Tag: 2018

Four Wheeling to Winfield - October 14, 2018

Four Wheeling to Winfield – October 14, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman

Nailed it!  That’s right my Feline Friends, although you never really quite know if the decision you make several days prior to a Kitty ride is the right one, we nailed this one! 

When the October 14th Road Trip was in the early planning stages, it called for seasonably warm temperatures and clear skies.  With each passing day, the seasonably warm temperatures became unseasonably cold temperatures and Mother Nature also decided to throw in a strong chance of rain.  Several days before, I reached out to Kathryn and Suz and said we gotta pull the trigger.  Either we cancel altogether or we caravan by car.  Both Kathryn and Suz agreed a little bit of cold and a whole lotta rain shouldn’t stop us from still getting together.  OK, let’s end this season the same way we started it – caravan it is!  Then I spent the next several days waffling between hoping the weather would improve so we could ride and hoping it wouldn’t so we wouldn’t have to change the plans at the last minute – and I could say we were right.  Bragging rights are very important.

Well, I bragged all over myself when I woke up that Saturday morning and it was raining and it didn’t look like the kind of rain that was leaving anytime soon.  That was the first time I said, “Man, we sure got that right.”  There were many other times I said that as it never stopped raining the entire time we were gone.  Not once.  And as a matter of fact, it got colder and it rained harder as we travelled back home that day.  Did I mention that we sure got that right?!

Alice picked me up and when we arrived at the QT meetin’ spot, Kitties were hunkered down in their assigned cars taking shelter from the rain.  Soon after, Susan arrived and after checking with my soaking wet, nearly falling to pieces, roll call sheet, that meant everyone was present and accounted for.  While we were leaving earlier than expected (because ain’t nobody going to stand around and chat in those conditions), we hit the road for Winfield USA.   

Upon arriving in Winfield, we hooked up with Bobbie and Dawn who rode directly to Winfield, and there was Dawn taking pictures of some sculptures outside the restaurant…in the rain.  Trust Dawn to flip her nose at the weather and not care one wit about how wet she was getting to get the perfect pictures.  The rest of us…well, we beelined it for the door and yelled “Hi Dawn” as we ran by. 

Once inside, we welcomed and introduced ourselves to Kathryn’s guest, Cindy.  When Kathryn told me days prior that she was bringing a guest, I assumed this was a long-time friend of hers.  Well, you know what happens when you “assume” something – it makes an ass out of you and me….but this time, just me.  Turns out Kathryn had just met Cindy….at Home Depot….yep, total stranger….who Kathryn’s tag-along friend introduced her to….at Home Depot.  Talk about risky business!  Cindy could have been an ax murderer or a Kitty snatcher!  However, turns out Cindy was just a sweet gal out buying padlocks….at Home Depot….to prevent her no-good, cheatin’ husband from getting his stuff out of the shed, garage and house.  After hearing the story about Cindy’s husband and what he did to sweet Cindy, he shouldn’t just be locked out, he should be locked up!  Some men just gotta be scoundrels!  Kathryn’s good vibes about Cindy were spot on and she fit right in like she had been a part of our gang for years.  Rumor has it that she ”just might have to” join the Kitties! 

The restaurant, Shindigs, sat our group of 11 upstairs where there wasn’t another soul in sight.  Silly Shindigs!  That’s just begging us to be loud and boisterous!  Well, you asked for it and we’re going to give it to you…and then some! We talked, we laughed, we shared, we emphasized and we made a cold, wet day that could have been spent closed up in our homes, a beautiful day making memories with friends.  And we did it loudly! 

For one lucky Kitty, it was a day for making money!  After counting out the cold, hard cash in the flamed bag, it looked like we had $25.00 up for grabs….well, up for grabs if you got the winning ticket!  And that fortunate Kitty was none other than Kathryn!  My guess is Kathryn will be spending that money on a rock, or a bush, or a toilet or some other necessity for the home she’s building…with her own two hands.  I’m not kidding.  The woman is like Wonder Woman with all that she can do on her own.  When I die, I wanna come back as Kathryn. 

After grabbing one of the wait staff to snap a group photo, it was time to make one last potty stop and reconvene into our assigned cars for the trip back to Wichita.  By the way, this has to go on record of the fewest pictures ever taken on a Kitty Road Trip.  I’m sure Dawn is happy about not having to find space for my customary 156 pictures in the newsletter.  You’re welcome! 

That’s a wrap and drop the mic!  We had a great season of rides and comradery; we added eight, yes I said EIGHT, new Kitties (Kim, Lily and Lori [returning Kitties which confirms that Once a Kitty Always a Kitty!], Krista, Deborah, Stephanie, Tresny and Susan); we demonstrated our talents and proved Kitties Rock by painting rocks; we boo’d and hissed at the Mosley Street Melodrama; we filled Easter buckets for the children residing at the WFCC; we patched ourselves up with Road Names; we got buttoned up with International Female Ride Day buttons; we posed like Supermodels in photo shoots [thank you again Gary and Alice!); we traveled around the world on our Meow Mixers; we showed our patriotic spirt and rode in the Shortest Parade in Wichita; we collected badly needed items for the WFCC and treated the residents to fun, games and ice cream; we caravanned our way through rain to Buhler, KS in April; we tu-tued our way to Abilene, KS in May [and wished we had caravanned – it was cold and wet!]; we visited the underground in Ellinwood in June; we nearly melted going to Bartlesville, OK and Tahlequah, OK for our Annual Overnighter in July; we got free bandanas [we love free anything!] in Wynona, OK in August; we Tom-Katted our way to Ponca City, OK in September; and we made the best of a bad weather situation by driving to Winfield, KS in October.  A great big HUGE thank you to each and every one of the Kitties for making our 14th riding season one to remember.  A MASSIVE thank you to Suz and Kathryn for finding us fun and interesting places to go to this season and to Dawn and Alice for taking us around the world with international cuisine Meow Mixers, organizing the charity events and planning fun Winter Events!  The Kitties rock in so many ways, but the friendships we’ve made and strengthened has to be at the top of that list.  Winter activities will be announced soon so make time to stay connected and until we ride again in April 2019, keep the shiny side up!

Those on board for the “Four Wheeling to Winfield” Road Trip were Queenie, Tink, Lady, BatKat, da Vinci; Glitter, Ice, AliKat, BadA$$, Susan and Guest Cindy.

Janice – KKMC Founder

Four Wheeling to Winfield - October 14, 2018

Four Wheeling to Winfield – October 14, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman

Nailed it!  That’s right my Feline Friends, although you never really quite know if the decision you make several days prior to a Kitty ride is the right one, we nailed this one! 

When the October 14th Road Trip was in the early planning stages, it called for seasonably warm temperatures and clear skies.  With each passing day, the seasonably warm temperatures became unseasonably cold temperatures and Mother Nature also decided to throw in a strong chance of rain.  Several days before, I reached out to Kathryn Langrehr and Suz Tiede and said we gotta pull the trigger.  Either we cancel altogether or we caravan by car.  Both Kathryn and Suz agreed a little bit of cold and a whole lotta rain shouldn’t stop us from still getting together.  OK, let’s end this season the same way we started it – caravan it is!  Then I spent the next several days waffling between hoping the weather would improve so we could ride and hoping it wouldn’t so we wouldn’t have to change the plans at the last minute – and I could say we were right.  Bragging rights are very important.

Well, I bragged all over myself when I woke up that Saturday morning and it was raining and it didn’t look like the kind of rain that was leaving anytime soon.  That was the first time I said, “Man, we sure got that right.”  There were many other times I said that as it never stopped raining the entire time we were gone.  Not once.  And as a matter of fact, it got colder and it rained harder as we travelled back home that day.  Did I mention that we sure got that right?!

Alice Friedman picked me up and when we arrived at the QT meetin’ spot, Kitties were hunkered down in their assigned cars taking shelter from the rain.  Soon after, Susan Heller arrived and after checking with my soaking wet, nearly falling to pieces, roll call sheet, that meant everyone was present and accounted for.  While we were leaving earlier than expected (because ain’t nobody going to stand around and chat in those conditions), we hit the road for Winfield USA.   

Upon arriving in Winfield, we hooked up with Bobbie Cole and Dawn Morse who rode directly to Winfield, and there was Dawn taking pictures of some sculptures outside the restaurant…in the rain.  Trust Dawn to flip her nose at the weather and not care one wit about how wet she was getting to get the perfect pictures.  The rest of us…well, we beelined it for the door and yelled “Hi Dawn” as we ran by. 

Once inside, we welcomed and introduced ourselves to Kathryn Langrehr’s guest, Cindy Barker.  When Kathryn told me days prior that she was bringing a guest, I assumed this was a long-time friend of hers.  Well, you know what happens when you “assume” something – it makes an ass out of you and me….but this time, just me.  Turns out Kathryn had just met Cindy….at Home Depot….yep, total stranger….who Kathryn’s tag-along friend introduced her to….at Home Depot.  Talk about risky business!  Cindy could have been an ax murderer or a Kitty snatcher!  However, turns out Cindy was just a sweet gal out buying padlocks….at Home Depot….to prevent her no-good, cheatin’ husband from getting his stuff out of the shed, garage and house.  After hearing the story about Cindy’s husband and what he did to sweet Cindy, he shouldn’t just be locked out, he should be locked up!  Some men just gotta be scoundrels!  Kathryn’s good vibes about Cindy were spot on and she fit right in like she had been a part of our gang for years.  Rumor has it that she ”just might have to” join the Kitties! 

The restaurant, Shindigs, sat our group of 11 upstairs where there wasn’t another soul in sight.  Silly Shindigs!  That’s just begging us to be loud and boisterous!  Well, you asked for it and we’re going to give it to you…and then some! We talked, we laughed, we shared, we emphasized and we made a cold, wet day that could have been spent closed up in our homes, a beautiful day making memories with friends.  And we did it loudly! 

For one lucky Kitty, it was a day for making money!  After counting out the cold, hard cash in the flamed bag, it looked like we had $25.00 up for grabs….well, up for grabs if you got the winning ticket!  And that fortunate Kitty was none other than Kathryn Langrehr!  My guess is Kathryn will be spending that money on a rock, or a bush, or a toilet or some other necessity for the home she’s building…with her own two hands.  I’m not kidding.  The woman is like Wonder Woman with all that she can do on her own.  When I die, I wanna come back as Kathryn. 

After grabbing one of the wait staff to snap a group photo, it was time to make one last potty stop and reconvene into our assigned cars for the trip back to Wichita.  By the way, this has to go on record of the fewest pictures ever taken on a Kitty Road Trip.  I’m sure Dawn Morse is happy about not having to find space for my customary 156 pictures in the newsletter.  You’re welcome! 

That’s a wrap and drop the mic!  We had a great season of rides and comradery; we added eight, yes I said EIGHT, new Kitties (Kim Jones, Lily Nordyke and Lori Gibbs [returning Kitties which confirms that Once a Kitty Always a Kitty!], Krista Cotterill, Deborah Barker, Stephanie Rodriguez, Tresny Janzen and Susan Heller); we demonstrated our talents and proved Kitties Rock by painting rocks; we boo’d and hissed at the Mosley Street Melodrama; we filled Easter buckets for the children residing at the WFCC; we patched ourselves up with Road Names; we got buttoned up with International Female Ride Day buttons; we posed like Supermodels in photo shoots [thank you again Gary and Alice Friedman!]; we traveled around the world on our Meow Mixers; we showed our patriotic spirt and rode in the Shortest Parade in Wichita; we collected badly needed items for the WFCC and treated the residents to fun, games and ice cream; we caravanned our way through rain to Buhler, KS in April; we tu-tued our way to Abilene, KS in May [and wished we had caravanned – it was cold and wet!]; we visited the underground in Ellinwood in June; we nearly melted going to Bartlesville, OK and Tahlequah, OK for our Annual Overnighter in July; we got free bandanas [we love free anything!] in Wynona, OK in August; we Tom-Katted our way to Ponca City, OK in September; and we made the best of a bad weather situation by driving to Winfield, KS in October.  A great big HUGE thank you to each and every one of the Kitties for making our 14th riding season one to remember.  A MASSIVE thank you to Suz Tiede and Kathryn Langrehr for finding us fun and interesting places to go to this season and to Dawn Morse and Alice Friedman for taking us around the world with international cuisine Meow Mixers, organizing the charity events and planning fun Winter Events!  The Kitties rock in so many ways, but the friendships we’ve made and strengthened has to be at the top of that list.  Winter activities will be announced soon so make time to stay connected and until we ride again in April 2019, keep the shiny side up!

