You're invited.....

I realize this is hard to read, but let me translate. "You're invited to join Dave Cox in celebrating his 40th birthday. When: Saturday Dec 1, 2007. Stop by anytime after 6pm. Where: Shep's on 6th Brainerd (21 and over only). There'll be snacks, birthday cake and a cash bar".

I hope to see you there!

Kixter's Holiday Program

Saturday I went to the Kixter's Holiday Program. Grandaughter Kaylie tap danced to a song called Happy Feet. I did a big dumb Grandma thing though. When I first saw her I told her she looked so cute as a duck. I got in trouble for that one. She's a penguin.

Gobble Gobble...gobble it up!

Kimkay's Sports Update

The Brainerd Warrior football team's season comes to an end. This past Thursday night they lost the Minnesota State Class 5A Semifinal game against the Cretin Derham Hall Raiders. I listened to the game and it was interesting but a disappointing loss of 56-14.

The Minnesota Vikings won yesterday (miracle) when they played against the Oakland Raiders. I wish I had more to say on this besides they suck.

The Minnesota Wild regained the lead in the Northwest Division with a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center. As you know I cheer for the Avs 1st, Minnesota second. It's going to be a fun season with them remaining so close to each other in points.

And that leaves NASCAR. The season is now officially over. I'm already feeling a little withdrawal. Jeff Gordon ended up second and Jimmy Johnson took the Championship ...again...two years in a row. The last driver to do that was..... you got it... Jeff Gordon in 1997 and 1998. The Hendrick organization is so strong right now. It's going to be very interesting to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. come over to Hendrick and drive the 88 car next year.

The Nextel Cup Championship Awards Ceremony will be held in New York City Friday November 30th.

Going to See Urban and Allan

I look like I'm scared to death. I'm actually unable to breath. Keith Urban....wow! This was taken awhile back but tomorrow night we'll be at the Exel Center in St. Paul rock'n with Keith (the best smelling guy I've ever sniffed) and Gary Allan. Keith is such a talent, especially on any kind of stringed instrument. Nicole...you're one lucky lady.

I just love Gary. His voice is unmatched. I try to see Gary every chance I get. I think this will be my fourth or fifth time.

A few less cheeseburgers kimkay!

Well Jimmy Johnson won his fourth race in a row to pretty much clinch the Nextel Cup Championship yesterday. Everyone was mathematically eliminated except Jeff Gordon, who is 86 points behind Jimmy. Even Jeff himself said it's over. Jimmy would have to crash early and Jeff would have to win during the final race next weekend. Not likely.

Minnesota Vikings...ha. If you haven't heard they lost to Green Bay 0 to 34. And their star player Peterson was injured.

My Avs stomped on the Minnesota Wild last night 4 to 2. I couldn't find it televised anywhere, which was disappointing. I think they only cover games here in Minnesota.

But here's the best news. 15th ranked Brainerd won their game Friday night against 6th ranked Wayzata. What an exciting game. I listened to it on the radio. Now they go on to play 2nd ranked Cretin-Derham Hall this Thursday night at the Metro Dome.

Weekend Sports

Wow...it's been awhile since I talked about anything other than NASCAR. Well you're not going to get away from that in this post but we'll look at some other things going on this weekend.

Let's start out cheering for the Brainerd Warrior Football team. Brainerd will play Wayzata tonight at 8pm at St. Cloud University during the Class AAAAA State Tournament championship. When they win tonight they will advance to play Cretin Derham Hall next Thursday night in the Metrodome. If they beat Cretin they will play for the championship in the Metrodome on Friday the 23rd. Look for my daughter-in-law Jessi's brother, Jon Wiese, to play for Brainerd as #27 running back.

Nascar goes to Phoenix where Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon will battle for the Championship title during the second to last race of the season. Currently Jimmy is 30 points over Jeff. Jeff has held the lead almost the entire season but Jimmy's three wins in a row have definitely put a dent in that. We'll see what happens. Guess who I'm cheering for????

