By JT Pilaf
Every year Zachary's AWANA Club have a soap box derby race. The participants purchase a $3 kit and bring them home to their awaiting fathers. This is supposed to be a time to bond; father and son or daughter sharing good old fashion quality time together. It ends up being a father/ grandfather project with both men vying for it to be a solo effort. The child is usually left watching Spongebob in the TV room.
This past Wednesday was the preliminary race with the winners moving on to greater glories. Leading up to the race a checklist must be completed.
#1 Design the car.
That's usually Zach's forte'. Of course a dad can reply with "I can't do that, but I can do it this way". The child then relents to his father's vision.
#2 Prepare the frame.
It all starts with a 3.5 ounce 3" X 7" block of wood. The design is drawn on the wood with a lead based #2 pencil (usually resembling an early year corvette) and then cut out. The frame is then painted (three coats usually does the trick). Chassis and wheels are carefully added and secured. Accessories and weights are then strategically placed to get the car up to it's maximum weight of 5 ounces. To make sure the car does not exceed the 5 oz. limit you need to take it to no less than 4 post offices and 1 meat deli in the Greater Buffalo Niagara Region
to have the clerks verify the weight. The tires need to be constantly tested to make sure there is no rubbing.
The race car, now as shiny as black onyx, is ready for the big race. The father, beaming with pride, hands off the finished gem to his son like an tribes elder or king offering his son all his possessions and land. The father's outstretched arms, the son surveying all infront of him, the passing of the leader's torch. Beautiful, just beautiful. 'snif'
Race day: Zach and I enter the auditorium with our matching racing jackets, dark glasses, and driving gloves on. We know we have the racing edge. We gently hang up our jackets exposing our ggreased, cut off t-shirts revealing our matching tattoos that read "Racing for God".
Zach registered and weighed his car for the final time with the AWANA official.
The race has four heats and to advance to the finals you must win a heat or finish in second place all four times. Zach finished in first twice and in second place twice. He was VERY happy.
In the finals he finished in second place .1 seconds behind the winner. Papa watched like an expectant ... well you know.
In Saturday's Regional race Zach won a heat to move on to the semi-finals but could not advance from there.
He always seems to be with the ladies.
Zach and papa check out the competition.
Zach lines up his car on the track.
Nothing needs to be said. He makes me smile.
Zach with his second place trophy.
33 comments:
He is just too cute!!
Victories, of any sort, in this family are few and far between. Savor the moments. An exceptionally well done blog. Has it all, drama, pathos, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Next stop will be the full size soap box racers! Now that would be something for the three generations to work on.
Two words Thrllie... that sucks.
We have bad news. Some old timer thought it was more important to get his dog to Petcare on time than to adhere to the law. He disregarded the stop sign on Starin and Wilton (60 yards from our home) and plowed into my wife's rear. NOW, I thought I was the only one allowed to do that. Sandra's fine... she's sitting on a bag of peas as I write drinking a nice cabernet. The van is not fine. It's at the good guys of S&S Auto getting a DR. 90125 makeover. In the meantime Sandra's work is going to pick up the tab of a rental car (obviously they want her back on the job). Mr. Doggie Groom should be responsible for everything but he seems to not fully understand the rules of a red stop sign. He seems to think that the ones with the white rim around them are optional. Dave the cop disagrees and thank God for the hard working men from Black Rock Roofing who witnessed the entire melee.
I have to go now and butter up Sandra... hopefully I'll still be able to get a lil' Turkey lovin' come Thursday.
The Rice's never seem to lack for excitement in their lives. Thank God that nobody was hurt. Does that mean that there will be a new blog of Sndr with frozen peas affixed to her tush?? We never did get the Victoria Secret shopping trip blog. What time do the festivities begin on Thursday? Can I bring the drinks to toast this year's American League MVP? Poor Jll! There will be no Bob's Pump and Pull this Thanksgiving Nite, not with an early start on Fri AM.
I have a personally signed autograph picture of my sweatheart holding a bag of frozen peas to her bummy bum. It would be the perfect Jordache Jeans commercial.
The day would have made the perfect blog, not unlike the perfect cheer. Alas no pictures were taken and isn't that what makes a blog... the pics? Of course I could re-enact the story using fury woodland creatures. That always works.
A PRIZE! A PRIZE! WE WON A MAJOR PRIZE!! Nice job, Zach. Do you share your trophy? When is it my turn??
Sandra, Are you OK??? Remember back, if you will, when Jff tore his 'whatever'? It seems to me that you waited on him hand and foot! As they say..Turn about is fair play. Make the most of it.
Being off on Wed is not all that bad, Jll~it will give you time to rest up. As I hear it, Wed. night is the biggest party night of the year. I would be happy to chaperone ... Unkie will be asleep and drooling by 8:00pm.
Where is KDH? She starts a giant contest and offers major prizes then vanishes! Last heard, she was seen doing the "Duval Crawl" in Key West!
Too funny Auntie P. Did you ever get that prankster itch to put unckie's hand in a bucket of hot water?
Here i sit at good old EAHS doing my 3rd period duty, and I get a chance to read last night's comments only to find that my beloved and favorite golf playing nphw-who I missed yesterday when I played at Bryncliff and found 12 balls-are both picking on me. Shame on both of you! Didn't nphw jff have Morneau on his fantasy team to help ease the pain???
I WAS doing the duval crawl. Had to get last licks in on a company trip before the company = me!
So there's a corporate name -- should I announce on the blog or unveil via swag at xmas??
Big news while I was away -- zch wins, sndra hurts her bum, etc. etc. Couuld you clarify though -- was sandra in the car when her bum was hit?
