Bikers Helping Bikers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chris Radloff
Cell: 712-898-5220
E-Mail: chris@hippieboydesign.com

Northwest Iowa American Legion Riders Help Victims’ Families

Local American Legion Riders are holding a fundraiser Sept. 25, 2010 to help the families of four men. Military veterans and American Legion Riders Steven Benscoter, Dale Aspedon and Dennis Chaney, and Patriot Guard Rider Jay Bock were killed August 9th when a vehicle swerved into their lane near the Little Sioux River interchange on Interstate 29 south of Sioux City, just minutes after a 911 call reported a pickup truck driving erratically.


The American Legion Riders (ALR) are veterans or members of the Legion Auxiliary or Sons of the American Legion. The group raises funds to help people in need, assist with veterans’ funerals and raise awareness of veterans’ issues. The Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) have no membership requirements, but are supporters of veterans and often provide escorts and hold flag lines for military funerals alongside the ALR.

Aspedon, 49, served in the Navy. Benscoter, 62, served 20 years in the Air Force, and Chaney, also 62, was a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. All three belonged to the Western Iowa American Legion Riders Chapter, based in Glenwood, IA. Bock, 48, who was Aspedon’s cousin, was involved with Habitat for Humanity and the Iowa PGR.

“These four men were very involved, very active,” said Northwest Iowa chapter American Legion Rider President Tommy Even of Alton, IA. The Marine Corps veteran continued, “We can’t imagine how a tragedy like this must impact their families, their communities. It’s a tremendous loss.”

The Northwest Iowa chapter of the ALR, based in Le Mars, IA, decided to hold a poker-style motorcycle run to raise funds for the families of the fallen men. “These are tough people,” commented Even, “they would never ask for money. But we want to make sure they have help if they need it!”

The fundraiser will begin at the Ickey Nickle, 4700 41st Street, Sioux City, IA (on Highway 75 North). Sign-in for the event will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 25th. The route will swing through several towns south and east of Sioux City, pausing at Leather ‘n Hawgs in Hornick, IA to enjoy local Sioux City musicians Hippie Go Luck, before heading back to the Ickey Nickel. Food will be generously provided by the Ickey Nickel at the end of the run. There will be no prizes awarded — ALL the money will go to the cause — but there will be a silent auction at the Ickey Nickel. The run is open to all vehicles.

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Long time, no see!

Just have a few minutes, then we’re off to a wedding shoot. Should be fun — we know the couple pretty well. (I’m a bit worried about the groom and his family, though. He’s being deployed to Afghanistan again in a couple weeks, so they’ve all got that weighing on their minds, AND his grandmother passed away yesterday. So this will be an emotional wedding indeed!)

My favorite lens quit working on me, so I’ve sent that back to Tamron to be fixed. It’s under warranty, so that’s not an issue — but it’s my best stabilizing zoom lens (28-300 f/5.6) and I have a wedding to shoot. Even with the 5.6 aperture I tended to use that lens in low light simply because the stabilization was so good. I’m hoping to pick up a good low-light lens, somewhere around the f/1.4 to 2.4 range and initially thought I could snag one before today’s wedding to use (it’s an indoor wedding), but Dagmar and I are in the midst of buying an acreage and money’s at a premium around the house at the moment…

So I called a friend. “Hey, I remember you talking about having a good low-light lens for your Canon. May I borrow it for a day?” He agreed readily, as he has a heart of gold.

I was, to be honest, expecting some rather low-budget lenses as he’s a strict amateur (I’ve heard him talk about his camera equipment, but I’ve never seen it — he’s not making money doing photography, but is rather a hobbyist). I just this morning opened his camera bag to get prepared for the shoot and was surprised to find a WAY cool 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 (the honker’s HUGE) and a very nice 24-70 f/2.8! While I really, really wanna strap on that huge 100-400 and go take pictures of someone’s left nostril from two counties away, I think I’ll probably get much more use out of his 24-70 simply because of the lighting conditions in a church.

After just a couple test shots, now I’m convinced that my next lens has to have a much wider aperture than the lenses I have now — I take tons of indoor shots and I hate using a flash. Being able to dial down to 2.8 from my current lens’ 5.6 really makes a difference!

Anyway, so I’ve got that on my mind.

