I tried to post this last night, but was having one heck of a time with the Internet connection.
To pick up the thread I started a few days ago, we were talking about how to tell people you are in business. I talked about how to open a conversation with a complete stranger in the last post, stressing that you do not want to push your business hard, you want to give them just enough information to be curious and interested. Do not scare them away with too much information at the initial meeting.
Once you have peaked their interest, I strongly recommend that unless they are willing to talk business (which is most unlikely) right now, offer to call them in a few days to talk. If they don't have time in the next few days, offer to send them some e-mail information. You want to keep their interest peaked, but don't go overboard. You want them to come to you. Once that occurs, you are no longer Selling, you are now offering information and possibly a solution to their particular problem or concern. You want people to see you not as a salesperson, but as someone who cares about their interests and needs and may have something to offer them that might just help with a particular issue they are dealing with.
Always keep the conversation light until the other person starts getting specific. You do not want to scare them away with your intensity (I do have a problem with that sometimes) but you want to be enthusiastic about what you do for a living. You want them to come to you, not for you to chase them. You want them to look at you as offering a solution to a particular problem they have, not that you are trying to sell them something they don't need.
Some of you may feel this is too soft of a sales approach. I have found though that this approach works well for me personally. I am more interested in building relationships with the people I do business with rather than making money off of them. The people you talk to are sensitive to that, and I believe it pays dividends in the long run. I want to be in business a long time, I am not interested in making a "quick buck" off an individual, I would rather be there to offer solutions to their issues or concerns. Once they realize that you are not going to take advantage of them, there is a much higher probability that they will tell their friends about you and what you do. This way, the people you interact with will be more willing to tell others about you and will portray you as a trustworthy source.
In the next few days, I will continue discussing how to let people know you are in business... until then...
If you are interested in exploring second income streams or alternative business opportunities, please check out www.hawgwash.net. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment here or e-mail me.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
More Travels with Hawgwash
Well, today was an absolutely beautiful day. There were almost no clouds in the sky, the weather was warm, the air was clear...well, you get the picture. Since our Internet access has been very slow and I was getting extremely frustrated with the lack of speed and / or access, we decided to go out for a bit and explore Colorado Springs.
We are camping very close to the Garden of the Gods. I had visited the Garden when I was a young girl, so I really was looking forward to seeing it as an adult. (It has to have been over 40 years since I was there...) We drove the 4 or so miles up to the Garden, and as we were getting near, I kept looking over at some cool rock formations which kept reminding me of something. Then the signs said to turn left for the Garden of the Gods. Lo and behold, the rock formations I had been watching as we were riding along were the entryway to the Garden of the Gods. I knew there was something familiar about it.
For me there were significant changes, but what would you expect in 40 or so years? Anyway, even though I had high expectations, I was not disappointed with what I saw. There were a few monoliths I didn't find that I thought I remembered as a child, but I am now not sure that those monoliths were here. They could have been somewhere else in our travels. The main changes I noted was that the road is no longer dirt and there are very well marked paths all along and through the Garden.
The City of Colorado Springs and the Parks Services have done a wonderful job keeping this Garden a place to visit. This year marks the 100th year anniversary. I found the plaque that dedicated the Garden of the Gods to the City of Colorado Springs and have included that picture here. Unfortunately, the pictures do not do justice to this magnificent park. It is a registered National Landmark (as it should be) and should always be free to visitors. That was part of the agreement in 1909 when it was dedicated to the City of Colorado Springs.
If you are a technical climber, this is a great place to go play. They allow climbers (with the appropriate permits and equipment) to climb many of the rock formations. We had the opportunity to watch several climbers attempt various rock faces. One lady looked like a new climber, but did a fantastic job getting to the top of one of the formations. It made me want to go locate my old climbing gear and start climbing again. Luckily, I didn't have a chance to climb, I probably would have broken my neck.
If you ever have an opportunity to come to Colorado Springs, I would highly recommend taking a trip to visit the Garden of the Gods, it is an awe inspiring place to go. I just wish we had more time to spend wandering around. The park is fairly large and there is a wonderful network of hiking trails all around. Hopefully in the next few years we will be able to have time to spend wandering around this Garden.
That is all for tonight. Thanks to being in business for myself, I do have the opportunity to visit locations like this at the spur of the moment. People chained to a regular job would be hard pressed to be able to wander around as much. Tomorrow I will continue on my thread of how to let people know you are in business. Take care....
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
How to tell people you are in business for yourself
I am working on keeping these daily blogs shorter so that you do not spend too long reading each day. In order to do that, I will have to spread the discussion over several days. So here it goes...
I have struggled with the question about how to tell people I am in business for the whole time I have been in business for myself. Short of wearing a billboard all the time, you want to let people know you are in business, but you don't want to be a pest about it either. The big question is how to tell them without being a pain.
The best way I have figured out so far is to open a general conversation with the person, do not start with a specific agenda. You can be standing in line at the grocery store and you both see something worth commenting on. I always have trouble starting conversations (yes, really I do) and have to psych myself into opening a conversation with a complete stranger. With practice it does get marginally easier, but you always have to work at it (at least I do).
Once you start the conversation, let it move naturally and watch for an opportunity. The best way to have a constructive conversation is to listen to the other person more than you talk. When you start listening to them, they begin to trust you and are willing to open up to you more. When you have gained some of their trust, you can start asking questions. Just be sensitive to the time you spend talking, the other person may really have something else that must be done. In today's society, we all have a lot to do in a very short period of time.
(If you start up a conversation with a stranger, only answer your cell phone if it is an EXTREMELY urgent call. If you pick up that phone while talking to the stranger and you do not excuse yourself, you just let the other person know that their time was not very important to you. You need to make sure the other person knows that you value their time and opinion, so be careful when and if you answer the ringing cell phone.)
Once you have started an open dialog, you can then ask the other person what they do for a living. They will usually talk a bit about what they are doing, or not doing and whether they are happy doing their job. The next natural question from them is to reciprocate and ask you what you do for a living. Now, if you had been listening to the person up until now, you are in an excellent position to talk about what you do and to tailor it to the current person's needs (if applicable). Do not push your business, treat it casually, but do not talk it down and you may be very surprised how receptive the other person may be to finding out more about what you do.
If you find you are both short on time, you may want to exchange e-mail addresses and/or phone numbers if the other person is remotely interested in what you do for a business. Do not take a lot of their time talking about your business if you are both pressed for time. The most effective route is to exchange information and set at time to contact them when it is convenient to both of you. The other person will appreciate your sensitivity to their time constraints, and you will find you get more qualified people to talk to.
I will continue this thread in the next day or so... until tomorrow...
If you are interested in finding a business opportunity that may meet your needs, please visit www.hawgwash.net or feel free to contact me through e-mail or in comments to this blog posting.
I have struggled with the question about how to tell people I am in business for the whole time I have been in business for myself. Short of wearing a billboard all the time, you want to let people know you are in business, but you don't want to be a pest about it either. The big question is how to tell them without being a pain.
The best way I have figured out so far is to open a general conversation with the person, do not start with a specific agenda. You can be standing in line at the grocery store and you both see something worth commenting on. I always have trouble starting conversations (yes, really I do) and have to psych myself into opening a conversation with a complete stranger. With practice it does get marginally easier, but you always have to work at it (at least I do).
Once you start the conversation, let it move naturally and watch for an opportunity. The best way to have a constructive conversation is to listen to the other person more than you talk. When you start listening to them, they begin to trust you and are willing to open up to you more. When you have gained some of their trust, you can start asking questions. Just be sensitive to the time you spend talking, the other person may really have something else that must be done. In today's society, we all have a lot to do in a very short period of time.
(If you start up a conversation with a stranger, only answer your cell phone if it is an EXTREMELY urgent call. If you pick up that phone while talking to the stranger and you do not excuse yourself, you just let the other person know that their time was not very important to you. You need to make sure the other person knows that you value their time and opinion, so be careful when and if you answer the ringing cell phone.)
Once you have started an open dialog, you can then ask the other person what they do for a living. They will usually talk a bit about what they are doing, or not doing and whether they are happy doing their job. The next natural question from them is to reciprocate and ask you what you do for a living. Now, if you had been listening to the person up until now, you are in an excellent position to talk about what you do and to tailor it to the current person's needs (if applicable). Do not push your business, treat it casually, but do not talk it down and you may be very surprised how receptive the other person may be to finding out more about what you do.
If you find you are both short on time, you may want to exchange e-mail addresses and/or phone numbers if the other person is remotely interested in what you do for a business. Do not take a lot of their time talking about your business if you are both pressed for time. The most effective route is to exchange information and set at time to contact them when it is convenient to both of you. The other person will appreciate your sensitivity to their time constraints, and you will find you get more qualified people to talk to.
I will continue this thread in the next day or so... until tomorrow...
If you are interested in finding a business opportunity that may meet your needs, please visit www.hawgwash.net or feel free to contact me through e-mail or in comments to this blog posting.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
My Accelerated Weight Loss
As promised, I am going to let you in on my little secret about what I have done to increase my weight loss this week.
I have been trying to lose weight for years, in the last 4 years I have put on more weight than I ever did. I believe that most of my weight problems were due to my metabolism slowing down radically. Once I put on the weight, it was a massive job to get any of it off.
I have been using the Core4 products pretty religiously for the last month and have seen reasonable weight loss and happily inches lost around my waist and hips. The overall concept of the CNI Core4 plan is that you don't significantly modify your diet.
Some of the powers that be in CNI have put out a preliminary plan for accelerated weight loss. This was designed for some people (like me) whose bodies appear "sticky" (serious fat storing mode) where it was very hard for them to take any significant weight off. Since I have been pleased with my current weight loss and have suffered no side effects (that I noticed...other than getting thinner...) with the Core4 system, I thought it would be interesting to try this new accelerated program.
The program itself is only 9 days long. The recommendation is always that you consult a doctor before beginning any weight loss plan. After the 9 day plan, they recommend that you do not repeat it for a week so that you don't lose too much weight and put too much of a strain on your body.
This plan was designed to counteract the effects of the nutrient deficient foods and help us purge the toxins that we may have consumed from our food and water. This program uses the Core4 products to really stimulate your metabolism and maximize your results. It is hoped that this program will really charge up your metabolism and turn it into a fat burning machine instead of a fat storing machine.