Having two hockey teams makes it interesting. The Avs are my number one team and the Wild are number two. If they face off, I'm screaming for Colorado. Sorry Minnesota. The Avs where there first. Currently they are tied with 20 points each. Great teams to watch. You can catch them play each other this Sunday night in Colorado.

The Vikings are over in Greenbay this Sunday. Wow...that should be a fun game to watch. Though Minnesota is 11th in the NFC and Greenbay is 2nd. If I was a betting man I'd put my money on Greenbay under the table and up above I'd be cheering for the Purple.

Ellie's Doe

Ellie just got her first deer up at Thor. In her own words "My doe was the first shot, the first ever shot with my 7mm08, my first shot at Thor. Lots of firsts. The guys wanted to take a nap after lunch. What? Nap? We had gone to bed around 10 on Friday night!!! So I decided to take my book and stuff out to the stand. I got in my stand at 2 and at 2:10 the deer came . Right in front of my stand - as close as she could get. My gun was on the floor of the stand - under my book and jacket and gloves. I had to try to sneak down and get it - if she had looked up I was a goner. Then she was sooo close I couldn't get her in my sights - kept turning black - weird. I was almost hanging upside down when I finally got her in the crosshairs and nailed her. I went back to the shack and asked Dave to gut her and he thought I was lying, except Scott woke up when I shot. Later, closer to evening Dave got her twin."

Great job Ellie. As always, you make me proud! You may look for a smaller hat though.

Nephew Luke's Buck

Here's a photo of my nephew Luke Borden with his nice 9 point buck. Luke was hunting up here in the Brainerd area with the Palms and bagged this guy on Saturday of opening weekend. Good job kiddo!

"Lucky's" Trophy

Get a look at this! My brother Bob (aka: Lucky) bagged this HUGE elk a week and a half ago in Montana. I believe they said it was 9x7. Correct me if I'm wrong Bob.

Here he is bringing in the cape for mounting. Congratulations Bob. This is awesome!!! Explains why they call you Lucky!

The Grandkids on Holloween

Kyle was a pirate. Lindsey was a Vikings Cheerleader. She may very well be doing one of her cheers right here.

Kaylee showed up as a horse, Kaleb as a crying warrior and Kiehra as a hopped up pirate. Is that an energy drink? Yikes.

Road Trip to Atlanta

Getting a Nascar ticket for your birthday, for a race on a track 1300 miles away, is a lot like getting a puppy for a gift. You love the gift but that free gifted puppy ends up costing you a small fortune. Oh it's all worth it but it's a fortune all the same. Not to mention you get attached to the little thing and then you actually get the unpleasant job of having it "put down". But I digress. So my super wonderful Nascar ticket Jerry got me ends up costing us over a thousand bucks. But it was worth it and I'd do it again.

I kept a small journal of our road trip. It reads something like this:

Thursday 10/25/07

12:50 PM left Brainerd (Makita driving)

12:50 PM stop by McDonalds

12:51 PM kept on going by McDonalds...big bus full of blue hairs lined up out the door

1:02 PM 11.8 miles..both of us yawning

1:13 PM 22 miles stopped at McDonalds in Garrison

1:18 PM leave Garrison

1:27 PM put in first CD

1:39 PM first road construction

1:40 PM end of construction

2:05 PM ran out of things to talk about

2:46 PM 2nd CD and 1st bag of sunflower seeds

2:48 PM Mike calls with a suit tailoring story..we get disconnected due to crappy cell service

2:56 PM 3rd CD (not liking them it would seem)

