Thursday, February 18, 2010

Romance of the West - wild horses


Nothing speaks of the American West like the sight of a wild horse racing across the horizon. The horse, free, wild, untamed, and independent truly reflects the indomitable spirit of the land and the people of the old west.

Anyone who has read Misty of Chincoteague recalls the Spanish brought horses to the Americas. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 set numbers of horses free along the Spanish footholds. Soon they ranged over the Great Plains and into the Rio Grande area in vast numbers similar to the bison or buffalo of the Great Plains. This natural resource lured many Anglo's to the Tejas province with the hopes of rounding up herds and bringing them to the east to make money. This led to many confrontations with the Mexican government, settlement of the Tejas lands, and eventually TEXAS would break away as its own republic before joining the rest of the United States.

The wild horse was also a revolutionizing moment for the Native American people. It gave them a source of wealth as well as transportation. Riding horses allowed Native American tribes in the Great Plains to easily hunt and kill the buffalo. Pueblo Indians bred the animals selling their fine steeds to other tribes such as the Apache and the Comanche. The Comanche used their horses and developed their riding talents becoming fierce warriors of the west.

As the west tamed, ranchers allowed their stock horses to roam free and mingle with the wild herds. Their offspring produced "cow savy" animals that became highly prized. The introduction of the European breeds also created larger animals more suited for the size of the American people.

Wild horses are a gift and should be treated with respect - for without it the ranches, the history , the romance of the west would cease to exist. God Bless the Wild Horses of America.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Congratulations the Checkered Flag goes to.....

KAYE MANRO

All the names of people who left comments on my blog and Amy's Blog were placed in a container and drawn by a neutral party neither Amy or myself. The name from the hat was none other than Kay Manro.

Congratulations Kaye,

You will receive a copy of Amy's Betrayed, Chicken Soup for the NASCAR soul and a copy of Destination Daytona.

Congratulations for a great win during NASCAR week!!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Let the race begin!



Kasey Khane is one of the young guns of racing. Hailing from Washington State, he began his racing career in 2000, competing in the USAC Sprint, Midget, and Silver Crown Series as one of Steve Reeves drivers.

In 2002, as a rookie, he raced for Robert Yates Racing and won 20 out of 34 races ending 33rd in series points. In 2003, Kasey began driving for Atkins Motorsports ending that season in 7th place with a win at HOMESTEAD and 14 top ten finishes.
In 2009, he finished 10th in the series.

On the down side, he ended THE CHASE finishing 32nd or worse in the final races. 2010, we hoe will be better. Khane will begin today's race in 4th position.

GOOD LUCK, KASEY!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Drivers of NASCAR

It takes a special person to be a NASCAR driver. Not only must they have good reflexes, a NASCAR driver is required to have good reflexes controlling an auto at 180 plus miles per hour. A driver has to deal with the pressures of being in the public eye - for ten months of the year. Anything you do, anything you say, how you drive, whether you win or not is all put on public display. Everyone from the local sports caster to your garage mechanic becomes the backseat driver and points out your flaws or your lack of ability. It's like driving in a glass house.

Worse, your family must live with these public accusations and people placing microphones in their faces asking very, very personal questions. Your reputation is constantly up for scrutiny. Think about it, if you drop in points and slip behind a driver or two, according to the news your career is over. Imagine hearing that for a week or weeks until you bank a win and slip back toward the top.

It's no wonder then that NASCAR has a high divorce rate. Something is always going on every weekend for 10 months out of the year. No vacations, no time off for births, little for deaths or illness. With that said, here are the top divers for the 2009 season

~A.J. Allmondinger~
~Bill Elliott~
~Joey Logano~
~Jamie McMurry~
~Juan Pablo Montoya~
~David Ragan~
~David Reutimann~
~Elliott Sandler~
~Martin Truex Jr.~
~Michael Waltrip~

Tomorrow, read about our favorite drivers - Kasey Khane and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

What is NASCAR ?

What is NASCAR?

What is NASCAR? What is the big thrill of continuous left turns to complete an oval? NASCAR - NASCAR is love-
The love of a fast car! The thrill of out foxing your competitors! The thrill of victory when you swoosh down that last straightaway rolling under the checkered flag to the roar of approving fans!
Yea, that's NASCAR !

The acronym stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing or NASCAR. This body governs or oversees the rules for three major races.
Sprint Cup Series
Nationwide Series
Craftman Truck Series

Unlike the old days where Detroit model cars ( stock cars) were souped up to run fast, today's autos have gotten it down to a science. Most teams build their cars from the ground up adhering to the provisions of the governing body. Comparing a Detroit model to a racing vehicle is like looking at snails compared to a thoroughbred.