Not to make light of it, but henceforth Sandra's accident will be referred to as "the bummer".
I think you need a blog unveiling. All the hard work WE did demands it.
So many things going on. I would love to hear the new corporate name in blog fashion. Does the name rhyme wiith Leter?
Happy Thanksgiving fam, big Turkey Bowl game today at Cramer Field in the Town of Tonawanda at 9AM. It's seems to be a fairly dry day at a balmy 29 degrees. I'm trying to find the point spread of the game online and the only odds on I can find is RICE HURTS HIMSELF BEFORE OR AFTER THE HALF?
Happy Thanksgiving all -- I love and miss you all! I'm thankful, among many other things, for the BLOG!
All of this activity, so early in the morning too. I stopped after work yesterday with some of my former colleagues and of the 8 people at the table, 6 were playing in games at various sites across WNY this morning, and that included one guy close to my age. I must have missed the boat years back. Maybe there is time to reconnect? If I leave now for Tonawanda, maybe I can find a game. Good luck jff and be careful. It hasn't been a particularly good week for your family in terms of mishaps. See you all later.
Happy Thanksgiving!! So many things to be thankful for ....
Unkie is in rare form! He loves Turkey Day the best of any holiday.
As we speak, he is working on a flow chart so not a single moment will be wasted. Football, food & family. Somehow he will fit it all in!
A beautiful day. Adam is on the wayto the big Quincy H.S. (his team) vs the hated North Quincy Cranberries, or whatever they are, in 30ish, windy and rainy weather. I have been checking, unsuccessfully, on ESPN for updates on jff's turkey bowl game. anyone catch a score Yet?? Maybe Adam will favor us with a report on the MASS. MATCHUP
And a very Happy Thanksgiving to ALL! Austin and I worked on a project last night. He has to construct a comparison chart between two MLB teams- Red Sox and Yankees. Maybe the family can help him with it?
Great news family, we picked straws to see who was going to get gram and ruth; and well I lost. I tried calling but they have been in the lobby since 7 am.
We will have pictures and plenty of them for all to see!
Have a great thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to those who I am most thankful for. Ruth and Grandma sure provided plenty of laughs today.
The turkey is kicking in, time for bed.
since I couldn't be there, I need a blog please. My thanksgiving had NO corn and NO pumpkin pie... other than that, it was good.
and the beloved quincy presidents beat the hated north quincy raiders by a score of 10-7. Go Quincy!
auntie is downstairs watching Grey's Anatomy while I am upstairs checking the blog and both of us are very happy to be in our more comfortable clothes after a great day. Thank you to my sister and her family for the hospitality and all of the laughs as always. A "heads-up" to my son so he can prepare for the flack he will most assuredly take in the very near future. Seems that Auntie B. went back to last year's blog and found some quotes from you about certain Red Sox acquisitions and the impact that they were to have. You might want to see if Karl Rove is available to apply the appropriate spin to this.Glad to hear that the Presidents were victorious and my heartfelt condolences to all of my industrious family members who will be out working tomorrow.
Cookie will be working at 5 am thwarting off customers who want their hands on shop vacs for only $27.00. I will be standing in line at Best Buy, Circuit City, and Walmart to join in on Black Friday's deals. Candy Land on sale for $2.99.
A blog is in the making.
Good mornin' on Black Friday Fam. It's absolutely crazy out there and I just went to Lowe's for lumber, a surge pump, and some pcv piping. Don't ask what it's for or you may scare off Sandra ... and then my fantasy will never come true.
How was Thanksgiving in Hotlanta'?
How come no pumpkin pie in Quincy?
achristmasstoryhouse.com
i feel a holtz family pilgrimage coming on!
What a great boss! Picking the endof a 12 hour shift for an audit on the busiest day of the year. Makes for an even better day. Looks like Auntie has a vision today of our visiting some of her favorite shopping haunts from Clarence to Akron to Brockport to Macedon. Looks like no football for Unkie today unless he can find a local watering hole to visit while the shopping goes on. Weather continues to look promising for the final golf match of the season locally. May have to have a film crew available for that one. Wasn't there the promise of a new blog? The Koch's have been very quiet lately----JENNA!!!!!
There's movement in my basement...could there be a new bathroom in sight?..Oh, wait, they left again!
Happy Saturday, family! All reports are that tgiving was a resounding success -- and of course, I had the first seasonal viewing of the xmas story as I dozed off my food foggy haze --
spent a lovely 78 degree day yesterday in Helen Ga. Seems this town in the sticks of North Georgia decided in 1969 to raze the entire downtown and recreate it as an alpine village based on drawings of someone who had scene Switzerland during the war.
It was WAY trippy.
What a gorgeous day outside today in Hot'uffalo. My brother in law Bill and I started a bathroom today in my basement. So far it's looks like it's going to be the largest room in the house. We may have to do a progress report on the blog.
Kristen, do you have an alternative e-mail address I can reach you at?
I thinkk Zach's going through Austin withdrawal.
Kristen's new email address is kristenholtz@gmail.com. Update your address books, people!
under the weather, jill? Bad chicken wings?
Wow, and now that I remember it, the quiet one rck featured prominently in my dream last night. I bumped into him in line for a concert in DC, and was very upset he didn't call me to say he was in town. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. What would freud say THAT means?
Hmmm, I had a dream the other night that I was working at Durez with Richard Nixon and Mr. Fixit was my direct boss and his boss only had one side of a face, ala The Phantom. I always contended that Freud would have a field day with this family. Covered much of WNY, and a little bit of CentralNY yesterday as Auntie shopped in unheated gift shops while I basked outside on available benches and read. Looks like today will be equally nice.No Bills on the tube so enjoy the outdoors.
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