Top 10 Dinosaurs Timeline

Tomorrow is Dinosaur Days in Fruita. I wrote this cute little story about the top 10 fictional dinosaurs through a generation timeline. I would post their pictures, but I don't know how to do that yet.
Too bad the Times didn't run this story, so here it is:

Fictional Dinosaurs for each generation: Who’s your favorite?

By Brenda Evers

This weekend June 30 is the 25^th Annual Dinosaur Day celebration in Fruita, where activities are set to honor the exploration, education, discoveries, research and preservation of the history of real dinosaurs at Dinosaur Journey Museum.

Dinosaurs have been fascinating since before homo sapiens stood up and walked on two feet, according to some scientists.

Hollywood and TV writers have created so many fictional stories about these extinct creatures that now each generation can remember its favorite.

What is your favorite fictional dinosaur?

Consider this timeline of the “Top Ten popular fictional dinosaurs,” plus the newest one:

1)  1950s – Dino, the dinosaur. There really were two: a symbol for a now-extinct gas company,

 and the family pet in the Flintstones’ cartoon show.

2)  1950s – Godzilla. Japanese movie favorite with multiple remakes.

3) 1960s -- Gronk . A family comic strip favorite was this generic dinosaur with a limited

 vocabulary.

4)    1970s -- Dopey, Land of the Lost movie

5)    1980s – Littlefoot, movie star of The Land Before Time.

6)  1980s – 1990s –Barney, the friendly Dinosaur, from PBS kids’ TV show

7)  1990s -- Rex from Toy Story

8)  1990s – Dinosaurs family, from the TV series Dinosaurs.

9)  1990s – Yoshi from Mario Brothers game

10)  2010s -- Bob the dinosaur from the cartoon strip Dilbert

2010 to Present -- Buddy, the T-Rex from Dinosaur Train, PBS Kids TV show, coming to Fruita, on June 30 for Dinosaur Day Celebration.

Everybody should ride a bike.

Sharon Wilcox rides every chance she gets, and she is already planning her next big road trip in July.  “I’ve been to Sturgis three years in a row, I plan to go again this year,” she insists.  

For many bikers Sturgis, South Dakota, is the pilgrimage every motorcyclist  should take at least once in a lifetime. “This will be my 4^th year to go. The Black Hills is the most beautiful country. We go to all the towns. We see all the sites. I enjoy doing all the rides and watching people as we drive through, in mass."

This tiny 51-year-old blond biker has put over 30,000 miles on her Harley since 2008 when she 

got her first “bike." That’s six thousand miles each year, not on the back seat, but riding and driving –everywhere.

“Mostly I have been to Reno, Vegas, Grants, New Mexico, and all over Colorado.”

“Since I joined the Western Slope Harley Owners Group Chapter, (HOG, for short) we go on two or three rides each month,” Wilcox said.“This is my 3^rd year as Road Captain and photographer for each ride we go on.”

This group of over 100 Harley owners sponsored by the local Western Slope dealer welcomes new members at its monthly meetings and rides.

“There are more and more women riders,” she noticed

“I’m looking for others who want to ride to Sturgis this year. So far only four have confirmed they 

will go with me,” Sharon said. She hopes others will join in the fun trip.

She didn’t start out on a Harley.

“For 13 years before I rode a 20-year-old Yamaha, and I rode dirt bikes with my ex-husband and 

my two kids,” she said with a smile.

The kids grew up, the ex- moved on, and Sharon Wilcox followed a friend’s recommendation

to go riding on a Harley Davidson.

That was enough to make her want to get her own “hog,” and she didn’t go small.

Sharon’s bike is a big 070 Heritage “Softail” Touring bike, “about 720 pounds, but she can handle it, 

“just fine, thank you.”

Her kids, 24-year-old son and 27-year-old daughter, “thought I was off my rocker with I first started,”

she admitted. One even told her, “That Hog chopper is taking over your life.”

It hasn’t really. She still has her other life, being a hair stylist who owns her own shop in her home 

in Paradise Hills, and her family, especially her 12 month old grandson.

Wilcox has started designing and selling jewelry and purses, especially ones that match her “leathers.”

   That is, her black leather pants, jacket, vest, complete outfit for going out on the road.

“I recommend riding highly. It is my freedom and therapy,” she says as she straps on her helmet, 

revves up her motor to head out. “You can be having a worst day, take a ride and it makes everything

 okay.”

Prickly Part-time job is good for you

      Oh wow, I have not posted since. . . feels like last month, but it was only this month. Good thing no one reads this blog.
For any one out there, I am still retired English teacher, but working part-time, full-time for two local weeklies. I love parts of it--writing the stories, meeting new friends, and learning more about the valley I live in.
      But I have to say, there are a few prickly points in the job, but what is the old saying: "With every rose there are thorns"? That must be true of all  jobs, conflicts and life.
      This is good practice and discipline for my memoir or novel writing plan. I must write almost a story a day; thus, for writing a major piece I should be writing at least 1000+ words on it a day. I need that motivation.
      I will probably start posting some of my stories and photos because I am learning how to do that, so this job is a good thing for me to do. How about you?

So Little Time, So Much to Write

Five stories a week! That's what I have been producing in my "part-time" freelance job for two weekly papers. I love to write, now that I'm retired from teaching high school language arts. I just never dreamed that I would producing so much writing.

That's good practice for me. I determined that I am usually writing about 1000 words per day, so if I focused one project I could write a book within a year.

So I'm going to keep writing my news feature stories, and writing my memoir writing, and I will put both together to have my book.

That's my plan for now. June 12, 2012