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Bizzy Days

Apologies for not blogging more… Things have been moving quickly, yet not getting anywhere at all.
A week and a half ago I raided what little savings we had and got my eyes fixed (Lasik surgery rocks!). Before the surgery, this is what I’d see when I’d look out my office door:

The farther away something was, the blurrier… To the right is the door, to the left is a set of shelves… The blurry things in the middle are our table and a couple chairs, no more than fifteen feet away (if even that) — so you can imagine how bad my sight was for things that were farther away.
I’ve worn glasses or contacts since about third or fourth grade, and have never really liked them… Glasses give me headaches and contacts hurt like no one’s business if you get something in your eye. So I was happy to finally, FINALLY have the surgery! I could see 20/15 with one eye and 20/20 with the other the morning after the surgery. I still have one eye that’s noticeably sharper than the other; I’m hoping that they’ll even out over time, but I’m way happy with the results so far.
ANYway… that cost us a lot of money. My beauteous Alpine wife Dagmar was very gracious, generous, and understanding about the whole thing. So we spent all we could and borrowed the rest and I got the operation. Fine ‘n dandy — I have some nice contracts in the pipeline, so the borrowed money should be paid off soon.
But now I’m worried…
Dagmar’s been ill for the past five days or so. We went out to a comedy club last Friday (called, oddly enough, “Last Friday Comedy Club”), and Saturday she woke up with a sore throat. Sunday it was bad enough she went to Urgent Care, where they said she had strep throat and gave her some pills. By Monday she was bedridden for the most part and had entirely lost her voice. The doctor confirmed that she has a “rare version” of strep, combined with an acute respiratory infection. More pills. By Wednesday she was coughing up blood. Today she’s feeling sharp pains in her chest. The doctor’s not returning our calls; I’m getting pretty close to taking her to the hospital.
I’m worried about her health, obviously, but I’m also worried about finances… There’s just no way she can work right now, we have no savings thanks to me being selfish and getting the eye surgery, and none of my customers seem to want approve their projects so I can bill them. (“Just one more change. Just add one more little thing.” I never bill a project out until the customer’s happy. I just wish I could make them happy a bit quicker right now.)
So, instead of working and earning money this morning, here I sit writing my woes, whining to the world. I simply can’t concentrate at the moment… I’m sure the doctor will be able to fix Dagmar and I’m sure we’ll be okay financially, but these things stress me a bit. I worry and fret.
On a positive note, the dog’s tonsillitis seems to have cleared up nicely…
If you’re reading this on Facebook, you can see the original blog at www.radloffs.net, click on “Blog.”
12 Replies

Remix

I miss writing in my blog! Meantime… watch this if you want.

If you’re reading this on Facebook, you can see the original blog at www.radloffs.net, click on “Blog.”
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Ah, Zoey…

Quite possibly the most boring video I’ll ever make. (It originally had “Brown Eyed Girl” playing, but I was playing around in YouTube and hit the “AudioSwap” button and ended up with something operatic by accident.)
For those reading this on Buzz or Facebook instead of Blogger, here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLab_mC49M4
If you’re reading this on Facebook, you can see the original blog at www.radloffs.net, click on “Blog.”
1 Reply

Dreaming of the Road

Author: UNKNOWN

1. The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rear view mirror.

2. Four wheels move the body; two wheels move the soul.

3. I’d rather be riding my motorcycle and thinking about God than sitting in church thinking about my bike.

4. Life may begin at 30, but it doesn’t get real interesting until about 65 mph.

5. Midnight bugs taste just as bad as noontime bugs.

6. Sometimes it takes a whole tank full of gas before you can think straight.

7. A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.

8. Young riders pick a destination and go; old riders pick a direction and go.

9. When you’re riding lead, don’t spit.

10. Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 65 mph can double your vocabulary.

11. If you can’t get it going with bungee cords and duct tape, it’s serious.

12. Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.

13. I’ve never seen a motorcycle parked in front of a psychiatrist’s office.

If you’re reading this on Facebook, you can see the original blog at www.radloffs.net, click on “Blog.”
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Oh for goodness sake…

Please, when you see a funeral procession, pull over to the side of the road. Please. And please do NOT try to cut through the procession, no matter how much of a hurry you’re in…

I just saw a news snippet that a soldier in Tennessee died. During the funeral procession to the cemetery, which included the Patriot Guard Riders, some lady tried to cut through the procession, putting a motorcyclist in the hospital (and most likely totaling an expensive bike).
Motorcycles do NOT stop or turn faster than cars — especially when they’re in a funeral procession.
I’ve had this nearly happen to me here in Sioux City, too. If you’re so busy you need to cut through a funeral procession to get to where you gotta be, it might be time for you to take stock of how you’re living your life.
If you’re reading this on Facebook, you can see the original blog at www.radloffs.net, click on “Blog.”
5 Replies