Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero for Playstation II is pretty cool. I can't do it worth a crap. Diego thinks he is a real rocker.

Professional Bull Riders - Built Ford Tough Challenge

Last weekend, I had to go to Jacksonville for the PBR (Professional Bull Riders Association) competition at Veteran's Memorial Stadium to represent title sponsor "Built Ford Tough Trucks". I decided to take the family and make an evening of it. PBR is one of the most exciting shows out there. First of all, if watching some lunatic cowboy ride a huge bull with horns doesn't excite you, well, I am not sure what will. These guys are the toughest SOB's out there. Second, PBR does a great job "filling in" during intermission with some antics from the PA Announcer and rodeo clown. Overall, it's a fun family show. I got to go out on the dirt at the end and give the winner (J.B Mauney - 21 year old who has already made over a million riding bulls) a check for $35,000 on behalf of Ford. It was cool - I got to talk on the PA system to the crowd and also on TV. For some reason, I really enjoy public speaking. It's fun. That's me on the jumbotron saying a few words to the crowd. I got to watch the action from behind the gates for about 20 minutes before the end. It's so funny - these cowboys walk off the arena looking all cool after the bull bucks them off - then, when the camera is off, they fall to their knees wincing in pain. I asked my marketing contact from PBR if anyone got hurt tonight, and he said "not that they would admit". Like I said, these dudes are tough.

Would You Like To Buy Some Popcorn?

Scouting is a great venture for family's. Diego is a Webelo I Scout, and Antonio is a Tiger Cub. I have been one of the adult leaders for 3 years now. It's a great program that teaches good values, ethics, and appreciation for our heritage and freedoms. It also teaches the boys things such as independance, self respect, good manors, the importance of community service, etc. etc. etc.

ANNUAL POPCORN SALES

One important goal for Scouting is to have the boys learn how to take care of themselves and pay their own way. We hold 2 major fundraisers every year that go towards their programs and outings. We just kicked off the annual fall fundraiser which is popocorn sales. Diego and Antonio have fun selling. Diego especially is going after it this year. We have had 2 "show and sells" at the local grocery stores as a group, but today, Diego took some popcorn in a wagon around our neighborhood by himself. I was impressed! He sold more in 2 hours by himself than we did at the grocery store as a group yesterday!

If you wish to buy some popcorn to support scouting, please call me 321-356-9573.

Bucs 29 - Packers 21

It was a great day for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Ford. It was home game #2 - Bucs VS Packers. I arrived early in the morning to set up the 5 displays Ford has surrounding the stadium and ensure the Ford models we hired "had a clue". Once I had everything set, my friend Rick Hubbard and myself headed over to Bill Currie Ford's Tailgate (an every home game event - they are huge fans). They had some really good BBQ!

50 Yard Line

Well, there are some perks to my job. Yes, I blew a Sunday working, and I had to walk around the stadium about 3 times for various reasons visiting each display location. However, I got to watch part of the game from club seats on the 50 yard line with Rick, part of the game from the Buccaneers Marketing Suite, and part of the game on the sidelines with Co-Worker David Schaefer. It was a great time. The Buccaneers organization is first class. They work very hard to meet our needs, and also work very hard at hospitality!

Monday Morning - Last Day of Vacation for now

This is a post from a few weeks ago that I wrote and never published for some reason....

Last day of vacation for now. The next one is "mancation" - motorcycle trip with the boys to Birmingham AL for the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Fest - about 1 month from now. Marco and I had a few hours to blow before we needed to pick up Brianna at school, so, we took the Tiger Moth out for a couple of Flights. Marco was very well behaved the whole time we were there. He was very interested in what Dad was doing!

Today's flight was the first flight in about 2 years for this plane. It's a beautiful plane, and it fly's great. However, it's very large, and is a pain in the tail to haul to the flying field. I have a bunch of other planes that are just as fun to fly and take half the effort to get them ready to fly. However, this plane is a beauty, and the weather was perfect for a couple of morning flights, so the Hanger Queen went to the field.

Buccaneer Flex

What do you think? Pretty cool huh? One lucky Bucs fan will take this home at the last home game of the 2008 NFL Season. We unveiled this program today at the Buc's home opener.

Sunday Stuff Part II

Most Sunday's are the same for us. We go to church, eat a light lunch, goof off in the pool, and have a really good dinner cooked on the grill. Today, with Belinda gone, I decided that we would modify our behaviour just a bit. We skipped church, went flying, then came home and hit the pool. I invited some of my "biker buddies" over to watch the Moto GP Race at Indy. What a dissapointment. I should have just watched the NASCAR Race. Oh well, the food was really good, and I got to check out my friend Chris' Alfa Romeo Spider. Also, the kids played together very well, and I enjoyed a nice Cigar on the patio with Eddie Mazzaredo. I also prepped the Tiger Moth - Marco and I are going to fly it Monday AM after I drop off Brianna at her sdchool. Pretty good day!

Sunday Stuff Part 1

Well, it was a rough night without mom. My stomach had a "disagreement" with something I ate, and I didn't get to sleep until after midnight. About 45 minutes after that, Marco woke up screaming. He came to bed with me, but tossed and turned all night long disrupting my sleep. I woke up fairly groggy. What should we do? I opened it up for a vote. Church, or the RC Flying field. Jesus, forgave us I believe, because we had fun and didn't tear anything up.

Dad's P-51 Takes Flight

After nearlly 2 years, Dad's P-51 flew again. He was here the last time I flew it, and the plane just wasn't right - it was very wild to fly, not very stable. I called him on Saturday and he suggested I add some nose weight. THAT'S IT! It flew perfect. What a nice airplane. Nothing like straffing the runway at full throttle, gear up, into a high climbing turn out. NICE! I took all the kids, and our neighbor Alex. They had a great time. Marco was a terror as usual. God love this little boy - he makes us all laugh.

