Authorities To Return Amputated Leg To South Carolina Man
POSTED: 5:32 pm EDT October 3, 2007
UPDATED: 11:33 am EDT October 4, 2007
MAIDEN, N.C. -- Authorities say a South Carolina man who mistakenly lost his amputated leg when it was sold in a barbecue smoker at a public auction will get the appendage back.
John Wood had been battling to regain custody of the leg from Shannon Whisnant. Whisnant found the leg in a barbecue smoker he purchased at an auction of Wood's belongings last week.
Whisnant first turned the leg over to police but later claimed ownership of it, saying he wanted to charge admission for people to see it.
Wood's leg was amputated three years ago after an airplane crash. He had been keeping the leg so it could be cremated with him when he dies.
Capt. Tracy Ledford of the Maiden Police Department says Wood, of Simpsonville, S.C., has arranged to pick up the leg.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Flying to Hartford
Thank God for Contenental. In order to get to Hartford, I could fly them to Newark, wait a few hours and then fly there, or if I went another airline, you have to go Richmond to St. Louis to Hartford, to Detroit, to Atlanta etc... I have a basic rule that I dont fly North to go South, or East to go West. It's silly.
When I got to Hartford, one of my attorneys picked me up, which was easy to do as the airport is about the size of Richmond. I'd never met her before, but she immediately picked me out because of my sport's bag. I guess I come with a reputation.
There was one decent hotel in Hartford that had rooms, and yikes, mine ended up costing over 300 bucks. Yikes. It was a double decker room, with the bedroom in a loft, two full baths, all full of really nice soaps, lotions and stuff. James' daughter Kristin will be thrilled to get all the swag, which I was able to talk my way past a nice TSA guy with. Of course it ment leaving my toothpaste behind, and having to use a gallon size zip lock bag to get thru security. He suggested that I just check my bag, but my record with airlines loosing my luggage is berry bad and I wont do that. Being a military brat has its advantages. I pack light.
So why the $300 room? Bruce Springstein was in town. Rats, I would have loved to have gone to that show! Instead we got bumped from the usual steak house dinner, (again yeah!), and went to a fabulous Italian seafood place instead. Grilled sea bass beats a hunk of meat any day. The champagne reception in the hotel was really nice, too. Having it all paid by someone else, even better.
Having the mediation flop, not so nice. But, cell phones are an amazing thing. I did about a full days work when I was stuck in Newark 1/2 the day on the way back by phone. Getting to do it in a bar, drinking Sam Adams, priceless. Any weight I lost last week I'm sure has found its way home.
If you are going to have to suffer thru travel, you might as well do it in style.
Now to the endless pages of email that await!
Karen
When I got to Hartford, one of my attorneys picked me up, which was easy to do as the airport is about the size of Richmond. I'd never met her before, but she immediately picked me out because of my sport's bag. I guess I come with a reputation.
There was one decent hotel in Hartford that had rooms, and yikes, mine ended up costing over 300 bucks. Yikes. It was a double decker room, with the bedroom in a loft, two full baths, all full of really nice soaps, lotions and stuff. James' daughter Kristin will be thrilled to get all the swag, which I was able to talk my way past a nice TSA guy with. Of course it ment leaving my toothpaste behind, and having to use a gallon size zip lock bag to get thru security. He suggested that I just check my bag, but my record with airlines loosing my luggage is berry bad and I wont do that. Being a military brat has its advantages. I pack light.
So why the $300 room? Bruce Springstein was in town. Rats, I would have loved to have gone to that show! Instead we got bumped from the usual steak house dinner, (again yeah!), and went to a fabulous Italian seafood place instead. Grilled sea bass beats a hunk of meat any day. The champagne reception in the hotel was really nice, too. Having it all paid by someone else, even better.
Having the mediation flop, not so nice. But, cell phones are an amazing thing. I did about a full days work when I was stuck in Newark 1/2 the day on the way back by phone. Getting to do it in a bar, drinking Sam Adams, priceless. Any weight I lost last week I'm sure has found its way home.
If you are going to have to suffer thru travel, you might as well do it in style.
Now to the endless pages of email that await!
