I think it
was about a week before the district rally when I realized I had gravely
miscalculated my school schedule, thinking there was a week AFTER the rally
and THEN semester final exams only to realize Brad and I had planned to
leave the LAST
DAY
OF SCHOOL! Oh well, you know what the priority turned out to be and I would
return in time for semester finals!:) Just what the doctor ordered after a
hectic year of new curriculum, rolling north on 281, ticking off the miles
and what period had just finished back at the school!
We ended
riding up on our own as other chapter members had the ability to get away in
time to be there for the start of the rally. The good thing is that we were
able to bring up cords needed by the District that had been left behind
which meant bringing Fanny our trailer...gosh, gee, darn, now there was room
to bring along
AND
buy more at the rally! We had a delightful day driving up: pleasant 70
degree temperature, wildflowers and lots of green due to spring rains, and a
stop at the Koffee Kup in Hico which brought the pleasant surprize of
running into fellow San Antonio Goldwingers from Chapter H, Felipe and Rose
Martinez, Mary and Bill Rutan, and Jim and Rebecca Gantt! I would recommend
the strawberry pie if you are up in Hico and it is in season!
Chapter H Members
Heading
off again trying to get those cords to the district rally, we arrived in
Wichita Falls just before some rain blew in. The cords got into the
district rally nice and dry but the GoldWing cover got damp! Fortunately
the host hotel was just across the MPEG convention center parking lot and we
arrived slightly damp but in good spirits. With Chapter U spread out among
many hotels and the roads wet from the rain, we joined Chapter O in
Austin for a pizza and beer party prior to walking over to the MPEG center
for the District Talent Show. Brad forgot the digital camera and when I got
up to pick it up, everyone had vamoosed to get ready to go to the talent
show and even the pizza boxes and beer bottles had been cleared away! No
picture but you probably get the picture! The best part of staying at the
host hotel were the number of fellow GoldWingers staying there AND its close
location to the district rally so you had the choice to ride or park and
walk! Our happy and relaxed group arrived just in time to hear an Elvis
Presley imitation that ended up winning the District talent show competition
for a single person! Other fun was provided by Chapter R performing a
take-off on the old "Laugh-In" show, and musical comedy numbers (ask about
the "Wing A Ding Ding song!) and "My Shipppp" (advertising next year's
rally in
Corpus
Christi").
It was a fun evening and we looked forward to more fun on Saturday.
Carolyn Tice with the COY Baskets
Jill & Connie checking out the COY Baskets
Lots of great Goldwings at the rally!
Saturday morning brought a slight bit of precipitation as we wandered
through the parking lot in time to eat donuts and drink coffee in the
Hospitality Room and browse some more through the vendors. The early bird
gets the worm I found out as Connie Jordan had wiped out most of the black
with rhinestone hats that fellow co-riders had asked her to find at the
rally! Kenny Jordan had purchased a great rally shirt and we wanted one
just like his only to be told they were out of large red lettering. We were
lucky that latter the large red lettering was found, and four more shirts
were made up for Chapter U members. Bert and Linda Navin purchased a new
ride-off kick-stand and a belly pan and their beautiful blue wing was in the
vendor area being worked on! We all bought Couple of the Year (COY) basket
tickets to try to win various Couple of the Year baskets donated from
chapters to raise funds for the COY program. Connie and I ran into Rose,
Mary and Rebecca from Chapter H perusing some of the same possible purchases
in the vendor area!
Candy Brown and "Harley"
Bert & Linda Navin
From the bike show competition: beautiful old wing and a real nice 1500
w/trailer!!
Amidst the shopping, Chapter U members did contribute to the District rally
by acting as "Vendor Security" from 10-12 Saturday morning. As it worked
out, the guys worked one end of the hall and the girls plus Harley, our
security dog, worked the other. This entailed 30 seconds of training. You
hold up a paint stirring stick with a star on one side that says "Please
show your wristband" and when they show you the wristband gained by
registering for the rally, you are supposed to flip to the other side of the
star that says "Thank you!" I'm not sure we were always flipping the right
part of the stick but we were busy talking and chatting and checking
armbands and having great fun. Harley who was trying to make up for past
transgressions, was on particularly good behavior, checking wristbands of
people who stopped to pet him! All in all, Chapter U had a lot of fun while
supporting the District! Thanks to Kenny and Connie Jordan, Candy Brown and
Harley, (Charlie was teaching) for joining us in pulling the vendor security
detail.
The
Chapter U and H ladies shopping
More shopping with Jill & Connie!!
