Jill's Wide World of Blogging

Sunset

2012-01-03T18:40:00.005-06:00

The view out our front door...

Happy Birthday Favorite Brother

2012-01-02T08:56:00.004-06:00

Today is Jay's birthday, my world-travelling, photographing nut, awesome computer software developer brother. Even though he is younger than I, many years ago - because he is the more outgoing and social of us - I was known as "Jay's sister". Well, I am proud to be "Jay's sister".

For those of you who would like to follow his travels, here are some links where he posts pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1109598994&sk=wall [profile is not public, but his pictures are]

http://www.jpwphoto.com/ [travel pictures and other pictures he has taken]

http://travelsinlatinamerica.blogspot.com/ [blog and pictures from the year (2008) he spent travelling through South and Central America]

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T14:28:00.004-06:00

Well, as you've probably noticed, I've been on hiatus. As the saying goes, "Best laid plans of mice and men" (i.e., I didn't get back into blogging earlier like I had hoped).

No promises for this year, but I am going to try to do better. Hopefully bring you up to speed with pictures and the goings-on of the people in my life. Here is the cliff notes version: Jay spent close to 2 months in the fall travelling through Russia, Thailand, Mongolia & Singapore. He then spent Christmas weekend in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (what a beautiful place!) and, to end his year, quit his full-time to work contract jobs so he can travel more in 2012.

As per his usual photographic excellence, he took some gorgeous pictures. Here are a few from Quebec City with his earlier trip pictures to follow another day.

Luci is engaged to a wonderful guy and hopes to get married in the fall of 2012. I'm so excited she's met someone!

Sam is, well, Sam. He hit the jackpot at Christmas with all things Starbuck's so he is definitely the resident coffee expert! Seth & Krista are chugging along and doing well. Dave & I couldn't ask for awesomer (is that a word?) kids!

I started the new year working (big surprise, huh?). I like to think that, one day, 2 jobs will not be the norm so here's hoping.

And so I end with a favorite saying from a long-time flying friend, "Whiskey Bravo", "Ta For Now"!

I'm Baaaack.......

2009-12-20T20:38:00.002-06:00

Well, as you can tell from the date of this post, it's been a number of months since I blogged. My camera battery died and I never got around to getting it replaced. The camera was given to me by my brother (thank you Jay!) about 4 1/2 years ago and was still using its original so it was ready to bite the dust. Dave spent most of an afternoon finding a replacement battery so I'm back in business!

Flying and Christmas light pictures to follow...probably when I'm off work for the holidays later on this week :=)

Party Time @ Work

2009-09-03T18:30:00.011-05:00

This has been one of those weeks where we eat more than we work...

Our first celebration was a bon voyage party for Debbie, the boss, who is off on an Alaskan cruis.

The second celebration was the birthday of my tamale-making co-worker/friend, Elisa.

Visit from my mother-in-law

2009-08-16T13:51:00.005-05:00

Dave's mother, June, arrived in town this past week for a visit with Dave's sister over in Ft. Worth. (His dad stayed home in Grand Junction, CO - about 4 hours west of Denver).

Dave & I drove over to Ft. Worth and took June to breakfast this morning as this was the only chance for us to see her. (We all ended up squinting as we were facing the sun!)

The Greatest Show on Earth

2009-08-01T17:17:00.026-05:00

Ringling Bros. & Barnum Baily Circus is in Dallas, and Dave and I went to see it. What a fun and colorful show! We rode the rail from near home to the front of the arena in downtown Dallas where the circus was held (the American Airlines Center is home to the local NBA and NHL teams, and hosts a myriad of concerts and other events).

Enjoy the pictures...

The train to head south into downtown.

On the rail.

Some of the many trinkets being offered for sale.

The circus!

Weekend Grilling

2009-07-12T17:06:00.007-05:00

We started the weekend with Dave & Sam grilling steaks and corn on the cob.

On Sunday, we followed up with grilled shrimp, bratworsts, hot dogs, and hamburgers.

We definitely ate like kings! :=)

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-05T10:53:00.026-05:00

We spent the day first watching a parade and then grilling the heck out of a whole lot of food, before heading off to watch fireworks later that evening.

Dave, the grill master, grilled cheese bratworsts, corn on the cob, BBQ steak kabobs, teriyaki chicken kabobs and regular Angus hot dogs. Other yummy food included deviled eggs, potato salad, fresh fruit, and dessert (of course!)

Sam keeping an eye on the cheese bratworsts!

The kabobs ready to be cooked!

How Cool is This!?!?!

2009-07-01T20:24:00.005-05:00

Every month, in the spirit of getting to know one's co-workers, names are drawn from a hat and someone is selected as 'employee of the month'. That person is given about a month's notice and has that time to answer various questions about themselves (like what is your favorite food, favorite color, favorite movie, etc., who is your best friend, what is your most memorable moment, where would you most like to live, how many countries have you visited, and so on). Pictures are also requested - which can be from any aspect of your life.

Well, July is "my" month. Here's what the board looks like. And instead of using one picture, as has been done for the last number of months, I have TWO pictures posted. Which is okay cuz each one definitely speaks to a particular time in my life...