Karen
Monday, October 1, 2007
Blue Skies
Friday, I drove up to Arlington to let my Dad have a chance at closure with my Mom. Mom was a Lt. in the Army Nurse Corps, and if you know a woman in the military, you can pretty much thank the Nurse Corps for being pioneers in the Armed Services who gave them that chance. After she married my Dad, she continued her service to the country by being the wife of an Army Colonel, and President of the Officer's Wives Association most bases we lived. Mom took great pride in the fact that she could pack at a moments notice, and by the evening of the day that we'd arrive on a new base could have the whole house unpacked and looking neat as a pin. She was an amazing woman. 
I think my Dad was pretty shell shocked at the funeral, and as a result he didn't see anything. He really needed to go back, but his hands on the face plate and get to make his peace. Mom loved gardening, and would have loved this place. She overlooks a beautiful courtyard and fountain, which lucky for us on Friday was not turned on. It was a gorgous day, with robin's egg blue skies, a nice, crisp breeze, and I swear that you could see forever. Friday was just a good day to sit and remember the life of a really wonderful lady. 
After we got our act together we made a slow progress around Arlington. Having a family member buried there does have its privilages which includes a vehicle entry pass. So we respectufully made our way up to Arlington House to pay our respects a the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and made it in time for the changing of the guard. 
If you haven't been to Arlington, its a great place to go to get in touch with the sacrafices that have been made to make this the Land of the Free. It is quiet, peaceful and a perfect place to see the cost that so many people have made. For my Dad, I think the beauty of the setting, helped him to know that my Mom truley is in a better place, free of pain, and at last getting the honor that she so richly deserved. God speed Mom. We all miss you every day. 
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Cannonball Century
The intrepid trio headed to Hartwood for one of our favorite centuries, The Cannonball. I think we've done all of the ones in the last 5 or so years except for the year they didnt have it as there was no race director. This is a really well run event. New for this year, no mass start, which I loved. Starting at the same time with everyone just seems to bring out the squirrely behavior that sets my nerves on edge.
The day started early with me rolling out of bed at 5 to say good bye to my Dad who would be heading back to Misery, um, Missouri. Then Cliff and I piled into his van to meet Julie who had reserved us a parking space in a premo spot. After changing,two people were waiving wildly at us, and neither of us could figure out who it was... then the man flashed us and we suddenly recognized the Scheels. Funny, they were the second bunch of Fat Froggers that I ran into this weekend as I ran into Genie in the bathroom at the Potomac Mills rest stop on Saturday. You just cant get away from that team, they're everywhere!
It was cold starting, about 45 and people went out waaay overdressed. I finally got some arm warmers, but they were off by mile 30. I felt bad for all the people in tights and jackets. Well... not that bad.
I felt worse for all the people who still "race" centuries. The route was great, the roads were not. This year it was pot hole city. Everywhere we went, the guys who had Zipp or other race wheels were using the sag trucks. A guy who latched onto us ended up with 4 flats. 4. That has to be a record. I swear, you really cant go fast if you are constantly changing tires. Ride fast, we do. We just do it on winter wheels and tires.
That guy who was with us was great. Nice, well mannered, and a strong puller. Being a tall guy, we really loved him when he went to the front as it was just like being behind a semi. The constant flats though, they had to go.
What was really funny was that after we got the last flat fixed, we were passed by two guys. We were about 12 miles or so from the end where everyone who was moving was working together. So, Cliff got behind them, and then they swerved to the left side of the road. Ok, fine, we get the picture, you dont want us with you! So Julie went to the front and put the hammer down. So what do the two guys do? Yep, latch onto the train! They sat on the back except for on the hills where they would swarm up, breaking up the pace line, and then would die before the top of the hill and latch back onto the back. They never worked. In the final mile they started to go to the front where our semi was pulling and I was behind him, Julie shut that down and the second of the two told the first to stop, that they couldn't win since they hadn't done any work. Rats. I was ready for them!
In the end it was about 3200' of climbing. I cant remember the number from my Garmin, or the time, or the average. Except for flat time, it was fast, but fun. Getting to see Susan and George over and over during the day was a blast, and I wish all the Froggies a great time with their "Biggest Looser" contest. I'm jealous as it sounds pretty competitive and I have a few to loose!
