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abate of florida inc gator c volume 26 © alley t e r issue 1 h a p september 2009 25 a merican b rotherhood ikers a gainst iming t otalitarian oward e nactments ducation 1 abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page dedicated to freedom of the road let those who ride decide www.gatoralley.net

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publication deadline the deadline for all submissions is at the chapter meeting or if submitting by e-mail no later than the 6:00 pm the tuesday following the meeting all members are asked to submit anything they have that would be of interest to their fellow members such as articles events comments photos especially etc gator alley chapter meeting september 27 2009 vfw golden gate 11 am meetings gator alley board of directors meeting september 17 2009 vfw 7:00 pm goals purpose to fight for the freedom of the road and the freedom of choice for the motorcycle riders of florida to become a powerful and viable political force in florida by encouraging riders to register to vote and to communicate with their legislators to promote safe riding habits and to promote driver awareness without infringing on the rights of the individual to work toward educating our legislators on motorcycle issues so they are able to make the right decisions regarding florida s motorcycle riders to publish a newsletter to keep members of abate of florida inc informed disclaimer the views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of abate of florida inc nor those of gator alley chapter this publication allows members the freedom of expression of their own beliefs and opinions abate of florida inc and gator alley chapter accepts no responsibility for the comments or opinions contained in this publication identification statement this publication is the monthly newsletter of abate of florida inc gator alley chapter p.o box 10395 naples fl 34101 abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 2

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executive board president vice president secretary treasurer john frizz stevens rick loy jim kalvin michele ueeck president@gatorally.net vicepresident@gatoralley.net secretary@gatoralley.net treasurer@gatoralley.net 239-776-9690 239-825-2490 239-280-6054 239-353-4308 sgt at arms legislative state delegate #1 state delegate #2 alt state delegate #1 alt state delegate #2 membership quartermaster newsletter editor products public relations special events elected board phil teach depuy sgtatarms@gatoralley.net darrin brooks legislative@gatoralley.net bill ratcliff statedelegate1@gatoralley.net john frizz stevens statedelegate2@gatoralley.net paul evans fred corr denise russo john rambo reinbold lynn corr dennis parsons dave lockdown rich tina loy altstatedelegate1@gatoralley.net altstatedelegate2@gatoralley.net membership@gatoralley.net quartermaster@gatoralley.net newsletter@gatoralley.net products@gatoralley.net publicrelations@gatoralley.net specialevents@gatoralley.net appointed officials 239-537-6674 239-353-1967 239-370-5886 239-776-9690 239-961-1414 239-348-7119 239-596-3925 239-229-2764 239-348-7119 239-777-9354 239-285-4011 239-353-8026 safety director ad executive newsletter assistant chapter historians sunshine chairperson election chair webmaster chaplain asst sgt-at-arms russ ueeck christine hughes karen guerra lynn corr tina loy margo dugan dave lockdown rich jerry mason scott hughes frank vetter safety@gatoralley.net advertising@gatoralley.net historian1@gatoralley.net historian2@gatoralley.net sunshine@gatoralley.net webmaster@gatoralley.net chaplain@gatoralley.net hughey 239-353-4308 239-273-3072 239-435-0314 239-348-7119 239-353-8026 239-304-2774 239-285-4011 239-304-5262 abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 3

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hi y all well another month has gone by and i m still breathing i guess that s a good thing i want to say i think we had a good meeting this month i ve got to say i was very impressed with senator aronberg i think he was a great speaker covered issues that are important to us like keeping alligator alley in our control after all what would gator alley be without alligator alley i think i will support him in his primary i m looking forward to our guest speakers at the next two meetings ok we do need volunteers for chairing a couple of events mash bash ncom hospitality suite in orlando anyone interested please let me know these are going to be two large events next may and if we get started now it will save us a lot of headaches in may remember if you don t step up you can t get the glory don t forget to sell bike tickets also flashback state party spooks&scoots memorial run oct 18 birthday party sept.26 that s all fer now frizz abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 4