Late Father's Day Present

2009-07-01T16:42:00.007-05:00

Sam & I put our heads together and decided that, since Dave has been wanting to grill for eons but hasn't had any grilling tools, we would pony up the $$$ to get him a decent set.

We found a 20-piece set with more "stuff" than he'll probably ever need, but that's what we gave him. Boy was he surprised. And tickled pink. He'll break in the new tools this weekend when we bar-b-que for the 4th.

Relaxing

2009-06-28T14:35:00.007-05:00

Any thoughts on Dave being the one to like pedicures more than me!?!?!?

From there, Dave, Sam & I went to Joe's Crab Shack (like father, like son).

Sam got his own bucket - - 2 crabs, sausages, clams and shrimp. And he ate the WHOLE bucket!

Dave & I again shared a crab bucket.

Dave is much better than I at cracking shells, so he does all the cracking and I do most of the eating :=)

Homemade Spaghetti

2009-06-27T17:33:00.004-05:00

Fresh fettucini noodles, Paul Neuman roasted garlic sauce combined with Dave's secret recipe, sausages, meatballs, and garlic bread topped off with real parmesean cheese. Yum. And yum. It sure is nice to eat like a king and not have to lift a finger (when Dave's in the kitchen, I'm better off just staying out).

Sam enjoying his food!

My plate.

Man, is it hot!

2009-06-27T16:57:00.004-05:00

With temperatures in the 100's (and heat indices at close to 105 - at least the humidity is low!), what better place to be than the pool. Dave & Sam (who is down visiting again from Colorado) have been getting in the pool almost every evening after work. It sure is nice having a pool at the apartment :=)

Father's Day

2009-06-21T13:24:00.003-05:00

It has been a LONG time since I celebrated Father's Day, so I had a lot of fun making a big deal out of it for Dave. One, well two, of the highlights of the day was hearing from both of his kids (neither of which had to be reminded!).

The other highlight was taking him out for lunch. I'd been trying for a week to figure out what he wanted to do special for Father's Day - have me fix him a favorite meal or go out to eat at a favorite restaurant. Yesterday, he finally decided on the latter. His restaurant of choice - Joe's Crab Shack.

We get to the restaurant today and the wait staff was already hyper in only ways that Joe's Crab Shack staff can be (the wait staff are primarily high school and college age). Once we're seated, we already know what we want to eat/what we're going to share - - overly crab stuffed, stuffed mushrooms to start with. Then, we order a bucket/pail of three different types of crab: king, snow & dungeness; which definitely was plenty to share. All I can say is yum, yum, yum. For dessert, we finished off with splitting a Sea Turtle Sundae, i.e., chocolate cake covered by vanilla ice cream with caramel topping.

One delicious meal...Happy Father's Day, Dave!!!

Ben E. Keith's Company-Wide ROADEO

2009-06-20T17:43:00.011-05:00

A couple months ago, Dave & I went over to Ft. Worth to be a part of a truck ROADEO (where various sizes of trucks have to drive through an obstacle course and are scored). While we attended the Dallas-Ft. Worth location, ROADEOs were also going on at the company's locations in San Antonio, Little Rock, AR, Amarillo, TX, and Albuquerque, NM. The top two performers in each category, from each location, then are invited to participate in the company-wide ROADEO. This year, that was held here in the Metroplex.

The weather stayed pretty decent - mid-90's with wind. Bleachers had also been set up which were under big tents, so that helped too.

This guy was hired to just make things out of balloons - hats, animals, objects, etc.

Here's the hat he made for me.

I couldn't resist getting a picture of Dave when he put it on.

This is called a "pup" trailer because it's only 28' long.

"Semi" trailers are 41' long.

June Wedding

2009-06-13T18:49:00.013-05:00

Any thoughts on an outdoor wedding in mid-June in Texas? How about temps of mid-90s with a heat index of 105 (i.e., what it actually feels like) due to humidity?

Welcome, well to my world (and, by default, Dave's) today. The daughter of a friend got married late afternoon/early evening. The wedding was outside with the reception inside. The wedding programs were printed on wooden fans! There was also iced bottled water available sitting in coolers just outside the doors where the reception was being held.

Music was provided by this 4-piece orchestra.

Here is my friend Pat, mother of the bride.

The ring bearer and flower girl.

Stefanie.

Craig & Stefanie after the 10-minute ceremony.

The cakes.

For place settings, there were different framed pictures of Craig & Stefanie at each table.

Racing Season Has Begun!

2009-05-30T21:12:00.012-05:00

This plane was flown in from New Mexico. They came in first, with a speed of around 200 mph.

The local t.v. station sent out a reporter to cover the race. Here I am getting a picture of HER taking pictures!

Coloring

2009-05-27T21:55:00.006-05:00

Elisa & Sydney stopped in to work tonight. Elisa, of course, is already ten shades darker than me - - bummer :=(

Sydney got busy coloring with some coloring books. Nothing like a child's perspective to make one appreciate the simple things :=)

Memorial Day Picnic

2009-05-25T14:57:00.012-05:00

I'd been planning elements of a picnic for a while, but it was Dave's idea to use our deep fryer to tried a new fried chicken recipe...

The chicken turned out really good but we both decided that next time a thinner cut would be better.

Our picnic basket full of fried chicken, deviled eggs, fruit salad, bottled water, plastic cups, cloth napkins, etc.