Sprint cup racers weigh in at 3400 pounds and carry a monster V8 cubic inch engine that will generate 750 horsepower to move the vehicle down that track at speeds up to and over 180 miles per hour. A showroom model may have a 400 horsepower with a tame V8.

A stock car is built for one thing and one thing only S P E E D !


In celebration of the 2010 NASCAR season, my dear author friend Amy Clipston and I are running a contest!

Leave a comment on my blog and/or Amy's before the green flag drops on the Daytona 500 on Sunday and you'll be registered to win three NASCAR-related books. Check out these covers!
Let's go racin'!
Blog sites
http://amyclipston.blogspot.com/2010/02/gentlemen-ladies-start-your-engines-and.html
http://obe-romancingtheblog.blogspot.com/


From Amy Clipston ( print )










From Nancy O'Berry ( ebook )

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Boogity, boogity, boogity....

In celebration of the 2010 NASCAR season, my dear author friend Amy Clipston and I are running a contest!

Leave a comment on this blog and/or Amy's (http://amyclipston.blogspot.com/2010/02/gentlemen-ladies-start-your-engines-and.html) before the green flag drops on the Daytona 500 on Sunday and you'll be registered to win three NASCAR-related books. The covers for the books are shown below.

Let's go racin'!

*****

The Bud Shootout is the opening salvo for the start of the 2010 stock car season. It usually consist of 75 laps around a 2.5 mile oval in Daytona Beach, Florida, the hallowed ground for any racing fan.

The line up consist of eligible cars picked from points by team and owner garnered the year before. Once chosen, the drivers gather on the track for a blind draw party. Here the drivers pick their starting point the night before the race..

This year 24 drivers qualified to wait for the green flat to drop.. When the smoke cleared, Kevin Harvick won, driving his Chevrolet beneath the yellow checkered flag due to a wreck which nearly took out the whole field. Right behind him, Kasey Khane came in second.

Speed week begins! So as Darryl Waltrip says, "Tighten those belts and let's go racing boys!"



Order from:
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.booksamillion.com


Lacey Fowler is distraught when her father and stepmother are killed in a car accident while traveling from Daytona International Speedway to their home in Mooresville, North Carolina. Her anxiety is heightened when champion stock car driver and known playboy Reese Mitchell inherits part of Southern Racing, her father’s prestigious team. Suspecting her father was murdered and his race team is in trouble, she turns to Reese in desperation for help. Uniting their pieces of the company, they band together to solve the crime and save the company. Can Lacey save the company without losing her heart? The stakes are high when she is Betrayed.



Amy Clipston's story "Kevin Harvick's Gift of Caring" is featured in the new Chicken Soup for the Soul: Nascar: 101 Stories of Family, Fortitude, and Fast Cars, which will be available in stores February 16.
To buy Chicken Soup for the Soul
http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Soup-Soul-Stories-Fortitude/dp/1935096443/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264170041&sr=8-4







Janet Duplain wasn't sure what to expect when she decided to make the trek down to Florida and the Daytona 500. She'd surprised her husband Ed with the trip only he died unexpectedly and now this is the last thing she can do to honor his memory.
Steven Brock loves NASCAR so when he rescues a woman outside the gates and finds she knows nothing about racing he plans to enlighten her. What he doesn't expect is the sparks to fly between them. Her auburn hair and deep green eyes are like a beacon calling him in. Only Janet is still carrying the torch for her dead husband. Can Steven turn on the charm and woo her convincing fair Janet that love is always better the second time around?
To buy link : http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=574&osCsid=8afa7d0860164cf029ec890370ad82be


Be sure to leave a comment on my blog or Amy Clipston's blog and be eligible to win a copy of all of these books:
Chicken Soup
Betrayed
Destination Daytona

Gentlemen - and ladies Start your Engines

Drop the green flag and start those engines!

Looking for excitement?
Does the roar of the crowd, the smell of burnt rubber and gasoline make your heart race? This week we'll be exploring the exciting world of NASCAR and stock car racing as Speed Week takes over Daytona Florida.

Whether you like your men in those flashy fire suits, you enjoy watching cars careen around a track at breathtaking speeds, or your trying to find the happy medium in a house full of NASCAR fans, we'll try to figure out the ins and outs of this fast paced sport together and along the way find a bit of romance.

So buckle in tight and LET'S GO RACIN'

If you enjoy NASCAR of motor sports check out these titles...


By Amy Clipston




By Nancy O'Berry

Little fun about Soap

  I know we are trying to work our way out of a pandemic, and about to go stir crazy, but let's have a laugh at what we've had to ...