Those on board for the “Four Wheeling to Winfield” Road Trip were Queenie, Tink, Lady, BatKat, da Vinci; Glitter, Ice, AliKat, BadA$$, Susan Heller and Guest Cindy Barker.

South of the Border - September 16, 2018

South of the Border – September 16, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman


“P” may be for Ponca City, but for the September 16th Tom Kat ride, “P” was also for Perfect as we couldn’t have ordered up a more spectacular day for riding.  Clear skies, bright sunshine and not a breath of wind.  I would even go so far as to say that might have been the warmest Tom Kat ride we’ve ever had.  While most of us rode to the QuikTrip in Derby with jackets, they were quickly shed and we never saw them again.  Some of us packed our jackets in our saddle bags prior to leaving for the ride.  Not so with Nellie!  She took off her jacket and stowed it in between her bike and windshield…while riding to Ponca City!  That’s some skill right there!  That would have been a lost jacket if it were me.

When my Tom Kat, Greg, and I arrived at the QT at 8:30 on the dot, Kim and Kathryn were already there.  “How come you guys are here so early?” I asked.  Kim responded, “We had to stake out our No Tom Kat Zone.  Here’s the line (which she designated with her foot) and don’t you even think about crossing it if you got a man with you!” Duly noted Kim and Kathryn! 

Within minutes, beautiful bike after beautiful bike came pouring into the parking lot and just like Kim, we had our parking zone clearly designated…that is until a big ole rig pulled right smack dap in the middle of it.  Obviously, the driver doesn’t adhere to rules like the Kitties and Tom Kats do!  Fortunately, he didn’t stay long and we filled it up to guarantee that wouldn’t happen again. 

After making our greetings, getting beverages, breakfast burritos and donuts, I pulled out the flamed bag and starting pimping 50/50 tickets.  After witnessing my juggling struggle of tea, the bag, my phone, the tickets and money, Kathryn said, “You are bound to drop something, so why don’t you let me sell the tickets?”  I was happy to turn that over to Kathryn, who quickly enlisted the help of Annette, and I proceeded to snap picture after picture.  As I watched the time and took roll call, I noticed that a potential new member/guest rider and her Tom Kat, who I didn’t know and no one knew, weren’t there.  I checked every method for her to contact me and nope, not a word.  At this point, if she wasn’t on her way (in which case she wouldn’t see any messages from me), she wouldn’t make it on time.  I held a brief meeting to divide up the groups and announced that since the MIA rider was the reason we were stopping in Ark City for gas, we would no longer need to do that.  As we biked up to leave with Nellie’s Tom Kat, JT (who was caging it), in the lead of the first group and my Tom Kat, Greg, and I in the lead of the second group, I crossed my fingers that we weren’t leaving Mr. and Mrs. MIA behind. 

Greg and I quickly lost sight of the first group and we all settled in for a gorgeous ride in the Kansas countryside while George Michael, Neil Diamond, Air Supply and Whitney Houston pumped music into my ears.  Hey, don’t judge!  It’s my playlist and I make no apologies for my music taste, or lack thereof!   As we got closer and closer to the Oklahoma state line, I was watching my handlebar-mounted clock and I could see that by skipping the gas stop in Ark City, we were gong to be WAY early for our 11:30 reservation at the El Patio Mexican Grill and Cantina.  In fact, they might not even be open yet! That was an epic fail on the trip planner’s timeline which was, of course, developed by yours truly.  Had I thought of that sooner, we could have had a second beverage, a second breakfast burrito and several more donuts at the QuikTrip.  At my first opportunity, I told Greg the situation and he suggested we go ahead and get gas for the return trip.  Sounds like a plan to me!  Of course, I then stressed over the fact that the first group would be wondering and worried over what happened to us.  Now I’m stressed over Mr. and Mrs. MIA and what the other group might be thinking at the same time.  Fortunately, Freddy Mercury helped eased my anxiety.  Hey, I said no judging!

After a quick gas stop, we pulled into the El Patio parking lot where the first group was lounging on a bench and curbs and chatting with one another.  Not one person seemed to be worried about what happened to us.  Clearly, I way overthink things.  No sooner had we pulled in the parking lot, along came Sherri and her friend, Cheryl.  Is it confusing to have a friend with almost the exact same name?  Sherri and Cheryl had ridden in from Oklahoma City and although they were in the same state, they actually rode further than we did!  And this is why we call Sherri “Hard Core!”

I then went inside the restaurant and said, “I know we’re super early, but I wanted you to know that the Krome Kitties are here so when you’re ready, we’re ready.”  I gotta give mad props to the wait staff as they directed us to the el patio for al fresco dining (yes, I’m fully aware that I mixed two countries in the same sentence, but that’s how multi-cultural I am) and scrambled to get tables arranged in the shade for 23 people and menus in all of our hands.  And the scrambling didn’t end there.  They scurried about to keep chip baskets, salsa dishes and drinks full.  And amazingly, all 23 delicious meals came out at the same time!   This was even more remarkable when some of us went inside to use the restroom and saw the entire restaurant was packed!  This definitely deserves a five-star rating on Kelp, which is the Krome Kitty restaurant rating system.  That I just invented.  That we should start using.  Because it’s better than Yelp.

After digging out all the cash from the flamed bag, I turned it over to Bobbie to count and there was 110 smackeroos in there!  That meant that some lucky Kitty or Tom Kat was going home with 55 of them!  I gave David the honors of drawing the ticket.  Why David, you ask?  Well, even though his Kitty, Tricia, couldn’t attend the ride, David said he still wanted to go and he brought his friend Joe, too!  I figured any Tom Kat who attended the Tom Kat ride without being forced….uh, I mean, accompanied by a Kitty deserves some special recognition.  And apparently, he deserves being paid, too, because he drew his very own ticket!  David made me promise to not tell Tricia he won so I’m hoping by the time this is published, he has long spent the money and Tricia can’t confiscate it from him.  If not, well…my bad David!

And then it was time to reunite the pint-sized Tom Kats and I gotta say the Friedman Tom Kat is a little worse for wear compared to all the other still shiny, still got all their faces on, and still talking Tom Kats.  Thank you to Dorrin, Jim, and Al for taking such good care of your Toms!  JT, shame on you!  When I asked where his Tom Kat was, he said, “I don’t know.  The last time I saw him, he was in a storage compartment in the Slingshot.”  I asked, “You have no idea where he could be?”  To which JT replied, “Probably still in the Slingshot…which has been sold…to a stranger.”  Oh, the horror!  We did a photo shoot with the little guys and they said their good-byes for another year.  I hope the Friedman Tom Kat still has a face by then.

And speaking of photo shoot, several of us couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be an ass on an ass!  I’m not sure if El Patio intended for the donkey in the courtyard to be sat upon, but you put something like that in front of a bunch of Krome Kitties (and a Tom Kat) and you’re just begging for us to climb on it.  Just ask Lindsborg about their Dala horses! 

After cleaning our plates, or to-going what we couldn’t eat, we settled up the tabs, hit the restroom one last time and made our way to the bikes where they were sitting in the much hotter sun than it was when we arrived.  We herded the Kitties and Tom Kats for a group picture and then reassembled into our groups again for the return trip home.

When I got on my bike and turned the ignition switch, all I got was a whole lot of nothing.  I did it again…and again…and again with the same result.  The assumption was I had a dead battery, but no worries – I’ve got tools and jumper cables and plenty of bikes to get me jumped.  I told everyone to go ahead and leave and Greg and I would ride back with David and his friend, Joe, who were in the meantime, helping Greg get my bike seat off and getting tools out.  As I was telling Christine what happened, she said, “You know it’s the strangest thing, when I went to turn my ignition switch, it had been flipped to the accessory setting, which I would never do.  Someone must have messed with it.”  Who would be brave enough to mess with a bike when it’s accompanied by two dozen other bikes and they don’t know that we’re not the Sons of Anarchy?  That’s just crazy!

Well, they were doubly crazy, because after Greg and Joe got everything disassembled from my bike, we realized the exact same thing had happened to my bike and I was using muscle memory to flip the ignition, which resulted in it being turned off rather than being turn on.  I take full responsibility for being a dunce, but who would do that?  Must have been a PO’d cager for us taking up most of the parking spots!  Anywhoo, by the time we got my bike put back together again, there was just the four of us remaining and we made our way back to Wichita and thankfully, I don’t have to buy a new battery!  But I am an idiot, so there is that.

So, there you have it!  Another fun, gorgeous day on the bikes with our husbands, boyfriends, friends and family on the annual Tom Kat ride.  Thank you to all those who made the day so memorable and enjoyable!   And thank you to the ride leaders, Greg and JT, and to the ride sweeps, Nellie, Al and Dorrin for getting us there safely and without one missed turn.

Oh, and what happened to Mr. and Mrs. MIA? Well, I reached out to her after we returned from the ride and she said she didn’t know where to go or what time. “Really? I emailed you with all the details and you even responded.” I said.  Pause. Pause. Pause.  “Oh yeah, I totally forgot you emailed me.  I went back to look and sure enough, there’s two emails from you.  I guess it had it all along.  I must have had a blonde moment.”  Well, congratulations on trumping my bike ignition blunder!

Those on board for the South of the Border Tom Kat ride were Janice and Greg, Nellie and JT, Tresny and John, Christine and Dorrin with Zach, Linda and Jim, Kari and Daryl, Bobbie and Al, Sherrie and Cheryl, Kathryn, Kim, Chris, Annette, David and Joe.

Janice – KKMC Founder

South of the Border - September 16, 2018

South of the Border – September 16, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman

“P” may be for Ponca City, but for the September 16th Tom Kat ride, “P” was also for Perfect as we couldn’t have ordered up a more spectacular day for riding.  Clear skies, bright sunshine and not a breath of wind.  I would even go so far as to say that might have been the warmest Tom Kat ride we’ve ever had.  While most of us rode to the QuikTrip in Derby with jackets, they were quickly shed and we never saw them again.  Some of us packed our jackets in our saddle bags prior to leaving for the ride.  Not so with Nellie Taylor!  She took off her jacket and stowed it in between her bike and windshield…while riding to Ponca City!  That’s some skill right there!  That would have been a lost jacket if it were me.

When my Tom Kat, Greg, and I arrived at the QT at 8:30 on the dot, Kim Jones and Kathryn Langrehr were already there.  “How come you guys are here so early?” I asked.  Kim responded, “We had to stake out our No Tom Kat Zone.  Here’s the line (which she designated with her foot) and don’t you even think about crossing it if you got a man with you!” Duly noted Kim and Kathryn! 

Within minutes, beautiful bike after beautiful bike came pouring into the parking lot and just like Kim, we had our parking zone clearly designated…that is until a big ole rig pulled right smack dap in the middle of it.  Obviously, the driver doesn’t adhere to rules like the Kitties and Tom Kats do!  Fortunately, he didn’t stay long and we filled it up to guarantee that wouldn’t happen again. 

After making our greetings, getting beverages, breakfast burritos and donuts, I pulled out the flamed bag and starting pimping 50/50 tickets.  After witnessing my juggling struggle of tea, the bag, my phone, the tickets and money, Kathryn Langrehr said, “You are bound to drop something, so why don’t you let me sell the tickets?”  I was happy to turn that over to Kathryn, who quickly enlisted the help of Annette South, and I proceeded to snap picture after picture.  As I watched the time and took roll call, I noticed that a potential new member/guest rider and her Tom Kat, who I didn’t know and no one knew, weren’t there.  I checked every method for her to contact me and nope, not a word.  At this point, if she wasn’t on her way (in which case she wouldn’t see any messages from me), she wouldn’t make it on time.  I held a brief meeting to divide up the groups and announced that since the MIA rider was the reason we were stopping in Ark City for gas, we would no longer need to do that.  As we biked up to leave with Nellie Taylor’s Tom Kat, JT (who was caging it), in the lead of the first group and my Tom Kat, Greg, and I in the lead of the second group, I crossed my fingers that we weren’t leaving Mr. and Mrs. MIA behind. 

Greg and I quickly lost sight of the first group and we all settled in for a gorgeous ride in the Kansas countryside while George Michael, Neil Diamond, Air Supply and Whitney Houston pumped music into my ears.  Hey, don’t judge!  It’s my playlist and I make no apologies for my music taste, or lack thereof!   As we got closer and closer to the Oklahoma state line, I was watching my handlebar-mounted clock and I could see that by skipping the gas stop in Ark City, we were gong to be WAY early for our 11:30 reservation at the El Patio Mexican Grill and Cantina.  In fact, they might not even be open yet! That was an epic fail on the trip planner’s timeline which was, of course, developed by yours truly.  Had I thought of that sooner, we could have had a second beverage, a second breakfast burrito and several more donuts at the QuikTrip.  At my first opportunity, I told Greg the situation and he suggested we go ahead and get gas for the return trip.  Sounds like a plan to me!  Of course, I then stressed over the fact that the first group would be wondering and worried over what happened to us.  Now I’m stressed over Mr. and Mrs. MIA and what the other group might be thinking at the same time.  Fortunately, Freddy Mercury helped eased my anxiety.  Hey, I said no judging!