So far this program has worked really well for me. I have just finished Day 6 of the 9 day program and am pleased with the results (as noted in yesterday's blog).
For the specifics on the plan, please send me a message and I will send the specific plan to you.
During this phase, I started using the maximum dosages of Accelerate and Flush (taking 2 capsules each instead of 1 each)
Basically, the first two days I spent focused on the Lean shakes only, then the next 5 days I had the Lean shake in the morning and really worked on eating healthy meals for Lunch and Dinner. The last two days I am supposed to focus on taking the Lean shakes.
Since I am only in Day 6, I can't tell you yet the final results, but I can say that I am losing weight faster, my waist is definitely getting smaller, as are my hips. I am not lethargic, nor grumpy. I am happy to report that my stomach actually rumbles when it is hungry (that didn't happen for a long time), but I don't get the headaches when my stomach rumbles. I am happy to feel the hunger pangs, it means my metabolism is working again.
I think that I will follow this 9-day plan once a month to be sure my body stays on the high metabolism track. I don't want to lose my weight too fast so I won't do the 9 days, then a week off and then the 9 day plan again. I really am not in a position to keep that much of a modified diet. I can modify my diet for 9 days much easier than if I did it every other week.
I will post again about my weight loss at the end of this experiment, in 3 days time. With luck, by the next time you see me, you won't recognize the thinner me... My goal is to get back to my optimum weight by the end of this year.
Until tomorrow...
I have been trying to lose weight for years, in the last 4 years I have put on more weight than I ever did. I believe that most of my weight problems were due to my metabolism slowing down radically. Once I put on the weight, it was a massive job to get any of it off.
I have been using the Core4 products pretty religiously for the last month and have seen reasonable weight loss and happily inches lost around my waist and hips. The overall concept of the CNI Core4 plan is that you don't significantly modify your diet.
Some of the powers that be in CNI have put out a preliminary plan for accelerated weight loss. This was designed for some people (like me) whose bodies appear "sticky" (serious fat storing mode) where it was very hard for them to take any significant weight off. Since I have been pleased with my current weight loss and have suffered no side effects (that I noticed...other than getting thinner...) with the Core4 system, I thought it would be interesting to try this new accelerated program.
The program itself is only 9 days long. The recommendation is always that you consult a doctor before beginning any weight loss plan. After the 9 day plan, they recommend that you do not repeat it for a week so that you don't lose too much weight and put too much of a strain on your body.
This plan was designed to counteract the effects of the nutrient deficient foods and help us purge the toxins that we may have consumed from our food and water. This program uses the Core4 products to really stimulate your metabolism and maximize your results. It is hoped that this program will really charge up your metabolism and turn it into a fat burning machine instead of a fat storing machine.
So far this program has worked really well for me. I have just finished Day 6 of the 9 day program and am pleased with the results (as noted in yesterday's blog).
For the specifics on the plan, please send me a message and I will send the specific plan to you.
During this phase, I started using the maximum dosages of Accelerate and Flush (taking 2 capsules each instead of 1 each)
Basically, the first two days I spent focused on the Lean shakes only, then the next 5 days I had the Lean shake in the morning and really worked on eating healthy meals for Lunch and Dinner. The last two days I am supposed to focus on taking the Lean shakes.
Since I am only in Day 6, I can't tell you yet the final results, but I can say that I am losing weight faster, my waist is definitely getting smaller, as are my hips. I am not lethargic, nor grumpy. I am happy to report that my stomach actually rumbles when it is hungry (that didn't happen for a long time), but I don't get the headaches when my stomach rumbles. I am happy to feel the hunger pangs, it means my metabolism is working again.
I think that I will follow this 9-day plan once a month to be sure my body stays on the high metabolism track. I don't want to lose my weight too fast so I won't do the 9 days, then a week off and then the 9 day plan again. I really am not in a position to keep that much of a modified diet. I can modify my diet for 9 days much easier than if I did it every other week.
I will post again about my weight loss at the end of this experiment, in 3 days time. With luck, by the next time you see me, you won't recognize the thinner me... My goal is to get back to my optimum weight by the end of this year.
Until tomorrow...
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Weight Loss Update as of August 22, 2009
In case you were interested in the Core4 opportunity and why I got involved, click here for the short 6-minute video: http://www.hawgwash.irepcni.com/home/videos/video2/core4.html
I know I wasn't going to update you on my weight loss / weight management until tomorrow, but I learned something really cool today and didn't want to wait until Sunday to tell everyone.
As most of you know, I have been using the CNI Core4 products to lose weight since the middle of July. Up until last week, I was down about 10 pounds without any significant change to my diet. I say significant because when I felt like skipping a meal, instead I drank a Lean shake. The only other thing I noticed was my appetite was reduced, so I got full faster.
Since my metabolism has been so slow, I wanted to ramp up my weight loss and wanted to see what would happen if I took the full recommended amounts of the Accelerate and Flush (I had been taking one Accelerate and one Flush daily). I started a modified program for the Core4 on Monday (taking 2 Accelerate and 2 Flush daily). I will go into more details about this modified program on Sunday, but wanted to tell you what I discovered today.
I have been working hard on sticking with the Core4 plan and kind of fell off my modified diet today. I had been craving McDonald's for some time now and finally gave in to temptation. I ate a Quarter Pounder with cheese, french fries and a soda with a refill. It tasted great. I was full long before the meal was finished, I couldn't finish the Quarter Pounder meal but sure made a good effort. The downside is that my body has become so used to a more healthy fare (lower in fat, higher in protein) that now my belly and guts have been gurgling like there is no tomorrow. I am so sorry I ate the meal even though it tasted good. I guess I am becoming fast food intolerant (like lactose intolerance?). That is good and bad.
I know that the next time I crave fast food that I will eat it in moderation, not the full meal (good news). I also know that it may be an uncomfortable experience (bad news). I don't know if the folks at CNI knew this could be a side effect, but quite honestly, I like this side effect. It will help to inspire me to keep to a healthier lifestyle. Other than the bad gurgles in my gut and belly, I feel pretty good and have been all week long. I will discuss tomorrow what I did to modify my eating and what the results are so far. See you tomorrow...
I know I wasn't going to update you on my weight loss / weight management until tomorrow, but I learned something really cool today and didn't want to wait until Sunday to tell everyone.
As most of you know, I have been using the CNI Core4 products to lose weight since the middle of July. Up until last week, I was down about 10 pounds without any significant change to my diet. I say significant because when I felt like skipping a meal, instead I drank a Lean shake. The only other thing I noticed was my appetite was reduced, so I got full faster.
Since my metabolism has been so slow, I wanted to ramp up my weight loss and wanted to see what would happen if I took the full recommended amounts of the Accelerate and Flush (I had been taking one Accelerate and one Flush daily). I started a modified program for the Core4 on Monday (taking 2 Accelerate and 2 Flush daily). I will go into more details about this modified program on Sunday, but wanted to tell you what I discovered today.
I have been working hard on sticking with the Core4 plan and kind of fell off my modified diet today. I had been craving McDonald's for some time now and finally gave in to temptation. I ate a Quarter Pounder with cheese, french fries and a soda with a refill. It tasted great. I was full long before the meal was finished, I couldn't finish the Quarter Pounder meal but sure made a good effort. The downside is that my body has become so used to a more healthy fare (lower in fat, higher in protein) that now my belly and guts have been gurgling like there is no tomorrow. I am so sorry I ate the meal even though it tasted good. I guess I am becoming fast food intolerant (like lactose intolerance?). That is good and bad.
I know that the next time I crave fast food that I will eat it in moderation, not the full meal (good news). I also know that it may be an uncomfortable experience (bad news). I don't know if the folks at CNI knew this could be a side effect, but quite honestly, I like this side effect. It will help to inspire me to keep to a healthier lifestyle. Other than the bad gurgles in my gut and belly, I feel pretty good and have been all week long. I will discuss tomorrow what I did to modify my eating and what the results are so far. See you tomorrow...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Financial Freedom
For those of you were wondering if we are on permanent vacation, and we are, kind of.
What we have done is to create a niche for ourselves and are working on being financially free. We are our own boss, we don't report in to anyone except ourselves. I used to work in the corporate world, I was a divisional controller. I was responsible for all kinds of financial transactions of the division, was also involved in building lease negotiations, build-outs of new buildings, and anything else my bosses thought I would be good at. I had a hard time saying "no" to a task, and ended up getting a lot of additional projects added on top. As you can imagine, my hours kept increasing, yet my pay did not match my increase in hours or job responsibility.
After 12 years with one particular company, Steve introduced me to the concept of being financially free. I had always wanted to be my own boss, have my own business, but at the rate I was going, that dream, through my current employment, would not be realized. I was trading my time for dollars, and my time was getting cheaper as the job got longer.
Steve was able to show me that there was another way to do more than earn an income. We are now living the life I had always wanted. I get to travel around the country, I get to go to all different types of motorcycle rallies, I get to talk to people and really spend time with them. I call the shots as to how my time is used. Along the way, we make money doing this. We are financially from from someone telling me when and where to go to work. I am not at someone else's beck and call, I am free to make mistakes, but I am also free to make as much money as I want. There is no "glass ceiling" as is in the corporate world.
This new freedom has added years to my life. Friends that haven't seen me in several years comment that I look younger and more relaxed. I don't have as much anxiety, I am also a lot healthier than when I was working in the corporate world. The really neat thing about how we have become financially independent is that we started it while I was still working and once the business took on a life of it's own, I was able to leave corporate America behind and finally become my own boss. While we were growing our business, it did not interfere with my current job, and it did not create any conflict of interest with my current job. It was really neat to watch a fledgling business grow into something that now supports us and our traveling.
We have since expanded our product offering. We are now "Second Income Consultants" helping others to obtain their dream of financial freedom. Our second income opportunities include waterless technology, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Mona Vie nutritional drinks and our newest opportunity, CNI Core4 Weight Management.
In upcoming blogs I will introduce you to these various business opportunities. Perhaps one of them will interest you. The great thing is that you can choose to dabble in any of these, or go whole hog into them. You can go as far as you choose to go. We are here to help and to coach.
Check out our product offering at www.hawgwash.net We not only offer business opportunities, but do sell products directly from the website too.
Until tomorrow....