3:16 PM 142 miles 2nd road construction

3:18 PM end of construction

3:35 PM Entering Wisconsin...lost count of how many lousy cd's

4:01 PM turned on XM's Comedy channel

4:49 PM 249 miles construction

4:56 PM 255 miles end of construction

5:15 PM 277 miles gas stop 21 gal $2.82/gal $60.00 13.01 MPG

5:26 PM back on the road..changed drivers to Kimkay

5:52 PM 308 miles para glider sighting

6:15 PM dinner of turkey sandwiches from the cooler

7:56 PM 452 miles Enter Illinois

8:41 PM 500 miles

8:45 PM Stop at rest stop 507 miles

8:55 PM Left rest stop...changed driver to Makita

9:44 PM 558 miles gas stop 21 gal $2.99/gal $63.00 13.38 MPG

9:47 PM back on the road

10:59 PM almost 1/2 way 623 miles

12:10 AM 716 miles stop at rest stop Green Creek..saw two women that had just gotten married....to each other. Changed driver to Kimkay

1:55 AM 824 miles fuel stop 21 gal $2.90/gal $61.00 12.64 MPG

2:08 AM back on the road

3:00 AM stopped at rest stop Metropolis 877 miles. Changed drivers to Makita

4:35 AM 972 miles Tennessee

5:00 AM 1000 miles

6:39 AM 1107 miles fuel stop 21 gal $2.70/gal $57.50 13.29 MPG. Change driver to Kimkay

7:58 AM 1180 miles stopped at Dalton Walmart

8:17 AM back on the road

8:35 AM 1200 miles

9:24 AM 1253 miles changed drivers to Makita

10:00 AM 1289 miles stopped for ice at Krogers

10:12 AM back on the road

11:00 AM Friday 10/26/07 in our campsite 1300 miles.

While at the track Friday we visited all the vendors and looked at all the exhibits. Saturday we went to the truck race and ass-wipe Kyle Busch won. I was pulling for Mark Martin.

Sunday Jerry showed up and we had great seats under the canopy 68 rows up on the start and finish line. The canopy was great for keeping the sun off you. And we could see the entire track really good. Everything was perfect...except the woman sitting next to me. Huge Jeff Gordon fan. You'd think this would please me. Well it did initially. But as the race waged on so did her over zealous cheering and jumping around. I didn't see much of turns one and two. I did see a lot of her ass in my face. You would have thought that Jeff was leading the thing. She was so excited. She would even cheer when he'd pass a lapped car. Which lead me to believe she was missing a link. One brick shy of a load. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. A couple Coors shy of a six pack. Not pulling a full wagon. A few threads short of a sweater. Sharp as the edge of town. You get the picture.

The ride home Monday also took 22 hours, but it included an hour stop to eat and a half hour at an accident where a construction working had just gotten hit by a semi truck. We left the track at 8:21 AM Monday and arrived home at 6:30 AM Tuesday. And like I said earlier, it was a blast and I'd do it all again.

Photos From the Track

Jeff Gordon during driver introductions.

Our campsite for the weekend. The Goodyear Blimp flys over the campground.

Here's me with the creepy Pep Boys.

Jerry and I at the National Guard display.

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Jimmy Johnson took the checkered flag Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. And I was there to see it. It was an awesome race. Jeff struggled with his car all day and ended up 7th. Jr. had a fast car and was in position to give the leaders a run for their money when the race went into overtime and Jr. blew a tire and crashed into the wall on the first lap of the Green/White/Checker finish. Great racing. Stay tuned tomorrow for all the fine details of the trip.

Kaylie's 6th Birthday

This past Tuesday, the 23rd, was Kaylie's 6th birthday. Here she is with her sister Kiehra and brother Kaleb. Party on!!

If they look like they have makeup on, it's because they do. Kaylie got a Bratz purse filled with makeup for her birthday...from someone else, not me. I got her a stable with a horse and rider that came complete with wheelbarrow, shovel and poop.

Wheel'n in Effie

Here we are atop a huge rock. It was our mission. Our destination. It was about 10 miles from camp. It took us about six hours to get there and back. It was worth it. It was beautiful up there. It was a little scary climbing the big rock, especially on my bald tires. But I made it up there.

