If you hadn’t noticed… I launched a new website a little over a month ago, CoolCaroftheDay.com.
Previously, I had been writing a LOT of car content that was finding its way here. And it was diluting the site… it had become more of a car based website than one about real estate. I needed to change that up a little, so CCotD was born.
Since then, I have had the opportunity to meet some really cool folks and see some really wild cars…
Come on over and check it out.
Image via Wikipedia
I have been writing this blog since July, 21st 2009. And it actually dates back a little further than that… I started blogging on Active Rain (a real estate specific blogging platform) a couple of months prior. And I love writing about real estate, but…
Some of my favorite things to write about have been cars. In fact, several of my all time highest clicked posts are about cars. And the time has come for a specific site about cars…
I’m not ready to announce fully yet, but I do want to tease it a little…
The new site will be:
This site isn’t going away. In fact, the new project will probably energize my existing sites. In addition to this one, I have.
Look for a full announcement in a few days…
Garrett gets some 1 on 1 from Danny Taylor
It is a little earlier than usual, but it is 2nd week of Hockey Camp time… I’ll be spending a large part of next week at the skating rink watching my older son play his favorite game.
All year long he looks forward to spending two (non-consecutive) weeks playing hockey and hanging out with the coaches and other players. Honestly, I look forward to it as well. Maybe not as much as Garrett, but it is a lot of fun.
The folks that Dan Sullivan gets to coach for the Come And Get It Hockey Camp are a pretty cool bunch. Dan played with the Gladiators and currently plays for the Colorado Eagles (both in the ECHL). Several other past and present coaches are current or former Gladiators… as well as some players that have been in the Ontario Hockey League and the NCAA. Eric Boulton (of the Atlanta Thrashers) has been to most of the camps with his sons, and this time, he is making it official… he’ll be on the ice with the players. Chris Thorburn of the Thrashers has also been involved with the camp.
The kids are a lot of fun to watch, too. Some of them are pretty talented… enough that the pros will step out of the weight room, or hang out by the glass after their ice time to watch the kids play. Of course, part of that might be them thinking back to their days of hockey camps and youth hockey.
Hockey players are different than a lot of other athletes. Even in Canada, hockey rinks aren’t at school… and often, ice time for youth players is at “inconvenient” hours. One pro player told me that when he was in high school, he was at the rink at at 5:00am… then school, homework and finally… the rink, at 10:00pm. Games were often at 11:00pm or even later. High school athletes in other sports usually don’t have to put up with the same hardships to play their sports. Hockey players are a dedicated bunch. Mine is only 7, and this is what he loves. And he works REALLY hard for his coaches.
And if you are looking for something to do, you might drop by the Duluth Ice Forum next week for a scrimmage. The kids will play a game each day between about 3:00 and 4:30 in the afternoon (the play for an hour… in there somewhere).
Hop's has been around since the 1940s...
There is a fair chance that when you run into me, I’ll be wearing a “Hop’s Place” T-shirt. I have a BUNCH of them. My Step-Father has worked there for a long time, and gets me a shirt or two each year. They have really cool street rods on the back, advertising their paint products.
Obviously, I’m not advocating everyone in Gwinnett County, GA run up to Hampton, VA to get some car parts…
But, Hop’s is a symbol of a dying breed, the independent auto parts store. There just aren’t many left. They are being pushed out by the chains even faster than the “Mom & Pop” retailers are being killed off by WalMart.
Hop died a few years ago. He was well into his 80s. When I was in high school… which is NOT recent… I used to buy parts from him for my cars. He was “Old Man Hop” back then. One of my Car Guy mentors knew him pretty well… and he was “Old Man Hop” to him, too.
There is nothing wrong with Pep Buy, AutoZone, Advance and the like. I have done business with all of them. But, I still like dropping into a place like Hop’s. The guys on the counter have been there for 20 years… and might still be there 20 years from now. Assuming that the shop is still there.
And I wouldn’t be shocked if there were some vintage speed parts lost in the backroom somewhere…
G in the Line-Up...
Yes, I am a “Hockey Dad”. My 7 year old son has been playing hockey since 2008 (and yes, that means he started at age 4). This is his 3rd year skating in the Come And Get It Hockey Camp (we call it CAGI Hockey). He gets a week at the beginning of June and another in July. I don’t know there is ANYTHING he looks forward to as much as hockey camp with Coach Sully. This is his 3rd summer skating in the CAGI Hockey Camp.
Gwinnett Gladiator Danny Taylor Working with G on Goalie Techniques
Today is the last day for the June camp. July’s camp will run from July 11th-15th. And let me tell you… if you have a youth hockey player that can make it here for the camp… GET THEM HERE. They will love it. If you like hockey, whether you have a youth player or not, come over to the Duluth Ice Forum and watch some kids pour their heart into being better players. These kids range in age from 4 years old to high school. This afternoon (June 10th, 2011) the kids will be scrimmaging from 3:30-4:30. (I imagine that the timing will be similar for the July camp… but check back.)
I have been there for most of the ice sessions… there are 3 each day. And the kids are amazing to watch. Some of these kids surprise the Atlanta Thrashers that pop in during the day to watch. There are some kids with SERIOUS skills. Other players are more casual, but for camp, they push themselves pretty hard.
And the kid in the pics is mine… from the 2010 Camps.