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september membership report new members for august welcome to gator alley new life members dave aronberg pamela miller new annual members bill bodnar james boylan glen lee greeman kevin hysler donna napier brett jay renolds susan boylan dale williams jeanne money richard f robinson jr renewals thank you for your continued support kevin ackerman kim mcqueary christine strobel august expirations teresa alonso jesenia estrada fern hendricks harold hoffman joann storey michael storey september expirations pam bararotto debbie broyles ron edwards debbie holt david kennison lyle mccreary judy puig diana simpson august anniversaries patti bennett-5 dusty bowers-8 jill howard-19 robert knee-6 billybob macrides-4 pam miller-2 tim mitchaner-1 ray rickard-14 christine strobel-1 thomas vogel-7 bill haas fernando lamelas melvin yehnert joy hancock caren f mikesh raymond cady jameson kalvin eric myer claire ventrone linda cook jon kalvin brain puig jeremiah carroll-6 mitchell house-2 greg lasch-2 eddie leblanc-14 jennymcmallion-22 kim mcqueary-2 john sabitino-2 gary smith-22 margaret waterbury-4 phyllis weathebee-1 hello everyone well i think i m finally getting the hang of this thanks for everyone s patience remember if you have any questions or problems don t hesitate to call or email me florida has 863,000 motorcycle endorsements and only 7,638 are abate membersless than 1 so lets all get out there and sign-up some new members i have cards you can carry or tri-folds and of coarse there are applications on the back of your newsletter let s hit the 500 mark by the first of the year ride safe denise russo abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 5

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anyone that wants a patch for rick holt jim mccallion anne foster or bailey please let me know they are $8.50 a piece i will not place an order unless i have money to do so so if you want one i can come get the money you can mail it to me or be at next months meeting and i will get it then if you want to mail it call me at 239-4659313 for the address thanks so much heidi after september they will no longer be available sgt at arms gator alley chapter re september 2009 newsletter hey everyone can you believe it september is already upon us though this should be my 2nd newsletter i missed the deadline for august well i never been accused of being a bright person so first and foremost i would like to thank all of you that supported me by voting me into office by the way those of you that i promised kick back for your vote that was just champaign rhetoric lol just kidding anyways i hope i can follow the great tradition that scott has demonstrated as the sgt at arms for gator alley i would like to start a simple contest in my monthly newsletter another version of name that song i m going to give either the first sentence to a song or a meaningful sentence from within the song you have until that month s chapter meeting to email me the correct answer answers have to be sent by email and of course the first email with the correct band and song wins a gift certificate to one of our local diners september s name that song clue is one must sacrifice the future has its price because today is only yesterday s tomorrow good luck well that is it for now if anyone has any questions information or comments that you would like me to bring to the board meeting just email me be good ride safe and have fun teach abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 6

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birthday party report september 26th at the vfw from 5:30pm-10:30pm just want to remind everyone to bring your appetizer snacks salads or desserts to share with the group at our extra special 25th birthday party celebration the vfw will provide hamburgers hot dogs and baked beans you can drop them off at the vfw friday or saturday afternoon all leftovers will be put to good use because when we donate them to st mathew s house it gets donated to a guy for pigslop who then in turn gives st mathew s house a whole pig for the holidays what a system don t forget to bring your best joke to the party as we are having a comedy contest for the best joke and the worst groaner there will be a special presentation slide show of our coveted history and amazing accomplishments we will present the rick bradley man and woman of the year awards don t miss out on the adult couples game at the end of the evening i will be looking for help to set up serve food and clean up so please be ready to volunteer all members will receive a memorable free gift in honor of our 25th birthday bring your non-member friends for the bargain price of $5.00 which includes fine biker cuisine and entertainment photography by lucky cole and staff special guest al e gator will be available for photo opts any questions comments or concerns please feel free to call or email me or heidi yahl numbers on flyer in newsletter respectfully submitted margo dugan birthday party co-chair abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 7

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legislative report august legislative report hey everyone i want to thank sen dave aronberg for visiting with us it is nice to know that we have another friend supporter and life member of abate of florida inc in the senate and as a candidate for state attorney general those that were unable to be there missed a great meeting bob cook roger janes and i attended a town hall tea party meeting last monday to hear rep matt hudson speak about three items he is co-sponsoring this session they are as follows hm 19 the 10th amendment to the united states constitution sometimes known as the state s rights amendment states the powers not delegated to the united states by the constitution nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people hm19 serves as a notice and a demand by the people of the state of florida as expressed through their legislature to the federal government to cease and desist from going beyond the scope of and issuing mandates beyond it s constitutionally delegated powers it also reasserts florida s sovereignty under the 10th amendment to the constitution of the united states hb 21 the firearms freedom act seeks to provide that specified firearms firearm accessories and ammunition for personal use manufactured in state are not subject to federal law or regulation in the state of florida house hjr 3 the health care freedom act says any law or rule shall not compel directly or indirectly any person employe or health care provider to participate in any health care system and specifies people and employers can t be fined for not buying insurance this bill does not ban federal programs such as medicar and medicai in our state it simply focuses on restricting the federal government from forcing americans to participate in an insurance policy public or private you can go to www.flfreedom.org and sign on as a citizen sponsor of these bills next month we will have sen garrett richter back to speak to us please come out to support gator alley and listen to sen richter be sure to bring any questions that you have regarding any of your concerns please read the short information on sen richter so that you can get to know him better thanks darrin scribe brooks abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 8

