Wednesday I took the day off to do something with my parents & brothers that we never have done before- we all went for a motorcycle ride! One of my brothers flew in from TX, the other came up from Locust Grove, and they both rented bikes, then we all went for a day of riding together. We rode through towns all around Lake Oconee where my parents live, and it was an incredible time. We also stopped in Rutledge for lunch together, just the "original Brooks 5", another thing we haven't done since we were all back in school.
Yet as our day came to a close, it all ended on a sour note. I had left for my home, and my dad, mom, and brothers rode the rentals back. Mark took one bike, Rick the other, and on the way there, my dad got to ride Rick's rental some. Not far down the road, in a tight corner, my dad lost control of the big bike, went into the dirt/pinestraw in the corner, and slid out, himself flying off the bike. He sustained 5 rib fractures, 3 pelvic fractures, and ended up at Atlanta Medical Center. Amazingly, upon x-ray, his bones had all reconnected, and everything was where it was supposed to be! By Thursday p.m., the docs sent him home, saying, "There's nothing we can do for you here that you can't do for yourself- Go home!" Today, he is sore & stiff, but getting around pretty good. I told him he's like an old wild turkey- wrinkly, stubborn, and tough. He even plans to get back on and ride again in a few weeks- in his OWN bike, thankfully!
I'm blessed with great families- both in the one I was born into, and the one I nurture now.
Rob

I just got back from a 4-day road trip with my dad. We rode our bikes up into N. Carolina to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and rode it, the Cherohala Skyway, the Foothills Parkway, and famed "Tail of the Dragon", US 129, among other roads in NC, TN & N. Ga. Four days of fun riding, breathtaking mountains & valleys, and great fellowship with my father, and our Father. Riding up there in the higher elevations of the Smoky Mountains is both awe-inspiring and dangerous. A fellow biker wiped out up on the Blue Ridge, right after this picture was made, and we were the first to come up on him and help. The sights we saw, the experiences we had, and fellowship we enjoyed made it among the most memorable times of my life. We both found a deeper friendship as father and son, and found a deeper worship and intimacy with our Heavenly Father, up there on those roads, among those mountains. The sad part is always when the journey ends, and you must come back to civilization (such as it is!). And yet I know, from the very heart of God, that a day will come when the adventure will never end, the discoveries will never cease, the fellowship will never be broken, and the beauty will be eternal & unblemished. For then, as Tolkien wrote, "The road goes ever on..."
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him..." 1 Corinthians 2:9
Rob
p.s. Check out some of our ride pics- http://spiritriders.net/v-web/gallery/

Yesterday I turned 43 years old (young). I had spent the morning riding my bike and meeting my parents for lunch, and when my girls got home from school, they said they each wanted to take me out for my birthday present. I went to the mall with Anlsey, then to a motorcycle shop with Kelsey. I had two great "daddy & daughter" times, in the same day! When Kels and I got back to the house, we walked in and "SURPRISE!!!" a bunch of the RockiTown leaders and families shocked me nearly to death with a birthday party! I nearly had a heart attack! Totally caught me by surprise. I'll post some pics as soon as some of them send me a few. Anyway, we ate, talked, laughed together on into the evening. What a great time it was. The older I get, the less I expect big things for birthdays (you want to forget them, if possible!), but the more I look forward to times with family and good friends. And these folks are among my very closest friends. I'm thankful for family and friends in the Lord- we'll always have each other in Him!
Rob