Hello everyone

It is hard to believe this year is almost over. We hope everyone has done some type of riding that they enjoy most. The fall leaves were spectacular, along with the ones that are still on the trees. Just maybe we will have much cooler weather this next summer that we can ride more. I just have a hard time in the heat when it is 100+ without having to put on a helmet to ride.

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankful for. We would like to take this opportunity to give a big Thank You to all of the staff and members for this past year.

The District Officers meeting was very interesting. Our new District Director Ken and Julie Zahn are very excited about their new position and hope to bring even more fun activities. It was announced at the meeting that the new West Tenn. Asst. District Directors are Bill Henson and Marie Marbury and they live in Camden.

Cupids Capers will be held at the Paris Landing State Park on February 2nd. This year it will be some what different from the past. The rules for the Couples of the Year that want to compete have changed. Instead of selecting the District Couple of the Year at Cupids Capers they will be selected at Spring Fling. There are lots of other details about Cupids Capers that we will talk about at the January meeting. We would like to see as many people as

possible attend this year. For the first time it will be closer for West Tenn. to travel. There will be a registration form in this newsletter.

Now that we talked a little about the Couple of the Year, Pete and LeeAnn Scogin will be our new COY this next year. They have both been on the staff for the past few years. LeeAnn has been our treasurer and has done an outstanding job. Pete is the Chapter Historian and has had lots of help with this from his sweetheart.

For those of you that missed our Christmas Party with MS Y, you really missed a good time. The food was outstanding along with the fellowship of both chapters being together. We hope this will be a beginning of good times with MS Y. Since our Chapters are so close together in the area we need to plan some rides together this next year.

Well, it is almost time for our annual Polar Bear Ride down to the Mississippi River on New Years Day. You will be getting a calling post with all the details for this day. We just hope it is warmer than it was last year!

Don't forget to bring items for the Alzheimers day center to the next meeting.

We would like to wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Pat & Jim

October 27^th turned out to be colder than expected however a few of us braved the elements and rode our bikes to Chickasaw State Park where our sister chapter, TN-I, put on a great noon time lunch for about 60 people. They’ve invited the surrounding chapters several time and in my opinion, this event gets better and better each time – thank you guys for all you do to help us have fun while riding or just playing around. Back to the story though – Since Karen decided to sell one of our sort-of-matching Wings, she rides on back of the one I pilot. This is great fun for us because her back seat driving has reached a new high – especially since my sweetheart’s real dream is to whisper things in my ear which if transmitted over the CB would cause me to blush… anyway, we were on the white wing, Ed and Phyllis were on their red one and Fred was on his BMW. Along with the group but in four wheelers (remember it was very cold and I know that Jim was just coming off an operation) were Pat and Jim as well as Pete and Lea Ann. As we started out we noticed just how chilly it could be at 60 MPH but with the sun shinning on us and multiple layers of protective clothing, we were riding in style. The trip is about 80 miles from our house which was just right for having fun, especially when riding with friends however I know that we were glad to stop when we arrived at the park. The food was good and as always, our Sister Chapter had more than enough for everyone. They served fantastic BBQ, hamburgers, hot dogs, deserts, salads and all the trimmings. If you missed it – Winfred would say you really missed a great time and we all would agree with him. Chapter I is planning another outing in the spring so make plans to attend.

An aside, Joe’s Honda “Cycle” shop in Bolivar is under new management and really wants to invite everyone to stop in, check them out and help them make this Honda shop you first stop if you need anything. Jeff Marcum who helps manage Joe’s expressed this desire by donating a Helmet and an oil change to be given away at Chapter I’s tremendous picnic lunch. Jeff said to ask for a minimum 10% discount every time you are in the shop but be sure to show your GWRRA membership card – who knows, there may be more saving with it – especially on the new wings sitting on their showroom floor.

Everyone was a winner that day and you knew it by the smiles on our faces as well as the coupons that were distributed (remember – keep those coupons as there are other potential benefits that can be shared at Cupid’s Capers). Our merry band of riders left around 1:30 to return home but decided to stop at Joe’s on the way back. Jeff was happy to see us and told us about another ride the following weekend – we also hooked him up with Winfred who invited him to attend the next GWRRA meeting in Bolivar. Fred went on to Memphis prior to the stop at Joe’s so hope he enjoyed the day and all the riding too.