Finally got some lunch
Popular T-shirt booth (green ones in the back!)
Scenes from the dress competition, Best Dressed Chapter & Best Knit Shirts!!
We got 2d in both!!!
After some more shopping, I think Brad was desperate to get me out of the
vendor area, we wandered over to watch the dress competition. Brad and I
haven't been to a lot of rallies so a lot of this is new to us. Wes Lewis,
a very new Chapter U member, had joined us somewhere in the shopping
frenzy...I think admiring Kenny's shirt. Wes, Connie and Kenny joined Brad
and I as we wandered into the dress competition which was great fun. Now
this competition has lots of categories of different type chapter and
motorcycle wearing apparel...there was not one ladies' dress in the entire
show! We were watching as it progressed and the competition for Chapter
Knit Shirt came around and one chapter had entered, much to the
disappointment of the judges and staff running the competition. Somehow,
someone up front noticed four people wearing the same RED KNIT SHIRT in the
audience and managed to cajole us into coming up and being part of the
competition. After finding out we were wearing a chapter shirt, we were
entered in the "Best Dressed Chapter" as well as the "Chapter Knit Shirt"
competitions. So four of us tentatively sauntered out on to the stage
(think of going up front to be part of the chapter monthly "games of
skill"!), following directions to "face front, one quarter turn to the left,
one quarter turn to the left, one quarter turn to the left, face forward
again." You'll notice Kenny and Connie are holding hands for moral
support...they even participated in a competition specifically for couples!
Well we won 2d place in both categories and special thanks to Kenny and
Connie for being such good sports to participate in competition to represent
the chapter on a spur of the moment and to Olin and Martha Gover who came up
with the great knit chapter shirts that helped our chapter place in
these competitions! Somehow none of us had managed to wear our chapter hat
but next year....It was a lot of fun to do something together and represent
the chapter! Those red shirts really do stand out (it probably helped they
were brand new as well!).
Theme Couple competition: Kermit & Miss
Piggy and Sonny & Cher
Jill
getting a shopping tip from Connie
Waiting for our rally shirts to get finished!!
Well it came time to attend the closing ceremony. Special thanks was given
to the district staff which did a super job, and we were thrilled to learn
that our chapter had won best website for the district! What makes this
award special is that every chapter with a website (35 or so) is entered
automatically whereas all the other competitions, you have to participate to
win. Our website really reflects our chapter and the fun we have. All
those great pictures of smiles and bikes and activities not only has
impressed the judges for the competition but keeps bringing new friends to
our chapter! Congratulations to everyone who participated this last year in
Chapter U activities and special thanks to those who helped taking pictures
and sending them in to put on the website!
Waiting for
dinner.......................................and...............At the dinner
table! At least we have everyone!
We all celebrated by going to a GREAT nearby steak house that was not a
well-kept secret among the GoldWing crowd! By the end of the evening, most
of the restaurant was filled with rally participants who gave the District
staff a standing ovation for the great job they had done!
BBQ
Lunch in Stephenville
Gas and butt break on the way back!!
Sunday morning brought a gathering of Connie and Kenny, Wes, and Brad and I
heading south as Candy, Harley and Charlie Brown headed north for family
business. Connie and Kenny took lead and Brad and I were happy to be drag
on the way home. Sal Pesto had arrived earlier in the week only to return
home the next day. We were sorry to have missed Sal but glad to have met up
with Bert and Linda prior to their heading south. We had a great ride home,
stopping at a GREAT barbecue place in Stephenville where we modeled our new
rally shirts. Kenny continued the chapter tradition of selecting a
bright, eye-catching color for our rally shirts. They even had real knives,
forks and spoons (OK I am a pushover!). We also met Bill and Mary, Rose and
Felipe, and Jim and Rebecca on the way home traveling south on 281!
Brad and I arrived home tired but happy. We put a lot of great, fun, miles
on the GoldWing, saw old friends and made new friends. We contributed to
the rally by checking wristbands (Chapter U security detail rules...we had
the only security dog!), shopped until we nearly dropped, and strutted our
chapter knit T-shirts! I would have to say, many more GoldWingers now have
heard about Chapter U! Charlie Brown a couple months ago at a chapter
meeting talked about how much fun the Regional rally was because of the
other Chapter U members that were there. After this district rally, I can
say it truly does make a rally more fun when other Chapter U members are
there, just like any chapter activity! Brad and I look forward to many more
rallies, much more planned and impromptu fun times with Chapter U, and hope
you can join us!
Jill Severe
