Looking back thru my pics from 2008 and the first AHRMA National I went to, I came across this one. When Robbie and I went that year, I knew all of about 3 people at Diamond Don’s. But the racing was so much fun to watch and I left that day with well over 450 pictures that I kept… probably tossed out a couple hundred more. How fun it is to look back through them now and recognize so many people. Many of them have become friends, or acquaintances at the very least. Enter in #49j… Richie V. One of those racers I took a pic of that day, probably would have met him by now and maybe even become friends. Unfortunately he passed away before I had that opportunity…but I did get to meet his wife, Teresa last year. And yeah, just through knowing her, I’m sure we would have been friends. It’s a pretty cool thing to hear stories, see videos of him playing guitar and pictures… sure am sorry I missed out on the opportunity to know a great person. But like so many others gone before us…he lives on in the memories of others. Thankful that they’re willing to share some of their memories with the rest of us. And in the end…all I can think is… live life to the fullest, get out and enjoy it, take the time to laugh and do the things you love to do!!!!

With the upcoming AHRMA Vintage National in Jefferson, TX… I thought some vintage mx pics would be appropriate. For me, the great part about vintage racing is that you have people who were/are part of the history…the bikes we race are bikes they raced back in the day. You’ve also got people like me, younger, didn’t grow up in the scene but I still love it. And then you’ve got the young guns…. point is, we all love it. And last year at the final AHRMA round at Rio Bravo, we saw this guy… young and fast, doing things on a vintage bike that just were amazing. This guy broke his bike, more than once, I believe. But dang if he wasn’t fast…and fun to watch!!! For more information on the upcoming AHRMA national, visit Diamond Don’s

say hello to your photographer… hehehe. it seems rare that i take a day, just to enjoy the park. if i head there, i’m usually pedaling a mountain bike, which is cool, because i like the pedal scooter. but one day a couple months ago while it was still cool out, i decided to take a drive and spend a few hours at the park with my camera. i also decided not to carry any spare lenses with me and shot only with my “nifty fifty”… a fixed focal length 50mm f/1.8 lens. which meant no zoom, try to be creative and see what you end up with. sure, there are all kinds of nature pics, but you know…sometimes you just want to goof around with the camera, so here ya go. i love being outside, love the cool air in the morning, love the sounds of the birds and sometimes, just enjoy being by myself.

Amazing the things you find in small towns along the way… Enter the Childress Hotel, an early 1900′s building that was “the” place to stay way back when Childress was a rail hub. A bustling town complete with 5 theaters. Imagine that! Nowdays, it’s a quiet downtown area with more brick covered roads than I’ve seen in quite some time. The old hotel had been in operation until just about 10 years ago…now it sits…and waits… if we’d only gone thru a bit sooner with about a hundred grand in our pockets! That’s apparently what the 5 story building sold for. Hopefully it’ll be returned to at least some of it’s former glory!

Last July we attended a family reunion, to celebrate my Grandparent’s 60th anniversary. We were fortunate enough to make the drive with my Grandparent’s from Vegas to Grant’s Pass and back to Vegas. I’ve always known that time is important, just never really took into account how little time we actually have. Just a few, short months later, my Grandma passed away. There are lots of little moments that I’ll always cherish…memories made that I’m sure will come back to me at the appropriate times.

I’ll never forget being parked, waiting for the pilot car to come back and getting out, laughing with my Grandma, enjoying the smell of the cool mountain air, the comfort of the sun as it warmed our shoulders or spotting these flowers, wondering if it was even possibly to capture the simple beauty I saw.

Trey Jorksi - Diamond Don's 2008

In April 2008 a friend and I drove up to Jefferson, TX to watch an AHRMA national. As soon as we drove through the gate, I told her I’d love to ride that track. What I saw was a natural terrain grass track that wound it’s way through the trees. It was, by far and away, the most picturesque track I’d ever seen. Granted, my experience with MX was pretty limited at that point, but still. We had the best time, probably the most fun I’d had watching racing up til that point. I had no clue that just a couple of years later, I’d be racing that same event! Lucky me….a girl’s day out somehow led to a love affair with vintage bikes, there’s nothing I’d rather race. It’s more fun than a person should be allowed to have and the people are the best!

So here you go….As I get time and/or the inspiration, I’ll add a pic of the day. It might be a favorite “old” photo, something that caught my eye, one of my kids, motocross…whatever I feel like. Because it’s my world…and I can.

My favorite sunrise picture, taken this past September up near Amarillo, TX.