Hi Everyone,
It's been a while since I added to my thread.
Lots of things have been going on in the first three months of 2011.
Been to the "Old Town" gathering -- had a great time!

Then I took my entire family to the "Tiger Lake" gathering in Lake Wales.
It's a shame that this was the last gathering at this location.
It was my first time there. And it's really a shame that it went into bankruptcy

We had a great time cooking out at our cottage and just generally having a
great reunion of a lot of our family members.
Along with the chance to enjoy all my new friends in vintage outboards and
racing.

I'm just about finished with my restoration of Mustang Sally. Another couple of
months and she will be set to go.

I bought a Johnson KR55 racing motor from Doug Penn at the Old Town meet.
So I busy beginning her restoration.

Soon after the Old Town meet, I found a new project to enjoy. I found a 1948 Whizzer
motorbike that is in amazing shape for her age.
She is so nice that I have decided to do a "survivor" restore on her rather than
just starting over.

Boy, do I ever have a LOT of projects going on right now! I LOVE it!

Now, here's a bit more personal information about me that I hope will help others
as they grow older, to adopt.

After my last motorcycle roadrace at Daytona back in 2009, it didn't take long for me
to become quite depressed. I felt that a "black hole" was trying to consume me.
There was no longer any "spark" to my life. Just an "oleman" waiting to "kick the bucket"!

I quit roadracing because I was no longer competitive with all the "old" vintage
guys my age, that I used to beat every time out.
I "thought" that I could just go race for "fun" and enjoy still be involved. Didn't work.
I had always promised myself that when racing was no longer fun, I would quit.
And that is what I did.

Then my depression set in -- life was feeling really "stale" at this point. And I knew
I had to find a new direction.
And as luck would have it, I did!!

Below I have posted some "musings" that I began writing about back in February, after I got my life back "on track".

Hope you enjoy them ---

Musings from the “OleMan Of Hooterville”
2/13/11

Lots of my younger friends have derided me for "living in the past" due to all my interests in my vintage collection of racing boats, motors, motorcycles and other memorabilia out of my past.
They tell me the "past" is behind you -- think only of the future. Get on with your “life”!!

Well, let me tell you something youngsters! When your my age you are just
"one day closer to death", as the Pink Floyd album "Dark Side of the Moon"
points out.

This is when you need to respond to that "different drummer" you’ve been hearing in your head!
That's exactly what I have done. And it has elevated my "quality of
life" a hundred fold!
I am no longer “depressed” and just waiting to “kick the bucket”!

Let me tell you why:

That “future” view may be fine for the "youngsters" out there, but not for me.
For me it required me to re connect with my youth. And my youth “is” my past! My "re berth" has totally re activated my zest for life since I retired from m/c racing back at the end of 2009.
When I retired from active racing it created a huge "black hole" for me. And I jumped right in. Dealing with the realization that your “over the hill” and you just can NOT keep the pace any longer really hurts mentally. And is very HARD to admit!
Believe me, I know only too well. It took me two years of racing as a “back marker” before I was able to accept the fact that I WAS a back marker!
Then I realized that if I wanted to recapture my enjoyment of life that I would need to forget the immediate past and discover NEW enjoyments for my future. As it turns out the NEW enjoyments for my future came directly from my past!!!

Now I've come to grips with the loss of my youth. And replaced it by simply surrounding myself with items out of my past that are not just pictures, but three dimensional objects that I can actually TOUCH - - And RESTORE - - and RELIVE the days of my youth when they were part of my life.
It is great medicine, believe me! Far more potent than any depression drug a doctor can ever subscribe for you!

Now I’m at peace with my inner self – and re-living the dreams that I was able to achieve in my youth.
At my current age of 72, there is no way that I can actually achieve those goals again. But I can sure re-create the environment that was required to make them happen many years ago.

It makes no difference how many projects you don’t finish when you pass on. You just have to be sure that you have MORE projects than you can finish – that way every day you wake up is another GREAT day!!

None of us get outa here alive anyway. So enjoy life while you still have it.
That’s the reward!
As far as what you didn’t finish up before you “checked out”? Not a problem! You will NOT “give a s**t” after you go “horizontal” anyway! ;>)

The “Emperor of Hooterville” said that – and he’s sticking with it!!