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senator garrett richter garrett richter began his banking career in 1969 his aspirations to be a banker were put on hold for two years while he served in the united states army he resumed his banking career after returning home from vietnam in 1971 he worked for mellon bank until 1989 when he left to become a founder of first national bank of florida where he served as president and ceo by 2004 first national bank of florida had grown to become the largest commercial bank headquartered in florida the bank was acquired in december 2004 after the acquisition of the bank garrett richter successfully ran for the state legislature in 2006 he was elected to the florida house of representatives and in 2008 he was elected to the florida senate senator richter represents district 37 which covers much of collier and lee counties in addition to serving as chairman of the senate banking and insurance committee he serves on the education pre-k-12 appropriates committee the ethics and elections committee the communications energy and public utilities committee the joint committee on everglades oversight and the select committee on florida s economy senator richter was awarded the most valuable legislator in 2009 by the florida chamber of commerce senator richter is a graduate of the university of pittsburgh and the graduate school of banking at madison wisconsin he has lectured at the lsu graduate school of banking and the florida school of banking at the university of florida he and diana have been married for 35 years the two of them are most proud of their three children and their grandson senator richter finds his service to florida to be enlightening and rewarding and he is honored to serve in the florida senate abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 9

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chapter meeting september 23rd 2009 meeting minutes call to order 11:01 pledge of allegiance moment of silence for brothers and sisters lost president ­ frizz senator aaronberg will be here around 11:30 ­ he is s friend of abate according to doc ­ ask your questions ­ treat him with the respect that he deserves bank statement questions ­ books have been reviewed by michele jim and myself all accounts are in order at this point diesel came in from his stint in the blood-mobile and took command of the minutes thanks to ruth for taking frizz s report ­ though i cannot bear responsibility for the accuracy of anything recorded above vice pres ­ rick welcomed all guests and new members shared story of tom-foolery and hy-jinx from tallahassee that centered on a mis-step by then-pres russell theodore ueeck you have to be there to hear the tell good times are had and memories are made at our major events told folks to participate in the silent auction ­ stuff is on the table in the back secretary ­ jim stated honestly and earnestly that minutes were recorded accurately in the last newsletter in the interest of brevity stated that a motion to accept the minutes as presented would be entertained motion by partway seconded by several no discussion motion carried anonymously end of report treasurer ­ michele gave bank balance ­ reminded all that any questions about accounts can be brought forward at any time rick read figures that michele had presented that puts fixed expenses at just over $1000.00 per month this includes average of what is sent to state for membership income percentage etc fixed expenses are just over 50 of what we pay out each month on an average meaning that we have another $1,000.00 or so that goes out for insurance event costs newsletters postage etc bottom line is that we need your participation to make our events a success we are a business and it would be a good ideal to remember that end of treasurer s report sgt at arms ­ teach will be starting game with his report in the next newsletter ­ to get people to read the report prize will likely be a dinner certificate at a local restaurant read the report and try your luck frizz brought up that the flags on the south wall of the hall were given to the vfw from the uss arizona and two others from active units in afghanistan a fourth was donate from an active unit in iraq products ­ dennis gator alley name bars will be here in 2 weeks have other patches t-shirts etc rick added emphasis state delegate ­ bill reported 10 new life memberships picked-up at state meeting legislative issues coming up this next session will include mandatory helmet bill and insurance revisions see delagate report for full story ncom meeting will be held in orlando in may 5-star chapters asked for and received permission to provide a hospitality room for attendees will provide food safety booths and refreshments committee has been put together at the state level to qualify and filter bylaw amendments before they are going to be put on the state meeting agenda will cut the junk and personal attacks on bod members only qualified and relevant issues will be brought to the floor note a stop is defined by the state of florida as a complete cessation of movement if you are caught on camera at an intersection at a red light and your movement has not ceased prior to your continued journey having been rejoined you will receive a ticket in the mail if this happens to happen at one of the photo-equipped intersections lockdown added that your cessation of movement needs to be before the solid stop lines in your lane if you cease movement after you cross those lines you are ­ technically ­ breaking the law legislative ­ darrin bike tickets are for sale $5.00 don t forget that the prize includes all sales tax income tax liability title and registration all you need to buy if you win is gas buy bike tickets introduced senator dave aaronberg presented him with a plaque of appreciation from gator alley and thanked him for coming senator aaronberg mentioned house memorial #19 which is moving through the florida legislature and deals with the 10th amendment to the u.s constitution mainly refers to states rights and is a symbolic gesture telling the feds to leave the states alone they do not have the authority to change our laws as they see fit is a cease and desist order asking them to stop shoving their socialist agenda down our throats sen aaronberg supports this memorial he was also instrumental and the loudest voice in the crowd that rose up to stop the selling of alligator alley to foreign interests in the name of raising funds by the dot cited national security keeping tolls affordable and control over our public highways as logical reasons to stand up against this agency end-run around proper procedure in the conveyance of a public roadway also mentioned hb 21 known as the firearms freedom act ­ which states that guns or ammo that are produced in the state of florida should be exempt from any new federal regulations the senator gave cudos thanks to scribe for his legislative voice which can be down-loaded from the website at gatoralley.net see scribe s report for further details and complete report the senator fielded questions from the crowd including one of our token democrats partway offered his help in the upcoming primary 2010 in his aaronberg s bid to become our next attorney general diesel asked him his position on agency staff over-riding the wishes of grass roots groups who have term-limited legislators who are only allowed to serve for 8 years ­ while some agency activists have been there for 20 years or more and have their own agenda the senator reiterated his fight against the dot relative to selling i-75 and said that he would be vigilant in his duties as ag he said that abate gets things done because we have passion rick reminded him that abate has no paid employees ­ we are an all-volunteer organization this impressed the senator said that the difference between a statesman and a politician is that a politician works for the next election while the statesman works for the next generation he actually wants to be the ag while the last three have used the office as a stepping stone to the governor s office or washington standing ovation abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 10

