Cassoday, Kansas, Biker Breakfast

The 1st Sunday of each month from March through November the little town of Cassoday, Kansas hosts a biker breakfast. Started in 1991 by a group of 12 bikers, it's grown to the point that the average turnout is several hundred and a good turnout is around 2000 bikers, invading a town of around 100 full time residents. The town goes out of its way to roll out the red carpet for the bikers, everything from food vendors, leather vendors, bike dealers, and even dyno courtesy of M&M Choppers. It's a great event with every kind of bike imaginable represented and bikers from all walks of life getting together to enjoy a Sunday morning.

For us it turns into a full day and about a 300 mile road trip. Today was awesome, even better than normal because my oldest son James was able to ride with me, that is always a treat for me! Anyhow, on to the pics!

Deployments

Being a veteran, deployments were always an exciting thing. Of course there was fear, the nervous knots in the stomach, but more than anything I was excited. Excited for the next great adventure, I was single, not particularly close to the rest of my family, and had no ties, I wanted to see the world. Until I was married and had a family of my own I never got homesick. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but our relationship never evolved into friendship, that wasn't the way their generation did things. It didn't help matters that I was kind of the blacksheep of the family, while everyone else was content with the stereotypical midwest, conservative farm family life, I was not. I knew there was a huge world out there and I wanted to see it. I got to see and do things that most Americans either can't imagine or won't imagine. Being able to live in other countries and experience their cultures is as educational as it is humbling. It also gives one a greater appreciation for what we do have as Americans.

Now I get to experience it from a different perspective, as a parent. My wife and I are far from the perfect parents, like everyone else we make mistakes, but the one thing we have worked hard at is keeping our family very close. Our two sons are our best friends, it's not easy to be a parent and a friend, sometimes the two don't work well together, but it can happen with an open mind. I'm very happy that my sons feel that they can talk to me about anything, and I do mean anything, lol!

Yesterday I experienced deployment as a parent. Our youngest son, Jayson, is a Seabee in the U.S. Navy and he deployed to Spain yesterday. We still haven't heard from him and probably won't for a while, I understand very well that's the way it is and why it is, but in a world of instant communication when that ability to contact him is taken away so abruptly, it leaves you feeling very helpless. It's difficult to express all the different emotions running rampant right now. Pride, fear, anxiety, helplessness, I miss him very much, but I do take comfort in the fact that he is very good at what he does, he's well trained, and he has a good head on his shoulders. He has chosen his friends well and they all deployed together.

Jayson, if you happen to read this, know how proud we are of you and how much we love you. I'll have the bikes ready for our road trip when you return!! Until then I'll fly the American flag and Seabee flag proudly!

Calm seas and Godspeed Seabees! Hoorah!!