This park was only about 3 miles away from the apartment. It was in the midst of a good-sized subdivision and golf course, albeit the park itself was not too big.

Other than a couple neighborhood kids who played on the playground for a little while, and an old woman walking her dog, we didn't see a single soul the entire time we were at the park. Next time we'll come prepared to grill :=)

Granbury

2009-05-20T21:44:00.008-05:00

Dave & I had lunch and did sightseeing in a quaint little town near Pecan Plantation. Granbury has a town square (1 block down each side) with lots of little shops and restaurants.

We decided to eat at a soda fountain (a la 50's era) restaurant. The food was yummy and the furnishings fun to look at at. There was even a working jukebox!

Some of the original buildings...

Planes, Trains (well, not really) and Automobiles...

2009-05-17T12:42:00.020-05:00

The twice-yearly gathering of 99s down in the south occurred yesterday in Granbury (about 2 hours southwest of where we live). Pecan Plantation is just that - - a plantation with TONS of pecan trees. It has become a very trendy, expensive, large sub-division with houses with sit right next to a runway, a golf course, or an equestrian area (depending on one's prediliction!).

The 99s' chapter down in that area played host to our meeting. Of course, it was themed around aviation. They theme within the theme was military women pilots. Special speakers included Betty Jo Reed, who flew bombers and the like during World War II (she is now in her mid-80's), and Samantha Weeks, a Thunderbirds demonstraton pilot [a little trivia here: Samantha is only the second woman EVER to be on the Thunderbirds team; the Blue Angels - the Navy's demonstration team - have yet to have a woman pilot].

Betty Jo is seated; Samantha is the dark-haired gal to the right (she carries the rank of USAF Major); and the red-haired gal on the left has been accepted to start the USAF Academy this fall.

After having the requisite business meeting yesterday, tours of various homes in Pecan Plantation occurred. Let me tell you...it was like going on a Street of Dreams or Parade of Homes tour (i.e. paying money to go see brand new homes going on the market that look like they're straight out of "Architectural Digest" and where you go to get decorating ideas!).

I think the fountains were some of my favorites...

Isn't this the coolest sink you've ever seen!?!?! There is no "bowl". At the edge of the slab near the faucet, there is a gap where the water runs down.

What do you think of this statue? It's very impressive in person.

The view from the outside deck - which runs the length of the house.

This was handmade by one of the women who were our hostesses.

This plane is used in aerobatic competition - which the husband does for fun (he's retired military).

This is the plane they use on a regular basis - a Mooney that flies at roughly 200 mph - and which they use to go places.

I LOVED the ducks...I need to get myself a pair :=)

A Second Wedding Shower

2009-04-25T16:55:00.008-05:00

Following the truck ROADEO this morning, Dave & I attended a lunch and wedding shower thrown by my pilot friends from The 99s. The tea/lunch room is inside a huge antique store in Plano. Instead of bringing out rolls, chips & salsa, etc. as a precursor to ordering, the Veranda Tea Garden brought out warm, fresh cinnamon rolls - - totally addictive :=)

Dave had a big bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. I had fresh fruit (that was really fresh!), chicken salad, and spinach salad with a house dressing. For dessert, we had "chocolate oblivion"!

I got too busy talking and eating to take more pictures, so will post other pics when I get them from one of the gals.

Truck ROADEO

2009-04-25T16:44:00.008-05:00

Fashioned after a horse rodeo, truck companies also have "roadeos". The driver go through an obstacle course of various items and are judged on their accuracy, whether or not they hit things, etc. There are different classes of trucks who compete against each other (box trucks, truck-tractors with 28' trailers, and truck-tractors with 51' trailers).

Dave & I went to a Ft. Worth beer distributor this morning and enjoyed watching their ROADEO.

The "shorter" trailer...

And the "longer" trailer...

Backing up. And once the driver started backing, he couldn't pull forward. He just had to maneuver both the tractor and the trailer so as to go between all the cones and stay within the lines.

Elisa

2009-04-18T17:05:00.006-05:00

Another part-time worker at the police department decided the time had come to go back to just ONE job (like me, she works a full-time job elsewhere) and spend more time with her family.

Elisa was known for dealing with the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and crash "accident" reports submitted by the Plano officers. After being so successful with my headpiece at the wedding shower, it was decided to create something equally memorable for Elisa. Her tiara has two Matchbox cars facing each other, as though they are going to crash. Everyone got a really good laugh at it!

Once again, we show our propensity to throw together a really good spread.

Although a couple people are missing, here is night crew.

Elisa with her sister Eva.

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-04-16T18:04:00.002-05:00

These smelled as yummy as they looked.

Dave's Son Seth

2009-04-12T11:08:00.009-05:00

Here are some other pictures from being up in Colorado last month. We made sure we spent time with both Dave's kids, to include visiting with his son who is in college in Golden (west of Denver).

Seth attends the Colorado School of Mines (which is similar to MIT). Seth is a junior double-majoring in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering with a 4.0 (and Dave is justifiably very proud of him!). Seth will be doing a summer internship with Lockheed-Martin in Denver (last summer he was at the Lockheed-Martin location near Dallas).