After a quick gas stop, we pulled into the El Patio parking lot where the first group was lounging on a bench and curbs and chatting with one another.  Not one person seemed to be worried about what happened to us.  Clearly, I way overthink things.  No sooner had we pulled in the parking lot, along came Sherri Carver and her friend, Cheryl Volk.  Is it confusing to have a friend with almost the exact same name?  Sherri and Cheryl had ridden in from Oklahoma City and although they were in the same state, they actually rode further than we did!  And this is why we call Sherri “Hard Core!”

I then went inside the restaurant and said, “I know we’re super early, but I wanted you to know that the Krome Kitties are here so when you’re ready, we’re ready.”  I gotta give mad props to the wait staff as they directed us to the el patio for al fresco dining (yes, I’m fully aware that I mixed two countries in the same sentence, but that’s how multi-cultural I am) and scrambled to get tables arranged in the shade for 23 people and menus in all of our hands.  And the scrambling didn’t end there.  They scurried about to keep chip baskets, salsa dishes and drinks full.  And amazingly, all 23 delicious meals came out at the same time!   This was even more remarkable when some of us went inside to use the restroom and saw the entire restaurant was packed!  This definitely deserves a five-star rating on Kelp, which is the Krome Kitty restaurant rating system.  That I just invented.  That we should start using.  Because it’s better than Yelp.

After digging out all the cash from the flamed bag, I turned it over to Bobbie Cole to count and there was 110 smackeroos in there!  That meant that some lucky Kitty or Tom Kat was going home with 55 of them!  I gave David Carruthers the honors of drawing the ticket.  Why David, you ask?  Well, even though his Kitty, Tricia, couldn’t attend the ride, David said he still wanted to go and he brought his friend Joe, too!  I figured any Tom Kat who attended the Tom Kat ride without being forced….uh, I mean, accompanied by a Kitty deserves some special recognition.  And apparently, he deserves being paid, too, because he drew his very own ticket!  David made me promise to not tell Tricia he won so I’m hoping by the time this is published, he has long spent the money and Tricia can’t confiscate it from him.  If not, well…my bad David!

And then it was time to reunite the pint-sized Tom Kats and I gotta say the Friedman Tom Kat is a little worse for wear compared to all the other still shiny, still got all their faces on, and still talking Tom Kats.  Thank you to Dorrin Allsman, Jim Moreland, and Al Brumbaugh for taking such good care of your Toms!  JT Taylor, shame on you!  When I asked where his Tom Kat was, he said, “I don’t know.  The last time I saw him, he was in a storage compartment in the Slingshot.”  I asked, “You have no idea where he could be?”  To which JT replied, “Probably still in the Slingshot…which has been sold…to a stranger.”  Oh, the horror!  We did a photo shoot with the little guys and they said their good-byes for another year.  I hope the Friedman Tom Kat still has a face by then.

And speaking of photo shoot, several of us couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be an ass on an ass!  I’m not sure if El Patio intended for the donkey in the courtyard to be sat upon, but you put something like that in front of a bunch of Krome Kitties (and a Tom Kat) and you’re just begging for us to climb on it.  Just ask Lindsborg about their Dala horses! 

After cleaning our plates, or to-going what we couldn’t eat, we settled up the tabs, hit the restroom one last time and made our way to the bikes where they were sitting in the much hotter sun than it was when we arrived.  We herded the Kitties and Tom Kats for a group picture and then reassembled into our groups again for the return trip home.

When I got on my bike and turned the ignition switch, all I got was a whole lot of nothing.  I did it again…and again…and again with the same result.  The assumption was I had a dead battery, but no worries – I’ve got tools and jumper cables and plenty of bikes to get me jumped.  I told everyone to go ahead and leave and Greg and I would ride back with David Carruthers and his friend, Joe, who were in the meantime, helping Greg get my bike seat off and getting tools out.  As I was telling Christine Allsman what happened, she said, “You know it’s the strangest thing, when I went to turn my ignition switch, it had been flipped to the accessory setting, which I would never do.  Someone must have messed with it.”  Who would be brave enough to mess with a bike when it’s accompanied by two dozen other bikes and they don’t know that we’re not the Sons of Anarchy?  That’s just crazy!

Well, they were doubly crazy, because after Greg and Joe got everything disassembled from my bike, we realized the exact same thing had happened to my bike and I was using muscle memory to flip the ignition, which resulted in it being turned off rather than being turn on.  I take full responsibility for being a dunce, but who would do that?  Must have been a PO’d cager for us taking up most of the parking spots!  Anywhoo, by the time we got my bike put back together again, there was just the four of us remaining and we made our way back to Wichita and thankfully, I don’t have to buy a new battery!  But I am an idiot, so there is that.

So, there you have it!  Another fun, gorgeous day on the bikes with our husbands, boyfriends, friends and family on the annual Tom Kat ride.  Thank you to all those who made the day so memorable and enjoyable!   And thank you to the ride leaders, Greg and JT, and to the ride sweeps, Nellie Taylor, Al and Dorrin for getting us there safely and without one missed turn.

Oh, and what happened to Mr. and Mrs. MIA? Well, I reached out to her after we returned from the ride and she said she didn’t know where to go or what time. “Really? I emailed you with all the details and you even responded.” I said.  Pause. Pause. Pause.  “Oh yeah, I totally forgot you emailed me.  I went back to look and sure enough, there’s two emails from you.  I guess it had it all along.  I must have had a blonde moment.”  Well, congratulations on trumping my bike ignition blunder!

Those on board for the South of the Border Tom Kat ride were Janice and Greg Friedman, Nellie and JT Taylor, Tresny and John Janzen, Christine and Dorrin Allsman with Zach Herman, Linda and Jim Moreland, Kari and Daryl Miller, Bobbie Cole and Al Brumbaugh, Sherri Carver and Cheryl Volk, Kathryn Langrehr, Kim Jones, Chris Emond, Annette South, David Carruthers and Joe Erdman.

Oklahoma Sooner...or Later - July 20-22, 2018

Oklahoma Sooner…or Later – July 20-22, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman

It took us a couple of stabs at it, but after shifting this and altering that, we were able to finally make the Annual Kitty Overnighter a reality the weekend of July 20-22. That’s the good news. The bad news is the rescheduled date caused lots’o Kitties to have to miss the ride. While we had a whopping 17 Kitties signed up in June for the Overnighter, the number dwindled to 7.5 in July. The .5 is because I was only able to go for one night and missed all the fun and frivolity the last part of Saturday and the ride home on Sunday, which by the way was about 30 degrees cooler than the day we left. But hey, it didn’t rain so maybe my Rain Goddess spell has been broken!

Let’s talk about the weather a bit, shall we? It felt like a sweltering summer in the Sahara on that Friday afternoon as we all gathered in the QuikTrip parking lot. It sort of made us question that mid-afternoon start time as we all guzzled down as much water as we could and sprayed about a gallon and a half of sunscreen on our exposed skin. Surely, it’ll feel cooler when we start moving, right? Wrong. Riding at 65 mph just made it feel like we were riding into an industrial-sized blast furnace!

Kathryn led the group via the scenic route and I tried to remember all the roads we took as I knew I had to get myself back home by myself on Saturday afternoon. After about the sixth turn, I gave up and convinced myself there was probably a more straightforward route home and just settled in for the hot, yet beautiful ride in the Kansas countryside.

Kathryn, whose Road Name should be Google Maps, seems to know every road in the state of Kansas AND Oklahoma as she led us through the green rolling countryside, into small towns that caused us to reminisce about time spent there on previous rides, and right into the gas station in Sedan where we collapsed into a collective puddle of sweat. After we filled our gas tanks with fuel, we commandeered a table in the station where we guzzled more water and ate snacks to energize us for the remainder of the trip. To say we were a sweaty mess is an understatement! As I looked around the table, I seemed to look the worst….Lori looked the best…damn her! I feel I need to remind everyone that me and wet hair or wet anything do not look good together. The socks I had on that day says exactly why!

All too soon we had to reluctantly say good-bye to our air-conditioned table and head back out to the searing sun and heat. The Weather Gods must have seen my socks because remarkably, the ride from Sedan to Bartlesville did seem cooler. Not like beautiful spring day cooler, but not sweltering summer in the Sahara hot! Kathryn led us right to the door of the Days Inn and we started the process of getting checked in, unloading our bikes and finding our rooms. We agreed that we would prefer an Uber or Lyft or taxi-cab or rickshaw or just about anything other than getting back on our bikes to go to dinner. After several attempts, turns out Bartlesville doesn’t have any of the above so it’s back on the bikes we go!

Kathryn had suggested we eat at the Painted Horse Restaurant and wow, was that ever a good call! Dawn had called in reservations, so they had our table all ready for us when we arrived. As we were perusing the menu, Maureen asked, “Does anyone what to share a steak with me?” Lori and I looked at each other and busted out laughing. Who shares a steak? Who can’t eat a whole steak by herself? Why don’t you just order off the children’s menu, you “I ate three peas and I’m full” Kitty? In between our jabs and laughter, Melaina raised her hand and said, “I will share a steak with you Maureen.” Are you kidding me? You actually got someone to go along with that insane idea? Oh well, don’t come complaining to us when you’re hungry later because you didn’t get enough to eat!

While we were waiting for our seven FULL orders and two HALF orders to arrive, I decided this would be a good time to pimp the 50/50 tickets. We broke from tradition and didn’t sell them at the QuikTrip earlier that day because it was just too hot to dig them out of my saddle bag. Eight Kitties x $5.00 = $40.00 divided by two is $20.00. It wasn’t a huge winning, but it was better than nothing which is exactly what I expected to get.

Then our food arrived. When the waitress asked if we needed anything else, I said, “Yes, please. I would like some A1 Sauce to put on the CROW I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO EAT!” Holy Brisket Balls!!! This wasn’t a steak; this was a side of beef on our plates! This wasn’t a few fingerling potatoes; this was an entire bag of them! This was a petite-sized portion of roasted brussel sprouts; this was a bushel full of them! This wasn’t a bowl of mac and cheese; this was a vat of it! I looked at Lori and sheepishly asked, “Wanna share a steak with me?”

After we did our best to eat what we could, which in the end, looked like we hadn’t eaten anything at all (except for Maureen and Melaina’s plates which were clean as a whistle), it was time to draw the winning 50/50 ticket. I gave our waitress the honors of digging in the flamed bag and had my camera poised to take the picture of the winner. And then my Feline Friends….after more years and rides than I can count; after countless newsletter articles lamenting over the fact that I never win; after giving up all hope of ever winning; after begrudgingly handing over money that I believed should have rightfully been mine….I WON THE FREAKING POT!!!! I was so absolutely flabbergasted that I won that I instinctually slammed my hand on the table, which not only got the attention of the Kitties at my table but all the guests at the surrounding tables. I couldn’t even get any words out and I think I might have teared up a little. Yes, it was a milestone day for me and I’ll always fondly remember Bartlesville as the place that broke that Pot Winning curse for me! Hey, that’s two curses I’m not under anymore!

After having a very insightful discussion as to who wears honest to goodness pajamas to bed, who wears shorts and a tank top to bed and who wears absolutely NOTHING to bed (all parties will remain anonymous because what happens in Bartlesville stays in Bartlesville), we settled up our tab and waddled out to our bikes to make our way back to the hotel. After locking them up we said our good-nights. I think Moonshine was disappointed that we weren’t going to have any moonshine and party into the wee hours of the morning. The day’s heat and sun had zapped us all…well, except for Maureen who said, “Don’t you all know alcohol is a stimulant?? You’ll feel fine after a couple of swigs from my moonshine bottle!” To which we replied, nighty-night Maureen. (Note from Author: I reserve the right to make up what I believe a Kitty is thinking.)

We agreed to meet for the free breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and I think Kathryn must be living in a different time zone because she was up and at ‘em at 6:15 and walked next door to the IHOP for a “real” breakfast. It still baffles me that someone would choose to be anywhere at 6:15 in the morning. Was it even light yet?? After one sip of the free coffee, Lori decided to walk next door to the IHOP for “real” coffee. You know the old saying…you can have free, fast or good, but you can’t have all three! After Maureen asked if anyone wanted to share a piece of toast with her, we wrapped up our breakfast and proceeded to load up our belongings on our bikes. Next stop…the Frank Phillips home!