The day started early with me rolling out of bed at 5 to say good bye to my Dad who would be heading back to Misery, um, Missouri. Then Cliff and I piled into his van to meet Julie who had reserved us a parking space in a premo spot. After changing,two people were waiving wildly at us, and neither of us could figure out who it was... then the man flashed us and we suddenly recognized the Scheels. Funny, they were the second bunch of Fat Froggers that I ran into this weekend as I ran into Genie in the bathroom at the Potomac Mills rest stop on Saturday. You just cant get away from that team, they're everywhere!
It was cold starting, about 45 and people went out waaay overdressed. I finally got some arm warmers, but they were off by mile 30. I felt bad for all the people in tights and jackets. Well... not that bad.
I felt worse for all the people who still "race" centuries. The route was great, the roads were not. This year it was pot hole city. Everywhere we went, the guys who had Zipp or other race wheels were using the sag trucks. A guy who latched onto us ended up with 4 flats. 4. That has to be a record. I swear, you really cant go fast if you are constantly changing tires. Ride fast, we do. We just do it on winter wheels and tires.
That guy who was with us was great. Nice, well mannered, and a strong puller. Being a tall guy, we really loved him when he went to the front as it was just like being behind a semi. The constant flats though, they had to go.
What was really funny was that after we got the last flat fixed, we were passed by two guys. We were about 12 miles or so from the end where everyone who was moving was working together. So, Cliff got behind them, and then they swerved to the left side of the road. Ok, fine, we get the picture, you dont want us with you! So Julie went to the front and put the hammer down. So what do the two guys do? Yep, latch onto the train! They sat on the back except for on the hills where they would swarm up, breaking up the pace line, and then would die before the top of the hill and latch back onto the back. They never worked. In the final mile they started to go to the front where our semi was pulling and I was behind him, Julie shut that down and the second of the two told the first to stop, that they couldn't win since they hadn't done any work. Rats. I was ready for them!
In the end it was about 3200' of climbing. I cant remember the number from my Garmin, or the time, or the average. Except for flat time, it was fast, but fun. Getting to see Susan and George over and over during the day was a blast, and I wish all the Froggies a great time with their "Biggest Looser" contest. I'm jealous as it sounds pretty competitive and I have a few to loose!
Monday, September 24, 2007
These are a few of my favorite things
Castelli Kiss Shorts- Wow. I just bought two pair, and not only do they fit like a glove and don't bind anywhere, but they also come in cool colors like red and royal blue. Nice.
Badger Balm- even your Princess Butt deserves a little TLC.
The New '08 Ultegra. Face it, I have small hands. Reaching shifters is a pain. The adjustable reach shifters were a good idea, but in reality, anything that is designed to shift both a double and triple is just not going to do either well. I have two bikes with the adjustable shifters and I hate them. The '08 stuff is not only lighter, but is designed to have a smaller reach over all. Thanks Shimano, you got this right.
Champion sunglasses at Target. They cost 15-20 bucks, do a good job, look good and when I loose them, I dont cry.
Terry Butterfly saddles- I've tried just about every saddle out there, and this is the absolute go-to for me. (for most women in fact.) Fizik might be the go to for guys, but I thought they were torture devices.
Ken Burns- Nobody does documentaries like this guy, and the new one on WWII last night had me in tears.
Tami Hoag, Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Diana Gabaldon- my favorite authors. (I read a lot)
Netflix- who has time to go to the movies, heck, who has time to watch movies? I can get a movie, like The Hard Road, and watch it over a week and then send it back without penalty.
Spanish Cava- Yum. After a century, with peaches, its just the best.
New bikes and old bikes- I love my new LaPierre.I certainly wouldnt have thought that I'd be comfortable on a scandium bike on a century, but I was. My Merlin Extralight has been my go to bike for years and is always there for me.
Specialized Shooz- they are comfortable, stiff and 1/2 the cost of Sidis.
Infinite- what a great company! For just about the same price as Accelerade(yuck), you can design your own sports drink, down to calories, sodium, caffine, protein, flavor and how strong the flavor. And the company stores your "design" for later use, and if you dont like your design, they'll redo it free.
Now I'm off to get paint for the doors, not a favorite thing, and then to take Cliff's bike to the doctors. Have a great day!