Seth belongs to a fraternity called Beta Theta Phi. He has recently concluded a year being house manager.

Seth, Dave, & Sam...

These two pictures are of Seth with his girlfriend of 3 years, Krista. She is also a "brainiac" in that she is double-majoring in Finance and Accounting and minoring in Mathematics. She is a sophormore at Colorado University - Boulder.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T10:49:00.006-05:00

Nothing like decorating eggs before making them into deviled eggs :=)

Sam dipping eggs...

The finished product!

More Wedding Pictures

2009-03-26T18:04:00.019-06:00

Although it's taken me a while to download these pictures, here are some more photos from the nuptials.

Coors Factory Tour

2009-03-26T18:04:00.013-06:00

Here are some pictures from the self-guided tour in Golden, just 5 minutes from the School of Mines where Seth attends.

This is one of the original kettles - - also used to make malted milk..

Hidden in the bushes is a duck, who was just walking around like he owned the place!

Wedding Pictures

2009-03-20T18:21:00.019-06:00

These first three pictures were taken in the backyard of a long-time friend of Dave's (they've known each other since high school):

Sam, Dave, me & Seth:

Me with Sam & Seth:

Us with another long-time friend of Dave's who performed the civil ceremony:

These are fake flowers made by the husband of a former police department co-worker (thank you Keith!!):

We all went out for Italian after the ceremony:

Other pictures will be forthcoming. If anyone would like any of the pictures via email, just let me know :=)

Denver

2009-03-17T16:49:00.005-06:00

Okay, I"m going to blog now but add pictures later (still need to get them developed/downloaded).

Dave & I made it to Denver Wednesday after a very long day's drive. We had decided to try to get the marriage license Wednesday if we had time so we wouldn't have to worry about it on Thursday. We made it to the courthouse 15 minutes before they closed. After about 10 minutes and $10, we had the paperwork. Compared to Texas' government buildings with long lines for everything, I was blown away by the ease and lack of people in Colorado!

Wednesday night we had supper with a long-time friend of Dave's (from his high school days) and his wife. Thursday we hit the ground running. After watching weather forecasts for Friday, we decided Wednesday evening we would get married Thursday so as to avoid any possible weather issues. Thursday morning, we met up with Dave's younger son at his college fraternity (it's an academic fraternity) and got the tour. Thursday afternoon, we drove about 10 minutes from the School of Mines in Golden to the Coors beer factory for a free, self-guided tour. From there, we all got ready for the wedding.

The ceremony was held in a park across the street from the courthouse. The park had a lake, a couple fountains, and lots of ducks and geese. Aftewards, we headed to a hole in the wall Italian place called Romano's that Dave frequented when he lived there.

Friday was another busy day. We started the day back at the courthouse so we could pick up certified copies of the marriage license. From there, we went back to the School of Mines as I wanted to pick up a sweatshirt and so Dave could spend time with Seth. From there, we went with his older son, Sam, to his psychiatrist visit as they had wanted to meet Dave. The remainder of the afternoon was spent picking up parts for a brake job for the SUV as Dave was to have a mechanic friend change both the front and back brakes on Saturday. Friday evening, we met up with Seth and his girlfriend of two years, Krista, along with Krista's parents where we all had supper at Red Robin. [Seth is a junior double-majoring in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering; Krista is a sophomore at Colorado State University - Boulder double-majoring in Finance and Accounting with a minor in Mathematics!]

Saturday we spent the day getting the SUV worked on (I sat on a tree stump and watched all the goings-on and stayed out of the way!). The mechanic also installed a tow bar and accessories as Dave had planned to tow a pick-up truck back to Texas that he had originally left in Colorado for Seth to drive. Dave & I actually had Saturday evening to ourselves and went to a famous restaurant called "White Farm Chicken". It's a casual dining place but they serve everything on china plates with tablecloths and cloth napkins. The restaurant is just one aspect of this huge enterprise. There are country-style gift shops on the property, along with a smaller restaurant type area where you can get dessert and coffee, etc. while listening to live country music.

We left for the trip back to Dallas Sunday afternoon. Sam and Dave drove the pick-up (Sam will be visiting for about 3 weeks and helping Dave with some of his work projects), and I drove the SUV. We spent Sunday night in Amarillo (about the halfway point between Denver and Dallas) and then drove the remaining distance into Dallas yesterday.

So here we are. Dave & Sam headed off to work this morning. I'm off this week from my state job but am still working evenings. So I'm getting some things done during the day that I normally would not have the chance to do.

Hopefully I'll get pictures posted tomorrow. We took pictures with a couple digital cameras and a disposable camera (which pictures I had put on a CD).

More Shower Pictures

2009-03-06T19:01:00.029-06:00

Walking down "the aisle"...

This centerpiece was made by the cousin of one of my co-workers...

Nothing like being egged on my one's co-workers to do the shove the cake in the mouth thing...

Wedding Shower

2009-03-06T12:35:00.017-06:00

My zany co-workers from the police department threw me a wedding/bridal shower last night. Dave was even a part of the festivities.

The pictures don't really tell the whole story, but they'll give you an idea of the shenanigans and high jinks that went on :=)

Since it was a wedding "shower", it was thought a shower cap would be most appropriate!

Really good strawberries and chocolate - - yum!!!