Kathryn, as part of her travel agent duties, suggested we tour the home of Frank Phillips, the founder of the Phillips Petroleum Company aka Phillips 66, and while we arrived pretty much on time, the 10:00 tour had already started. Rhonda, the kind lady in the gift shop, said the next tour would start at 11:30. In unison, we all said, “Yyyeahhhh, that’s not gonna work.” Not wanting to see $7.50 x 8 walk out the door, she said if we could wait about 20 minutes to give the first tour time to get a little further in the house so we wouldn’t be on top of each other, she would take us on our own tour. You betcha we’ll wait! In the meantime, we wandered through the gift shop and bought pins and little flags and walked through the museum that was attached to the gift shop where photo ops were plentiful. Twenty minutes flew by and we were off to see how the other half lived in the early 1900’s. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the house, but it was absolutely beautiful and the family’s story was incredibly interesting. Kathryn, you nailed that suggestion! We took a couple of pictures outside and then it was time to bike up and go find gas and get on the road.

After gassing up and getting water, seven of the Kitties headed east to Tahlequah and I headed north to Wichita. I will now turn the reporting reins over to Alice to find out what happened the rest of the day Saturday and Sunday, but before I do I want to say THANK YOU to Kathryn for an outstanding weekend! She led us to where we needed to go without a hitch and her suggestions for dinner and Saturday morning entertainment were perfect! We’re very lucky to have Google Maps as a member of KKMC! We missed all the Kitties who weren’t able to attend the Overnighter but we also understand that springing an overnight trip on people with only a few weeks’ notice makes it difficult.

Now for the rest of the story by Alice…

On Saturday, July 21st, after we toured the Frank Phillips home, seven of us headed east out of town and Janice kept going straight to return to Wichita. She had a preplanned date with her granddaughter, Charlotte, to go see Paw Patrol in Topeka on Sunday. The rest of us, the Magnificent Seven, rode towards Grove, OK where we had lunch at the Parrot Steakhouse and Grill.

The ride to Grove, OK, was beautiful, and thankfully not quite as hot as Friday. It was still plenty hot, but any relief was appreciated. Shortly after we got underway, Lori came speeding up to catch Kathryn, our road captain, and asked her to stop. Maureen’s saddlebag had come undone, and at least her hat had flown out and we didn’t know what else might have followed the hat. Luckily, Maureen was able to quickly turn around, retrieve her hat and sat on it until the next stop. Nothing else (that we know of) fell out of the saddlebag.

Kathryn is very familiar with the geography and back roads of Oklahoma. She used to go fishing with her grandfather in these ‘neck of the woods’. She led us through some beautiful country roads where we got to see just how pretty Oklahoma is with all of the trees and colorful wildflowers. We crossed large bridges and saw Monkey Island.

We pulled into Grove, OK, looking forward to our lunch at the Parrot Steakhouse. As you know, Kitties enjoy their food! There was a beautiful lake, and the Parrot Steakhouse was located next to the marina. It was a peaceful sight. We went inside and quickly discovered why the restaurant had ‘parrot’ in its name. However, we soon thought we’d have to change Maureen’s road name from Moonshine to Parrot Killer. Jake, the parrot was very squawky, especially when Jake wanted attention, or food, or both! It was a little unsettling for us all to be eating and all of the sudden Jake would let loose. We had excellent food at the Squawking Parrot Steakhouse. It was a nice oasis for us out of the heat. And we even saved a seat in honor of Janice.

After lunch we proceeded down the road to Tahlequah, OK. We went on a green spotted road, meaning it was a scenic route. And that was the absolute truth! The road was definitely scenic. We had sweeping curves with trees on both sides of the road. It was like driving down a tunnel of trees. And of course, the shade was a welcome relief from the sun. As we got closer to Tahlequah, the road began to run parallel to the river. We saw rafts lazily floating down the river. It looked divine and so much fun. Many of us thought of pulling over and jumping onto a raft, but with motorcycle boots, that wasn’t an option (as if that was the only thing stopping us). As we approached Tahlequah, it seemed like it took a while to get to our motel due to the heat and being stopped at almost every red light. Once we arrived at the motel, we noticed there was a swimming pool, so several of the Kitties took advantage of cooling off in the pool after checking into the rooms. Fortunately, the room air conditioners worked well, so we were able to be in a cool room. After we arrived, we were definitely done riding for the day. Since it was almost 7:00 pm, we were hungry again. Christine discovered a Chili’s that was .3 miles from the motel. Sounded good to everyone.

We proceeded to walk over to Chile’s. There wasn’t a good path to get there, but that never stops the Kitties. We took advantage of getting our picture taken in front of the Tahlequah sign that indicated that Tahlequah was the Cherokee Nation’s capital.

Onto Chili’s we went because we could see the sign in the distance. We had to cross some freeway entrance/exits ramps, so we were playing the old game ‘Frogger’ as we crossed. Frogger is an old video game where the frog is trying to cross a highway without being hit by cars. When we arrived, there was a little wait to get a table. It was Saturday night in Tahlequah, after all. We proceeded to the bar and learned about these amazing cold drinks called Firecrackers. Most of us had to try one or three. The drinks and cold water were tasty to say the least. After we got the first round of Firecrackers, Lori came up with a cheer: Firecracker, Firecracker, Boom, Boom, Boom! Of course, we all joined in; we can’t have a Kitty doing a cheer all by herself! After a bit, we got a table where we got to be cozy close. We discussed that Lori’s road name could be Firecracker. Lori is considering it and seeing if is a fit for her. Maybe another option is “Boom Boom”! We ordered our food and continued to enjoy our drinks. After dinner, we got to have a little exercise and crossed freeway ramps, triple checking for cars (just like on bikes), and ran across the ramps, onto the grass and then to our motel.

We decided to get an early start at 0700 for the next day so that we wouldn’t ride in the afternoon heat of the day. And it would give us time to stop in Dexter, KS at the Henry’s Candy store. Candy, whaaaaatttttt????? We’re in! The evening before, the early start sounded better than it did when the alarm went off early the next morning. Dawn cleaned all of the Kitties’ windshields so we wouldn’t have to start out our day by looking through bug guts. We always appreciate Dawn’s thoughtfulness. All the Kitties were loaded and ready to roll at 0700. Candy it turns out is a huge motivator for road weary Kitties! To everyone’s surprise, it was KSU right at 7:00. Dawn volunteered to be our road captain taking us back to Wichita and avoiding toll roads.
On Sunday, July 22nd, as we departed, the weather was much more accommodating and was cooler that morning than it had been the whole trip. Some of the Kitties even put on jackets. We embraced the cool. We stopped in Muskogee, OK for a quick (QT) breakfast. Christine and Melaina gave me JIT (Just In Time) information about navigating curves, and boy did that timing work out well!

At Tulsa, the Magnificent Seven were down to six because Kathryn was stopping in Tulsa to see a grade school friend. The Samurai Six were: Dawn, Christine, Lori, Maureen, Melaina, and myself. We traveled through Tulsa and rode the freeway with the fast, sweeping curves and construction. I was sweating bullets by the time we got through Tulsa and was very happy when Christine pulled up to Dawn and suggested we stop at a QuikTrip outside of Bartlesville. Don’t know if the bullets were a result of the road or the heat. Let’s go with heat! This trip represented quite a few “firsts” for me, including crossing state lines on a bike; going that far in one day; and riding lots of curves. As typical, the Kitty Sisters were wonderful and supportive in helping me become a better rider.

Dawn navigated us successfully to Dexter and the Henry’s Candy Store. It seems like this candy store is a milestone that each Kitty gets the privilege to achieve. Melaina and I had never been there before, so we were even more excited…until they saw the GRAVEL parking lot. We got our bikes parked and everyone proceeded into the store, but not before a picture was taken to capture the memory. Candy for everyone, even chocolate! It seemed cool enough that it might not melt. So, we then then saddled up and thought carefully about navigating our way up to the road through the gravel. Luckily, there was asphalt at the top of the incline before getting on the road. Turns out, we are better on gravel then we gave ourselves credit for!

We were on our last leg of the journey with one more gas stop before getting to Wichita. We stopped in Douglass to get gas. But instead, we did some slow formation (think Shriners) riding in the school parking lot as we turned around in search of gas stations because they were all closed up with the pumps removed. We thought we did the formation riding pretty well, especially after a hot road trip. We pulled into a closed gas station to formulate our next plan, or as we like to refer to it as Plan B! At that time, we also found out that Maureen’s Hello Kitty cup holder broke in route, and she had to stick it into her coat until we stopped. We discovered there are no gas stations in Douglass and we needed to go to either Derby or Augusta to find gas. In Douglass, Maureen’s gas range was down to 10 miles, and it was 15 miles to a gas station in Derby or Augusta. She said she’d give it a shot, and if she ran out of gas, we’d handle that challenge if it arose. Thankfully, she and we made it to the gas station in Augusta. Maureen had said earlier in the trip that our hobby of riding motorcycles is not for sissies. Boy was she right!

In Augusta, we said our final goodbyes for a trip full of fun and memories and headed into the soon to be setting sun……

Trip Take Aways:

Maureen had a trifecta – blown out hat, broken cup holder, low gas
 Everyone survived high heat and high humidity
 Motorcycle riding is not for sissies
 Firecracker drinks are tasty
 Keeping a sense of humor is key, even when hot, tired, and thirsty
 It is fun to have shared experiences and to be in it together
 There’s always room on a bike for candy.
 We’re looking forward to our next trip

Those on board for the “Oklahoma Sooner…or Later” Overnighter were Queenie, Moonshine, Lori, AliKat, da Vinci, Wrench, Glitter, and Lady.

Janice, KKMC Founder

 

Oklahoma Sooner...or Later - July 20-22, 2018

Oklahoma Sooner…or Later – July 20-22, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman

It took us a couple of stabs at it, but after shifting this and altering that, we were able to finally make the Annual Kitty Overnighter a reality the weekend of July 20-22. That’s the good news. The bad news is the rescheduled date caused lots’o Kitties to have to miss the ride. While we had a whopping 17 Kitties signed up in June for the Overnighter, the number dwindled to 7.5 in July. The .5 is because I was only able to go for one night and missed all the fun and frivolity the last part of Saturday and the ride home on Sunday, which by the way was about 30 degrees cooler than the day we left. But hey, it didn’t rain so maybe my Rain Goddess spell has been broken!

Let’s talk about the weather a bit, shall we? It felt like a sweltering summer in the Sahara on that Friday afternoon as we all gathered in the QuikTrip parking lot. It sort of made us question that mid-afternoon start time as we all guzzled down as much water as we could and sprayed about a gallon and a half of sunscreen on our exposed skin. Surely, it’ll feel cooler when we start moving, right? Wrong. Riding at 65 mph just made it feel like we were riding into an industrial-sized blast furnace! Kathryn Langrehr led the group via the scenic route and I tried to remember all the roads we took as I knew I had to get myself back home by myself on Saturday afternoon. After about the sixth turn, I gave up and convinced myself there was probably a more straightforward route home and just settled in for the hot, yet beautiful ride in the Kansas countryside.

Kathryn, who’s Road Name should be Google Maps, seems to know every road in the state of Kansas AND Oklahoma as she led us through the green rolling countryside, into small towns that caused us to reminisce about time spent there on previous rides, and right into the gas station in Sedan where we collapsed into a collective puddle of sweat. After we filled our gas tanks with fuel, we commandeered a table in the station where we guzzled more water and ate snacks to energize us for the remainder of the trip. To say we were a sweaty mess is an understatement! As I looked around the table, I seemed to look the worst….Lori Gibbs looked the best…damn her! I feel I need to remind everyone that me and wet hair or wet anything do not look good together. The socks I had on that day says exactly why!

All too soon we had to reluctantly say good-bye to our air-conditioned table and head back out to the searing sun and heat. The Weather Gods must have seen my socks because remarkably, the ride from Sedan to Bartlesville did seem cooler. Not like beautiful spring day cooler, but not sweltering summer in the Sahara hot! Kathryn led us right to the door of the Days Inn and we started the process of getting checked in, unloading our bikes and finding our rooms. We agreed that we would prefer an Uber or Lyft or taxi-cab or rickshaw or just about anything other than getting back on our bikes to go to dinner. After several attempts, turns out Bartlesville doesn’t have any of the above so it’s back on the bikes we go!