What we have done is to create a niche for ourselves and are working on being financially free. We are our own boss, we don't report in to anyone except ourselves. I used to work in the corporate world, I was a divisional controller. I was responsible for all kinds of financial transactions of the division, was also involved in building lease negotiations, build-outs of new buildings, and anything else my bosses thought I would be good at. I had a hard time saying "no" to a task, and ended up getting a lot of additional projects added on top. As you can imagine, my hours kept increasing, yet my pay did not match my increase in hours or job responsibility.
After 12 years with one particular company, Steve introduced me to the concept of being financially free. I had always wanted to be my own boss, have my own business, but at the rate I was going, that dream, through my current employment, would not be realized. I was trading my time for dollars, and my time was getting cheaper as the job got longer.
Steve was able to show me that there was another way to do more than earn an income. We are now living the life I had always wanted. I get to travel around the country, I get to go to all different types of motorcycle rallies, I get to talk to people and really spend time with them. I call the shots as to how my time is used. Along the way, we make money doing this. We are financially from from someone telling me when and where to go to work. I am not at someone else's beck and call, I am free to make mistakes, but I am also free to make as much money as I want. There is no "glass ceiling" as is in the corporate world.
This new freedom has added years to my life. Friends that haven't seen me in several years comment that I look younger and more relaxed. I don't have as much anxiety, I am also a lot healthier than when I was working in the corporate world. The really neat thing about how we have become financially independent is that we started it while I was still working and once the business took on a life of it's own, I was able to leave corporate America behind and finally become my own boss. While we were growing our business, it did not interfere with my current job, and it did not create any conflict of interest with my current job. It was really neat to watch a fledgling business grow into something that now supports us and our traveling.
We have since expanded our product offering. We are now "Second Income Consultants" helping others to obtain their dream of financial freedom. Our second income opportunities include waterless technology, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Mona Vie nutritional drinks and our newest opportunity, CNI Core4 Weight Management.
In upcoming blogs I will introduce you to these various business opportunities. Perhaps one of them will interest you. The great thing is that you can choose to dabble in any of these, or go whole hog into them. You can go as far as you choose to go. We are here to help and to coach.
Check out our product offering at www.hawgwash.net We not only offer business opportunities, but do sell products directly from the website too.
Until tomorrow....
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
More fun while traveling - all about flys
And here I thought that I was going to make a relatively serious post today...HA! Today is the day I should have written about yesterday... (do you remember the phrase, "Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday"?)
As you all probably figured out, we are on the road in Colorado. We are currently at a Colorado State Park, north of Denver. For the last few days we have been swatting flys in the motor home. Until today, they were not bad, but each day the quantity of flys have been increasing. Today we were swatting flys at an alarming rate. Now that begs the question, where are those little buggers coming from.
These are not your regular house flys, more like big fruit flies (REALLY BIG fruit flies) but smaller than the run-of-the mill house fly. We noticed that when we were outside, there was not a preponderance of flys, only inside the motor home. Well, as you can imagine, the hunt began. What could have died in the motor home that we can't smell, yet are drawing flys?
After much searching, we really found nothing. That is, until we lifted the seat of the toilet. Who would have thought to look there (no jokes...). Apparently those guys somehow got into our holding tank and are breeding their little hearts out. At this point (please remember it is now late in the evening when we discover this) I don't want to use the toilet because every time you open the lid, 4-5 flys come zooming out. At first we thought, OK, it's got to be residual smell that is drawing the flys to the toilet.
Well, it wasn't residual smell as I noted earlier. We determined that when we held the little flapper door open and waited. Lo and behold, flys kept flying out of our black tank into the bathroom. Now if it was just me, I would have closed the flapper, killed the flys that came out and then put all kinds of chemicals in the tank to kill the remainder. But Steve wanted to be SURE the flys were coming from there and nowhere else, so he continues to hold the flapper open and let MORE flys into the motor home. Then he comes back to do it again to see if perhaps all the flys had gotten out??? Now can you imagine how many more flys are buzzing around the motor home, getting in my ears, hanging around lights, the dogs are going crazy trying to catch the flys and then Steve is running around with a fly swatter squishing flys willy nilly throughout the motor home.
The worst part about Steve and his fly swatter is the squish that is left after he has caught the fly. Those little guys make more mess dead than alive. It is truly gross. In Steve's defense, he does try to clean up the squish, but really, when he smacks a fly over my head when I am trying to type on the computer, where do you really think those guts go?
The good news is that we have figured a way to out-smart the flys. (I know, we are attributing more brains to flys). We put chemicals in the black tank in hopes of making it more inhospitable, but we are also keeping water in the bowl so the flys can't work their way up through the seals and start flying around here again. The bad news is what happens when you flush? I am not really interested in seeing a swarm of flys rise from the toilet once we basically open the top. Tonight I am walking to the outhouses, I refuse to be the one responsible for flushing and letting more flys into the motor home.
For those of you who thought motor home traveling was traveling for light-weights, you haven't dealt seen anything until you deal with this type of mess. But I still wouldn't trade this lifestyle for the world.
Hopefully I have been able to make you smile for a second day running. I know I promised a more serious article today, but this fly problem was way too funny to not pass along. Take care and I really promise to be more serious tomorrow.
As you all probably figured out, we are on the road in Colorado. We are currently at a Colorado State Park, north of Denver. For the last few days we have been swatting flys in the motor home. Until today, they were not bad, but each day the quantity of flys have been increasing. Today we were swatting flys at an alarming rate. Now that begs the question, where are those little buggers coming from.
These are not your regular house flys, more like big fruit flies (REALLY BIG fruit flies) but smaller than the run-of-the mill house fly. We noticed that when we were outside, there was not a preponderance of flys, only inside the motor home. Well, as you can imagine, the hunt began. What could have died in the motor home that we can't smell, yet are drawing flys?
After much searching, we really found nothing. That is, until we lifted the seat of the toilet. Who would have thought to look there (no jokes...). Apparently those guys somehow got into our holding tank and are breeding their little hearts out. At this point (please remember it is now late in the evening when we discover this) I don't want to use the toilet because every time you open the lid, 4-5 flys come zooming out. At first we thought, OK, it's got to be residual smell that is drawing the flys to the toilet.
Well, it wasn't residual smell as I noted earlier. We determined that when we held the little flapper door open and waited. Lo and behold, flys kept flying out of our black tank into the bathroom. Now if it was just me, I would have closed the flapper, killed the flys that came out and then put all kinds of chemicals in the tank to kill the remainder. But Steve wanted to be SURE the flys were coming from there and nowhere else, so he continues to hold the flapper open and let MORE flys into the motor home. Then he comes back to do it again to see if perhaps all the flys had gotten out??? Now can you imagine how many more flys are buzzing around the motor home, getting in my ears, hanging around lights, the dogs are going crazy trying to catch the flys and then Steve is running around with a fly swatter squishing flys willy nilly throughout the motor home.
The worst part about Steve and his fly swatter is the squish that is left after he has caught the fly. Those little guys make more mess dead than alive. It is truly gross. In Steve's defense, he does try to clean up the squish, but really, when he smacks a fly over my head when I am trying to type on the computer, where do you really think those guts go?
The good news is that we have figured a way to out-smart the flys. (I know, we are attributing more brains to flys). We put chemicals in the black tank in hopes of making it more inhospitable, but we are also keeping water in the bowl so the flys can't work their way up through the seals and start flying around here again. The bad news is what happens when you flush? I am not really interested in seeing a swarm of flys rise from the toilet once we basically open the top. Tonight I am walking to the outhouses, I refuse to be the one responsible for flushing and letting more flys into the motor home.
For those of you who thought motor home traveling was traveling for light-weights, you haven't dealt seen anything until you deal with this type of mess. But I still wouldn't trade this lifestyle for the world.
Hopefully I have been able to make you smile for a second day running. I know I promised a more serious article today, but this fly problem was way too funny to not pass along. Take care and I really promise to be more serious tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
On the lighter side
As promised, this is going to be a "fluffy" night. I couldn't think of anything particularly funny to write. (actually, that is not true, what I wanted to write about would embarrass too many people) It seems most of the funny stories that came to mind were funny from my point of view, not from the person on the receiving end. I have since been struggling about what to write that would be enjoyable to read, but not tax the brain too much.
What I did learn today was that there are pelicans located in inland lakes in Colorado. Until now, I had only believed that pelicans resided in coastal regions. We are currently staying at a park that has several large lakes and I saw pelicans flying overhead today. Of course, Steve did not believe me and for those of you who know me, know I have a tendency to pull legs...so Steve's distrust was well founded. Luckily, as I walked around the lake (actually the park calls them ponds..biggest darn pond I ever saw...1.3 miles in circumference) I found an information board talking about the pelicans at the pond. Hence the name Pelican Pond (duh, Holly!).
[Whenever I see pelicans, I am reminded of the limerick, "The most wonderful bird is the Pelican, whose bill can hold more than it's bellican, he can store in his beak food enough for a week, but I'm darned to see how in helican."]
Anyway, there really are pelicans here in Colorado, specifically the American White Pelican. This bird is found in and around freshwater lakes in the inland United States. These birds are really large, at least as large as the brown pelican you see on the Pacific Ocean and they are white birds. Their beaks are yellow, and they have sort of a flattened "horn" on the top of their bill during breeding season. The one I saw today did not have the "horn" but the picture on the information board along the lake did show the pelicans with the "horn". Those horns only appear during mating season and somehow fall off after the season is over.
By asking some of the campers here, I also found out that the pelican population is year-round at this park. Based on the reading I have done though, these guys are supposed to winter in the Pacific and Gulf Coasts. I guess someone forgot to tell these pelicans that they are not supposed to stay in Colorado all year. Or, perhaps the campers are wrong, nah, campers are always right...aren't they? I am including a picture of an American White Pelican in case anyone is interested (compliments of wikipedia.com).
Take care and I will chat with you all tomorrow.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Why Waterless Technology
As most of you may know, our original business plan was focused around Waterless Technology, specifically waterless vehicle wash products. Our core business was founded on this technology, and though we have expanded to include other products, we still strongly believe in saving water. The million dollar question is why would we have been interested in waterless technology years ago and why is it still pertinent now?
I personally first became aware of a water shortage in the early 80's while living in Southern California where significant population growth was occurring. Southern California used to be a desert, people loved the weather and the beaches so much that they opted to have water brought in via aqueducts from Northern California in order to support the people and agriculture. With unchecked population growth, the water use would also go unchecked until the water that was supplied to Southern California could not support the number of people and businesses using it.