Cutting the cake...also very yummy!

More pictures to follow...

D-Day Approacheth

2009-02-23T20:31:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been decided. D-Day (i.e., wedding day) is going to be March 13. D-Day location will be Denver.

Here's the thought process - - in hashing out various ideas and locations for where and when and how to get married, Dave & I decided we wanted to keep it really simple and wanted to include his kids. Seth is on Spring Break from the School of Mines (where he is a junior) the week of March 9. Both he and Sam (who is 23) live in the Denver area. Since we wanted to have them stand up with us, we thought it would be easier for us to go to Denver versus try to get both of them to Dallas. And we thought it would make it a lot easier for Seth to be part of this if he was off from school rather than trying to work this around his schedule.

Dave has a friend who can perform civil weddings so John will perform the service and Seth & Sam will be our witnesses. Apparently, there is a park that is supposed to be a perfect setting for something like this so that is where we will have it. Afterwards, the five of us will go out to eat (probably lunch as we're aiming for a morning ceremony).

Renee, a friend from the police department and whom I have known close to 9 years, & I went shopping yesterday - - ostensibly to look for a simple dress as this wedding thing was NOT going to be fancy. I should know Renee better than that by now to have realized that wasn't going to happen. After looking at several stores in a local mall, we stumbled upon a dress that had been returned from someone's online purchase and hadn't yet been returned to the store's warehouse. Interestingly enough, it was also the perfect length for my 5'1" self and didn't need to be shortened! It's floor length on me and the color is cream/champagne.

Renee's husband Keith is going to make my bouquet - - fake red roses and baby's breath. with cream-colored ribbon from Michael's. Afterwards, we'll use it as a centerpiece on the dining room table.

So there you have it.

We're planning to drive back to Dallas in a pick-up truck Dave had left in Denver when he moved down to Dallas last fall (he'd left it as a spare vehicle for Seth to drive).

It's Official...

2009-02-10T18:37:00.005-06:00

Well, if one considers wearing a ring to be officially engaged :=) [Dave actually proposed several months ago.]

The ring has one center stone with baggettes on two rows on each side of the center diamond. By the way, how DO you spell "baggette"?????

Anyways. Here are a couple pictures...

Dave's Birthday

2009-01-25T13:06:00.014-06:00

At the request of the birthday boy, I took him to dinner to Joe's Crab Shack. More on that in a minute.

I got him an early birthday present of an air compressor he was needing for a garage re-modeling he is currently working on. But I was also able to surprise him with a temperature-controlled travel mug. It gets plugged into the car cigarette lighter and then one can set the temperature for either a hot drink or a cooler (i.e., room temperature) drink! Pretty nifty, huh?

But back to Joe's Crab Shack :=) We stuffed ourselves on three varieties of shrimp - coconut, grilled with pico de gallo, and then shrimp stuffed with crab. Afterwards, several of the servers gathered 'round and sang 'Happy Birthday' to him. They put a bib on his back that said " Let's Get Cracking". They also gave him two metal nutcracker things you use to crack crabs with and told him to walk around the restaurant cracking his "claws". If he stopped, they said they would start singing all over again! It was an absolute hoot and he was a really good sport about it!

For dessert, we had an apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream and caramel syrup. Yum...

Luci's Visit

2009-01-25T12:55:00.004-06:00

Luci did, indeed, make it to Dallas last weekend. We had dessert and coffee together, and I was able to give her her birthday present in person (which doesn't happen very often) as her birthday was this past Tuesday. As you can tell, the restaurant lighting wasn't very good and I wasn't successful at getting a good picture of her, either by using my camera flash or by turning it off.

I got too busy talking and not busy enough snapping shots, so I'll post some more pics once Luci sends me her - - that's a hint, Luci :=) But it was really good to see her and be able to visit for a few hours!!

A 1965 Ford Cobra Kit Car

2009-01-13T13:43:00.004-06:00

Oh to be retired and have the ability to play with my "toys"!

Luci's Coming to Visit...

2009-01-06T17:57:00.011-06:00

Well, I'm not exactly her main reason for coming but it counts anyways. Luci will (hopefully) be down in the Dallas area over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. Can't wait to see her :=)

More Christmas Eve Pictures...

2008-12-25T22:57:00.011-06:00

Dave's sister Cher (and the one who introduced us) with her husband Scott...

We also had Christmas dinner with them - - ham, ham gravy, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry jello, pumpkin pie...the works!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T18:56:00.007-06:00

Dave & I spent Christmas Eve with his sister and brother-in-law, and her kids. But before heading to Scott's and Cher's, we attended Christmas Eve service (the first of five services held that day). It's always really neat to spend an hour singing Christmas carols. Not very visible in this picture is a whole bunch of poinsettas that were stretched across the bottom of the stage on all the steps.

Is this not one HUGE stocking??? Which we decorated ourselves, thank you very much. Cher had filled it with all sorts of stuff...

Cher's two daughters...

And Gandolph eyeing all the presents :=)...

One Tamale-Making Fool

2008-12-22T20:56:00.005-06:00

One of my co-workers, Elisa, and several of her sisters have an annual ritual of making TONS of homemade tamales. This year, they made 40 dozen(!) pork and bean tamales. But that's nothing compared to last year when they made 60 dozen tamales - - egats! Here's Ms. Tamale in the flesh...