Kathryn had suggested we eat at the Painted Horse Restaurant and wow, was that ever a good call! Dawn Morse had called in reservations, so they had our table all ready for us when we arrived. As we were perusing the menu, Maureen Stout asked, “Does anyone what to share a steak with me?” Lori Gibbs and I looked at each other and busted out laughing. Who shares a steak? Who can’t eat a whole steak by herself? Why don’t you just order off the children’s menu, you “I ate three peas and I’m full” Kitty? In between our jabs and laughter, Melaina Phares raised her hand and said, “I will share a steak with you Maureen.” Are you kidding me? You actually got someone to go along with that insane idea? Oh well, don’t come complaining to us when you’re hungry later because you didn’t get enough to eat!

While we were waiting for our seven FULL orders and two HALF orders to arrive, I decided this would be a good time to pimp the 50/50 tickets. We broke from tradition and didn’t sell them at the QuikTrip earlier that day because it was just too hot to dig them out of my saddle bag. Eight Kitties x $5.00 = $40.00 divided by two is $20.00. It wasn’t a huge winning, but it was better than nothing which is exactly what I expected to get.

Then our food arrived. When the waitress asked if we needed anything else, I said, “Yes, please. I would like some A1 Sauce to put on the CROW I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO EAT!” Holy Brisket Balls!!! This wasn’t a steak; this was a side of beef on our plates! This wasn’t a few fingerling potatoes; this was an entire bag of them! This was a petite-sized portion of roasted brussel sprouts; this was a bushel full of them! This wasn’t a bowl of mac and cheese; this was a vat of it! I looked at Lori and sheepishly asked, “Wanna share a steak with me?”

After we did our best to eat what we could, which in the end, looked like we hadn’t eaten anything at all (except for Maureen and Melaina’s plates which were clean as a whistle), it was time to draw the winning 50/50 ticket. I gave our waitress the honors of digging in the flamed bag and had my camera poised to take the picture of the winner. And then my Feline Friends….after more years and rides than I can count; after countless newsletter articles lamenting over the fact that I never win; after giving up all hope of ever winning; after begrudgingly handing over money that I believed should have rightfully been mine….I WON THE FREAKING POT!!!! I was so absolutely flabbergasted that I won that I instinctually slammed my hand on the table, which not only got the attention of the Kitties at my table but all the guests at the surrounding tables. I couldn’t even get any words out and I think I might have teared up a little. Yes, it was a milestone day for me and I’ll always fondly remember Bartlesville as the place that broke that Pot Winning curse for me! Hey, that’s two curses I’m not under anymore!

After having a very insightful discussion as to who wears honest to goodness pajamas to bed, who wears shorts and a tank top to bed and who wears absolutely NOTHING to bed (all parties will remain anonymous because what happens in Bartlesville stays in Bartlesville), we settled up our tab and waddled out to our bikes to make our way back to the hotel. After locking them up we said our good-nights. I think Moonshine was disappointed that we weren’t going to have any moonshine and party into the wee hours of the morning. The day’s heat and sun had zapped us all…well, except for Maureen Stout who said, “Don’t you all know alcohol is a stimulant?? You’ll feel fine after a couple of swigs from my moonshine bottle!” To which we replied, nighty-night Maureen. (Note from Author: I reserve the right to make up what I believe a Kitty is thinking.)

We agreed to meet for the free breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and I think Kathryn Langrehr must be living in a different time zone because she was up and at ‘em at 6:15 and walked next door to the IHOP for a “real” breakfast. It still baffles me that someone would choose to be anywhere at 6:15 in the morning. Was it even light yet?? After one sip of the free coffee, Lori Gibbs decided to walk next door to the IHOP for “real” coffee. You know the old saying…you can have free, fast or good, but you can’t have all three! After Maureen Stout asked if anyone wanted to share a piece of toast with her, we wrapped up our breakfast and proceeded to load up our belongings on our bikes. Next stop…the Frank Phillips home!

Kathryn Langrehr, as part of her travel agent duties, suggested we tour the home of Frank Phillips, the founder of the Phillips Petroleum Company aka Phillips 66, and while we arrived pretty much on time, the 10:00 tour had already started. Rhonda, the kind lady in the gift shop, said the next tour would start at 11:30. In unison, we all said, “Yyyeahhhh, that’s not gonna work.” Not wanting to see $7.50 x 8 walk out the door, she said if we could wait about 20 minutes to give the first tour time to get a little further in the house so we wouldn’t be on top of each other, she would take us on our own tour. You betcha we’ll wait! In the meantime, we wandered through the gift shop and bought pins and little flags and walked through the museum that was attached to the gift shop where photo ops were plentiful. Twenty minutes flew by and we were off to see how the other half lived in the early 1900’s. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the house, but it was absolutely beautiful and the family’s story was incredibly interesting. Kathryn, you nailed that suggestion! We took a couple of pictures outside and then it was time to bike up and go find gas and get on the road.

After gassing up and getting water, seven of the Kitties headed east to Tahlequah and I headed north to Wichita. I will now turn the reporting reins over to Alice Friedman to find out what happened the rest of the day Saturday and Sunday, but before I do I want to say THANK YOU to Kathryn Langrehr for an outstanding weekend! She led us to where we needed to go without a hitch and her suggestions for dinner and Saturday morning entertainment were perfect! We’re very lucky to have Google Maps as a member of KKMC! We missed all the Kitties who weren’t able to attend the Overnighter but we also understand that springing an overnight trip on people with only a few weeks’ notice makes it difficult.

Now for the rest of the story by Alice Friedman…

On Saturday, July 21st, after we toured the Frank Phillips home, seven of us headed east out of town and Janice Friedman kept going straight to return to Wichita. She had a preplanned date with her granddaughter, Charlotte, to go see Paw Patrol in Topeka on Sunday. The rest of us, the Magnificent Seven, rode towards Grove, OK where we had lunch at the Parrot Steakhouse and Grill.

The ride to Grove, OK, was beautiful, and thankfully not quite as hot as Friday. It was still plenty hot, but any relief was appreciated. Shortly after we got underway, Lori Gibbs came speeding up to catch Kathryn Langrehr, our road captain, and asked her to stop. Maureen Stout’s saddlebag had come undone, and at least her hat had flown out and we didn’t know what else might have followed the hat. Luckily, Maureen was able to quickly turn around, retrieve her hat and sat on it until the next stop. Nothing else (that we know of) fell out of the saddlebag.

Kathryn Langrehr is very familiar with the geography and back roads of Oklahoma. She used to go fishing with her grandfather in these ‘neck of the woods’. She led us through some beautiful country roads where we got to see just how pretty Oklahoma is with all of the trees and colorful wildflowers. We crossed large bridges and saw Monkey Island.

We pulled into Grove, OK, looking forward to our lunch at the Parrot Steakhouse. As you know, Kitties enjoy their food! There was a beautiful lake, and the Parrot Steakhouse was located next to the marina. It was a peaceful sight. We went inside and quickly discovered why the restaurant had ‘parrot’ in its name. However, we soon thought we’d have to change Maureen Stout’s road name from Moonshine to Parrot Killer. Jake, the parrot was very squawky, especially when Jake wanted attention, or food, or both! It was a little unsettling for us all to be eating and all of the sudden Jake would let loose. We had excellent food at the Squawking Parrot Steakhouse. It was a nice oasis for us out of the heat. And we even saved a seat in honor of Janice Friedman.

After lunch we proceeded down the road to Tahlequah, OK. We went on a green spotted road, meaning it was a scenic route. And that was the absolute truth! The road was definitely scenic. We had sweeping curves with trees on both sides of the road. It was like driving down a tunnel of trees. And of course, the shade was a welcome relief from the sun. As we got closer to Tahlequah, the road began to run parallel to the river. We saw rafts lazily floating down the river. It looked divine and so much fun. Many of us thought of pulling over and jumping onto a raft, but with motorcycle boots, that wasn’t an option (as if that was the only thing stopping us). As we approached Tahlequah, it seemed like it took a while to get to our motel due to the heat and being stopped at almost every red light. Once we arrived at the motel, we noticed there was a swimming pool, so several of the Kitties took advantage of cooling off in the pool after checking into the rooms. Fortunately, the room air conditioners worked well, so we were able to be in a cool room. After we arrived, we were definitely done riding for the day. Since it was almost 7:00 pm, we were hungry again. Christine Allsman discovered a Chili’s that was .3 miles from the motel. Sounded good to everyone.

We proceeded to walk over to Chile’s. There wasn’t a good path to get there, but that never stops the Kitties. We took advantage of getting our picture taken in front of the Tahlequah sign that indicated that Tahlequah was the Cherokee Nation’s capital.

Onto Chili’s we went because we could see the sign in the distance. We had to cross some freeway entrance/exits ramps, so we were playing the old game ‘Frogger’ as we crossed. Frogger is an old video game where the frog is trying to cross a highway without being hit by cars. When we arrived, there was a little wait to get a table. It was Saturday night in Tahlequah, after all. We proceeded to the bar and learned about these amazing cold drinks called Firecrackers. Most of us had to try one or three. The drinks and cold water were tasty to say the least. After we got the first round of Firecrackers, Lori Gibbs came up with a cheer: Firecracker, Firecracker, Boom, Boom, Boom! Of course, we all joined in; we can’t have a Kitty doing a cheer all by herself! After a bit, we got a table where we got to be cozy close. We discussed that Lori’s road name could be Firecracker. Lori is considering it and seeing if is a fit for her. Maybe another option is “Boom Boom”! We ordered our food and continued to enjoy our drinks. After dinner, we got to have a little exercise and crossed freeway ramps, triple checking for cars (just like on bikes), and ran across the ramps, onto the grass and then to our motel.

We decided to get an early start at 0700 for the next day so that we wouldn’t ride in the afternoon heat of the day. And it would give us time to stop in Dexter, KS at the Henry’s Candy store. Candy, whaaaaatttttt????? We’re in! The evening before, the early start sounded better than it did when the alarm went off early the next morning. Dawn Morse cleaned all of the Kitties’ windshields so we wouldn’t have to start out our day by looking through bug guts. We always appreciate Dawn’s thoughtfulness. All the Kitties were loaded and ready to roll at 0700. Candy it turns out is a huge motivator for road weary Kitties! To everyone’s surprise, it was KSU right at 7:00. Dawn volunteered to be our road captain taking us back to Wichita and avoiding toll roads.

On Sunday, July 22nd, as we departed, the weather was much more accommodating and was cooler that morning than it had been the whole trip. Some of the Kitties even put on jackets. We embraced the cool. We stopped in Muskogee, OK for a quick (QT) breakfast. Christine Allsman and Melaina Phares gave me JIT (Just In Time) information about navigating curves, and boy did that timing work out well!

At Tulsa, the Magnificent Seven were down to six because Kathryn Langrehr was stopping in Tulsa to see a grade school friend. The Samurai Six were: Dawn Morse, Christine Allsman, Lori Gibbs, Maureen Stout, Melaina Phares, and myself. We traveled through Tulsa and rode the freeway with the fast, sweeping curves and construction. I was sweating bullets by the time we got through Tulsa and was very happy when Christine Allsman pulled up to Dawn Morse and suggested we stop at a QuikTrip outside of Bartlesville. Don’t know if the bullets were a result of the road or the heat. Let’s go with heat! This trip represented quite a few “firsts” for me, including crossing state lines on a bike; going that far in one day; and riding lots of curves. As typical, the Kitty Sisters were wonderful and supportive in helping me become a better rider.

Dawn Morse navigated us successfully to Dexter and the Henry’s Candy Store. It seems like this candy store is a milestone that each Kitty gets the privilege to achieve. Melaina Phares and I had never been there before, so we were even more excited…until they saw the GRAVEL parking lot. We got our bikes parked and everyone proceeded into the store, but not before a picture was taken to capture the memory. Candy for everyone, even chocolate! It seemed cool enough that it might not melt. So, we then then saddled up and thought carefully about navigating our way up to the road through the gravel. Luckily, there was asphalt at the top of the incline before getting on the road. Turns out, we are better on gravel then we gave ourselves credit for!

We were on our last leg of the journey with one more gas stop before getting to Wichita. We stopped in Douglass to get gas. But instead, we did some slow formation (think Shriners) riding in the school parking lot as we turned around in search of gas stations because they were all closed up with the pumps removed. We thought we did the formation riding pretty well, especially after a hot road trip. We pulled into a closed gas station to formulate our next plan, or as we like to refer to it as Plan B! At that time, we also found out that Maureen Stouts’ Hello Kitty cup holder broke in route, and she had to stick it into her coat until we stopped. We discovered there are no gas stations in Douglass and we needed to go to either Derby or Augusta to find gas. In Douglass, Maureen’s gas range was down to 10 miles, and it was 15 miles to a gas station in Derby or Augusta. She said she’d give it a shot, and if she ran out of gas, we’d handle that challenge if it arose. Thankfully, she and we made it to the gas station in Augusta. Maureen had said earlier in the trip that our hobby of riding motorcycles is not for sissies. Boy was she right!