Badger Balm- even your Princess Butt deserves a little TLC.
The New '08 Ultegra. Face it, I have small hands. Reaching shifters is a pain. The adjustable reach shifters were a good idea, but in reality, anything that is designed to shift both a double and triple is just not going to do either well. I have two bikes with the adjustable shifters and I hate them. The '08 stuff is not only lighter, but is designed to have a smaller reach over all. Thanks Shimano, you got this right.
Champion sunglasses at Target. They cost 15-20 bucks, do a good job, look good and when I loose them, I dont cry.
Terry Butterfly saddles- I've tried just about every saddle out there, and this is the absolute go-to for me. (for most women in fact.) Fizik might be the go to for guys, but I thought they were torture devices.
Ken Burns- Nobody does documentaries like this guy, and the new one on WWII last night had me in tears.
Tami Hoag, Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Diana Gabaldon- my favorite authors. (I read a lot)
Netflix- who has time to go to the movies, heck, who has time to watch movies? I can get a movie, like The Hard Road, and watch it over a week and then send it back without penalty.
Spanish Cava- Yum. After a century, with peaches, its just the best.
New bikes and old bikes- I love my new LaPierre.I certainly wouldnt have thought that I'd be comfortable on a scandium bike on a century, but I was. My Merlin Extralight has been my go to bike for years and is always there for me.
Specialized Shooz- they are comfortable, stiff and 1/2 the cost of Sidis.
Infinite- what a great company! For just about the same price as Accelerade(yuck), you can design your own sports drink, down to calories, sodium, caffine, protein, flavor and how strong the flavor. And the company stores your "design" for later use, and if you dont like your design, they'll redo it free.
Now I'm off to get paint for the doors, not a favorite thing, and then to take Cliff's bike to the doctors. Have a great day!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Amish 100
I'll start off the bat by saying that we tend to not like riding with people we don't know on centuries. Not because we're not friendly, but because as people get tired, their bad habits magnify. If I know you, I know what you'll probably do in a situation and can be prepared. If I don't know you, I don't know what your skill level is, and it's amazing how that can cause crashes and stuff. Hitting the pavement in my book is just all bad.
Ok, so the three musketeers (Snottie, Spittie, and Fartie... we used to have a fourth, but he turned into Workie) amassed for the start, later than the rest of the packs, but we had dinner reservations at 5 and didnt want to have to hang around for hours afterwards. Leonardtown is a beautiful little town that has been invaded by DC. Now its a beautiful little town, with tons of traffic. I know Leonardtown from my running days when I used to do a metric marathon there in prep for fall 'thons. It's just flat ass hilly.
So we started out on wet roads and humidity in the 90%s. First thing J asked was did I have my inhaler. Nope. But I did have extra glasses for her as she always forgets something. Things were pretty uneventful, we went uuuupppp and dooooowwwwn, and uuuuppp and doooowwwn, and sometimes up and down. It was beautiful. Traffic was baaad. Wide shoulders for the Amish carriages were great.
To make matters really funny, there was a huge, I mean HUGE motorcross race on the route. Nascar has nothing on this crowd. Well, we had to traverse on the same road that the people getting to the race did. But... we had that wide shoulder. So, Cliff went up ahead(J and I figured he was giving them all the finger as he went by), and J and I rode together. I never knew long hills could be so much fun. Lets just say that the favorite cold beverages were already being inbibed, and maybe a wee bit of the alternative cigarettes. Guys were hanging out vans, whooping and hollering at us. We were dying of laughter. This went on for MILES. Finally we had to make a left turn, and the cars were great about letting us in to go. That was a top ten in my week.
At mile 50 or so we got a passenger. The not nice kind. The kind that doesn't ask if he can join you, but does and then proceeds to wheel suck.Cliff dropped back and J and I took turns at the front doing 22, 23, 24 mph pulls. Unfortunately we couldn't drop him. Got to the stop, and it was clear that he was now "ours."
When we pulled out, J dropped back to talk to the dude. The net result was that she told him that he could stay with us, but we don't have passengers, he was going to have to work. At mile 70 or so, I noticed that he was in the small ring, cross chained to the hardest gear in the back and kept trying to shift to find more gears. Not a good sign...