Top that off with years of drought and you begin to see why a serious water crisis began. Cities started putting restrictions on when you can water your lawns and wash your cars. This crisis is no longer in small portions of the United States, it is now becoming a global water shortage. There are reports coming in from all over the globe of water shortages in China, India, Pakistan, and Australia to name a few.
We chose a waterless technology to wash your car because a normal "water" wash would use and/or contaminate 100-200 gallons of drinking water. If we could save anywhere from 100-200 gallons of drinking water from being contaminated, we could help slow down the wasting of our drinking water. Also by cleaning your car without water, you will have better, longer-lasting results in less time. To give you some idea of how many cars are out on the road that will need to be cleaned at some time or another, there are over 70 million registered passenger cars in the US today. And that number keeps growing. We are not even including airplanes, trucks, and other vehicles that need periodic cleaning. If we can reduce the number of vehicles being washed with water, then we can make significant inroads to saving some of earth's most precious resource, water.
Over time, I will continue to write about the water crisis, water usage and our waterless vehicle wash technology. If you would like more information now on how to help save water by not washing your car, please visit www.hawgwash.net and press on the UltraLuster Opportunity button. Or you can visit www.ultraluster.com/hawg1 .
Until next time....
I personally first became aware of a water shortage in the early 80's while living in Southern California where significant population growth was occurring. Southern California used to be a desert, people loved the weather and the beaches so much that they opted to have water brought in via aqueducts from Northern California in order to support the people and agriculture. With unchecked population growth, the water use would also go unchecked until the water that was supplied to Southern California could not support the number of people and businesses using it.
Top that off with years of drought and you begin to see why a serious water crisis began. Cities started putting restrictions on when you can water your lawns and wash your cars. This crisis is no longer in small portions of the United States, it is now becoming a global water shortage. There are reports coming in from all over the globe of water shortages in China, India, Pakistan, and Australia to name a few.
We chose a waterless technology to wash your car because a normal "water" wash would use and/or contaminate 100-200 gallons of drinking water. If we could save anywhere from 100-200 gallons of drinking water from being contaminated, we could help slow down the wasting of our drinking water. Also by cleaning your car without water, you will have better, longer-lasting results in less time. To give you some idea of how many cars are out on the road that will need to be cleaned at some time or another, there are over 70 million registered passenger cars in the US today. And that number keeps growing. We are not even including airplanes, trucks, and other vehicles that need periodic cleaning. If we can reduce the number of vehicles being washed with water, then we can make significant inroads to saving some of earth's most precious resource, water.
Over time, I will continue to write about the water crisis, water usage and our waterless vehicle wash technology. If you would like more information now on how to help save water by not washing your car, please visit www.hawgwash.net and press on the UltraLuster Opportunity button. Or you can visit www.ultraluster.com/hawg1 .
Until next time....
Sunday, August 16, 2009
More weight loss info
I wanted to update you on how my weight loss has gone for the last week. I have not talked about it much this week for several reasons. The first one is that I don't want to bore everyone on what I am doing to lose weight. Once I started on this odyssey, I wasn't sure what to expect, but now I am happily going down the road to healthy weight loss. I also don't want to sound too much like I am bragging, weight loss is not easy most of the time and will vary from person to person. I am very pleased that I have managed to keep the 12 pounds off that I had lost in the first 3 weeks. What has been continuing to happen is that I seem to be developing more lean muscle so I haven't seen any significant weight loss in the last week and a half but have continued to see a decrease in my waist and hip size. I am committing now to provide weight updates to you every Sunday (assuming my internet connection is solid).
Lean muscle weighs more than fat (which I had forgotten about), so at first I was saddened to think I was not losing any more weight. What didn't make sense was that even though I plateaued on my weight loss (I knew that by standing on the scale every day) my clothes continued to get loser on me. I am at my last notch on my belt and will be preparing to punch another hole in my belt. I do not want to purchase another belt (which I so desperately need) until I am at my ideal weight and girth. I have had to purchase two more pairs of pants a size smaller than what I had been wearing, but again, don't want to purchase too many clothes in this intermediate size of mine. I had to purchase the pants, don't want to look scruffy all the time.
So I guess you can say there is a downside to losing weight. Most of my clothes now look a tad baggy on me and I refuse to purchase clothes to fit my current size since I expect to lose more weight and inches before this is over. I don't know how I managed with clothes as I was gaining weight, but most likely, if I remember correctly, I would wear them until I was literally busting out of the seams. Now everything is baggy, good thing the baggy look is still in style.
Not only does these CNI Core4 products help me to lose weight, I am starting to see an increase to another line of income. That is awesome, I am getting healthy and on the road to more finiancial freedom. If you want to know more about CNI and their Core4 products, please visit www.hawgwash.irepcni.com
Lean muscle weighs more than fat (which I had forgotten about), so at first I was saddened to think I was not losing any more weight. What didn't make sense was that even though I plateaued on my weight loss (I knew that by standing on the scale every day) my clothes continued to get loser on me. I am at my last notch on my belt and will be preparing to punch another hole in my belt. I do not want to purchase another belt (which I so desperately need) until I am at my ideal weight and girth. I have had to purchase two more pairs of pants a size smaller than what I had been wearing, but again, don't want to purchase too many clothes in this intermediate size of mine. I had to purchase the pants, don't want to look scruffy all the time.
So I guess you can say there is a downside to losing weight. Most of my clothes now look a tad baggy on me and I refuse to purchase clothes to fit my current size since I expect to lose more weight and inches before this is over. I don't know how I managed with clothes as I was gaining weight, but most likely, if I remember correctly, I would wear them until I was literally busting out of the seams. Now everything is baggy, good thing the baggy look is still in style.
Not only does these CNI Core4 products help me to lose weight, I am starting to see an increase to another line of income. That is awesome, I am getting healthy and on the road to more finiancial freedom. If you want to know more about CNI and their Core4 products, please visit www.hawgwash.irepcni.com
Travels with Hawgwash
Hey guys (in the generic sense) didn't post yesterday because we didn't get back to the motor home until after 11 pm. We had some fun yesterday and help raise awareness to an important cause...breast cancer.
We ended up getting involved (somewhat) in a fund raising event for breast cancer awareness. The poker run ended at a really fun bar called the "Rock-N-Ranch" located at 110 Monmouth Ave., Firestone, CO. Once there, an awesome dinner was provided. They had home cooking like you would never believe. For the meat, they had slow cooked beef brisket and a roasted pig. They had home-made potato salad (to die for..) macaroni salad, several types of baked beans, ambrosia salad, regular tossed green salad, bread, corn on the cob, cake and probably a whole bunch more food which I can't remember. I loaded my plate down and there was still more food that wouldn't fit on my plate.
By the time I finished what I put on the plate (and again, my eyes were bigger than my stomach) there was no way in the world that I could go back for seconds. The food was awesome and I was almost in a food coma after the first pass.
Along with the awesome meal provided to help raise money, they had outside a mechanical bull riding ring. It was really fun to watch many people try their hand at riding the mechanical bull. I had never really seen this close up so it was extremely fun for me. The cool thing (and again, please remember I am a mechanical bull newbie) was that the guy running the bull did not try to knock people off immediately. He adjusted the difficulty level to the person on the bull. There was no time limit to being on the bull, the ride was done when you fell off and he did manage to knock everyone off the bull. The good part was that if a new rider fell off in less than a second, he had them get back on the bull and ride again.
While watching the mechanical bull riding, there was also a raffle drawing going on (which took almost 2 hours to go through all the raffle prizes) and a 50/50 drawing. After all was said and done, the event managed to raise almost $2.000.00 towards cancer awareness. Kudos go to all that helped make this event great.
Again, if you happen to find yourself north of Denver, CO, along Highway 25, go say HI to Ben & Christine, the owners of Rock-n-Ranch Tavern in Firestone, CO. The bar hosts 3 pool tables with competition felts (I know nothing about the quality of felts, but the guys that knew about playing pool were in awe of the tables...) there is a restaurant (which was closed for the day due to the poker run) area so you don't have to sit in or around the bar to eat, and then there is the bar itself with a large screen TV and several smaller TV's tuned in to various sporting events. Give the Tavern a visit, both the workers and clients are great people and the atmosphere is awesome.
We ended up getting involved (somewhat) in a fund raising event for breast cancer awareness. The poker run ended at a really fun bar called the "Rock-N-Ranch" located at 110 Monmouth Ave., Firestone, CO. Once there, an awesome dinner was provided. They had home cooking like you would never believe. For the meat, they had slow cooked beef brisket and a roasted pig. They had home-made potato salad (to die for..) macaroni salad, several types of baked beans, ambrosia salad, regular tossed green salad, bread, corn on the cob, cake and probably a whole bunch more food which I can't remember. I loaded my plate down and there was still more food that wouldn't fit on my plate.
By the time I finished what I put on the plate (and again, my eyes were bigger than my stomach) there was no way in the world that I could go back for seconds. The food was awesome and I was almost in a food coma after the first pass.
Along with the awesome meal provided to help raise money, they had outside a mechanical bull riding ring. It was really fun to watch many people try their hand at riding the mechanical bull. I had never really seen this close up so it was extremely fun for me. The cool thing (and again, please remember I am a mechanical bull newbie) was that the guy running the bull did not try to knock people off immediately. He adjusted the difficulty level to the person on the bull. There was no time limit to being on the bull, the ride was done when you fell off and he did manage to knock everyone off the bull. The good part was that if a new rider fell off in less than a second, he had them get back on the bull and ride again.
While watching the mechanical bull riding, there was also a raffle drawing going on (which took almost 2 hours to go through all the raffle prizes) and a 50/50 drawing. After all was said and done, the event managed to raise almost $2.000.00 towards cancer awareness. Kudos go to all that helped make this event great.
Again, if you happen to find yourself north of Denver, CO, along Highway 25, go say HI to Ben & Christine, the owners of Rock-n-Ranch Tavern in Firestone, CO. The bar hosts 3 pool tables with competition felts (I know nothing about the quality of felts, but the guys that knew about playing pool were in awe of the tables...) there is a restaurant (which was closed for the day due to the poker run) area so you don't have to sit in or around the bar to eat, and then there is the bar itself with a large screen TV and several smaller TV's tuned in to various sporting events. Give the Tavern a visit, both the workers and clients are great people and the atmosphere is awesome.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Marketing and Personal Development
I have just finished spending a large portion of the day learning how to better market myself and the services we offer. I am learning how to focus my ideas better and to make them more relevant for everyone else.