As you can see, fashion is not a consideration for myself while riding. But it's always a good day when I can drag out the old red rubba boots. Gitty up! On the contrary for my friend Robin. She always looks good!

Makita found himself in a bit of a situation. There was plenty of mud to get into. Kurt is winding out Makita's winch to hook to his machine to get him out of there. The rest of us had just gone through this same spot. Even I made it through there on Dora the Explorer.

Here's a common sight. The entire road is under water. Makita is out there scouting in his waders. If he sinks like a rock we won't drive through there.

This was the hairiest part of the trial. This was taken on the way to the rock. On the way out we had to rebuild a portion of the bridge before we could go over it.

I had a great time. The weather was good. The campground was quiet. But camping is done now for the year. Our only camping left for this year will be this upcoming weekend in Atlanta for the Nascar race.

Jeff Wins AGAIN! YEAH!!

After a late spinout by Ryan Newman and a nerve-racking green-white-checkered finish because of fuel concerns, Jeff Gordon won for the second straight week and sixth time this season to move 68 points ahead of HMS teammate Jimmie Johnson in his quest for a fifth championship.

As Jeff prepares for the final five races of the Chase (Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead/Miami), I prepare to go to Atlanta to see that race. Things are shaping nicely for that event. Tickets are in place. Jerry Katz, so generously, bought me my ticket for my birthday based on a promise he's been making me for years. I also suspect he had no idea what they cost ($115.00 buck-a-roo's each). Thanks Jerry! Love ya!

Makita and I are driving Makita's truck and pickup camper, Anderson, to Atlanta next week and camping at the track. It should prove to be quite the adventure. Jerry has a wedding to go to on Saturday, so he won't be able to join us until Sunday for the big race. I'm really looking forward to this! Happy Birthday To Me!

Room Service Please

This ain’t no shit. I drive back to St Louis Friday night. The traffic is horrendous. I find myself in five, sometimes six, lanes of high speed traffic in the Avis Ford Rollerskate. I arrived at the airport around 7:45 PM. I gassed the car for the low low price of $2.60 per gallon. Back by Columbia I had actually seen gas for only $2.45. I thought that was the lowest I’ve seen it for a long time. It’s pretty bad when we think two and a half dollars a gallon is a bargain. I looked at the dash to see which side of the car the gas take is on. If you look where the fuel gauge is on the dash of the new Rollerskates, as well as other models, you can see a little arrow pointing to the side of the vehicle that receives fuel. I would guess it’s because I travel and rent cars frequently that everyone on the planet has felt compelled to email me this tidbit. If you are reading this and haven’t emailed me this info, I got it. I know about the little gas pump and the arrow.

After gassing the Rollerskate I drove over to the Hilton where I’d be staying the night. The Hilton is very conveniently located at the airport and right next door to the Avis rental center. So I pulled up to the hotel and unloaded my bags. I went and checked in. They want $10 for me to park the car overnight. I ask them if they have a shuttle that runs 24 hours and they say “yes, every 20 minutes on the hour”. Perfect I reply, I will take the car back now and ride your shuttle in the morning. She asks if I’ll be “joining them for breakfast”. Sorry no. I have a 6:00 AM flight.

I lug my bags up to the 9th floor, throw on some jeans, strap on my tennies and go back down to return the car. The walk back from Avis was a little scary in the dark but I made it across the two big parking lots and I was back in the Hilton and situated in my room. First thing I was planning on doing was to check my email that I hadn’t looked at all day. I see the sign on the desk that informs me that for the low price of $9.95 for 24 hours I could have internet service. Sorry…that’s rape and I was resisting.