In Augusta, we said our final goodbyes for a trip full of fun and memories and headed into the soon to be setting sun……

Trip Take Aways:

Maureen Stout had a trifecta – blown out hat, broken cup holder, low gas
 Everyone survived high heat and high humidity
 Motorcycle riding is not for sissies
 Firecracker drinks are tasty
 Keeping a sense of humor is key, even when hot, tired, and thirsty
 It is fun to have shared experiences and to be in it together
 There’s always room on a bike for candy.
 We’re looking forward to our next trip

Those on board for the “Oklahoma Sooner…or Later” Overnighter were Queenie, Moonshine, Lori Gibbs, AliKat, da Vinci, Wrench, Glitter, and Lady.

Tutus and High Tea-May 20, 2018

Tutus and High Tea-May 20, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman

A casino. That’s what my house sounded like the morning of May 20th with my phone going off like a slot machine. If it wasn’t ding, ding, dinging with text messages, it was ring, ring ringing with phone calls. If it wasn’t ding, ding dinging, or ring, ring, ringing, it was ping, ping, pinging with Facebook posts. What was causing all this commotion? The weather. If it wasn’t raining at my house, it was raining at another Kitty’s house. So, after consulting the weather app on my phone and talking to Suz, who consulted a weather app on her phone, we came up with Plan B, which was to move the meet time back one hour. We would then re-consult the weather apps and make a decision to either go for it or reinstate the Kitty Kar Club. As the new departure time neared, it still wasn’t looking good for going by motorcycle so Plan C was launched. Plan C meant calling the Tea Room to see if we could come an hour later (which they happily agreed to) and delay our departure by yet another hour and kitty paws crossed, the rain would be out of the area by then. Why were we working so hard to make this work, you ask? Because it was Tutu Day and tutus in a car just ain’t as fun and crazy as tutus on a motorcycle AND we could see that once the rain moved out of the area in the morning, it would be dry the rest of the day. So, after more cups of coffee and tea than anyone thought they would have time to consume, 16 Kitties were on their way to the Park City QuikTrip. Unfortunately, Kathryn, who was coming from Hutchinson, had to leave before Plan C was announced so she made the wet, cold ride way before everyone else and moseyed on over to a donut shop to wait for the rest of the wet, cold Kitties. Lori, who was completely geared up, sitting in her living room, staring at the front door, and watching the minutes slowly tick by until she could leave, jumped at the chance to join Kathryn as soon she heard Kathryn was already in Park City. Maybe Lori’s Road Name should be Gung Ho!

While I ran into light rain on the way to the Park City QT, it wasn’t raining IN Park City. I patted myself on the back and said to myself, “We outsmarted that stupid rain and planned this so darn perfectly!” As I pulled alongside a gas pump to fill ‘er up, there was Lori sitting on a stack of firewood. “What are you doing just sitting there?”, I asked. “Can’t you tell?”, she responded. “I’m a bump on a log!” OK, now I’m thinking Lori’s Road Name should be Wackado!

Right on time Kitty after Kitty came pouring into the parking lot, each adorned with their beautiful tutus! Do rain suits and/or chaps go with tutus? Who cares! We all were beautiful and strutted around like we absolutely knew it! Suz, who had made five, yes I said FIVE, tutus for other Kitties (and one for herself), delivered them in the most adorable Kitty bags. She was so excited to show everyone her other most adorable Kitty thing, but in a moment of panic, she thought she had left it at home. Fortunately, her brain kicked into gear and crisis averted – she found it! Kitty glasses! Obviously, she didn’t learn in grade school if you bring something for yourself, you have to bring enough for everyone. Because you were so busy making six tutus, we’ll forgive you Suz….this time! Not to be outdone, there were two other Kitties who upped their game with fun accessories. Dawn sported fancy schmancy kitty ears and Bobbie looked like a Fairy Godmother in her tiara and waving about her magic wand, granting wishes for a dry ride.

With everyone present and accounted for (and Krista saying go on without me, I’ll catch up), we fluffed up our tutus and got ready to roll with Kathryn in the lead and Linda riding sweep. I think we might have gone five miles when our perfectly designed plan fell apart. Sure, we had let the rain pass in Park City, but before we got to Newton, we ran right smack into it. Not only was it raining, it was COLD! Kari and Bobbie were caging it due to some back issues Kari was having and Bobbie’s commitment to No Kitty Left Behind, and I had visions of them all warm and toasty and most importantly, DRY. I was already a little envious over Bobbie’s tiara, but now I was downright GREEN with envy! Fortunately, the rain didn’t last the entire trip. Unfortunately, the cold did. By the time we arrived in Abilene, we were frozen Kitties and I sure hoped that tea in the Tea Room was good and hot. Perhaps we should have worn our fleece-lined tutus!

Kathryn led us right to the door of the First Lady Tea Room and after Suz and I stripped Lori (of her rainsuit! Geez, get your minds out of the gutter you naughty Kitties!), we all filed in and bee-lined it to the rest room. All those cups of coffee and tea were screaming to get out! We browsed around the lovely antique store which was right outside the Tea Room and eventually made our way to our tables. I’ve never had the opportunity to go to a tea party, but this is exactly how I imagined it would look like. Everything was exquisitely displayed with the most charming dishes and serving pieces. This definitely was the prettiest, fanciest lunch the Kitties had ever had the pleasure of enjoying, which might explain why Linda didn’t know how to act all gentle and ladylike. Not realizing her dainty tea cup wasn’t like a hefty mug at Flo’s Diner, she snapped that pretty little handle right off. I sure hope that wasn’t some expensive antique or you’re gonna have a lot of dishes to wash to pay that off Linda! The gracious owner and our host, Sarah, happily replaced her tea cup with another one, but henceforth, Linda refused to touch the handle. Wise decision Linda.

Our five-course meal started with a fruit kabob, scone and some sort of dipping cream for the fruit that quite honestly, I could have dipped a dog biscuit in and would have loved it. The second course was a dollop of red potato salad served in champagne glasses. Who knew you could use liquor glasses for anything other than, well….liquor?? Then came the main course of finger sandwiches which were chicken salad, cucumber and cream cheese, and apricot jam with almond butter on raisin bread. I think Linda felt a little more comfortable with this course since she could eat with her fingers and didn’t have to touch any of the dishes. I know we all felt more comfortable that she didn’t have to touch any of the dishes! Then came our sorbet palate cleanser served in egg cups with teeny tiny spoons that all had some sort of decoration on the top. Some were state names, some were President profiles and some just had fancy tops. All of them were darling! Like Linda, we just can’t take Bobbie anywhere nice. Not wanting to leave a single bit of sorbet behind, she picked up her egg cup and stuck her tongue in it and lapped it up like a hungry kitty. Now, she might tell you that I told her to do that, but don’t believe her. They’re all lies – lies I tell you! And last but certainly not least, were the desserts! A chocolate covered strawberry served in a dish that had been repurposed from something else, such as a tea bag holder or a little metal basket, cream puffs and a piece of chocolate cake. While everything was served in small portions, we filled our tummies and had cup after cup of delicious tea. The whole experience was delightful! From the beautiful tables settings, to the lovely dishes, to the delectable food, to the lively conversations, to the laughs we shared. An absolutely perfect lunch!

While we were eating our small portions, Suz got a text from Krista who said she had just arrived in Abilene. Given that the Tea Room was inside a building that wasn’t noticeably marked, I offered to go out and wait for her and wave her down. There I am standing on the corner in all my tutu fabulousness when I hear the roar of a motorcycle. Wrongly assuming that there can only be one motorcycle out on a cold day like this and it must be Krista, I started wildly waving it down. As it got closer and closer, I notice that it’s not Krista at all and in fact, it’s not even a girl! I’m pretty sure that biker dude thought I was way too crazy for him to stop to get to know better. Smart guy that biker dude. I made my mind up then and there, I was not waving first. Sure, it might not be the friendliest greeting for Krista, but fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Pretty soon, I see a bike coming my way. I resisted the urge to wave and kept my arms firmly planted at my side. Then I saw it….a wave! It’s Krista and I started waving like a tutu-clad lunatic! Let’s just stop right here a minute and give some mad props to Krista. She rode in rain that was worse than what we had and she shivered the whole way to Abilene and she did it all alone! Since we already have a Hard Core Kitty, Krista’s Road name may have to be True Grit!

As soon as Krista got in her seat and started warming up with some tea, Bobbie and I started pimping 50/50 tickets. With 16 Kitties, this was going to be a pot worth winning! Not that I would know and not that I would care. I would take any size pot. Once again it was proven that even if I was in a pot with just one other Kitty, I would still lose. We gave our hostess, Sarah, the honors of drawing the ticket and we all were confident it would be either Lori, Deborah,  or Krista who would win given our history of first time Kitties walking away with the loot. However, unfortunately for those three Kitties, the tradition didn’t hold up and Linda came away $45.00 richer! Hey Sarah, seems to me you could have Linda pay for that tea cup now!

Then it was time to get some group photos and we all know what an ordeal that can be and our first group photo was no exception. Suz wanted to get a picture with all the Kitties for whom she had made tutus. After seven attempts with Kitties looking everywhere but at the camera, we finally came up with a good one. Paula, who was high on catnip, was pirouetting in every single one of them and then even gave us a solo performance. I’m anxious to know how many times Paula practiced that pirouette in the privacy of her bathroom mirror. Well done Paula!

After settling up the tab and saying our thank yous and good-byes to Sarah and her assistant, we went outside to get a couple more group shots. Holy Toledo! We did it! We got not one, but TWO group pictures on the first try! Now that I know we can do it, my expectations are high so don’t let me down you frisky felines!

After making a quick gas stop, we pointed our noses south and made the journey home. Just like we predicted, there was no rain on the return trip and while it was a smidge warmer, it was still a pretty cool ride home. However, it was so much more pleasant than the “going to” ride.

I know the “going to” ride sucked, but I hope the other 15 Kitties can agree that it was so worth it to tutu our way to Abilene on our bikes where we could be loud and proud. Ken, who is a friend to many of the Kitties, said something on my Facebook post that I thought summed up the day and our group the best. He said, “There are a thousand reasons NOT to do something like what you did today. It takes someone special to simply emerge and attack the moment. You guys killed it. Putting on your big girl panties is in your DNA.” Thank you to 15 Kitties for putting on your big girl panties and coming out to kill it!

And thank you to Suz and Kathryn for planning such a special way to celebrate our Second Annual Tutu Day! You guys knocked it out of the park on this one! Kathryn, thank you for leading us to Abilene. I know the pressure of wondering do we keep going or pull over was great, but as always, you did a fantastic job!

Those who attended the “Tutus and High Tea” Road Trip were Queenie, Shorty, Lori, Lady, Tink, Sugar, Star, Lil Pibble, Moonshine, Glitter, Squirrel, Sycho, BatKat, Ice, da Vinci, Winer, and Krista.

 

Janice. KKMC Founder

 

Tutus and High Tea-May 20, 2018

Tutus and High Tea-May 20, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman

A casino. That’s what my house sounded like the morning of May 20th with my phone going off like a slot machine. If it wasn’t ding, ding, dinging with text messages, it was ring, ring ringing with phone calls. If it wasn’t ding, ding dinging, or ring, ring, ringing, it was ping, ping, pinging with Facebook posts. What was causing all this commotion? The weather. If it wasn’t raining at my house, it was raining at another Kitty’s house. So, after consulting the weather app on my phone and talking to Suz Tiede, who consulted a weather app on her phone, we came up with Plan B, which was to move the meet time back one hour. We would then re-consult the weather apps and make a decision to either go for it or reinstate the Kitty Kar Club. As the new departure time neared, it still wasn’t looking good for going by motorcycle so Plan C was launched. Plan C meant calling the Tea Room to see if we could come an hour later (which they happily agreed to) and delay our departure by yet another hour and kitty paws crossed, the rain would be out of the area by then. Why were we working so hard to make this work, you ask? Because it was Tutu Day and tutus in a car just ain’t as fun and crazy as tutus on a motorcycle AND we could see that once the rain moved out of the area in the morning, it would be dry the rest of the day. So, after more cups of coffee and tea than anyone thought they would have time to consume, 16 Kitties were on their way to the Park City QuikTrip. Unfortunately, Kathryn Langrehr who was coming from Hutchinson, had to leave before Plan C was announced so she made the wet, cold ride way before everyone else and moseyed on over to a donut shop to wait for the rest of the wet, cold Kitties. Lori Gibbs, who was completely geared up, sitting in her living room, staring at the front door, and watching the minutes slowly tick by until she could leave, jumped at the chance to join Kathryn as soon she heard Kathryn was already in Park City. Maybe Lori’s Road Name should be Gung Ho!

