CHAPTER DIRECTORS

MICKEY & MARY SEARELS cd@chapterlam.com

ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS NEWSLETTER EDITORS ROBERT & JOAN PARTIGIANONI acd@chapterlam.com

TREASURER TOM & NEVA REED

CHAPTER EDUCATOR CHARLES & CYNTHIA SIMPSON

WAYS&MEANS COMMITTEE WELCOME COMMITTEE CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP ENHENCEMENT COORDINA-TORS TOM & SANDY WOODS

PHONETREE COORDINATORS LINDA & GORDAN MYRICK phonetree@chaterlam.com

RIDE COORDINATOR Mickey Searels

ACTIVITY COMMITTEE LISA FLETCHER COODINATOR LYNN THOMPSON BJ ASHFIELD CORA LETHO

CHAPTER COUPLE OF YEAR

Sherwood “Pops “Goins & BJ Berly

WEBMASTER

Friends for fun, safety and knowledge

DECEMBER 2012 CHAPTER DIRECTORS

Mickey and Mary Searels GWRRA SOUTH CENTRAL

REGION H

CHAPTER LA-M

Hello Team and a Merry Christmas

Here we are in December already; I think I can already hear bells. Santa must be on his way. We had a very slow month in November. Time for family, turkey and pumpkin pie and time to reflect on how blessed we are. Our nation is in a transformation status but this too we will survive. We spent some great time and fellowship at out Thanksgiving Dinner and we has a lot to be thankful for. Our Educa-tor helped put on a Trike class and we had a great instructor great participants !! And a great class!! Our Angel tree Run was a great time of collecting toys and money for a great cause thank you all for helping and riding in the parade. We have Two more everybody get on board and enjoy the fun. WHAT IS A WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT EXCHANGE??

We have some new Participants that will start attending this Month make them feel welcome. They are a great bunch of wingers and we are looking forward to riding with them.

We will be having a “White Elephant” gift exchange at our Christmas party on December 7, 2012. For all who do not know what a “White Elephant” is ? It is a lot of fun. Each partici-pant brings a gift .Stan and Brenda are helping host this event. They are working hard on setting it up. It will be at the War Memorial on 8th St .at 6:30 bring a covered dish the Chapter will furnish the Meat Thanks for all the hard work Stan and Brenda. We will be discussing this at the Chapter Gathering on Tuesday night.

Well we come to another year in the history of Chapter M Mary and I will be staying on as your Chapter Director's but there will be some changes to be announced at the Christmas party. We have enjoyed serving as your director and we look forward to another great year. We have enjoyed working close with Merlin and Beverly our District Directors and all the other Chapters that we could .It has been fun. The Chapter has done some great things together We Won the Ride Coordinator of the year ,Chapter of the year !! We won the Chapter Cup!! A lot of the Chapter made Wing Ding last year and this year many of you are planning to go. So this year we plan on riding a lot and having more social events together. Thank you for your support and all the work you do for your Chapter it is a honor to serve with such a great group.

See you at the Gathering

Mickey and Mary Searels

LA-M Chapter Directors Our gathering place is being moved to the Catfish Hut at 181 Catfish Rd, North of DeRidder.

We will be changing our day to the first Tuesday of the month. Meeting starts at 6:30. Come

early if you would like to eat. They offer other things on the menu besides seafood and cat-

fish. There is an 18% gratuity on the bill

Hello Louisiana Members December, 2012

They say time passes by faster as you get older, well I must be older than dirt because this year

has flown by with November coming to an end.

On the 17th of November, Beverly and I along with Jim & Reba Berry (ADD), Red & Brenda

Roussel (DLT), Rodd Polk (DRE), Allen & Amy Strain (C.O.Y.C), Tim & Becky Dinnel

(DCOY), and Carl Webb (MAC) all attended the Region H business meeting in Marshall, TX.

Bill Gray, the Region Director took us thru his agenda with all the updates and new programs

that are in place already and some programs that are in the planning stages. His Region Team

each took their turn reporting on their individual department of GWRRA along with their goals

to improve our Region. Each person who attended the business meeting should have walked

away with some useful information to help them with their position on their District Teams.

After leaving the business meeting Beverly and I took a week vacation thru the Thanksgiving

Holiday. We ate a casino buffet, not good if you are on a diet; but who can pass up prime rib,

baked turkey with all the trimmings, steamed snow crab legs, chicken prepared 2 or 3 different

ways, shrimp, grilled oysters and more. I guess you are getting my drift, no way to stay on a di-

et.

I now have about week to lose what I gained from that Thanksgiving meal before all the Christ-

mas parties start. There is no way we can make all the Chapter parties, but we will make what

parties we can. Thank you all for your invitations.

