived and worked along the road were the real Americans. They didn't ask for government bailouts. They paid their bills and taxes and they supported America, they flew our nations flag with pride and stood tall. That road supported farmers and cattlemen, it supported communities and small towns, it was life for so many people. And when the interstate came in it slipped a noose around their necks. They called upon Washington for help. What did they get? Ignored. Decommissioned. Left to fend for themselves. Their livelihoods taken over by corporate America. That road you can't realize why we should care is more important than you think. If we fail to remember our history, then history is doomed to repeat its self.”

Those words did more than just rattle into one ear and out the other. When Ray had finished I sat quietly for a few hours reflecting on all that I had heard. Then it happened, a fire was lit inside of me. I decided that the old road really is important and that all the vast information that I began to scratch the surface of needs to be gone through. Ray & I made a pact with each other. We agreed to one day real soon to ride the old “Main Street of America” and we will. We will visit those old towns, take pictures and talk to the people who remain there. We have a new mission to go for, a new adventure to undertake.

“If you ever plan to motor west

Travel my way

Take the highway that's the best

Get your kicks on Route 66”

Bobby Troup 1946

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand and wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn, screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!!!”

It's Summer Time Yeah ! ! !

Hey Everybody,

Yeah I know that it has been a while since you all heard from me, sorry about that, I've been a little under the weather since summer has arrived. Yeah, summer is here and boy is that an understatement. For those of you who do not live here in south Texas you could say it has been hot, real, damn hot, so hot you could fry eggs on the sidewalk. It's so hot that sitting in the oven would feel like being in air conditioning. It's so hot that BBQ pits glow in the dark. It's so hot,...well you get the point.

Summertime is always a great time. sxhool is out, the kids are playing, the pools are always full and in the evenings there is always ice cream or maybe a chilled watermelon to enjoy. Summer usually bring vacations or trips to other places, hot chicks in skimpy little outfits and reasons to drink more cold beer.

Yeah, summertime can really be great. That is, unless, you live in the backyard of hell, this fiery heat is melting the fat off of my spare ribs. Now I like I said, there are a lot of neat things about summertime and one of those things is outdoor cooking. (I don't mean frying eggs on the sidewalk). One of my favorite recipes is famunda cheese. That delicate cracker spread that is very popular and so easy to make. If you have never tried it before, you should. It's great for the whole family.

Pigs Famunda Cheese. (Pronouced "From under my nuts)

Prepare the crotchpot

Take one hot day. Outside temperature needs to be 95* +

Wear blue jeans (loose fitting works best)

Go out into the sun and work hard all day (no less than 9 hours)

Be sure to drink a lot of water during the day (You will want to sweat extra hard)

At the end of the work day go inside into the a/c.

Strip off your clothes like you are getting ready to get into the shower.

Walk up behind your wife.

Reach into your underwear and scratch under you nutsack for 30 seconds.

Now test the quality of your cheese by waving your fingertips under your wife's nose. The pungent odor of your cheese will determine who good of a job you did.

A good famunda cheese will receive a review comment of “OH GROSS”.

An excellent famunda cheese will receive several gags and dry heaves.

WARNING: Be careful not to receive a punch in the face, as this could be harmful to the appearance of your face.

After you finish enjoying the sharing of your cheese with others, take a good cool shower with lots of soap and water. Put on a pair of shorts, go sit in your chair and enjoy the rest of your day with a ice cold beer.

Ride Hard Or Stay Home

Pig

To all of my faithful followers, Greetings

It's the Pig again and time for some more pickle tickle with the pig poker. What a day it has been. Since we have been home everything has been a little rough for me. Stacey has been making me sleep outside to try and keep the house clean. That was the start of a bad day today. For you see I sneaked back inside and crashed out on the couch before anyone else got up. Sometime before 8, Ray got up and was walking down the hall when I heard him muttering WTF. I just ignored him and continued to watch a little TV. Ray continued into the living room and started asking me questions about the floor.

