We attended a banquet this weekend
for a very special "family"...
To celebrate the end of a season...
About an hour north of us
is an abandoned airstrip...
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| Sam "built" his race truck...with parts he "picked up" here and there! |
A group of enthusiastic dedicated people
turned this eyesore
into a place where folks
gather most weekends in the summer...
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| Sam...racing down the 1/8 mile track.. |
Our youngest son, Samuel,
our mechanic extraordenaire...
has a little hobby...
Drag Racing!
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| Sam is one of the youngest racers there... |
Now, I know...
Many moms would be nervous
about this pasttime...
 |
| Sam "blew" his engine...next to the last race of the season! |
But not me!
For you see,
this little dragway is such a "family"...
 |
| Sam...hangin' out in the announcer's tower! |
Everyone is so kind and helpful...
Looking out for one another...
Making sure that safety
is the number one factor...
Sharing tools and even cars, sometimes...
 |
| After Sam's engine blew...another racer gave him the keys to this hotrod! |
Most of the "racers" are
much older gentlemen...
They fear that the sport will die out...
That's why they are so excited
to have Sam part of the "family"...
 |
| Sam went 108 mph. in 6.4 seconds! |
So much so that they named him...
Rookie of the Year!
Sam has taken his "passion" for
engines and trucks...
and his "need for speed"...
and refined it into a "sport"
he enjoys and can "excel" at...
Rather than "hot rodding" around town...
Which makes us very happy!
Thus, the nickname...
Hot Rod Sam!
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed
about with so great a cloud of
witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth so
easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us..."
Hebrews 12:1
Hi fellow Mainer - came across your blog via "My Repurposed Life" (don't you just love her creativity!?). Love your Maine pics on your blog - I should incorporate some too on my blog (I write about my little antique booth at a local antique market). Anyway, just wante4d to say "hi"! - Stay warm - it sure is chilly this morning :-)
ReplyDeleteGood Morning!
DeleteThanks so much for visiting....it is always so much fun to meet a fellow "Maniac"! I look forward to hopping over to your blog and checking out your little antique market...I just love thrift stores and antique shops.
I hope that you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Laura
Congradulations to Hot rod Sam....
ReplyDeleteLaura, what a wonderful son, and confining his hobby to the little drag strip he built,is
so wonderful.. And I love that the older generation have taken him in, and he them.. [Wonder why our society ,wants to shut out old people? They are so knowledgeable and can teach us so much!! They have been there,ha]
You and your husband have done a wonderful job with Sam and the others.. Know you are so proud of them.. I too am so proud of my children. We are very blessed.
Sending prayers for each of you and hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving.
Dear Judy...I just love your comment about "older folks"...Samuel has so many older mentors! In fact, he probably has more friends that are older, than he does his own age! These men have been so kind to him. One day, while racing, he broke the cam shaft??? under the rear of his truck. One of the men at the track owns a part store...which was closed at the time...well, he took Sam down...opened the store...and went in and got him the part that he needed so that he could keep racing that day. We were amazed.
DeleteWhen people hear that Sam races...they always ask me...aren't you scared that he'll hurt himself? But the fact is, dragracing on this strip is about as safe as it gets(it's only 1/8 of a mile long) and he gets a chance to get all that energy out in a constructive way. Many of the local boys his age have lost their licenses for speeding or reckless driving...but Sam takes his driving very seriously...because he knows if he is reckless...he will lose the privilege to work at the garage and to drag race. So we don't worry about the racing on an occasional Saturday in the summer! In fact, we enjoy going up to watch! Many of the families bring campers Friday night and stay over...it really is a fun and family oriented place!
Hope you all are having the best week...praying special Thanksgiving blessings for you and Kenny and your whole family!
With love,
Laura
I'm so glad to see the pictures of your "Hot Rod Sam!" Congrats to him on "Rookie of the Year!" We are NASCAR fans and can understand his love of the race. Such nice boys you have, Laura. I hope you and your family have a lovely Thanksgiving full of good food, family and thankfulness.
ReplyDeleteGod bless, Kathy in Illinois
Thank you for your sweet comments, Kathy! I have a brother (one of 7!) who is a truck driver by trade...and a HUGE NASCAR fan! In fact, he actually got to drive a race car at Daytona once because he had won a truck driver's award...thrill of a lifetime!
ReplyDeleteHope you and your family have a very blessed Thanksgiving... thanks for being such a loyal follower!
Laura
Dear Laura...I love your "Hot Rod Sam" posting! I am sure that the older friendships Sam has truly are a blessing to Sam as well as each of his older buddies! I think that this is such a positive influence on Sam's young life! The first words that came to my mind were "the family that plays together~stays together" ... such a wonderful asset to guide a young man as he prepares to go out into the real world! Blessings to you and yours as you celebrate Thanksgiving! Simple Blessings ♥ Teri
ReplyDeleteDear Teri,
ReplyDeleteIt is so true...Samuel has made some wonderful friends for life up at the dragway...from all over Maine! Many have invited him to their homes...wanting to share truck parts or help him work on his truck! We had such a fun time at the banquet...they had so many nice surprises for the racers and their families...a truly blessed evening!
Hope you and your lovely family have a most wonderful Thanksgiving!
With love,
Laura
Congratulations to Hot Rod Sam!! It looks like everyone was having a fun time! Sorry Sam's engine blew, but it was nice that someone shared his car.
ReplyDeleteWe have a drag strip just a couple miles from us. The sound travels all the way to our house. I can only imagine how loud it must be for the people who live next to it! One of the men in our church loves to race. It's a very popular spot! :-)
Hope you're having a wonderful day, my sweet friend!♥
Dear Melanie,
DeleteSam has already begun to "strip" his truck for next spring. Preston is helping him in the garage evenings after work. They are rebuilding another engine...and changing it from a standard to an automatic and a bunch of other stuff that is way to technical for me! They really enjoy working together on projects!
Can't imagine living close to a dragway....they are so noisy! But we do enjoy watching him race and meeting all the nice folks.
Have a lovely day...we had some snow flurries this morning! (NOOOOOOOO!)
Love,
Laura