With the end of the year near, all Chapter Directors need to make sure their Chapter Treasurer

has the ending financial, the equipment list and the cover sheet ready for our annual business

meeting on January 19th. The Chapter Treasurer, if in doubt about anything, should get in touch

with Missi (the District Treasurer) to make sure they have everything needed for the District

Business Meeting.All new Chapter Directors taking over in January need to get your paperwork

(appointment worksheet) in to me now in order to have everything back from Region in time for

our business meeting. Remember new Directors you also need to get any new team members pa-

per work in to me too

District Directors

Merlin & Beverly Mayon

All new Chapter Directors taking over in January need to get your paperwork (appointment

worksheet) in to me now in order to have everything back from Region in time for our business

meeting. Remember new Directors you also need to get any new team members paper work in

to me too.

Hopefully everyone got enough turkey for Thanksgiving if not you will get a second chance;

Christmas is just around the corner.

If Beverly and I don’t see you before the end of the year, we would like to say thanks so much

for all that you have done to help us thru the year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

P.S. For your information, we have changed the date of Wingless Weekend to the 22nd and 23rd

of February, 2013. I’m still working to find a place.

See you all soon.

Your Friends for Fun, Safety & Knowledge

Merlin & Beverly Mayon

Louisiana District Directors

P. O. Box 3527

Morgan City, LA 70381 C/985-519-1524

By The Book

Gold Wing Road Riders Association Jack Wagner Region H Trainer

The Time for Parties

December brings us all together for many different parties – celebrating the various holidays or watching our favorite teams in their endeavor to be the best. Many of the social events or gift exchanges done at this time of year have the tradition of involving alcohol. While it has been discussed at length many times, I thought it best to remind everyone of the GWRRA policy on alcohol. Page D-15 of the Officer Handbook states:

“While GWRRA makes no attempt to legislate policy as it relates to an individual’s freedom, we must give strong consideration to po-tential liability exposure of the Officer group. For this reason, GWRRA CANNOT: 1) sell alcoholic beverages; 2) profit from the sale of alcoholic beverages; 3) distribute as an award or prize any alcoholic beverages at a GWRRA event; 4) encourage its use by advertising its availability or causing it to be available at GWRRA events.”

The first few words are important to remember – WE ARE NOT ATTEMPTING TO BE THE ALCOHOL POLICE. However, that said, the next few words from the Officer Handbook are of utmost importance – THERE ARE POTENTIAL LIABILITY ISSUES. What does this mean? Most areas have what are known as social host liability laws which impart liability to those responsible for serving alcohol. Those held liable in either criminal or civil actions provided alcohol to someone who is subsequently involved in a vehicle crash or other activity which caused death, injury or even property damage. Most often the social host involved is a private individual who served alcohol in their home or other facility where they are considered to be the host. However, when the event is a company or organization affair, the company or organization can be held liable – meaning GWRRA and its officers could be held responsible. Think about that. If you're the Chapter Director, you could be held liable even though the event wasn't in your home. Yes, GWR-RA has liability insurance which covers the Association and its officers. But would it cover you when you are violating written As-sociation policy?

Liability issues aside – the main reason for the policy as I see it is we don't want to be the cause of losing any of our GWRRA family as a result of GWRRA provided alcohol. So let me leave you with this. If you're having a Chapter event at your home or other loca-tion that doesn't commercially serve alcohol, follow the policy and don't make it available. If you're having your event at a loca-tion that does serve alcohol as part of their normal business and choose to consume, please do it responsibly. I want to see all of our family together in the coming year!

Learn the Truth…Then Pass It Along

Jack Wagner

Region H Trainer

In Colder Weather

We’ll assume you already understand the importance of keeping warm and dry to stay comfortable and avoid the

debilitating effects of hypothermia when you ride, so we’ll just provide a short list of things to keep in mind about your

bike and the road when riding in cold weather:

Check fluid level and quality more often, especially the coolant in liquid-cooled bikes. Change your oil if your owner’s

manual calls for a different weight of oil in colder weather.

Check tire pressure more often, since cooler temperatures will lower the pressure. Allow more time/miles for the tires

to warm up before attempting maximum braking and cornering.

Clean your bike more frequently since moisture and the salt used to melt snow may rust and pit metal surfaces.

If you wear a full-face helmet, you may find that opening the visor slightly will m inimize fogging on cold mornings. Antifogging

chemicals and visors are also available.

Search the road surface for patches of snow, slush, or ice. There might be a thin, nearly invisible layer of ice (“black ice”)

where you least expect it.

Heed the “Bridge freezes before road” signs. Wind rushing under and over bridges has the effect of cooling the structure

more quickly than the asphalt or concrete roads leading up to it.