“What about the floor, what are you flapping your jaw about now”, I sneered at him. Ray pointed at the floor when he asked me “Why is the floor covered in feathers”? I looked down and grinned, the floor had indeed been covered in feathers. They were everywhere, the hallway, the kitchen, the living room and the front room. Ray asked me who put them there and why didn't I clean them up? “Piss on that, why should I after you make me sleep outside, besides why don't you ask the cat what happened”.

Ray just walked out of the room and got the vacuum cleaner out. He started getting the mess to disappear when he came along the remains of was once a bird. It was all chewed up in pieces, laying in a pile of feathers. Ray quickly got rid of the body and not a moment too soon. Stacey was sleeply coming down the hall/ She needed to know why her sleep was interrupted by the whirling of the vacuum. She never said one word. She just looked in horror at the mess on the floor and gave Ray the same look and looked back down at the floor and back up to Ray.

Ray tried to tell her that it must have been the cat. But she would have none of it, not her precious cat could be guilty of such a horrible crime. Instead she just took one look at me and proceeded to beat me on the head just like she always does when she is mad at me. She chased me out of the house and into my pen pounding my head the whole time. She finally stopped used me for a punching bag and headed off to the house. I could hear the two of them going at it over the mess inside so I resolved to just keep to myself for the rest of the day. It might be beneficial to my health.

The morning turned into an afternoon of heat and humidity (I miss the Wisconsin weather, it was so much nicer). It was around 4 when I finally seen Ray come out into the backyard. He was lighting the grill to do a little BBQ. Boy oh boy, that means roasted corn on the cob. Oh that gorgeous, golden yellow ear of corn with melted butter and good shake of salt. Oh I can just taste it now. Ray got the grill hot and loaded it up before he came over to let me out of my pen. We went up and sat down on the porch when Ray handed me a frosty cold Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer.

I used the bottle as an ice pack on my sore head for a few moments before consuming that bubbly brew. Wanting to know what else was on the grill, I lifted up the lid and found to a horror of my own that there was no corn on the cob on the grill. I slammed the lid down. My heart was not broken, it was shattered. How could he not make corn for me. I bet that mean & rotten Stacey had something to do with it. But just to be sure I checked under the lid once more. I was about to become very sick. There was not steak on that grill, no, no steak. Instead there was PORK BABY BACK RIBS. Those could have belonged to one of my cousins. Gross.

Dejected, sick and wobbly I limped back to my pen to lay down. What a day. When everything was done Ray carried it all inside for them to eat. I just stayed outside and let them enjoy it.

Let them enjoy.

Enjoy.

They get to enjoy dinner while I stay out here in the heat, hungry and not feeling well at all.

Enjoy

Enjoy my ass !!!

Blue, the cat was laying on the back porch as I spied another bird in the yard. It was a nice, fat, plump gray dove. I looked at the cat and then back at the dove as the wheels began to turn inside my head.

Enjoy my ass !!!

Enjoy?!?

Oh yes, I will enjoy this. I caught that bird and trotted up to the porch. I handed that bird to the cat and opened the dog door for him. With the live bird in his mouth, the cat walked into the house and proceeded to kill and eat the bird right there in the dining room as they ate their prize rib dinner.

Enjoying dinner my good friends?

What I heard next is best described only sweet revenge can give. I could hear Ray yelling “Oh My God, oh how GROSS. And the best thing I heard was Stacey BLOWING GROCERIES all over the table at the sight of that cat eating that bird right there in her house. I laughed so hard I pissed myself.

I guess this day wasn't so bad after all.

Time to put a stop to it now!!!

Hello Everyone, Ray Here.

Thanks for stopping by Pigs Blog. I am writing today because I received an e-mail concerning WWII and history that really touched my heart and I feel that I need to share it with you all. I know that Pig is not a political blogger and I am not asking him to become one either. However, things that have happened in the past all happen for a reason. We cannot change what has happened in our own past and we cannot ignore history. We need to keep history true and pure. Let's get to the e-mail.

When I was a kid, I couldn't understand why Eisenhower was so popular.
Maybe this will explain why.

General Eisenhower Warned Us

It is a matter of history that when the Supreme Commander of the
Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the
death camps he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for
the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through
the camps and even made to bury the dead.

