Winter
Blahs
By Dennis “Buck” Rogers
Combat Vets #132 – Missouri
KC Metro Chapter, Blue Knights MC
Every year the KC Metro Chapter of the Blue Knights
has a Winter Blahs party. It is a
party that starts Friday evening, and continues until Sunday Morning.
This year the revelry began February 21st.
The official Winter Blahs Party town is Kearney, Missouri, which is just
north of Kansas City, along Interstate Highway 35.
I traveled the twenty some odd miles from my Kansas City home to Kearney
on a ‘97 Goldwing. Kansas City is
not Florida, Arizona, or even Southern California; so a windshield and a fairing
come in handy most February days. As
it turns out I was the only one riding to the party this year.
Guess who missed the weather report?
I am cold by the time I get to Kearney.
About half way there I realize that I am not wearing my chaps, and that
they are still lying on the bed in the spare bedroom.
As I pull into the parking lot I see AJ, a CVMA member from Colorado.
I might be on the only scooter; but AJ gets the award for traveling the
farthest.
The wind is getting colder, and increasing in
velocity, so I suggest that we continue our conversation inside the motel.
The lobby is warm and cozy. AJ
and I have a nice chat. We have
never met before; but our brotherhood of military service, and the love of
motorcycles, has us talking like long lost brothers.
We are brothers. Our bond of
military service, duty, and a love of motorcycles, bonds us like nothing else
can.
Time passes quickly while I talk with AJ.
Before I know it a few Blue Knights are coming into the lobby, as well as
Gunner, and Alex. Alex is a CVMA Support member, who is accompanied by his
lovely wife. I talk several people
into standing in front of the fireplace so I can snap a couple of photographs
with my digital camera. Afterwards,
we file into the motel’s conference room for a few drinks, and conversation.
Except for AJ and I, everyone has a room at the
motel. As soon as I notice that the
strong winds have turned much colder, and that there are a few drops of rain
falling, I leave the party. I make
it home in record time!
Saturday night my wife and I arrive at the Kearney
VFW Post 5717 ready to party. As we
unload the snacks from our Oldsmobile, we notice that the party is going strong.
I am surprised at how many of my fellow Blue Knights are also members of
the Combat Vets MA. There are several tables of people, and everyone moves easily
from one table to another. It looks
like a serious card game is in progress at one table. I suspect that it is a friendly game of poker.
There are plenty of beverages, snacks, war stories, and card playing.
The evening passes much too quickly.
Again, it would seem that everyone has a room at the motel, but Gailla
and I. As we say our goodbyes,
there is an invasion of plastic jumping frogs.
They resemble giant crabs, and remind me of Tiddly Winks.
Frogs are flying everywhere. Apparently
one of the frogs attacked one of our card-playing Blue Knights, who responded by
stomping every plastic frog in his vicinity.
I guess he thought the frogs were French.
Besides, everyone loves a floorshow.
It would seem that a really good party requires two
nights of partying.
Kansas City is a wonderful city,
and I keep returning to live here. Still,
in many ways, it is just a cow town. Therefore,
I was not a bit surprised to see a black and white statue of a cow in the lobby
of the motel. I did notice that the
glass door to the indoor pool, which is just off the motel lobby, was kept
closed. I thought the glass door
was closed to keep small children, and confused persons from falling into the
pool. Maybe that was a part of it,
but not the only reason. It seems
that on several occasions the cow has wandered through the door and fallen, or
jumped, into the pool! If you do
finds yourself in Kearney for the 2004 Winter Blahs Party, please remember to
keep the door to the pool closed. It
is bad enough that we lost several frogs. Let’s
not add a bovine to the carnage.
Click here for the write up in the
KC-Metro
Knightly News
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