What I have discovered is that my brain doesn't always work in a straight line. What may make sense to me will not make any sense to anyone else. We have some down-time before our next show (we are still traveling, but we don't have to work a booth) so I am working fervently to improve what I do and how I do it.
In my efforts to improve, we have revised the Hawgwash, LLC basic premise. We no longer only specialize in Waterless Technology. That was our main thrust for several years. We have expanded our product offerings since then. It did not hit home with me until I talked with someone who went to our website (http://www.hawgwash.biz/) and commented that it looked like we offered a little bit of everything with no rhyme or reason.
That comment got me thinking, what are we really trying to do? Are we a Waterless Car Wash company that offers different products, not related to waterless wash? Looking back at the website, it is very easy to see why this gentleman was confused...I was confused.
I know our main goal has always been to help others: people want to save water, earth's most precious resource; people want to stay healthy - either lose weight or maintain their current weight, or to improve their immune system. Some people are in dire need of some form of Legal representation, guidance, advice or even Identity Theft Protection. We saw a need for all of these services, but at first glance, they all seem unrelated except for the fact that we wanted to help people. (not a very efficient marketing plan)
Then we came upon the common thread, we have become Second Income Consultants. In all of the items I noted above, the common factor is that these companies not only assist people in their immediate needs, but they can help those same people to add another income stream to their household. Boy, did that feel good to finally find the thread that held it all together.
This may not sound too much like personal development to some, but actually, if you don't have a clear direction, how can you possibly begin to move forward. We now have crystallized our focus (through this version of personal development) and are striving to move forward even faster.
I have finally gotten the other blog up and running. "About Hawgwash" is now on-line and the third (actually first real posting) blog is posted related to Why a second income?. Please also check out http://www.hawgwash.wordpress.com/ and feel free to comment. The articles I plan on placing in WordPress will have more of a business orientation. Sooo, for those of you that do not enjoy my ramblings about travel, shows, and weight loss, you now have a place to go to be more serious minded. I will occasionally post fun articles over there, but will reserve my real silliness for this blog.
If you want to see what I have done to tweak our website, please visit http://www.hawgwash.biz/. This will be an ongoing adjustment for the next month and a half (I hope) until I can refine the site to be more relevant and helpful to people.
Take care and see you tomorrow.
What I have discovered is that my brain doesn't always work in a straight line. What may make sense to me will not make any sense to anyone else. We have some down-time before our next show (we are still traveling, but we don't have to work a booth) so I am working fervently to improve what I do and how I do it.
In my efforts to improve, we have revised the Hawgwash, LLC basic premise. We no longer only specialize in Waterless Technology. That was our main thrust for several years. We have expanded our product offerings since then. It did not hit home with me until I talked with someone who went to our website (http://www.hawgwash.biz/) and commented that it looked like we offered a little bit of everything with no rhyme or reason.
That comment got me thinking, what are we really trying to do? Are we a Waterless Car Wash company that offers different products, not related to waterless wash? Looking back at the website, it is very easy to see why this gentleman was confused...I was confused.
I know our main goal has always been to help others: people want to save water, earth's most precious resource; people want to stay healthy - either lose weight or maintain their current weight, or to improve their immune system. Some people are in dire need of some form of Legal representation, guidance, advice or even Identity Theft Protection. We saw a need for all of these services, but at first glance, they all seem unrelated except for the fact that we wanted to help people. (not a very efficient marketing plan)
Then we came upon the common thread, we have become Second Income Consultants. In all of the items I noted above, the common factor is that these companies not only assist people in their immediate needs, but they can help those same people to add another income stream to their household. Boy, did that feel good to finally find the thread that held it all together.
This may not sound too much like personal development to some, but actually, if you don't have a clear direction, how can you possibly begin to move forward. We now have crystallized our focus (through this version of personal development) and are striving to move forward even faster.
I have finally gotten the other blog up and running. "About Hawgwash" is now on-line and the third (actually first real posting) blog is posted related to Why a second income?. Please also check out http://www.hawgwash.wordpress.com/ and feel free to comment. The articles I plan on placing in WordPress will have more of a business orientation. Sooo, for those of you that do not enjoy my ramblings about travel, shows, and weight loss, you now have a place to go to be more serious minded. I will occasionally post fun articles over there, but will reserve my real silliness for this blog.
If you want to see what I have done to tweak our website, please visit http://www.hawgwash.biz/. This will be an ongoing adjustment for the next month and a half (I hope) until I can refine the site to be more relevant and helpful to people.
Take care and see you tomorrow.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Personal Development
Believe it or not, but I have spent the majority of the day trying to learn stuff. It was kind of neat, I have been out of school for a few years (hehehe...) and needed to get back into learning again. Right now, my brain feels like mush, but also like I just ran a marathon.
Learning is necessary for you to stay at the top of your game, whatever your game may be. People look to exercise their bodies, but often forget to exercise their mind. If you do not continue to expand your knowledge, you will end up having the world pass you by. Even if you are not a technology buff, it is important to keep learning something new every day.
If you don't learn new things, you also won't have anything fun to discuss when you are with your friends or family. How many times have you gone to a family gathering and heard someone repeating the same story over and over and over ad nauseum? If you had spent even 15 minutes a day on personal development, you would have something interesting to add to any conversation, either with new or old friends.
Everyone has something they are interested in. Find out what you enjoy, then either go to the library (yeah, I know I am dating myself) or go on the Internet to research your interests. I always think of the Internet as one giant library. You can find all kinds of things you want to know about, but also some things that you didn't know you were interested in. I remember the first time I wandered around the Internet, I thought, there was really nothing I needed to see there. Now I use the Internet to research items, questions, subjects. I have used it to look up product reviews (I spent hours looking up stats on different hepa vacuums) to determine what I wanted to purchase and looking up pricing for the products to determine where to purchase.
Looking up stuff on the Internet is as unlimited as your imagination is. If you want to have some fun, go to www.Ehow.com. They have a top "How To" article. You can roam all around that site and find all kinds of things to learn about.
For those of you who like to read encyclopedias (I love doing that), go to www.Wikipedia.com. The main page has featured articles along with "in the news". From there you can wander around to your heart's content. You may see a bird outside of your home, you can go look up what type of bird it is, what it's behaviors may be, where it lives, etc. All this information may seem like trivia, but it is constantly exercising your brain. After a while, you may want to spend more than 15 minutes a day on personal development. I would recommend not going over your time limit too much, you don't want to burn out on the learning. If you stop sooner than you wish, you will look forward to learning more tomorrow.
If you are not into reading on the computer and are on limited funds, check out a used bookstore. They usually have all kinds of fun things to read. I found a really neat used bookstore in Custer. I wish I had more time to explore that store, but the rally took up the majority of my time. Next year I hope to get into Custer a little early so that I can explore more of the local shops (in particular, the used bookstore).
Keep an eye on our website, www.hawgwash.net, I am in the process of doing a major re-working of the site and hope make it more pertinent for people to use. Take care.
Learning is necessary for you to stay at the top of your game, whatever your game may be. People look to exercise their bodies, but often forget to exercise their mind. If you do not continue to expand your knowledge, you will end up having the world pass you by. Even if you are not a technology buff, it is important to keep learning something new every day.
If you don't learn new things, you also won't have anything fun to discuss when you are with your friends or family. How many times have you gone to a family gathering and heard someone repeating the same story over and over and over ad nauseum? If you had spent even 15 minutes a day on personal development, you would have something interesting to add to any conversation, either with new or old friends.
Everyone has something they are interested in. Find out what you enjoy, then either go to the library (yeah, I know I am dating myself) or go on the Internet to research your interests. I always think of the Internet as one giant library. You can find all kinds of things you want to know about, but also some things that you didn't know you were interested in. I remember the first time I wandered around the Internet, I thought, there was really nothing I needed to see there. Now I use the Internet to research items, questions, subjects. I have used it to look up product reviews (I spent hours looking up stats on different hepa vacuums) to determine what I wanted to purchase and looking up pricing for the products to determine where to purchase.
Looking up stuff on the Internet is as unlimited as your imagination is. If you want to have some fun, go to www.Ehow.com. They have a top "How To" article. You can roam all around that site and find all kinds of things to learn about.
For those of you who like to read encyclopedias (I love doing that), go to www.Wikipedia.com. The main page has featured articles along with "in the news". From there you can wander around to your heart's content. You may see a bird outside of your home, you can go look up what type of bird it is, what it's behaviors may be, where it lives, etc. All this information may seem like trivia, but it is constantly exercising your brain. After a while, you may want to spend more than 15 minutes a day on personal development. I would recommend not going over your time limit too much, you don't want to burn out on the learning. If you stop sooner than you wish, you will look forward to learning more tomorrow.
If you are not into reading on the computer and are on limited funds, check out a used bookstore. They usually have all kinds of fun things to read. I found a really neat used bookstore in Custer. I wish I had more time to explore that store, but the rally took up the majority of my time. Next year I hope to get into Custer a little early so that I can explore more of the local shops (in particular, the used bookstore).
Keep an eye on our website, www.hawgwash.net, I am in the process of doing a major re-working of the site and hope make it more pertinent for people to use. Take care.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
My ongoing weight loss saga
I know I haven't written much about my weight loss. I didn't gain any weight, so all of you hoping I fell off the wagon and gained my weight back can just tough it out. I have been at a stand-still for the last 7 days and I can easily explain why.
I did not use the Cheat on most of the food that I ate. The majority of the time, the food appeared in front of me (really it did...) and the Cheat was either in the motor home or locked in the trailer. I did remember to continue to use the Flush and Accelerate daily though and would like to believe that my weight stability is due to that. I would also like to note that I ate very badly near the end of the rally.
I ate French Creek French Fries nightly (that is at least for 6 days..) and drank regular soda several days running also. Hamburgers were the fare for a couple of days, as was donuts in the morning. The good news is that I still have only one notch left on my belt and my now "fat" pants are still my "fat" pants. I did not gain any inches, but did not lose any significant weight. The good news is that my appetite never did increase, so my food consumption was still reasonable.