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p.r ­ lockdown memorial page is up download flyers legislative voice from website can sign up for the legislative action alert network to be automatically included in e-mail updates to issues masterlink will soon be available on line ­ will advise on progress website at state will begin accepting advertising site has had 161 hits 50 of which have been new contacts hits have represented 13 states and canada web hits have decreased since easy rider and american iron quit printing event calendars safety ­ russ gator alley will have a booth at all 3 swamp buggy races ­ look for your chance to volunteer first race of the series is october 24th 25th special recognition ­ cadillac introduced john kirchner ­ vietnam veteran who was finally awarded citations including the bronze star for his service above and beyond in the field received standing ovation and thanks from the chapter as a whole with humility john said he was not really a hero ­ but served with a lot of heros rick told him that he was a hero to us and thanked him again for his service special events ­ tina fun run after the meeting to nemo s and then to sneaky pete s posse run is set for sept 12th ­ kickstands up at 9:00 from the chevron station at pine ridge and 951 where we go will be up to the lead bike flyers for memorial run and heritage run are in for approval trying to meet ever-changing guidelines from state products and safety membership information will be available at our events in the future historian perspective ­ lots of complaints about memorial page ­ but requests for help in identifying folks in photos have not been answered sticky notes will be on table at birthday party if you recognize someone in a photo ­ identify them membership ­ denise:474 members 10 new life cards to hand out must be at meeting to receive them see membership report for details newsletter ­ lynn must have classified ads by tuesday received round of applause for quality of newsletter quartermaster ­ rambo inventory almost done some items in storage belong to members ­ identify them or they will be inventoried with ga property advertising ­ christine new manager of the tavern on the east trail ­ full page ad ­ lori is here today invited all to see the new look old business birthday party ­ get with margo on covered dish items bone-head award nominations etc 2010 bike jamboree ­ teach will be going forward with event and will be working to establish his committee slow race will be named after curt memorial run ­ details to be announced but will be going to ave maria ­ after party will be at kalvin s see flyer for details mda telethon ­ contact heidi to volunteer to work the phones sept 6th 11:15 ­ 11:30 patches ­ patches for annie foster jimmy mccallion and bailey ­ money is needed for them today see heidi heritage run ­ dec 5th ­ flyer will be out next month flashback state party ­ memorial day weekend at the sertoma youth ranch ­ same place as spooks scoots see flyer ­ was the cover of last month s newsletter new business rick is working on his sense of humor at my expense nothing else new good of the order mark kirkum receiving ticket only all other charges have been dropped introduced jim boyland from the sand bar on marco hosting poker run on september 6th lori torres invited all to the tavern following meeting trudi caloosahatchee chapter invites all to germain arena on the 2th of august for a backyard bar b q to a day at lakes park on sept 19th and to the motorcycle expo on february 27th details will be forthcoming deb pigniatello told a kalvin story that did not involve me mentioned that rooter asserted his riding experience prior to taking and passing his rider safety course never sell your experience short ­ any experience that is you had to be there iron rhino yard sale swap meet over labor day weekend welcome to bring a tent and sell your junk see flyer or call gary or bill ratcliff motorcycle madness is being held nov 15th by the marco island parks recreation will investigate getting a safety booth at the event 85 members on sign-in sheet t-shirt ­ kenny smith 50/50 ­ mark kirkum ­ donated proceeds back to chapter silent auction generated $75.00 next bod meeting on 9/17 next chapter meeting on 9/27 motion 2nd passed adjourned respectfully submitted jim diesel kalvin when we get piled upon one another in large cities as in europe we shall become as corrupt as europe thomas jefferson abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 11

