In May we had the Kentucky Derby, we had Mother’s Day and we had some birthdays. James turned 12 on May 21st and Stella turned 3 on May 22nd. James wanted nothing but games and accessories for his XBOX 360 which is to be expected at this point. He is as bad with the XBOX as I am with computers. We gave him the 120GB hard drive and Call Of Duty which he promptly became consumed with finishing. We also bought him some XBOX Live points so he could buy some expansion packs and other downloadable content. I can’t say too much about it because I was a total pinball and video game nerd when I was his age. I still am really. We have been balancing that out with throwing the ball in the backyard and he is about to do some golf clinics over the summer at the golf course behind us. We haven’t had any trouble getting the girls to play outside. They are active outdoor types by nature.
I did not wear a Derby Hat but James did and now I am going to put it on the Internet and threaten to send the link to all his friends if he gives me any lip!
Stella received numerous gifts that were various shades of pink. I don’t profess to know what they all were but she had a BIG time with them. She is pretty easy and pretty much enjoys the heck out of everything. It is really kewl to watch. She was a pro at the birthday candles this year. I may post a video or two on YouTube and embed the clip once I get the time.
Suzanne (Skeezix) came to visit and made the killer M&M cake. We had a good Italian dinner one night and she watched the kids while Melissa and I went to eat for Mother’s Day. Melissa and I had a spectacular dinner at Napa River Grill and then came home and played some Trivial Pursuit with Suzanne. Melissa and Suzanne did very well and Melissa pulled out a victory which I think made her Mother’s Day complete. I would like to say that I let her win as a Mother’s Day Gift – but I was trying to win. I just couldn’t get away from the questions about music I’ve never listened to or TV shows I’ve never watched. They need to make a Trivial Pursuit with nothing but questions about motorcycles, golf and Monty Python. But I digress.
My brother Garth came to town to visit for both birthdays and we ate well and played some golf. I can’t believe how much weight he has lost since I saw him last. We both agreed not to go so long between visits anymore. It was a very nice week there with the birthdays and Garth’s visit and then we settled into the home stretch for the kids school year. It is now officially the summer break as I write this and the flowers are colorful, the grass is bright green and I am getting plenty of time outdoors and on the motorcycles.
I had two weekends at the track planned and both were canceled due to construction delays. I bought/installed some new Pazzo brake/clutch levers on my R1 and I safety wired the oil drain and oil fill plugs. I also emptied the radiator and put in Engine Ice so I don’t make the track all slick if I wreck. 
I am looking at July or August before I can get out on the track now. It will probably be brutally hot by then but I don’t know if I can wait for September or October. We’ll see. A hot track means extra sticky tires but it also makes for an unpleasant time in full leathers.