The Space Shuttle's Travels

2008-12-10T14:22:00.003-06:00

When bad weather forced the "Endeavor" to land in California versus Florida, it had to get moved back to Florida. This is done via piggy-backing on a 747. From California it went to El Paso (on the Texas/New Mexico border) and then had to make a stop in Ft. Worth as weather conditions on the route necessitated it staying overnight before heading on to Florida.

Isn't this an awesome picture?????

"Our" Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

2008-12-09T22:33:00.004-06:00

For those of you who saw my Christmas tree last year and remember all the airplanes and white airplane lights on it, this is the same tree (!) - just spruced up with various colored lights with green strands (so it blends in) and little red velvet ribbons. A few new ornaments were added but I don't think there's much more room left on the tree to have additions next year. Dave did the decorating and, as you can tell, he has far better taste than I :=)

Not Your Father's Lamborghini

2008-12-08T22:49:00.006-06:00

So what do you think? This thing even has to be STARTED a certain way! This is (another) kit car - - like the Cobra was - - built by someone with way too much money and time to burn :=)

Christmas Lights

2008-12-07T21:45:00.018-06:00

Dave & I spent the evening driving through a very exclusive neighborhood in Plano called Deerfield. It is widely advertised down here as having fabulous light displays. One homeowner - who was interviewed by a local radio station - said he had 104,100 (!!) lights this year (compared to around 100,000 last year). The houses were just as fascinating as the lights...

An Old-Fashioned "Christmas"

2008-12-05T23:01:00.005-06:00

Dave & I headed to one of the suburbs around here to see the sights of "A Dickens Christmas". There were horse-drawn carriage rides, Santa Claus, lots of lights, various food vendors (where we ate sausage on a stick and a huge turkey leg!), various music performances (including lots of Christmas music), costumed people walking around dressed in the clothing of the Dickens era, etc. With temperatures in the upper 30's/low 40's, and being bundled up, it was very festive.

"Black Friday" Weekend

2008-11-30T18:48:00.007-06:00

"Black Friday" is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving when so many people shop and spend money that stores "go into the black" because they make a profit. While not going out on Friday and braving way too many people, we did go to a local mall on Saturday to see their decorations.

Although busy, parking spots were not hard to find and stores weren't stuffed full of people.

Although hard to see, the center of the mall is set up to duplicate "The Polar Express" movie with various scenes and characters from the movie (there was a kid walking around in a conductor's uniform and assorted other characters), as well as the traditional spot for talking with Santa and getting pictures taken.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T09:51:00.008-06:00

Dave & I spent Thanksgiving together and had quite the spread; he also did 99% of the cooking!

The turkey (all 23 pounds of it) before it went in the roaster. I forgot to get a picture of it after it was cooked (5 1/2 hours later) before it was carved!

An Early Thanksgiving

2008-11-24T21:24:00.007-06:00

Yesterday (Sunday) we went over to Dave's sister's in Ft. Worth to celebrate an early "family" Thanksgiving.

Cher's daughter Hope and Hope's boyfriend Jeremy...

Cher's daughter Cortney with her boyfriend Seth...

Dave with Christian (Seth & Cortney's son)...

Dave with his grand-nephew...

Co-Workers

2008-11-23T20:44:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures of my co-workers from the state, and my boss...

Capitol Tour

2008-11-14T09:17:00.018-06:00

While in Austin (once again), my class was offered the chance to take a tour of the state capitol not normally offered to the public. Hopefully the pictures have captured some of the spectacularness of the building.

Hamming It Up...

2008-11-08T16:58:00.003-06:00

Can you tell we had too much time while at a local Walgreen's???? They don't show, but there are lights flashing on both the reindeer ears and the Christmas tree :=)

Halloween Party

2008-11-02T07:35:00.012-06:00

AnnElise threw her annual Halloween bash, which included a fantastic bonfire out on their property.

Dave & me...

Dave & me with AnnElise (she held the camera out in front of us for this pose)...

Dave & me with Steve Bloomquist (whom I met several years ago through AnnElise and who is a fellow pilot; he claimed he was a monkey but the ears sure looked like mouse ears!)

Bobby and AnnElise...

Some other partygoers...

Road Trip

2008-10-31T17:10:00.010-06:00

Well, my latest hair-brained scheme was to think that I could drive 800 miles straight through in one day. From Dallas to Denver. 12 hours of mostly nothingness. Not a trip for the faint of heart!

Here is New Mexico. I went from mid-70's when I left Dallas at midnight to mid-20's in the wee hours of the morning (!) when I got into New Mexico. As you can tell, there was snow on the ground but the roads were all dry with no problems.

This is southern Colorado as I crossed from New Mexico into Colorado.

And this is approaching Colorado Springs headed towards Denver.

Here are a couple pictures of Dave with his sons. This is Seth, who is a college junior at School of Mines in Denver. School of Mines is similar to MIT. Seth is majoring in Mechanical & Electrical Engineering.

And this is Sam who is 23. He works in construction and is a fellow Starbucks afficionado.

Yes, We Really Do Work...