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district legislative representatives 2009 regular session the govenor s office govenor charlie crist the capital 402 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1300 850-488-7146 850-487-0801 fax email email charlie.crist@myflorida.com lt govenor jeff kottkamp the capital 402 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1300 850-488-7146 850-487-0801 fax email jeff.kottkamp@myflorida.com the senate representative bill nelson democrat capitol office united states senate 716 hart senate office building washington dc 20510 202-224-5274 t 202-228-2183 f united states senate hart 317 senate office bldg washington dc 20510 district office justice center annex building suite 801 2000 main street ft myers fl 33901 239-334-7760 t 239-334-7710 f unknown at this time website http billnelson.senate.gov george lemieux repuplican website mike bennett room 306 senate office building email bennett.mike.web@flsenate.gov 404 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1100 850-487-5078 republican-district 21 3653 cortez road west suite 90 bradenton fl 34210 941-727-6349 6415 lake worth rd suite 210 greenarces fl 33463 561-433-2627 3301 e tamiami trial administration bldg suite 203 naples fl 34112-492 239-417-6205 8603 s dixie highway suite 304 miami fl 33143 305-668-7344 dave aronberg room 405 senate office building email aronberg.dave.web@flsenate.gov 404 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1100 850-487-5356 democrat district 27 garrett richter room 310 senate office building republican district 37 email richter.garrett.web@flsenate.gov 404 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1100 850-487-5124 larcenia j bullard democrat district 39 email bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov room 218 senate office building 404 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1100 850-487-5127 abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 12

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district legislative representatives 2009 regular session the house name connie mack republican-district 14 http www.house.gov/mack washington office 115 cannon house office building washington dc 20515 202-225-2536 t 202-226-0439 f district office naples office 3301 e tamiami trail 1st floor naples fl 34112-3969 mario diaz-balart 328 cannon house office building republican-district 25 http www.house.gov/mario-diazbalart washington dc 20515 202-225-2778 t 202-226-0346 f naples office 4715 golden gate parkway ste 1 naples fl 34116 239-348-1620 t 239-348-3569 f suite 208 2120 main street ft myers fl 33901-3010 239-355-2411 suite 305 3501 del prado boulevard cape coral fl 33904-7223 239-344-4900 12811 kenwood lane suite 212 ft myers fl 33907 239-433-6775 suite 304 administration building 3301 east tamiami trial naples fl 34112-4902 239-417-6200 hendry county courthouse 25 e hickpoochee avenue labelle fl 33935 ­5015 863-675-5267 suite 305 collier county admin bldg 3301 east tamiami trail naples fl 34112-3972 239-434-5094 suite 212 3301 east tamiami trail naples fl 34112-3972 239-417-6270 nicholas r thompson republican-district 73 417 house office building 402 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1300 850-488-1541 1301 the capitol 402 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1300 850-488-7433 303 house office building 402 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1300 850-488-2047 412 house office building 402 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1300 850-488-4487 400 house office building 402 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1300 850-488-3457 222 the capital 402 south monroe street tallahassee fl 32399-1300 850-488-7897 10303 house office building 402 south monroe street tallahasse fl 32399-1300 850-488-1028 gary aubuchon republican district 74 trudi k.williams republican district 75 tom grady republican district 76 denise grimsley republican district 77 david rivera republican district 112 email david.rivera@myfloridahouse.gov matt hudson republican party district 101 matt.hudson@myfloridahouse.gov abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 13