After all this I’m hungry. So after consulting the Guest Guide I dial up room service. I talked to Matisha or Maresha or Manfeasta or some damn thing. I told her to send up some Maui Maui with Mango Chutney and a house salad please. She said it would be about a half hour. That was at 8:15 PM. So tick tock tick tock I wait. I watch some of the Busch race. Jimmy Johnson crashes. I’m glad. I look, it’s 8:35 PM. I watch some of the Boston game (awesome 10 to 3 win). It’s now 8:50 PM. Tick tock. 9:05 PM I call Marvelesha again. She says “you haven’t got your food yet”? Nope, not here. She’ll check on it. I hold on to find out what she finds out. Dial tone. It would seem that Melantina has hung up on me. Okay…. She’s going to find out what happened and get back to me. NOT. I watch an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Funny funny show. I’m laughing right out loud. Another half hour goes by. I call again. Murillemeansha answers again. I explain that I’m still waiting for my food and we’re creeping up on an hour and a half. She seems surprised. She asked me if I ordered the Maui Maui. Yep. And the salad? Yes with ranch. And three Heinekens? No Heinekens. Just some water would be nice. Room 963? Yes ma’am. Well she’ll fix this and the food will be right up. She said they had a mix up on room numbers. I told her I was getting pissed, not to mention starved half to death. I also threatened her if it arrived cold I would be additionally pissed. I hang up. The phone rings. It’s Mirtrisha. She’s just checking to see if she had the right room to send my food too. Then a couple minutes later the phone rings again and this time it’s a nice white fellow with the name Paul. I can say Paul. I can spell Paul. I like Paul. He apologizes for the problems and offers to bring me a glass of wine with my dinner as a peace offering. I accept. Red, please. I watch a second episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. This one’s better than the first. I’m laughing my ass off. Larry David is the funniest, stupidest, creativist (not a real word) guy ever. Finally at 10:00 PM Paul arrives with the loot. Yes Maui Maui. The chutney is pineapple not mango. I’ll pretend. The rice is not done. Hard little mouse turds actually. The salad is big and wilted but I dig in. There’s warm hard rolls. I tear off a piece and slather it with butter and chow down. And there’s the wine. It’s not half bad. And then there’s a huge piece of chocolate cake with whipped cream as an additional reward for my patience. The bill was only $37.80. What the hell. Good thing I saved twenty bucks with parking and internet. Finally at 10:30 PM I tuck myself into bed for a nap. My alarm is set for 3:00 AM.

Ring ring. Time to get up. I get ready and leave my room a little after 4:00 AM. When I arrive downstairs, prepared to ride the 4:20 AM shuttle I find out that this time of day the shuttle doesn’t run on any set schedule. What? Where’s my little girlfriend that reassured me that the shuttle ran on schedule 24 hours a day? Don’t worry, they’ll call me one. Sure enough within a few minutes a shuttle came and picked me up. I was in the airport and at the ticket counter by 4:20 AM. Ah but they don’t open until 4:30 AM. So while waiting for an agent, the gentleman beside me strikes up a conversation. He’s a military man. Does recruiting now but has been in the service all his life. He’s on his way to Anchorage to visit 4 of his 5 grandchildren. His wife is already there. Blah blah blah. He feels bad recruiting kids and sending them to Iraq. Not bad for sending them but bad that he doesn’t go with them. He said sometimes they come back wounded. But that some of them consider war wounds badges of honor. And then they have a war story to tell. Then he asks me, “Do you know the difference between a fairy tale and a war story?” “No sir”. “Well a fairy tale starts with Once Upon A Time and a war story starts with “This ain’t no shit”.

Nascar "SuperBowl" is underway

Race #4, out of 10, in the Race for the Chase was concluded with an amazing finish. Jeff Gordon pushes by team mate Jimmy Johnson to win in Taladega this past Sunday. This gives Jeff Gordon 80 wins in his Cup Career. It also meant sweeping both races at Talladega Super Speedway this race season. Gordon scores his 12th career restrictor plate win making him the all time leader in Plate Race wins. It also put him back in the points lead. Still on for the Drive for Five.

Jeff is seen here in the Winners Circle with his daughter Ella Sophia after the race.