From:Bob Nicholas e-mail:bobheci@hotmail.com
Subject:Blast from the Past - Great Event - Thanks to All Date:Tue Jul 5 10:35:50 2011
Hi Guys,

In my humble opinion, the Blast from the Past at Patriot H-D turned out fantastic. The food, music and the bikes were great. The Highland's Chapter turned out in large numbers with many antique bikes. There were a number of bikes from outside the chapter, as well. I expect we'll get a few new members as a result of the event.

We want to give a special thanks to Rollo for setting up the event and coordinating with Patriot Harley-Davidson. Great job Rollo.

Dave did a fantastic job with the placards. It added greatly to the professional look of our bikes. Thanks Dave.

We want to thank Patriot Harley-Davidson for putting on this year's Blast from the Past. The folks at Patriot sure know how to put together an event.

It is always great to hear the Nighthawks play. They were excellent, as always.

From the long lines to Uncle Fred's Barbecue, it looks like everybody enjoyed their lunch. I had the brisket, as suggested by Chip. It was excellent. I saw George Downes with a huge plate of assorted barbecue. For such a fit guy, he sure is a good eater. (He did share some with Long Shanks and King). Always good to see George.

Richard Besley was in attendance with one of his bikes. We had a chance to catch up a bit. Sounds like the K Model is coming along nicely. We'll be anxious to see it when it is completed. Glad to see Richard and find out he is doing well.

Our V.P., King, came up from south-west Virginia with his bike in tow. It is in the midst of some necessary repairs. That's a long way to haul a bike. King's got the spirit. Thanks for making the extra effort to be with us. Always good spending time with you.

George and Nancy Ogden put on a great picnic after the event. The delicious food and great conversation was the perfect way to end the day. Dave Hennessey was the only one of us that was brave enough to dive into the Ogden's pool. After the long hot day, the water sure looked tempting. Mike Mueller was on a roll with his airline and hunting stories. He had us in stitches. Sometime you should ask him about saving a chip-monk from the ravages of a feral cat. If you couldn't make it to the picnic, you missed a really good time. Many thanks to George and Nancy for hosting the after-event picnic. Everything was outstanding.

On a personnel note: I'd like to thank Tom Holter for getting the XLCH back in tip-top running condition before the Patriot Event. It runs like a champ. (Oh, and thanks Tom, for the starting tips. You've saved me a lot of leg time).

Thanks to Hodge and the fellows that helped me load up at the end of the event. I was plumb tuckered out by then.

The Blast from the Past was a great event, showcasing what the Highland's Chapter is all about. Thanks to everybody that participated.

We try to get some photos from this year's Blast from the Past posted to the website.

Hope to see you all at our next meeting. We'll be working on our plans for the Peaks of Otter Fall Run. Updates to follow.

Have a great week.

Regards,


Bob Nicholas