Today I have managed to use the Cheat on all that I ate and am back to drinking the Lean at least once daily. I think I am going to look for a little belt holder for my Cheat so that it will be with me all the time. I found that without a purse, and then end up eating when you least expected it. If I put the Cheat in a holder like my cell phone holder, I will be ready at all times... Hmmmm, I have an old cell phone holder, perhaps the Cheat bottle will fit... hmmmm...
If you are interested in losing weight or finding out more about what I am using to lose my extra tonnage, please visit, www.hawgwash.irepcni.com. Until next time...
I did not use the Cheat on most of the food that I ate. The majority of the time, the food appeared in front of me (really it did...) and the Cheat was either in the motor home or locked in the trailer. I did remember to continue to use the Flush and Accelerate daily though and would like to believe that my weight stability is due to that. I would also like to note that I ate very badly near the end of the rally.
I ate French Creek French Fries nightly (that is at least for 6 days..) and drank regular soda several days running also. Hamburgers were the fare for a couple of days, as was donuts in the morning. The good news is that I still have only one notch left on my belt and my now "fat" pants are still my "fat" pants. I did not gain any inches, but did not lose any significant weight. The good news is that my appetite never did increase, so my food consumption was still reasonable.
Today I have managed to use the Cheat on all that I ate and am back to drinking the Lean at least once daily. I think I am going to look for a little belt holder for my Cheat so that it will be with me all the time. I found that without a purse, and then end up eating when you least expected it. If I put the Cheat in a holder like my cell phone holder, I will be ready at all times... Hmmmm, I have an old cell phone holder, perhaps the Cheat bottle will fit... hmmmm...
If you are interested in losing weight or finding out more about what I am using to lose my extra tonnage, please visit, www.hawgwash.irepcni.com. Until next time...
Wrap-up from Sturgis Rally 2009
Hello all, I have been out of touch mainly because I have been busy and tired for the last few days after the Black Hills Rally (Sturgis Rally). It is amazing how tired you become on the last few days. I had zero energy to get on the computer and talk about anything. Today is the first day that I feel almost energetic, though still tired.
As promised, you will find pictures from the rally we did in Custer, SD. The last shot is of the street and all the bikes lined up in the middle of the street. As mentioned in an earlier blog, Custer closed off 2 of the 4 lanes that ran through the center of town and dedicated those two lanes to motorcycle parking. That was really neat and allowed riders to park conveniently.
Technically the Custer Cruisin' rally ended Sunday, but many vendors had already pulled out Saturday evening. We stayed on through Sunday hoping to see the last minute riders. Unfortunately it rained most of the day on Sunday, so we ended up packing up relatively early and calling the show over.
I know, today is Wednesday and no posts occurred for several days. As I said, by the time we finished packing in between rain showers and hail storms, I was pooped and had no desire to type anything (not even check e-mails). It has taken until today to get my rear back in gear to start clearing e-mails and blog again.
That being said, we are looking forward to returning to Custer Cruisin' next year. The city officials were wonderful to deal with, the people of the city of Custer were great and supportive and basically the weather was good. In Custer, excluding Sunday and late Saturday afternoon, the rains came late each evening. Sturgis, SD got hammered with softball sized hail, Rapid City encountered torrential rains during the day and we basically got the rain in the evening, within an hour of closing time. Not a bad deal in my book.
Some other pictures of what went on in Custer include the signs that were posted on two of the portable outhouse doors and some really cool trailers. We had a lot of fun in Custer, there were so many people to talk to and interesting bikes to look at. If you ever have the opportunity to participate in the Black Hills Rally, I highly recommend spending some time in Custer for their Custer Cruisin'. The food was great, the company was awesome and the weather beat anywhere else in the Black Hills (my personal opinion...). Hopefully we will see you in Custer for the 2010 Rally, which will also be the 70th Annual Black Hills Rally.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Day 7 of the Black Hills Rally
Well, we have completed what I would call the 7th day of the Black Hills Rally. It is Friday, but based on the crowd behavior, you would have expected it to be a Wednesday. There were not many people early in the day, they came out after noon.
I figured we had people later in the day because the weather was wonderful here and the bikers were probably getting in the last few rides before they had to head back to their respective homes. The weather in Custer has been great, we don't really get rain until much later in the day, usually around 7 or 8 pm after most people have either stopped for the night, or already headed back to Sturgis for the parties.
Today was no different other than it did get a good bit warm. Once and a while the breeze would kick up and we would get a much needed relief from the heat. What I find interesting here is the large quantity of grasshoppers that have appeared. Today it looked like they were swarming. We had a few hundred behind the tent and as you looked out towards the hills, you saw thousands of those little buggers flying all over. You couldn't walk anywhere with bunches of grasshoppers jumping away from your feet. There were also quite a few that would fly into you and either bounce off, or hang on for the ride. Hopefully the birds will come and eat all those bugs, the grasshoppers are all over, even jumping on people. I did have to laugh, the grasshoppers were so bad that as one gentleman walked past, there were grasshoppers on his back and one landed in his beard. He did a very interesting dance trying to remove the grasshopper from his beard...
We had a great thunderstorm here tonight, awesome lightning show that lasted about 20 minutes and continued to roll Southeast. We saw some very close lightning strikes, but it did not appear any fires followed. After the storm, the full moon came peaking out from the leftover clouds. It was an awesome moonrise.
Hopefully tomorrow will also be a beautiful day for the riders. We understand that Sturgis got hit with a significant hailstorm, and Rapid City had heavy rains and high winds. Custer only received that brief thunderstorm I talked about. Perhaps the weather all over the area will hold again for the day to allow riders to continue wandering around the Black Hills.
As much as I enjoy the activity during the Black Hills Rally, I am looking forward to having a few days off to catch up on all the paperwork. Just working a rally is fun, but there is a tremendous amount of paperwork that is involved before and after (including taxes...fun...). I would also love to have the chance to sleep in and be able to work on the computer when I want, not after the booth closes. I know, life is tough....I still get to ride and enjoy the great outdoors while some of you may be working in an office and not be able to get out on the road.
There is a lot to be said for being your own boss. There is a lot of work involved, but there is also the ability to make as much or as little money as you want when you want. You are in control (reasonably) of your own destiny. Your decisions may make or break your business. I would not trade this type of stress for a Corporate job. I don't mind the work, I guess you could call me a workaholic, but at least I am working for the benefit of myself and others. I feel I can make more of a difference in the world instead of working for someone else who may not want to help others.
I will get off my soapbox now. If you are interested in starting your own business, or want to grow your personal business, I will be starting another blog next week on that subject. I want to have an article or two posted by next week. Until then, have a wonderful day.
I figured we had people later in the day because the weather was wonderful here and the bikers were probably getting in the last few rides before they had to head back to their respective homes. The weather in Custer has been great, we don't really get rain until much later in the day, usually around 7 or 8 pm after most people have either stopped for the night, or already headed back to Sturgis for the parties.
Today was no different other than it did get a good bit warm. Once and a while the breeze would kick up and we would get a much needed relief from the heat. What I find interesting here is the large quantity of grasshoppers that have appeared. Today it looked like they were swarming. We had a few hundred behind the tent and as you looked out towards the hills, you saw thousands of those little buggers flying all over. You couldn't walk anywhere with bunches of grasshoppers jumping away from your feet. There were also quite a few that would fly into you and either bounce off, or hang on for the ride. Hopefully the birds will come and eat all those bugs, the grasshoppers are all over, even jumping on people. I did have to laugh, the grasshoppers were so bad that as one gentleman walked past, there were grasshoppers on his back and one landed in his beard. He did a very interesting dance trying to remove the grasshopper from his beard...
We had a great thunderstorm here tonight, awesome lightning show that lasted about 20 minutes and continued to roll Southeast. We saw some very close lightning strikes, but it did not appear any fires followed. After the storm, the full moon came peaking out from the leftover clouds. It was an awesome moonrise.
Hopefully tomorrow will also be a beautiful day for the riders. We understand that Sturgis got hit with a significant hailstorm, and Rapid City had heavy rains and high winds. Custer only received that brief thunderstorm I talked about. Perhaps the weather all over the area will hold again for the day to allow riders to continue wandering around the Black Hills.
As much as I enjoy the activity during the Black Hills Rally, I am looking forward to having a few days off to catch up on all the paperwork. Just working a rally is fun, but there is a tremendous amount of paperwork that is involved before and after (including taxes...fun...). I would also love to have the chance to sleep in and be able to work on the computer when I want, not after the booth closes. I know, life is tough....I still get to ride and enjoy the great outdoors while some of you may be working in an office and not be able to get out on the road.
There is a lot to be said for being your own boss. There is a lot of work involved, but there is also the ability to make as much or as little money as you want when you want. You are in control (reasonably) of your own destiny. Your decisions may make or break your business. I would not trade this type of stress for a Corporate job. I don't mind the work, I guess you could call me a workaholic, but at least I am working for the benefit of myself and others. I feel I can make more of a difference in the world instead of working for someone else who may not want to help others.
I will get off my soapbox now. If you are interested in starting your own business, or want to grow your personal business, I will be starting another blog next week on that subject. I want to have an article or two posted by next week. Until then, have a wonderful day.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Day 6 of the Black Hills Rally
I can't believe I forgot the camera in the trailer again. I am almost out of battery on the camera too, so pretty soon I won't be able to take any pictures.
The rally was pretty slow today, there were storms all around us. There was a tornado watch later in the afternoon, the clouds got really dark and strange shaped. Fortunately for us in Custer, nothing much happened, not even a lot of wind or rain. I am not disappointed. Have not been checking the local news, but hopefully nothing serious came out of the tornado watch.
After a great chili dinner cooked by Rock, a bunch of us vendors went to the outside parking lot of the Crazy Horse Monument to watch the laser light show (the rain had stopped and it looked like we would be dry for a while). We got there early, expecting it to begin at dark. What we forgot about was that "Dark" is 9pm here. It was dark(ish) all day today due to the bad weather. We got to the parking lot around 8:15 and stood around until 9 for the light show.
It was worth every minute of standing around to watch them light up Crazy Horse and then start a laser light show. Steve and I plan on going back to the monument some time next week to see the museum and then watch the light show from inside the grounds. From what we could see from the distance, the show was awesome and awe inspiring. After we attend the show, I will provide more information about the Crazy Horse Monument for those that may be interested.
Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative for all the surrounding areas tomorrow and we will be busier than one-armed paper hangers. Nite all, it is time for me to catch some much needed shut-eye.
The rally was pretty slow today, there were storms all around us. There was a tornado watch later in the afternoon, the clouds got really dark and strange shaped. Fortunately for us in Custer, nothing much happened, not even a lot of wind or rain. I am not disappointed. Have not been checking the local news, but hopefully nothing serious came out of the tornado watch.
After a great chili dinner cooked by Rock, a bunch of us vendors went to the outside parking lot of the Crazy Horse Monument to watch the laser light show (the rain had stopped and it looked like we would be dry for a while). We got there early, expecting it to begin at dark. What we forgot about was that "Dark" is 9pm here. It was dark(ish) all day today due to the bad weather. We got to the parking lot around 8:15 and stood around until 9 for the light show.
It was worth every minute of standing around to watch them light up Crazy Horse and then start a laser light show. Steve and I plan on going back to the monument some time next week to see the museum and then watch the light show from inside the grounds. From what we could see from the distance, the show was awesome and awe inspiring. After we attend the show, I will provide more information about the Crazy Horse Monument for those that may be interested.
Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative for all the surrounding areas tomorrow and we will be busier than one-armed paper hangers. Nite all, it is time for me to catch some much needed shut-eye.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
One brief note on my ongoing Weight Loss
So far this week, I have not gained, nor have I lost weight. I would like to report that I have lost another half an inch around my waist. I have only one more hole in my belt before I run out of notches. I have been very good about taking the Accelerate daily (one tablet) and pretty darn good about taking the Flush (one tablet at night - missed taking that only one night). I keep forgetting to use the Cheat (since I don't carry it all the time) and I have been taking the Lean as a replacement for breakfast.
Not too bad considering how long it took for me to put this weight on. I am still very pleased with my results, I would rather lose the weight slowly so I know it will stay off. I am really enjoying getting that belt smaller and smaller. I can't wait to finally get back to my version of an ideal weight, I really want a new belt...
If you are curious about what I am taking and how to get involved, go to http://www.hawgwash.irepcni.com/ for more information. If you want to get the products I have been blogging about, you will need to click on the "Sign up for free" button in the upper right hand corner of that page and get at least the Basic Pack. When you sign up, you can create your own website name (at no cost to you) and then you can wander around another section of the CNI website. The Basic Pack will give you a 14 day supply of all 4 products CNI makes. The best part about this program is that it has a 90-day money back guarantee. Not many companies are that confident about their products that they would offer such a deal.
After you purchase at least the Basic Pack you can the go back into your personal website (that you created when you signed up for free) and order individual products. You are not required to continue to purchase products in the kit format. Purchase only what you want or need.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. You can leave a comment here, or tweet me at www.twitter.com/hawgwash, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HawgwashLLC
Not too bad considering how long it took for me to put this weight on. I am still very pleased with my results, I would rather lose the weight slowly so I know it will stay off. I am really enjoying getting that belt smaller and smaller. I can't wait to finally get back to my version of an ideal weight, I really want a new belt...
If you are curious about what I am taking and how to get involved, go to http://www.hawgwash.irepcni.com/ for more information. If you want to get the products I have been blogging about, you will need to click on the "Sign up for free" button in the upper right hand corner of that page and get at least the Basic Pack. When you sign up, you can create your own website name (at no cost to you) and then you can wander around another section of the CNI website. The Basic Pack will give you a 14 day supply of all 4 products CNI makes. The best part about this program is that it has a 90-day money back guarantee. Not many companies are that confident about their products that they would offer such a deal.
After you purchase at least the Basic Pack you can the go back into your personal website (that you created when you signed up for free) and order individual products. You are not required to continue to purchase products in the kit format. Purchase only what you want or need.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. You can leave a comment here, or tweet me at www.twitter.com/hawgwash, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HawgwashLLC
Black Hills Rally Day 5
I had planned on posting pictures of the current Black Hills Rally today, but discovered I forgot my camera in the trailer. You will all have to wait until tomorrow to see what the streets of Custer look like filled with motorcycles.
I wanted to let everyone know that Steve is now suffering because he can't play with the 1968 Camero he had to clean for 2 days. The running joke was that if they left the car with him much longer, he would have rubbed the paint off. That was a beautiful car, but the owner did want it back so he could enjoy it. Now Steve plans on purchasing one of his own...as soon as possible. I am looking forward to seeing how he plans on taking it back since we currently have two motorcycles in a trailer pulled with a motor home.... I am sure, with enough incentive, he would find some way to get the Camero home...that is to say, if he could find one.
You will notice there was no post yesterday and there is a very good reason for it. No, not because I was tired (I was) but there was a bad thunderstorm and I am kind of a freak when it comes to plugging in a computer during a large electrical storm. I do have surge protectors between the laptops and the electrical source (we need a surge protector from the main electric source to the motor home, but that is another story...) but I just didn't want to push our luck. In my imagination, I pictured a bolt of lightning hitting the power box and coursing through the motor home and then blowing the surge protector on it's way to blow up the laptop. I know more things would have to go wrong before that happens, but like I said, I am a bit of a freak when it comes to electricity and laptops. So, the good news is that I got to go to bed relatively early, but I go no blogging done.
We have had some really cool (depending on who you talk to) storms roll through Custer these last few days. This evening it looked like we were going to get pounded again, so we closed up shop early only to discover the storm parted around Custer. For the last two evenings, the winds were so strong that they almost blew our tents away. The rain came down in VERY cold sheets (I know, I was out in it getting pounded and freezing) and blew sideways on several occasions. The lightning was a sight to see and the thunder shook the buildings. This is the kind of rain that when you step outside you become instantly soaked.
Since we had been getting soaked for the last 2 days while we were trying to button down our various tents, we really didn't want to get soaked again today so we closed up early. Now we look like wimps since it only sprinkled and nothing else happened. Oh well, stuff happens.
Today was supposed to be a slow day in Custer because the town of Hulett in Wyoming was to have an "anything" goes day for bikers. Hulett is a very small town and is a great stopping off point for riders going from Sturgis, SD to Devils' Tower, WY. On the Wednesday of Bike Week each year, Hulett has the free Hulett Ham 'n' Jam in it's 21st year. This small Wyoming town has a year round population of 410 and is transformed into a hot spot for motorcyclists. It is the place to be on Wednesday of Sturgis Bike Week.
Despite all of that great activity going on in Hulett, we were pretty busy talking with people in Custer. The riding weather is awesome and so far the rain is coming after dark. Rain after dark is not an issue since you really don't want to be riding around Custer after dark because of all the wildlife. There is so much wildlife in the area that in the evening, you can walk from our booth to the campground 2 blocks away and find deer grazing in an open field.
Well, that is all I am going to write tonight regarding the Black Hills Rally. We didn't get to detail the 1966 Corvette because of a minor mishap it had...something like some elements of the electrical system burning up... Luckily it does not sound like there was significant damage to the car. Hopefully they can get the car repaired before the end of Bike Week so we can detail it and then post pictures. We will keep you all posted. Until next time...
I wanted to let everyone know that Steve is now suffering because he can't play with the 1968 Camero he had to clean for 2 days. The running joke was that if they left the car with him much longer, he would have rubbed the paint off. That was a beautiful car, but the owner did want it back so he could enjoy it. Now Steve plans on purchasing one of his own...as soon as possible. I am looking forward to seeing how he plans on taking it back since we currently have two motorcycles in a trailer pulled with a motor home.... I am sure, with enough incentive, he would find some way to get the Camero home...that is to say, if he could find one.
You will notice there was no post yesterday and there is a very good reason for it. No, not because I was tired (I was) but there was a bad thunderstorm and I am kind of a freak when it comes to plugging in a computer during a large electrical storm. I do have surge protectors between the laptops and the electrical source (we need a surge protector from the main electric source to the motor home, but that is another story...) but I just didn't want to push our luck. In my imagination, I pictured a bolt of lightning hitting the power box and coursing through the motor home and then blowing the surge protector on it's way to blow up the laptop. I know more things would have to go wrong before that happens, but like I said, I am a bit of a freak when it comes to electricity and laptops. So, the good news is that I got to go to bed relatively early, but I go no blogging done.
We have had some really cool (depending on who you talk to) storms roll through Custer these last few days. This evening it looked like we were going to get pounded again, so we closed up shop early only to discover the storm parted around Custer. For the last two evenings, the winds were so strong that they almost blew our tents away. The rain came down in VERY cold sheets (I know, I was out in it getting pounded and freezing) and blew sideways on several occasions. The lightning was a sight to see and the thunder shook the buildings. This is the kind of rain that when you step outside you become instantly soaked.
Since we had been getting soaked for the last 2 days while we were trying to button down our various tents, we really didn't want to get soaked again today so we closed up early. Now we look like wimps since it only sprinkled and nothing else happened. Oh well, stuff happens.
Today was supposed to be a slow day in Custer because the town of Hulett in Wyoming was to have an "anything" goes day for bikers. Hulett is a very small town and is a great stopping off point for riders going from Sturgis, SD to Devils' Tower, WY. On the Wednesday of Bike Week each year, Hulett has the free Hulett Ham 'n' Jam in it's 21st year. This small Wyoming town has a year round population of 410 and is transformed into a hot spot for motorcyclists. It is the place to be on Wednesday of Sturgis Bike Week.
Despite all of that great activity going on in Hulett, we were pretty busy talking with people in Custer. The riding weather is awesome and so far the rain is coming after dark. Rain after dark is not an issue since you really don't want to be riding around Custer after dark because of all the wildlife. There is so much wildlife in the area that in the evening, you can walk from our booth to the campground 2 blocks away and find deer grazing in an open field.
Well, that is all I am going to write tonight regarding the Black Hills Rally. We didn't get to detail the 1966 Corvette because of a minor mishap it had...something like some elements of the electrical system burning up... Luckily it does not sound like there was significant damage to the car. Hopefully they can get the car repaired before the end of Bike Week so we can detail it and then post pictures. We will keep you all posted. Until next time...
Monday, August 3, 2009
Day 3 of Sturgis Bike Week
Today was another great day in Custer, SD. The weather was good...well...except for that brief rain that only served to get everything damp...but good anyway... We had more people visiting our booth and we were able to talk to a large number of people.
