The Gambler

Our first spotlight showed why our second spotlight is so important. This picture is of my boys; all of my boys: Chris, Kade, Isaac, Sam.  To me enough said.  Family. Those you love and cherish through all the good and bad. But to these guys, on this weekend, it was also about a TON of fun!  Sam (grey hat) was the initiator of the whole thing where Kade was the propagator.  If you haven’t heard of The Gambler 500, we were right there with you.  To make a long story short, the Gambler is an off the wall road rally that asks very little of the participants other than the car be under $500 and you show that you donated $100 to charity and you have enough money to be towed if necessary.  Other than that, each Gambler rally that is put on per STATE has its own set of “rules” (which I hear are a hoot and a half).  My concern for the guys, besides the fact that not one of them are mechanics in any shape or form, was that this event could really not be, or live up to, what it was led on to be.  With a few modifications, primarily done by Kade: donated grocery cart (thanks Kroger) on the roof to hold gear, tires, working snorkel (so much time, help, and parts lent by Noel Condo), cut out back seat to enable fast access to the trunk and cooler, tow hook, some customized painting (thanks little sis’), off the guys went on their weekend adventure. Chris was, of course, the provider of the vehicle, food, and gear and Isaac became the provider of tunes and as always, levity.  I was graciously sent periodic texts so I knew they were alive, but few pics left me wondering – look closely at the above picture! The gentleman was actually holding a lit cigarette while REMOVING the car’s LEAKING gas tank in the middle of a gas station!!!! Needless to say, thanks to Beaver, Ray-Ray, and James the boys made it home in one piece with endless stories.  Enough stories they said, that they would probably never be able to tell them all.  Best part, as I said, was that my boys got to experience it together – a memory that will last a lifetime.  The second best part, on the way home they were able to help an elderly couple who had some car issues of their own.  They were able to do this because the guys had experienced in just a handful of hours 4 tire blowouts, how to drop an entire leaking gas tank in a gas station parking lot and fix it MacGyver style alongside new best buds Beaver, Ray-Ray, and James, and learned what “Shenanigans” and “Send-It” was all about!  Memories. Good and Bad. That is what makes our lives so special and unique. Yet, it is who we have riding along that makes it irreplaceable and precious.