Assume that any leaves in the roadway are as slippery as ball bearings.

If you happen upon an unplowed road, minimize any change in direction or speed and be prepared to use your feet as

outriggers.

Since freezing and thawing stress the road surface, search for potholes and loose gravel.

A good winter ride can relieve the boredom of “cabin fever” and keep your skills fresh. Prep your bike and adjust your

risk-management strategies according to the seasonal variations in your environment

Cold Weather Riding Rodd Polk

Hello everyone. I would like to thank everyone that took part in

the education

programs. It will benefit you as well as the whole chapter. Keep

up the great work.

Thoughts for safe Riding

TIPS

Winter Riding In Colder Weather

District Educator

ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS

ROBERT AND JOAN PARTIGIANONI

HELLO MUDBUGS,

November has come and gone, and hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving Holidays and our Chapter M

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Diamond Baptist Church. We want to thank Lynn and Cora for setting up the

venue. At the end of the dinner, we all went around the room and told what we were thankful for. The

answers were revealing but I think all of us realized we were extremely thankful for our Spouses who have

stuck with us through thick and thin over many years and some even decades.

As I write this article on December 1st, we have finished the Annual Christmas Parade in DeRidder and as

always we drove over to Walmart to participate in the Angel Tree Toy collection for needy children of

Beauregard Parish. With the generosity of the people of DeRidder today, we collected lots of money and

toys for those kids. I can remember the first time I did this event and wondered why I wanted to stand in

front of Walmart and ask for toys and money. By the time I left that day, back in December 2008, it stuck

me that this is the joy of giving and being a friend of the needy. A side benefit of this event is watching the

people when they come to Walmart and see all the Goldwings sitting on the Sidewalk. Then there is the

excellent band that always comes to play some great music and the Dixie Darlings dance troop and all their

associated groups. As we finished our work at Walmart, I always think of the kids that are going to get up

and receive a gift that they never expected because their family was in hard times. What a season of joy

and splendor.

Robert and Joan Partigianoni

Assistant Chapter Directors Chapter M

Chapter Educator

Charles and Cynthia Simpson

WINTER RIDING

As winter approaches, falling temperatures will ground a lot of motorcycles till spring. But plummeting mercury

doesn’t have to confine you to 4 wheels. Some of the best rides have been in cooler weather when there is less

traffic on the road, the air is crisp and clean and there are fewer bugs.

Riding in cooler weather means recognizing first and foremost it is the wind that cause your body to become

chilled. It is the flow of wind or “wind chill factor” Holding onto your body heat is difficult if you can’t block the

wind. A windshield greatly reduces the airflow to your torso, so you stay warmer longer. The next essential is

proper - fitting riding gear, protective garments that are neither too tight nor too loose. Always dress in layers

so as the day warms up you don’t overheat.

Keeping in mind that our bodies are all different, so what works for one person may not work the same for you.

Riding in colder temperatures means being constantly aware of how your body is handling changing tempera-

tures. Let the cold weather get the better of you, and your ability to handle your motorcycle can be seriously

impaired. When out on a late season group ride, it's a good idea to keep in mind on how much protective win-

ter gear your fellow riders have. When cold becomes intolerable due to lack of proper protection, reaction

times will be seriously compromised.

So if you are one of those who prefer your 4 wheels in the winter, please keep an eye out for those of us who

enjoy a little cold -weather riding. Or gear up and join us!

Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge.

December 2012

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

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30 31

CHAPTER LA-M

CHAPTER HAPPENNING

3 DEC-Ride to Hodges Garden

4 DEC– Chapter Gathering– Catfish

Hut 6:30 pm come early to eat

7 DEC-Chapter Christmas Party-

War Memorial 8th St Derid-

der@6:30 pm

8 DEC- Christmas Parade– Leesville

line up between 3:30 and 5 pm Pa-

rade at 5:30pm

Rides will be announced through

the phonetree and all rides will

stop on the 21st so everyone can

Be with their families.

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

6 DEC-DEBBIE HOUSER

7 DEC– RAY MOSELEY

8 DEC-CHARLES SIMPSON

9 DEC-SUSIE JO DAVIS

17 DEC-TOMMY WOODS

23 DEC-NEVA REED

DECEMBER ANNIVERSARIES

7 DEC-MICHE AND KATHY LODRIDGE

23 DEC– STAN AND BRENDA SALTER

26 DEC– WARREN AND DARRA RAINEY

020.MOV

Memories of Thanksgiving party and Deridder Christmas Parade 2012

FLO’S CAFÉ

118 NORTH CEDAR LN.

BURKEVILLE, TX 75932

SUPER Y RESTAURANT & GROCERY

7635 LA 26

DERIDDER, LA 70634

TEL#337-328-8453

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