2008-10-17T20:50:00.002-05:00

You may not be able to tell from the picture, but there are dark thick sideburns attached to the Elvis glasses! This is my boss from the police department...

One Really Cool Car

2008-10-10T22:16:00.005-05:00

Did you know there are "kit" cars? Similar to airplanes, cars can be built by the average person. This is a Ford Cobra.

The interior is so small, the "average" person is cramped. For my short self at 5'1", this would be a perfect fit car :=)

The exhaust is on the side, not in the rear. You can smell some serious carbon monoxide when the car is running.

And one immaculate engine. It was an absolute beaut!

A Fall Air Race

2008-10-04T16:46:00.018-05:00

I spent a really beautiful day outdoors today - sunny and mid-80's - watching airplanes and catching up with the pilots I normally see at these things.

Entering the airport property - the airport is located about an hour north of Dallas and is just a few minutes from the Oklahoma border. Back in World War II, it was an Army Air Corps base.

Here is a "homebuilt" (versus being made in a factory) plane. Notice that the propeller in the REAR of the plane (not the front) - the plane is taxiing away from me. It's called a Velocity XL.

"Hand-propping" the plane so it will start! There is no electrical ignition as there is on many airplanes. This was the slowest plane in the race at approximately 75 m.ph.

This "co-pilot" is the son of the pilot hand-propping his plane.

Here is an RV4 - also a "homebuilt". This pilot flew in from Colorado for the race.

This little beauty has a turbine engine.

And another RV. These planes are built with either a small wheel at the rear (a "taildragger") or with one wheel just under the nose of the plane (a "tricycle" gear) - depending on the mood of the pilot :=)

This is a Swearingen and can fly at close to 300 m.p.h. at full speed. This pilot was also from out of state; he came in from New Mexico and flew home when the festivities were over.

These aircraft weren't in the race, but I thought they were interesting to see. An ultralight...

...and a gyrocopter.

Sightseeing in Austin

2008-10-03T21:12:00.016-05:00

While I was down in Austin, I had the chance to do some sightseeing. Last Saturday I poked around downtown Austin and saw some "touristy" things. Austin is the state capitol so I couldn't resist snapping some pictures...

And, some urban art...

Sunday I drove about 30 miles south of Austin to a local airport to see if anything was going on there (it was pretty quiet!)

Isn't this a cute looking restaurant???

A Dog's Life

2008-10-03T21:04:00.004-05:00

Last week while I was down in Austin, I was sitting at a Starbuck's and this guy had his dog and his bike with him. When he got ready to leave, the dog jumped right into his "seat" and waited (pretty patiently) for his owner to start pedaling. Off they went down the street...

The (Continued) Aftermath of Hurricane Ike

2008-09-19T22:10:00.004-05:00

Here is part of an email I received today from a gal I got to know when I was down in Pasadena both last April and last July. She and her husband both work in Shoreacres (for the city), a little bitty beach community north of Galveston but hit really hard by Hurricane Ike. I had emailed her last week, hoping I would hear from her when she got the chance. As Missie mentions in her email, Galveston and Houston are getting the press, but it doesn't mean other communities aren't suffering:

"We are doing ok. Not to much damage at our house, we are waiting for the insurance adjustor. The city I work for was hit very hard. The news is covering Galvestion and Houston, leaving the little towns out. We have worked 12+ hour shifts for the past week. David and I are hoping to get a day off soon.

"Our beach front is gone. The Houston Yacht Club was almost destroyed. If you go to our city website, you can see pics from the area - www.cityofshoreacres.us/ike.htm."

The photos are all copyrighted, so I can't post any on this blog, but they're definitely worth looking at if you have a minute.

To give you a sense of how small Shoreacres really is, here is a post from the city web site, from their running updates about what is happening - "We estimate that 575 of our 650 homes have been flooded and today are uninhabitable. I believe it was Winston Churchill who said, "When you're going through hell, keep going." That's exactly what we're doing as a community. Shoreacres is showing what it's made of, and it's all good. Our citizens have pulled together with neighbors, city workers, volunteers and disaster relief teams. The results are incredible."

The Strange and the Bizarre

2008-09-19T22:03:00.001-05:00

How's this for a strange sight while driving down the road? It's advertising "Red Bull". The can is welded to the trunk/rear of the car.

Sunrise in Dallas

2008-09-18T21:16:00.002-05:00

College Living de ja' vu

2008-09-12T17:38:00.007-05:00

It's nice to be home after getting in this evening from Austin (150 mile road trip). While studying all things related to cargo tank trucks for the last four days, two co-workers and I stayed in dormitory style housing down in Austin. It was like being back in college :=) Community rooms. Community bathrooms. Cafeteria food (and no, that style of food hasn't improved!).

Here are some pictures:

I'll get one week at home and then head back to Austin for two weeks (to finish out the month of September), again staying in a dorm room and eating cafeteria food. I never thought an apartment would feel like the Hilton, but it certainly does :=)

Headlines from Hurricane Ike

2008-09-12T17:00:00.009-05:00

(Updated Sunday evening)

Seabrook, where I took all the pictures of pelican statutes, is closed to all the residents with the police turning away any cars trying to get through. According to the news, they have no infrastructure - - no water, no sewer, no power, no nothing.

