Have you ever noticed that your times of most acute loneliness are often in the company of people that you know very well? Or even worse, in a social setting that you possibly helped introduce a newcomer to the group, only to later find yourself the outsider? Before you know it, you seem to be on the outside looking in, your opinions sought only after the actual decision has been made, the easy banter that…

Dad here; as most of you now know, I had an unplanned motorcycle dismount on our last trip to New Mexico, resulting in a dislocated ankle and broken fibula. "Fibula" is an ancient Mayan word meaning "bone that carries small load but much pain". Surgery is planned for next week, and those that know me will attest to the fact that the Casa is in for a wild ride. You see, I have a VERY…

Conventional wisdom would dictate that when one loses a job, life slows down. This has NOT been the case at the Casa del Whackos. It's almost embarrassing, as it seems like we have been on a perpetual journey since that Day of Emancipation back in April, so busy that we haven't had a chance to become consumed with worry as to "What's next?", as what's next is happening right now. Gary Larson, the author and…

Everyone know how much Charlie and I love to ride. The farther away from a perceived safety net, the better we like it. What's more, mom rides. So does Zach. And Fletch, Nathan, Bryan, Michael, Kyle, Don, Craig, Carolyn,Shane, Lynn, Rodney, Lisa, Ken Sr, Ken Jr, Armando, and too many others to name here, brothers and sisters all. And I think that I know the habits of these riders well enough to know that not…

For years I've felt like there was something else "out there" just waiting to be discovered; prison ministry, Special Olympics, Trevor, Charlie Bravo, some big cause that would allow to go charging like Don Quixote towards a windmill. And those somethings have never failed to materialize, and have never went away, the stories even becoming interconnected to the point where I have difficulty determining where one storyline blurs into the next. While it's obvious that…

Dad here; it was an awesome trip... 4000 miles in a 15 year old converted minivan across the southwest, no particular itinerary, with a goofy black dog for company. John Steinbeck said it best: "we don't take trips, trips take us", and this one was a perfect example. A million places, million thoughts, a million emotions, that will take some time for the mash to percolate in the still through the distilling process, then work…

Can we talk? When Charlie and I first met, I knew immediately that her story had "legs". After she began to find her voice and her message, I began to reach out to various local animal rescue organizations to offer our assistance in any way possible; fund raising, awareness, whatever capacity we could help out, we were in. Crickets; and the deafening silence has continued to this day. Over the last four years, we have…