Greg Wood's 40th B-Day

This evening, we all went to Greg Wood's House for his surprise 40th Birthday Party. I work with Greg, and Belinda is good friends with his wife Daria. Our kids play together often. We tried to trash their house, but, only managed to smash one bottle of beer on the floor (yes, Marco).

Popcorn Pick Up Day

I volunteered us to help pick up the Cub Scout Packs 94 cases of popcorn today. We hooked up Troop 854's trailer and set off on the journey. The kids were very helpful. I was surprised they didn't give up until we had completed the task.

We Love You Mommy

Playin in the Street

What a nice evening. The humidity is gone, and there is a very nice breeze. I grabbed a camp chair, and sat in the driveway while the kids played in the street. NO - not dodging cars. We live just off the main road, and most people on our street go the other way to the main road, so, there is very little traffic in front of our house. Much safer than the back yard - with those darn fire ants.

Dad's P-51 Part II

I mentioned that this engine, an OS 60 2-Stroke, is the smoothest running motor I have. Check out the low idle. Very nice! This was after sitting for 2 years - I didn't do anything to it but fuel it, charge the battery, and start it.

Dad's P-51 Part 1

My dad built a P-51 Mustang RC Model from a Midwest Kit several years ago. He flew it for some time, crashed it, then shelved it. A few years ago, one of his RC Club members offered to re-build it. He did an excellent job. Dad did all the finish work, including hand painting the pilot figure. He gave it to me 2 years ago, and I only flew it a couple of times. Why you ask? Well, frankly, it's such a nice plane, and it means a lot to me since it is dad's, that I just don't want to tear it up.

Time to Fly

Airplanes should not sit around to rot. So, I got dad's P-51 down from storage this afternoon, charged it, fueled it, and to my surprise, it fired right away, and ran very well. I would say this motor is probably the smoothest RC motor I have in my fleet. I plan to take it to the flying field this weekend to fly it.

Lipstick Diva

Hi. My Name is Marcito. (alias Marco Farco, Marco Taco, etc.). If you turn around for 3 minutes, I will find something to break, a mess to make, or hurt myself good. Look at what I did to mom's lipstick. Yes, it's all over the carpet mom. Dad went into the garage - probably to say a few curse words.

Look forward to getting you back home so I can continue to drive you crazy.

Love, Marco.

Orlando Science Museum Visit

I took the kids to the Orlando Science Museum after School on Wednesday. (thanks to a friend of mine who works for the Orlando Sentinel - she had passes). The Science Museum is a really nice place with many hands on activities for the kids. Our favorite exhibit was the Orange Grove Simulator, complete with bicycle powered conveyor belt! Marco and Brianna picked the oranges, Antonio ran the conveyor, and Diego off-loaded. I sat on my butt and watched.

Feeding the Bird's Part 2

Feeding the Bird's Part 1

Florida is full of natural beauty and wildlife. We are fortunate to live on a lake (not really - more like a pond) which attracts all kinds of critters. One of the common birds we see around the house are "Egrets". The kids love feeding them bread. Marco becomes very excited when the Egret's come around. Take a look at these next few video's of Marco feeding the birds.

Crash & Burn

I took the kids to the RC Flying Field last Saturday. I have a "buddy box" chord that allows me to hook 2 radios together and "train" them on their RC Training plane. All 3 (not Marco) did pretty good. I, on the other hand, did not. On one flight, I had my computer radio set on a different plane which reversed the Ailerons. So, at low altitude on takeoff, when I corrected right, it snapped left and cartwheeled, ripping the engine nearly off the front. I had it repaired at home fairly quickly, it just looks a little "rougher" now.

Labor Day Part 4

The kids, and one of their friends, Jimmie, were begging me to take them to the RC Flying Field today. I had already committed to riding to breakfast, so, I promised that I would take them when I got back. It was a blast. It was very windy, but, I managed to make about 8 flights and not damage anything. The kids did a good job cleaning up at the end of the day. The High Wing plane with the number 5 on it is their plane. I am teaching Diego and Antonio how to fly it. Brianna will learn when she is a little older. Belinda stayed home with Marco - he would not do well at the flying field as he doesn't understand what NO means. The flying field is not a safe place for a crazy 2 year old to be running around while dad is trying to pay attention to a plane in the air!

Labor Day Part 3

Sunday morning, I got up early, and joined Andrew, Rob Lewis, and Eddie for a short ride around Lake Monroe over to Osteen Diner for breakfast. Great morning for a ride. However, the lake, which flows into the St. John's River, has been flooding, so portions of our normal route were closed. Dead animal stinch filled the air. This is left over from TS Fay.

Labor Day Part 2

Marco is becoming a stinker. Yes, he has been a stinker, but now - well, it's at a whole new level. I got up this morning for work, and he was standing on the kitchen table. I said "get down Marco", and he put his hands on his hips and said "NO".

Labor Day Weekend - Part 1

It was a great holiday weekend in Florida. I had to work on Friday and Saturday up in Jacksonville at an all Ford Tent Sale. I got back home late Saturday afternoon and the fun began. It started out with a 40th birthday party/poker tournament. We lost. Then, church Sunday morning and some pool time with the kids. Nothing better when it's 95 and humid out than to walk 15 feet from your kitchen and fall into a refreshing swimming pool. Sunday night, I tried very hard to stay awake to watch the NASCAR Race in California - no luck. It's a late race, and after 100 laps, a couple of adult beverages, steak on the grill, and a cigar, I was cooked. I am glad I turned it off - it was a non-event race and Jimmie J. won - not the outcome I would have wanted to see at midnight had I stayed up.