While I ran into light rain on the way to the Park City QT, it wasn’t raining IN Park City. I patted myself on the back and said to myself, “We outsmarted that stupid rain and planned this so darn perfectly!” As I pulled alongside a gas pump to fill ‘er up, there was Lori Gibbs sitting on a stack of firewood. “What are you doing just sitting there?”, I asked. “Can’t you tell?”, she responded. “I’m a bump on a log!” OK, now I’m thinking Lori’s Road Name should be Wackado!

Right on time Kitty after Kitty came pouring into the parking lot, each adorned with their beautiful tutus! Do rain suits and/or chaps go with tutus? Who cares! We all were beautiful and strutted around like we absolutely knew it! Suz Tiede, who had made five, yes I said FIVE, tutus for other Kitties (and one for herself), delivered them in the most adorable Kitty bags. She was so excited to show everyone her other most adorable Kitty thing, but in a moment of panic, she thought she had left it at home. Fortunately, her brain kicked into gear and crisis averted – she found it! Kitty glasses! Obviously, she didn’t learn in grade school if you bring something for yourself, you have to bring enough for everyone. Because you were so busy making six tutus, we’ll forgive you Suz….this time! Not to be outdone, there were two other Kitties who upped their game with fun accessories. Dawn Morse sported fancy schmancy kitty ears and Bobbie Cole looked like a Fairy Godmother in her tiara and waving about her magic wand, granting wishes for a dry ride.

With everyone present and accounted for (and Krista Cotterill saying go on without me, I’ll catch up), we fluffed up our tutus and got ready to roll with Kathryn Langrehr in the lead and Linda Moreland riding sweep. I think we might have gone five miles when our perfectly designed plan fell apart. Sure, we had let the rain pass in Park City, but before we got to Newton, we ran right smack into it. Not only was it raining, it was COLD! Kari Miller and Bobbie Cole were caging it due to some back issues Kari was having and Bobbie’s commitment to No Kitty Left Behind, and I had visions of them all warm and toasty and most importantly, DRY. I was already a little envious over Bobbie’s tiara, but now I was downright GREEN with envy! Fortunately, the rain didn’t last the entire trip. Unfortunately, the cold did. By the time we arrived in Abilene, we were frozen Kitties and I sure hoped that tea in the Tea Room was good and hot. Perhaps we should have worn our fleece-lined tutus!

Kathryn led us right to the door of the First Lady Tea Room and after Suz Tiede and I stripped Lori Gibbs (of her rainsuit! Geez, get your minds out of the gutter you naughty Kitties!), we all filed in and bee-lined it to the rest room. All those cups of coffee and tea were screaming to get out! We browsed around the lovely antique store which was right outside the Tea Room and eventually made our way to our tables. I’ve never had the opportunity to go to a tea party, but this is exactly how I imagined it would look like. Everything was exquisitely displayed with the most charming dishes and serving pieces. This definitely was the prettiest, fanciest lunch the Kitties had ever had the pleasure of enjoying, which might explain why Linda Moreland didn’t know how to act all gentle and ladylike. Not realizing her dainty tea cup wasn’t like a hefty mug at Flo’s Diner, she snapped that pretty little handle right off. I sure hope that wasn’t some expensive antique or you’re gonna have a lot of dishes to wash to pay that off Linda! The gracious owner and our host, Sarah, happily replaced her tea cup with another one, but henceforth, Linda refused to touch the handle. Wise decision Linda.

Our five-course meal started with a fruit kabob, scone and some sort of dipping cream for the fruit that quite honestly, I could have dipped a dog biscuit in and would have loved it. The second course was a dollop of red potato salad served in champagne glasses. Who knew you could use liquor glasses for anything other than, well….liquor?? Then came the main course of finger sandwiches which were chicken salad, cucumber and cream cheese, and apricot jam with almond butter on raisin bread. I think Linda Moreland felt a little more comfortable with this course since she could eat with her fingers and didn’t have to touch any of the dishes. I know we all felt more comfortable that she didn’t have to touch any of the dishes! Then came our sorbet palate cleanser served in egg cups with teeny tiny spoons that all had some sort of decoration on the top. Some were state names, some were President profiles and some just had fancy tops. All of them were darling! Like Linda Moreland, we just can’t take Bobbie Cole anywhere nice. Not wanting to leave a single bit of sorbet behind, she picked up her egg cup and stuck her tongue in it and lapped it up like a hungry kitty. Now, she might tell you that I told her to do that, but don’t believe her. They’re all lies – lies I tell you! And last but certainly not least, were the desserts! A chocolate covered strawberry served in a dish that had been repurposed from something else, such as a tea bag holder or a little metal basket, cream puffs and a piece of chocolate cake. While everything was served in small portions, we filled our tummies and had cup after cup of delicious tea. The whole experience was delightful! From the beautiful tables settings, to the lovely dishes, to the delectable food, to the lively conversations, to the laughs we shared. An absolutely perfect lunch!

While we were eating our small portions, Suz Tiede got a text from Krista Cotterill who said she had just arrived in Abilene. Given that the Tea Room was inside a building that wasn’t noticeably marked, I offered to go out and wait for her and wave her down. There I am standing on the corner in all my tutu fabulousness when I hear the roar of a motorcycle. Wrongly assuming that there can only be one motorcycle out on a cold day like this and it must be Krista, I started wildly waving it down. As it got closer and closer, I notice that it’s not Krista at all and in fact, it’s not even a girl! I’m pretty sure that biker dude thought I was way too crazy for him to stop to get to know better. Smart guy that biker dude. I made my mind up then and there, I was not waving first. Sure, it might not be the friendliest greeting for Krista, but fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Pretty soon, I see a bike coming my way. I resisted the urge to wave and kept my arms firmly planted at my side. Then I saw it….a wave! It’s Krista and I started waving like a tutu-clad lunatic! Let’s just stop right here a minute and give some mad props to Krista. She rode in rain that was worse than what we had and she shivered the whole way to Abilene and she did it all alone! Since we already have a Hard Core Kitty, Krista’s Road name may have to be True Grit!

As soon as Krista got in her seat and started warming up with some tea, Bobbie Cole and I started pimping 50/50 tickets. With 16 Kitties, this was going to be a pot worth winning! Not that I would know and not that I would care. I would take any size pot. Once again it was proven that even if I was in a pot with just one other Kitty, I would still lose. We gave our hostess, Sarah, the honors of drawing the ticket and we all were confident it would be either Lori Gibbs, Deborah Barker or Krista Cotterill who would win given our history of first time Kitties walking away with the loot. However, unfortunately for those three Kitties, the tradition didn’t hold up and Linda Moreland came away $45.00 richer! Hey Sarah, seems to me you could have Linda pay for that tea cup now!

Then it was time to get some group photos and we all know what an ordeal that can be and our first group photo was no exception. Suz Tiede wanted to get a picture with all the Kitties for whom she had made tutus. After seven attempts with Kitties looking everywhere but at the camera, we finally came up with a good one. Paula Franklin, who was high on catnip, was pirouetting in every single one of them and then even gave us a solo performance. I’m anxious to know how many times Paula practiced that pirouette in the privacy of her bathroom mirror. Well done Paula!

After settling up the tab and saying our thank yous and good-byes to Sarah and her assistant, we went outside to get a couple more group shots. Holy Toledo! We did it! We got not one, but TWO group pictures on the first try! Now that I know we can do it, my expectations are high so don’t let me down you frisky felines!

After making a quick gas stop, we pointed our noses south and made the journey home. Just like we predicted, there was no rain on the return trip and while it was a smidge warmer, it was still a pretty cool ride home. However, it was so much more pleasant than the “going to” ride.

I know the “going to” ride sucked, but I hope the other 15 Kitties can agree that it was so worth it to tutu our way to Abilene on our bikes where we could be loud and proud. Ken Stoppel, who is a friend to many of the Kitties, said something on my Facebook post that I thought summed up the day and our group the best. He said, “There are a thousand reasons NOT to do something like what you did today. It takes someone special to simply emerge and attack the moment. You guys killed it. Putting on your big girl panties is in your DNA.” Thank you to 15 Kitties for putting on your big girl panties and coming out to kill it!

And thank you to Suz Tiede and Kathryn Langrehr for planning such a special way to celebrate our Second Annual Tutu Day! You guys knocked it out of the park on this one! Kathryn, thank you for leading us to Abilene. I know the pressure of wondering do we keep going or pull over was great, but as always, you did a fantastic job!

Those who attended the “Tutus and High Tea” Road Trip were Queenie, Shorty (Deborah Barker), Lori Gibbs, Lady, Tink, Sugar, Star, Lil Pibble, Moonshine, Glitter, Squirrel, Sycho, BatKat, Ice, da Vinci, Winer (Paula Franklin), and Krista Cotterill.

 

All Aboard for Buhler-April 21, 2018

All Aboard for Buhler-April 21, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman

Welcome to the Krome Kitty Car Club!  That’s right Kitties, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer a motorcycle club.  We have become a Car Club.  For the third time in a row, we have been forced to leave our bikes tucked in our garages and sought shelter in our cars.  It all started last October when we TRIED to ride to Peabody and it rained…rained hard!  Then fast forward to the April Meow Mixer when we TRIED to ride to Five Guys Burgers and Fries and it snowed!  And then on April 21st when we TRIED to ride our bikes to Buhler, it did what it hasn’t done since last October on the Peabody ride – it rained!  Anybody see a pattern here?  I swear Mother Nature must have a vendetta against the Krome Kitties because it never snows…it never rains…except on a Krome Kitty day.  However, when life gives the Kitties lemons, we ask for tequila and salt!  Ain’t a little bit of rain and cold temperatures gonna keep these girls from having a darn fine day!

Denise offered to pick me up at my house and drive to the QuikTrip in Park City.  While she was driving, I real quick texted everyone who was going and said, “Because it’s raining, let’s all meet up inside the QT for car assignments.”  Upon arriving, we all gathered around the ATM and coffee machines so everyone could money up and juice up and try to be as inconspicuous as possible.  We were doing a pretty good job of that UNTIL Suz opened up her brightly colored, ruffle trimmed skull umbrella.  Nothing says “blending in” like an open umbrella inside a dry building.  But then again, when has Suz EVER blended in? (winkwink)  Because the umbrella caused enough of a spectacle, I announced that the 50/50 tickets would be sold at the restaurant.  I took roll call and once everyone was accounted for, I assigned riders to the drivers who were Tricia, Suz, Kathryn and Dawn. I called All Aboard and we were on our way to the bright city lights of Buhler, Kansas!

Our lead driver, Kathryn, drove us right to the door of The Mustard Seed and we all filed inside to be greeted by some mighty friendly staff who seated us at a loooonnng table for fifteen.  There was only one other table in the room and I assumed they put us in this back room all by our lonesome because they heard how rowdy the Kitties could be and they didn’t want their other diners to be disturbed.  Not long after I set up my Kitty Boutique and we all got settled in our seats, in walks an older couple who sat at that very table, which was in VERY close proximity to those rowdy Kitties.  I immediately looked over at them and said, “You’re probably going to regret that decision to sit there.  We can get kinda loud…actually very loud.”  “That’s OK, we don’t mind and we can get kinda loud ourselves”, they responded.  That was all I needed to hear to know that this was one cool Grandma and Grandpa and they were going to be very fun neighbors.

After ordering our food and Bobbie pimped the 50/50 tickets, I started passing out the Road Name patches which were hot off the sewing machine.  That brought about our next order of business.  We needed to find just the right Road Name for Lily. If you haven’t met Lily, she is super sweet and kind, generous, a huge dog over, a devout Christian, a Grandma, and gets carsick if she sits in the backseat of a car.  Those were the criteria we were working with to find a name for her.  Some of the names that we bantered about were:

Joy, Grace, Dawg, Ruff, Candy (cuz she’s so sweet but she ain’t a stripper so we quickly abandoned that one), and UpChuck or just Chuck (cuz she gets carsick but who wants their name to basically be puke?)  Finally, Kari  suggested Sugar.  That’s it!  It’s perfect!  Lily is sweet like sugar and it’s adorable so Sugar it is!