At mile 89 rest stop we wanted to get in and out real quick. The stop was in a neighborhood on a chip seal road.Mounds of gravel at the entrance. I notice these things. Coming out, I stopped at the stop sign. Cliff stopped at the stop sign. J stopped at the stop sign and I looked back and I knew that dufus was going to crash. Yep, right into Cliff. Even landed on Cliff to soften the fall. Right onto Cliff's bad shoulder. Jammed the rear deraileur into the spokes, and while we got it so Cliff could ride the bike back, he had 2 gears and essentially no rear brake on the way in.
Yeah, and the jerk sucked off us, and then disappeared. Cliff is probably going to need a new derailueur, and I think his rim is bent. Nice.
But we made it with bonus miles to spare. Then got cleaned up and J treated us with some of her running "earnings" to dinner at Cafe des Artists in town. Nice place, good food, great wine list and all very reasonable. Not a bad way to end an eventful day!
Off to go ride, Ashland here I come!
Ok, so the three musketeers (Snottie, Spittie, and Fartie... we used to have a fourth, but he turned into Workie) amassed for the start, later than the rest of the packs, but we had dinner reservations at 5 and didnt want to have to hang around for hours afterwards. Leonardtown is a beautiful little town that has been invaded by DC. Now its a beautiful little town, with tons of traffic. I know Leonardtown from my running days when I used to do a metric marathon there in prep for fall 'thons. It's just flat ass hilly.
So we started out on wet roads and humidity in the 90%s. First thing J asked was did I have my inhaler. Nope. But I did have extra glasses for her as she always forgets something. Things were pretty uneventful, we went uuuupppp and dooooowwwwn, and uuuuppp and doooowwwn, and sometimes up and down. It was beautiful. Traffic was baaad. Wide shoulders for the Amish carriages were great.
To make matters really funny, there was a huge, I mean HUGE motorcross race on the route. Nascar has nothing on this crowd. Well, we had to traverse on the same road that the people getting to the race did. But... we had that wide shoulder. So, Cliff went up ahead(J and I figured he was giving them all the finger as he went by), and J and I rode together. I never knew long hills could be so much fun. Lets just say that the favorite cold beverages were already being inbibed, and maybe a wee bit of the alternative cigarettes. Guys were hanging out vans, whooping and hollering at us. We were dying of laughter. This went on for MILES. Finally we had to make a left turn, and the cars were great about letting us in to go. That was a top ten in my week.
At mile 50 or so we got a passenger. The not nice kind. The kind that doesn't ask if he can join you, but does and then proceeds to wheel suck.Cliff dropped back and J and I took turns at the front doing 22, 23, 24 mph pulls. Unfortunately we couldn't drop him. Got to the stop, and it was clear that he was now "ours."
When we pulled out, J dropped back to talk to the dude. The net result was that she told him that he could stay with us, but we don't have passengers, he was going to have to work. At mile 70 or so, I noticed that he was in the small ring, cross chained to the hardest gear in the back and kept trying to shift to find more gears. Not a good sign...
At mile 89 rest stop we wanted to get in and out real quick. The stop was in a neighborhood on a chip seal road.Mounds of gravel at the entrance. I notice these things. Coming out, I stopped at the stop sign. Cliff stopped at the stop sign. J stopped at the stop sign and I looked back and I knew that dufus was going to crash. Yep, right into Cliff. Even landed on Cliff to soften the fall. Right onto Cliff's bad shoulder. Jammed the rear deraileur into the spokes, and while we got it so Cliff could ride the bike back, he had 2 gears and essentially no rear brake on the way in.
Yeah, and the jerk sucked off us, and then disappeared. Cliff is probably going to need a new derailueur, and I think his rim is bent. Nice.
But we made it with bonus miles to spare. Then got cleaned up and J treated us with some of her running "earnings" to dinner at Cafe des Artists in town. Nice place, good food, great wine list and all very reasonable. Not a bad way to end an eventful day!
Off to go ride, Ashland here I come!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Too Funny
Ok, so Jenn see's the blog this morning and emails me this photo from the Tour of Georgia. Thats Jenn and Floyd having a "moment". Now look a the tshirt on the guy in the middle. You just cant make this stuff up. Really.
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