Our group went on to LaGrange and a planned stop at the old general store for a Coke however to our surprise it is no longer a general store but rather a Real Estate Company. The owner, Paul Douglas Jackson Jr and his partner, a real nice lady and I apologize to her as I did not write down her name, offered us all soda’s which we enjoyed on their front porch. With the Sun in the western sky and all soda’d up, we got back on the bikes to SLOWLY ride through LaGrange towards home. BY THE WAY, if you are looking for a real estate agent in or around LaGrange – Paul and his partner would be happy to talk to you. All in all it was a great day and sharing with our fellow Gold Wingers just made it that much better. Ride Safe and Ride often

It was Wednesday afternoon with the work day coming to an end when my cell phone rang. Not to unusual however this call occurred just as I was shutting down my PC and putting on my coat. Okay, my sweetheart has an errand for me – check the mail at the post office or pick up a gallon of milk etc…you know the call fellows because you’ve either received one or made one sometime in you life. Anyway, it did turn out to be Karen only she sounded all shaken up and distracted. Honey, is something wrong? I asked. Almost before I finished, she announced that she had dropped her scooter. Of course, she had my undivided attention as I listened to her tell me that someone passed her illegally, the car passed over a double yellow line in the no passing area of Collierville on the Main street though town. They then cut in front of her in order to make a right turn leaving her few options – go down, ride off the road into a yard or brake as hard as possible … My sweetheart really had no choice but to lock up both brakes to keep from getting hit by a black luxury car – no one saw the license plate or could describe the driver. Locking up the brakes threw her out of balance because she was on the slick right turn arrow painted on the street. Note: the Basic MSF course teaches new riders to avoid painted and oily areas of the road due to loss of traction and highly unpredictable vehicle movements – and they are so right. With so many unknowns, you can imagine that I wanted to be by her side as quickly as possible but you still have to drive safe. As I left the parking lot and turned towards Main Street, another wreck occurred right in front of me – no, I was not involved but the delay seemed like an eternity and sitting there was painful. The phone rang again and it was from Karen indicating that the scooter would not start (she told me she would ride it home if she could). The police, fire department and paramedics had been there because two nice people witnessed the accident and had called it in as well as verified her story. I do not know the name of the city worker that immediately called the police but I really want to thank him for it. As we were talking, the police officer got the scooter going which was promising except that we did not know the extent of Karen’s injuries or the true condition of her scooter. Now I’m really worried but can’t do a thing about it. Twenty minutes later, I pulled into our driveway – see the scooter in the garage and feel a rush of relief as “My Kare Bear” looks okay. We talked about the incident before we returned to the scene. Once there I couldn’t find any evidence of the accident which surprised me but … only then did I realize just how lucky we were as she could have run into the guide wire on a telephone pole. I had visions of her getting really hurt if she had struck that wire – you just don’t know what could have happened. Once we returned home, we did another examination of her injuries, doctored them up and then I convinced her to relax during dinner. All of the sudden it hit her and tears began streaming down her face because she had banged up her scooter. Some blankity blank four wheeler is responsible for the crash because of their poor driving. This is part of the motorcycle riding experience and a very good reason to “Dress for the crash” as Bruce Merrill continues to highlight before every ride (thanks Bruce). Karen was properly dressed which saved her feet, skin and most importantly her head. Ask her about the damage to her boot – she can’t remember what happened but will tell you that she is very glad that she had them on. Ask her to show you her leather jacket and gauntlet gloves – you can see the scrapes but again she can’t remember how they got there. The scrap on her helmet tells another story – one I’m glad she can tell you about. Recapping – this accident was caused by someone driving a four wheeler who took Karen’s “Right Away” away from her, the accident was at a very slow speed and in town, the scooter is busted up but can be repaired and no one will be the wiser. Karen is going to be fine but we’ll watch her closely until we are both sure of this fact. Finally, you may not believe this but my beautiful bride’s final comment as we went to bed was – do you think I’ll be able to ride my pretty little scooter to work tomorrow?

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Attention: (from Pat & Jim)

*** We are in need for a Chapter Educator. Everyone please give this some thought. We know there is someone in our CHAPTER that would do an outstanding job. This position needs to be filled ASAP.

*** At the November meeting we asked for ideas for next year to plan rides and activities etc. We received a lot of good ideas that the staff will start planning for this next year. If there is anything that you may have forgotten please give us a call so that we can work it into the calendar.

December 2007

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
						1

2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Mike Hopper & Chuck Logan B-Day
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
				Ed Johnson B-Day
16	17	18	19	20	21	22

23	24	25	26	27	28	29
Glenda Keough B-Day	Bobby Roberson B-Day	Christmas
30	31	1
	New Year's Eve	W2 Polar Bear Ride

Charlotte & Kelton Green own the “Bike of the Month”