We then decided that Amy’s Road Name is going to be Wrong Way (due to the fact that we made a couple of turnarounds on a ride she led us on a couple of years back) and Paula’s Road Name will be FP (due to the moniker of F@%K Paula I gave her at the overnighter last year, but we can’t actually put the F bomb on a patch. Well, we could, but we aren’t.)

Of course, because we are rowdy Kitties, Grandma and Grandpa next door heard the entire conversation about road names and they also approved of the name Sugar.  Grandma then said, “You know, we have Road Names, too.”  “You do??  Well, let’s hear them then!”  Grandma said, “I’m Tumbleweed and this here is Straight Shooter.”  I then responded, “Is Tumbleweed because you drink so many of them?”  She just laughed and laughed and said, “No, I didn’t even know there WAS a drink called a Tumbleweed.”  Grandma we got some schooling to do with you.  We know ALL about alcohol, and none more than our very own Maureen aka Moonshine, who had just announced she had spent her last $5.00 on beer the night before.  It’s important to have priorities, right Moonshine?!  Anyway, back to Tumbleweed…she explained she got her name because she was from Oklahoma.  “So, seriously….it has NOTHING to do with alcohol??”  “Nope, not even a little.”

And then the time had come for the 50/50 drawing.  I counted out the cold hard cash and there was $80.00, so some lucky Kitty (not me) was going home $40.00 richer (not me…again.)  I gave Tumbleweed the honors of drawing the ticket and the new member phenomenon struck again!  Kim, who was attending her very first Road Trip, won that dang pot!  I should be keeping a list of how many times a new member won on her first ride. On second thought, let’s just make a list, shall we?  It all started with Amy when she joined in October 2014 and attended that last ride of the season…and won.  Then there was a guest rider in 2016 by the name of Dominque Kadatzke (who can forget THAT experience on the Misadventures of Moline?!) who only rode with us that one time, but that one time was enough to send her home with the winnings.  Then there was  Brenda, who rode her first ride in April 2017 and won; then Chris’ boyfriend (which is close enough in my book) won the Tom Kat drawing last September, which was her first ride; followed by Annette who joined us for lunch for the first time in Peabody last October and…you guessed it, won the pot.  And now  Kim!  That’s SIX, yes I said SIX!, first time KKMC riders who have been winners!  For crying out loud people!  I’ve been riding with this Club for 14 years and I HAVE NEVER WON!!  What’s a girl gotta do?  Quit and come back as a new member?  I know what you all are thinking….how about you quit and NOT come back?  Hey!  I’ve got feelings, ya know!

After I licked my wounds and sold a few things from the Kitty Boutique, it was time to settle up the tab at the restaurant and say our good-byes to Tumbleweed and Straight Shooter.  Because they were such great sports and neighbors, I made Tumbleweed an honorary Krome Kitty and gave her a KKMC spot pin in her favorite color – orange.  That just made me love her a little bit more.

We got some shopping to do!  Some of us went to Adrian’s A to Z (which by the way, they literally have everything from A to Z in that there store) and a few wandered over to the thrift store across the street.  Of course, our Bling Queen, Kim, zeroed in like a kitty to catnip on the shiny baubles at Adrian’s.  After we took advantage of the 20% off one item at Adrian’s we met back up at 1:00 to start making our way south. We had more shopping to do!

It rained all the way home and it brought back the not so pleasant memories of our very wet ride home from Milford Lake last year.  We were a lot more comfy in our warm, dry cars although I commented several times what a great ride it would have been if we could have been on our bikes.  Someday, we WILL be motorcycle riders again.  I hope.

Those of us who didn’t have commitments to get home to attended Sgt. C’s Grand Re-Opening to see their new shop and take advantage of the 50% off everything sale . Maureen bought a new vest so she could display her Road Name and Member Number patches.  She then proceeded to buy about a dozen other patches to fill up all the blank space.  Pace yourself Moonshine!  Oh wait…Moonshine pace herself?  Now that’s funny!

So, our first ride of the 14th season was not on our bikes, but regardless of the transportation, we had fun, we laughed, we jibbed and jabbed with each other and we enjoyed each other’s friendship.  Despite the dreary cold weather, that’s still an awesome day!

Huge Kitty Kisses to those who offered up their cars and gas to transport everyone to Buhler and back. Kathryn, Dawn, Suz and Tricia – you ladies are the best!

Those who attended the “All Aboard for Buhler” ride were Queenie, Half Pint, River, Sugar, Squirrel, da Vinci, Tink, Star, PonyGirl, Lady, Lil Pibble, Moonshine, Sycho, Ice, and BatKat.

Janice, KKMC Founder

 

All Aboard for Buhler-April 21, 2018

All Aboard for Buhler-April 21, 2018

Posted on by Janice Friedman

Welcome to the Krome Kitty Car Club! That’s right Kitties, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer a motorcycle club.  We have become a Car Club.  For the third time in a row, we have been forced to leave our bikes tucked in our garages and sought shelter in our cars.  It all started last October when we TRIED to ride to Peabody and it rained…rained hard!  Then fast forward to the April Meow Mixer when we TRIED to ride to Five Guys Burgers and Fries and it snowed!  And then on April 21st when we TRIED to ride our bikes to Buhler, it did what it hasn’t done since last October on the Peabody ride – it rained!  Anybody see a pattern here?  I swear Mother Nature must have a vendetta against the Krome Kitties because it never snows…it never rains…except on a Krome Kitty day.  However, when life gives the Kitties lemons, we ask for tequila and salt!  Ain’t a little bit of rain and cold temperatures gonna keep these girls from having a darn fine day!

Denise Johnson offered to pick me up at my house and drive to the QuikTrip in Park City.  While she was driving, I real quick texted everyone who was going and said, “Because it’s raining, let’s all meet up inside the QT for car assignments.”  Upon arriving, we all gathered around the ATM and coffee machines so everyone could money up and juice up and try to be as inconspicuous as possible.  We were doing a pretty good job of that UNTIL Suz Tiede opened up her brightly colored, ruffle trimmed skull umbrella.  Nothing says “blending in” like an open umbrella inside a dry building.  But then again, when has Suz EVER blended in? (winkwink)  Because the umbrella caused enough of a spectacle, I announced that the 50/50 tickets would be sold at the restaurant.  I took roll call and once everyone was accounted for, I assigned riders to the drivers who were Tricia Carruthers, Suz Tiede, Kathryn Langrehr and Dawn Morse.  I called All Aboard and we were on our way to the bright city lights of Buhler, Kansas!

Our lead driver, Kathryn Langrehr, drove us right to the door of The Mustard Seed and we all filed inside to be greeted by some mighty friendly staff who seated us at a loooonnng table for fifteen.  There was only one other table in the room and I assumed they put us in this back room all by our lonesome because they heard how rowdy the Kitties could be and they didn’t want their other diners to be disturbed.  Not long after I set up my Kitty Boutique and we all got settled in our seats, in walks an older couple who sat at that very table, which was in VERY close proximity to those rowdy Kitties.  I immediately looked over at them and said, “You’re probably going to regret that decision to sit there.  We can get kinda loud…actually very loud.”  “That’s OK, we don’t mind and we can get kinda loud ourselves”, they responded.  That was all I needed to hear to know that this was one cool Grandma and Grandpa and they were going to be very fun neighbors.

After ordering our food and Bobbie Cole pimped the 50/50 tickets, I started passing out the Road Name patches which were hot off the sewing machine. That brought about our next order of business.  We needed to find just the right Road Name for Lily Nordyke. If you haven’t met Lily, she is super sweet and kind, generous, a huge dog over, a devout Christian, a Grandma, and gets carsick if she sits in the backseat of a car.  Those were the criteria we were working with to find a name for her.  Some of the names that we bantered about were:

Joy, Grace, Dawg, Ruff, Candy (cuz she’s so sweet but she ain’t a stripper so we quickly abandoned that one), and UpChuck or just Chuck (cuz she gets carsick, but who wants their name to basically be puke?)  Finally, Kari Miller suggested Sugar. That’s it! It’s perfect! Lily is sweet like sugar and it’s adorable so Sugar it is!

We then decided that Amy Hammer’s Road Name is going to be Wrong Way (due to the fact that we made a couple of turnarounds on a ride she led us on a couple of years back) and Paula Franklin’s Road Name will be FP (due to the moniker of F@%K Paula I gave her at the overnighter last year, but we can’t actually put the F bomb on a patch. Well, we could, but we aren’t.)

Of course, because we are rowdy Kitties, Grandma and Grandpa next door heard the entire conversation about road names and they also approved of the name Sugar.  Grandma then said, “You know, we have Road Names, too.”  “You do??  Well, let’s hear them then!”  Grandma said, “I’m Tumbleweed and this here is Straight Shooter.”  I then responded, “Is Tumbleweed because you drink so many of them?”  She just laughed and laughed and said, “No, I didn’t even know there WAS a drink called a Tumbleweed.”  Grandma we got some schooling to do with you.  We know ALL about alcohol, and none more than our very own Maureen Stout aka Moonshine, who had just announced she had spent her last $5.00 on beer the night before.  It’s important to have priorities, right Moonshine?!  Anyway, back to Tumbleweed…she explained she got her name because she was from Oklahoma.  “So, seriously….it has NOTHING to do with alcohol??   “Nope, not even a little.”

And then the time had come for the 50/50 drawing.  I counted out the cold hard cash and there was $80.00, so some lucky Kitty (not me) was going home $40.00 richer (not me…again.)  I gave Tumbleweed the honors of drawing the ticket and the new member phenomenon struck again!  Kim Jones, who was attending her very first Road Trip, won that dang pot!  I should be keeping a list of how many times a new member won on her first ride.  On second thought, let’s just make a list, shall we?  It all started with Amy Hammer when she joined in October 2014 and attended that last ride of the season…and won.  Then there was a guest rider in 2016 by the name of Dominque Kadatzke (who can forget THAT experience on the Misadventures of Moline?!) who only rode with us that one time, but that one time was enough to send her home with the winnings.  Then there was Brenda Berry, who rode her first ride in April 2017 and won; then Chris Emond’s boyfriend (which is close enough in my book) won the Tom Kat drawing last September, which was her first ride; followed by Annette South who joined us for lunch for the first time in Peabody last October and…you guessed it, won the pot. And now Kim Jones!  That’s SIX, yes I said SIX!, first time KKMC riders who have been winners!  For crying out loud people!  I’ve been riding with this Club for 14 years and I HAVE NEVER WON!!  What’s a girl gotta do?  Quit and come back as a new member?  I know what you all are thinking….how about you quit and NOT come back?  Hey! I’ve got feelings, ya know!

After I licked my wounds and sold a few things from the Kitty Boutique, it was time to settle up the tab at the restaurant and say our good-byes to Tumbleweed and Straight Shooter.  Because they were such great sports and neighbors, I made Tumbleweed an honorary Krome Kitty and gave her a KKMC spot pin in her favorite color – orange.  That just made me love her a little bit more.

We got some shopping to do!  Some of us went to Adrian’s A to Z (which by the way, they literally have everything from A to Z in that there store) and a few wandered over to the thrift store across the street.  Of course, our Bling Queen, Kim Jones, zeroed in like a kitty to catnip on the shiny baubles at Adrian’s.  After we took advantage of the 20% off one item at Adrian’s we met back up at 1:00 to start making our way south.  We had more shopping to do!
It rained all the way home and it brought back the not so pleasant memories of our very wet ride home from Milford Lake last year. We were a lot more comfy in our warm, dry cars although I commented several times what a great ride it would have been if we could have been on our bikes.  Someday, we WILL be motorcycle riders again.  I hope.

Those of us who didn’t have commitments to get home to attended Sgt. C’s Grand Re-Opening to see their new shop and take advantage of the 50% off everything sale.  Maureen Stout bought a new vest so she could display her Road Name and Member Number patches.  She then proceeded to buy about a dozen other patches to fill up all the blank space.  Pace yourself Moonshine!  Oh wait…Moonshine pace herself?  Now that’s funny!

So, our first ride of the 14th season was not on our bikes, but regardless of the transportation, we had fun, we laughed, we jibbed and jabbed with each other and we enjoyed each other’s friendship.  Despite the dreary cold weather, that’s still an awesome day!

Huge Kitty Kisses to those who offered up their cars and gas to transport everyone to Buhler and back. Kathryn, Dawn, Suz and Tricia – you ladies are the best!

Those who attended the “All Aboard for Buhler” ride were Queenie, Half Pint, River, Sugar, Squirrel, da Vinci, Tink, Star, PonyGirl, Lady, Lil Pibble, Moonshine, Sycho, Ice, and BatKat.