He did this because he said in words to this effect:

'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses -because
somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say
that this never happened'

This week, the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its
school curriculum because it 'offends' the Muslim population which
claims it never occurred. It is not removed as yet.. However, this
is
a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how
easily each country is giving into it.

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe
ended. This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of
the,6 million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians, and
1,900 Catholic priests Who were 'murdered, raped, burned, starved,
beat, experimented on and humiliated' while the German people looked
the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iran , among others, claiming the Holocaust
to be 'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world never
forgets.


This e-mail is intended to reach 400 million people! Be a link in
the
memorial chain and help distribute this around the world.

How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center
'NEVER HAPPENED',

Because it offends some Muslim in the U.S. ???

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE...SOMEONE HAD TO PAY FOR IT
 

Because it offends some Muslims here in the U.S.???

Freedom isn't free, someone had to pay for it.

History teaches us everything we need to know. It is called experiance.  Without it you wouldn't know how to move one foot in front of the other. We must keep in mind things that have happened in the past to be able to move forward in the future. If you forget what has happened in the past you are doomed for history to repeat itself. Just because a few people chose to believe the holocaust did not happen does not give them the right rewrite ANYONE'S history book. If this is allowed to happen what is the next item they chose to believe didn't happen. I'm sorry if thier demeaner of hatered towards the Jewish nation is thier top priorty, it is not mine.  Speak up now America! Take your country back and refuse to let anyone push you around!!!

You can always e-mail me or Pig at ray@raysbikecleananddetail.com Have a great day and be proud of America

I'm Sorry

Hey Gang, Pig Here.

Well we made it home last night from our road trip. It sure was good to get home. Well it was good until I walked inside the house. Upon entry, we found that Stacey had cleaned the house from top to bottom. When that happens it means that I end up sleeping outside in the pen. Stacey has this thing about pigs making a mess in the house. Great, here we go again. After a night outside I was allowed back into the house (that is after Ray came home).

I sat down and wrote my next blog and realized that I owe everyone an apology. I had written the blog and was ready to publish it when Ray looked it over and said that I was wrong for saying what it said. I asked what was wrong with it and I was informed that I missed a lot during the trip. So everyone out there who reads these words “I, Pig, hereby apologize for any and all negative statements I have made during the trip”. See I wrote about how bad the trip was. What I failed to see during the trip was how much we were following the old “Route 66”. It appears that while I was too busy crying over the rain and boredom, I didn't see any of the old signs or the old buildings. But the reality of it is I didn't even know anything about Route 66 other than recognition of the highway emblem.

After Ray proof read my first blog, he suggested that I google Route 66 and see what I find. I did just that. WOW, you wouldn't believe some of the history behind the Route. I found out that it was created in 1926, linking Chicago, IL. to Santa Monica CA. Then decommissioned in 1965 with the creation of the interstate highway. The road was lined with the old mom and pop motels, eateries of different kinds and LOTS of neon. It was a time in America when men & women ventured out into the great unknown and what they found was the real America.

My brief bit of research found a vast mountain of information and history behind Route 66 that won't allow me to post it all here. I wish I had known about the route before we left on our trip, I would have paid more attention to it and maybe we could have taken a few sections of the old road. Ray has a Route 66 patch on his vest and I never knew what it meant. As I continued to dig deeper and deeper into Route 66, I began to have a burning sensation down in my gut. (No, its not VD) I now have the desire to find the old route and relive some of Americas past. I realize now that I have a new mission in life. Call it a mission from God. The mission I have chosen is to plan a new road trip (on the bike) retracing the old road. It will take some time to do this as I need more research in the planning the route.

If anyone out there is interested in knowing some of the info I find, shoot me a comment or e-mail and I will blog it when I get a chance. If anyone is interested in going on this road trip then gear up and lets go. Hmmmm, maybe our road trip to Wisconsin wasn't a total waste after all

Call me, we'll do lunch

Pig

"If you ever plan to motor west,

Travel my way,

Take the highway that's the best,

Get your kicks on Route 66"