We also had the opportunity to detail a 1968 Camero SS. I have attached pictures. Now you are going to laugh at my limited car knowledge, but this car has matching serial numbers, paperwork to go along with it, rally tires and factory installed air. It caused quite a stir around the booth. The only problem was that as the car was being detailed, the people watching were not as interested in the products being used, but more interested in the car itself.
We used UltraLuster Clabar on the paint to remove the impurities embedded in the paint, UltraLuster Metal polish to polish the aluminum trim, UltraLuster Tire Treatment to condition the tires and the vinyl top and of course, our main product, UltraLuster Waterless Wash for all the paint and to seal the aluminum after cleaning with the Metal Polish.
The paint on this car is now probably smoother than when it came out of the factory. The car sparkles like a diamond in the sun now. It is a wonderful sight to behold. Unfortunately a big wind came through the hills this evening and then it rained quite a bit so we will have to touch-up the car again tomorrow. The owner of the car is very pleased with the current results. We are looking forward to putting the finishing touches on the car tomorrow so that it will be ready for it's next car show (in a few weeks, I believe).
If you are interested in obtaining more information on what we did to the car, please leave a comment. If you want more information on our UltraLuster product line, you have two places that you can visit: www.ultraluster.com/hawg1 or our website (http://www.hawgwash.biz/) and then choose the order UltraLuster Items button on the left.
We are looking forward to more fun as the week progresses.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Day 2 of the Black Hills Rally
Hi everyone. This is going to be a relatively short post (I always think so, but end up with more to say than I originally expect). This morning of the rally started off slow, but definitely picked up steam around noon. The sun was out and the temperatures had to have gotten to mid- to upper 80's. The air was cool, which is what makes it so great to ride. We saw many riders with leathers on, but once they stopped and enjoyed the sun, the leathers came off.
Again, I can't stress enough how much fun the people are during rally week. The local merchants seem pleased to see the bikers (for some rallies, the merchants are not always thrilled to see us), the vendors are positive, and the local residents have been out to visit all the booths that are set up. It looks like the whole town is out to see the riders.
I did get a kick out of seeing the Flintstones' cars driving up and down the street today. I discovered that there is an attraction here called "Flintstones Bedrock City Park". They have a few vehicles that are made to represent the vehicles you used to see in the Flintstone's cartoons. At first I thought there was a mobile peanut driving up and down Main Street, but later realized it was a representation of a large log that was pointy at both ends. I did see the Flintmobile, which you used to watch Fred drive in the cartoon. I guess the other vehicle was the one that Barnie drove, but I am not sure on that.
As you drive past Bedrock City, you see a big replica of Dino (I think that is who it is...my cartoon trivia is lacking...). This park was established in 1966 and is over 40 years old. It is advertised as an amusement park and campground for all ages. Since I am not particularly a cartoon buff (if you haven't guessed that yet), this is probably a site I won't see this year. That is not to say I won't go, just not with the limited time we have this year.
If you have the opportunity to drive through Custer during Bike Week, you may also see "General Custer" waving at you. Several of the local citizens and Council members dress in period costumes to help bring the old Custer to life. You may find General Custer wandering the streets greeting people also.
We hope that the rally attendance gets bigger here as the week progresses. It is great to hear the thunder of motorcycles up and down the main street, and a lot of fun to see bikers wandering around a small western town. The more crowds there are, the more opportunity we will have to people watch, and the more I can talk to you about.
I will update everyone on my weight loss progress tomorrow (I know, I said I would do it today, but I forgot to step on the scale again this morning...). I will be giving weekly or bi-weekly updates on my weight loss since it has now started slowing down. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I truly believe that a slow weight loss is better for the body and that once the weight comes off, it will tend to stay off. I don't want to be writing daily on weight loss that may be from 1-3 pounds a week, that would bore almost anyone to tears...
Take care and I will talk more tomorrow. If anyone is interested in what I am using for my weight loss (I haven't changed my eating habits one iota, but the weight is still coming off) you can get the information at http://www.hawgwash.irepcni.com/.
(And I thought I didn't have anything to write about tonight.....HA)
Again, I can't stress enough how much fun the people are during rally week. The local merchants seem pleased to see the bikers (for some rallies, the merchants are not always thrilled to see us), the vendors are positive, and the local residents have been out to visit all the booths that are set up. It looks like the whole town is out to see the riders.
I did get a kick out of seeing the Flintstones' cars driving up and down the street today. I discovered that there is an attraction here called "Flintstones Bedrock City Park". They have a few vehicles that are made to represent the vehicles you used to see in the Flintstone's cartoons. At first I thought there was a mobile peanut driving up and down Main Street, but later realized it was a representation of a large log that was pointy at both ends. I did see the Flintmobile, which you used to watch Fred drive in the cartoon. I guess the other vehicle was the one that Barnie drove, but I am not sure on that.
As you drive past Bedrock City, you see a big replica of Dino (I think that is who it is...my cartoon trivia is lacking...). This park was established in 1966 and is over 40 years old. It is advertised as an amusement park and campground for all ages. Since I am not particularly a cartoon buff (if you haven't guessed that yet), this is probably a site I won't see this year. That is not to say I won't go, just not with the limited time we have this year.
If you have the opportunity to drive through Custer during Bike Week, you may also see "General Custer" waving at you. Several of the local citizens and Council members dress in period costumes to help bring the old Custer to life. You may find General Custer wandering the streets greeting people also.
We hope that the rally attendance gets bigger here as the week progresses. It is great to hear the thunder of motorcycles up and down the main street, and a lot of fun to see bikers wandering around a small western town. The more crowds there are, the more opportunity we will have to people watch, and the more I can talk to you about.
I will update everyone on my weight loss progress tomorrow (I know, I said I would do it today, but I forgot to step on the scale again this morning...). I will be giving weekly or bi-weekly updates on my weight loss since it has now started slowing down. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I truly believe that a slow weight loss is better for the body and that once the weight comes off, it will tend to stay off. I don't want to be writing daily on weight loss that may be from 1-3 pounds a week, that would bore almost anyone to tears...
Take care and I will talk more tomorrow. If anyone is interested in what I am using for my weight loss (I haven't changed my eating habits one iota, but the weight is still coming off) you can get the information at http://www.hawgwash.irepcni.com/.
(And I thought I didn't have anything to write about tonight.....HA)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
69th Annual Black Hills Rally
I wanted to update everyone on what is going on ...other than the weight loss (I will not update you on my current weight loss until tomorrow...). We are currently participating in the Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. We are in Custer, SD, not Sturgis and I am really pleased we are in Custer. The people here are awesome and the weather has been fantastic.
Custer is about 75 miles south of Sturgis, SD and is against Custer State Park. The town of Custer has been considered the oldest established town of the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is the site of one of the major encampments of the 1874 Black Hills Expedition of George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry and the location of the first public discovery of gold. The town may have grown up in the 21st Century, but it still has the feel of a small, western town. People that live here are very personable and appear to be willing to help one another. We are currently staying at French Creek RV Park within the city limits and are having a ball.
The manager of French Creek RV Park is "Rock" and is very involved in all that goes on not only in the park but in the town of Custer. If you need to know something, or need help with anything, he is the go-to guy.
Custer puts on an event called Custer Cruisin' which coincides with the Black Hills Rally (most people know it as "STURGIS" or "Sturgis Bike Week"). Custer has vendors (like us) along 6th Street (they acutally close the street down and have vendors and foot traffic only) and sections out 2 of the 4 lanes along the main drag (Rushmore Rd / 16A) to create motorcycle parking. It is really neat to see blocks and blocks of motorcycles parked in the middle of the street during the day. The parking allows bikers to conveniently visit all of the local businesses (and the vendors) during Custer Cruisin' (and Sturgis Bike Week). The town of Custer is within easy riding distance of the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Keystone, Hill City, Rushmore Caves, and more sites that I can't even begin to name.
I realize this sounds like a travel log, but Custer is definitely a place to go see and spend some time at. We have been here visiting over the years, but now that we have spent more than a half a day here, it is amazing to discover how much there is to do around here. We will be staying a few days after the rally so that we can enjoy the local sights too.
The official rally (Sturgis) has started and we are looking forward to seeing more bikers ride here and stop to visit. Things should start hopping in the next day or so. The town is geared up and has it's best party dress on for the riders. Custer has had a lot of rain this year, so the drought conditions that had plagued this town for the last several years is not an issue. Everything is green and ready for bikers to enjoy. Lets let the fun begin....
Custer is about 75 miles south of Sturgis, SD and is against Custer State Park. The town of Custer has been considered the oldest established town of the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is the site of one of the major encampments of the 1874 Black Hills Expedition of George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry and the location of the first public discovery of gold. The town may have grown up in the 21st Century, but it still has the feel of a small, western town. People that live here are very personable and appear to be willing to help one another. We are currently staying at French Creek RV Park within the city limits and are having a ball.
The manager of French Creek RV Park is "Rock" and is very involved in all that goes on not only in the park but in the town of Custer. If you need to know something, or need help with anything, he is the go-to guy.
Custer puts on an event called Custer Cruisin' which coincides with the Black Hills Rally (most people know it as "STURGIS" or "Sturgis Bike Week"). Custer has vendors (like us) along 6th Street (they acutally close the street down and have vendors and foot traffic only) and sections out 2 of the 4 lanes along the main drag (Rushmore Rd / 16A) to create motorcycle parking. It is really neat to see blocks and blocks of motorcycles parked in the middle of the street during the day. The parking allows bikers to conveniently visit all of the local businesses (and the vendors) during Custer Cruisin' (and Sturgis Bike Week). The town of Custer is within easy riding distance of the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Keystone, Hill City, Rushmore Caves, and more sites that I can't even begin to name.
I realize this sounds like a travel log, but Custer is definitely a place to go see and spend some time at. We have been here visiting over the years, but now that we have spent more than a half a day here, it is amazing to discover how much there is to do around here. We will be staying a few days after the rally so that we can enjoy the local sights too.
The official rally (Sturgis) has started and we are looking forward to seeing more bikers ride here and stop to visit. Things should start hopping in the next day or so. The town is geared up and has it's best party dress on for the riders. Custer has had a lot of rain this year, so the drought conditions that had plagued this town for the last several years is not an issue. Everything is green and ready for bikers to enjoy. Lets let the fun begin....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)