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august sunshine report lisa schlitz a get well card for her gallbladder surgery she has recovered and is busy posting things on facebook as well as a thank you for the card the family of bruce russmeyer owner and creator of destination daytona sympathy card as he was killed in a motorcycle accident on his way to sturgis for all of you who have spent time in daytona admiring his store and dealing with his staff it was obvious that he was a man of vision what he leaves behind in his destination daytona empire we will be able to enjoy with fond memories of many years to come he said in an interview once that the most generous people in the world were bikers and he was #1 not only did he make bike week the success that it is he found time to dedicate to children in need as well our prayers go out to his family wife sandra and five children mandy wendy randy will and shelly and to all of his friends business associates charity recipients and supporters who will miss his day to day interaction making the biker community a fun and respected way of life his accident happened in an instant but his legacy will live on as he watches over us with all of the other dedicated riders that have gone on before him margaret waterbury a sympathy card for the loss of her husband long time member darryl who passed away from a heart attack cadillac spoke for margaret and thanked us for the card support and for those who attended the service may your heart heal from this sad loss john cutsinger new member signed on by our own member magnet dennis parsons a get well card for an unfortunate dispute that landed him in the hospital and will have some long term healing to do he was at the meeting and expressed his thanks for the card to dennis as he was touched by our concern may you be well soon john lockdown and ginny rich an anniversary card as they celebrated their 8th year of marriage with some close friends snacks and cold beverages and killer jello shots that managed to send ginny in early for her beauty rest also a belated happy birthday to their daughter ashley who turned 12 that day as well the family of paul frenchie moreau sympathy card for his passing if anyone would like they can make a donation to avow hospice of naples in his name and to all us girls may you all be the kind of woman that when you wake up in the morning and your feet hit the floor the devil says oh t she s up respectfully submitted margo dugan abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 14

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the run to florida for barton beck part 3 by james beck the timing seemed to be perfect and the flap was using the middle lane i was still in the far left lane then it caught air and flew up and headed in my direction i saw it and gripped the bars and ducked down onto my tank holding the bike steady and stared through the bottom of my windshield at the road to stay up i knew at this speed i had a good chance of clearing it before it touched down wrong bobby saw the flap lift off the asphalt and new that it would hit me it did my front tire went over the rubber part and heard the clank of the metal bar under my bike i sat up and leaned my bike over as i road and bobby came up beside me and looked under my bike to see any damage stopping now was out of the question and i did not want to use the pickup service i got with hog no oil leaking and no visible damage so we pushed on the flap and bar met me as it hit the ground in front of my tire i was lucky it was cold how cold i was to find out later stopped for gas somewhere in between pensacola and tallahassee on the highway still cold warmed up with the hand drier again pushed on to tallahassee and beyond stopped at the turn onto i-75 got gas and saw dusk the day was ending and the cold got worse i began to feel numb on the fingers and i was tired i knew that i had ridden many more miles on a bike than bobby and knew that he must be cold and tired i thought of bart and knew that he would have done the same for any one of us i was to learn that he had done this for bros in florida night fell and found us cutting the speed down for safety sake the road is black and that does not reflect the headlights well i turned on the spot lights seemed to help some i was still in the lead since my bike had cruise control and keeps us at a steady pace the cold was biting into my toes in the steel toed harley boots i was wearing long-johns two t-shirts a sweatshirt vest and leather jacket and a pair if cover alls the cold was trying to beat us but it did not know why we were doing this and it was not going to win stopped for gas at about eight fifteen cold and tired and one hundred and three miles to the best western in brooksville pushed on we rode into brooksville florida at ten thirty i went in the office of the best western to get the keys to the room that had been reserved for us the kid at the desk watched as i peeled off the helmet and face buff i looked at him and he said you guys are crazy i asked for the key and then asked what the temperature was there 28 degrees and fifteen mile an hour wind was the answer on the tv above the desk plus 65 miles an hour on the bikes gets us around,17 degree windshield cold we rode around to the room and i looked for other bikes that maybe were there for the funeral of bart there were none that i saw we entered the room and did not unpack until we thawed out we stood looking out the window at the bikes standing over the heater in the room thawed out and hungry we rode to the denny s across the highway came back and saw a couple of bike down near the front as we rode past next morning was friday the day of the funeral abate of fla inc gator alley chapter page 15

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