Here are a couple pictures I found of the storm and its effects. This is heading southbound on the main interstate (I-45) into downtown Houston and the freeway I used to get through the city.

Here is a picture taken from the International Space Station (pretty impressive, huh?).

(Updated Saturday Morning - - I've been to both the Space Center and the Kemah Boardwalk.... Both were between my hotel in Webster and where class was held in Seabrook, so those locations have probably taken a pretty good beating too! This info is from Yahoo! News.)

"Some 30 miles inland, storm surge of about 10 feet was pushing into a neighborhood near Johnson Space Center.... Nearby, the popular Kemah Boardwalk at the mouth of Galveston Bay, ringed by million-dollar homes, was submerged, state officials said."

This is what the entrance to Kemah and the Boardwalk looked like two months ago:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"It's going to be a scary 36 hours"..."If you're a Coastal resident resident and don't evacuate, you'll face imminent and certain death"..."Storm surge in Galveston could be as high as 25 feet [which, based on a map of the city, would cover the entire land mass of Galveston]"..."Flooding could reach parts of Houston [20 miles from the coast]"..."40% of the residents of Galveston are refusing to leave [Galveston has a population of 60,000]"....

For a Category 2 storm, Ike is already showing some massive strength and size. It is 800 miles wide, which makes it approximately the size of the entire state of Texas. As I write this Friday evening, the eye was not expected until after midnight, but parts of Galveston are already flooded. Seabrook - where I was less than two months ago and which had all the pelican statues - is already flooding. The flood walls of Galveston, which stand 17 feet high, have waves crashing over them. Kemah, which is a resort town just down the street from where I had class in July, started mandatory evacuations two days ago and their famous boardwalk (a smaller version of Santa Barbara or Atlantic City) is starting to get torn apart.

After the fiasco of Hurricane Rita three years ago when Houston officials tried to get everyone in the city to evacuate and the roads were so badly clogged that cars ran out of gas or over-heated, this time they're telling the majority of residents to just stay put.

Dallas, 200+ miles to the northwest, is expected to have tropical storm winds and lots of rain starting tonight and getting progressively worse tomorrow. The breadth of Ike is definitely going to affect a large swath of Texas in the next 24 hours!

Olympic Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin

2008-08-31T17:47:00.005-05:00

As with Carly Patterson four years ago, Nastia Liukin is from a small town just north of Dallas (she and Carly both trained at the same gym). Yesterday a local parade was held in her honor and although she is not from Plano, the parade route went through Plano and thus the police department was involved in the procession.

Here is a sign along one of the freeways celebrating her gold medals:

Thought for the Day

2008-08-25T20:36:00.002-05:00

I mooched this from Luci. Not sure where she got it, but the sentiment definitely is true...

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some move our souls to dance and embrace our silent dreams. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same. For the ones that leave the footprints, they could have left in good faith or left simply because they were not true in heart. They left not only in body but also in spirit and emotions... sadly because they were unable to endure little trials in life or had the patience to hold on. What mattered to them more was their own self indulgences. Nevertheless, they have left footprints on our hearts... footprints that may remain for life....and for this, we are never the same. Know this though - true love, true devotion is when your heart and body is meant for that special someone only. A rare gift that anyone could give to another....rare...yet true for eternity. For those that have been blessed to have this in another, one that has decided to hold on and endure all else to wait..... then you are blessed with the highest of blessings and one very fortunate person rich with a love so pure given to you. For the ones that left in good faith.....they are our true friends too, for they left to give way to our happiness which they foresaw. Love is sweet and painful all in one- true love that is. And the ones that were strong enough to give a pure devotion of body and heart, no matter what.... they are the ones that truly know what pain is, for they are the ones that have it for eternity and not just temporarily like all the others."

Cher's Grandson

2008-08-23T20:23:00.006-05:00

I hadn't seen Cher, or her grandson, in several weeks but had the chance to see both today. It's amazing how much babies grow every time you see them! Christian is 2 1/2 months old now and has already started standing up (albeit with some help balancing). Since Dave is up in Denver and probably won't see his great-nephew for another month or so, I took some cell phone pictures and sent those to him.

Courtney (with blond hair!), Christian and Cher (in the background):

My Sister-in-Law

2008-08-22T21:54:00.005-05:00

While visiting Luci last month, we had lots of opportunities to catch up on each other's lives. As I have, she has met a really great guy who treats her like a million dollars. He currently lives in Eastern Washington (about 300 miles east of where Luci is in Tacoma) but they each have been able to visit the other on a number of occasions.

Yay Luci!!

More Pictures

2008-08-16T21:13:00.018-05:00

I know it's been a couple weeks since I got back from Tacoma, but between working way too hard, and getting pretty sick in the process, I'm just now downloading pictures from both Tacoma and from flying to Denver the weekend before (I flew up one way so I could drive back with Dave to Dallas when he moved down here - - boy, is it a long day's drive!). I did my part in supporting the local economy on both trips by flying Southwest (based out of Dallas) when I went to Denver and by flying American (based out of Ft. Worth) when I went to Sea-Tac :=)

Colorado with no snow!

And, my "advertisement" for American (although it says 'Denver', it just happened to be my layover city between Dallas and Seattle - not my final destination)...

Just prior to landing at Sea-Tac, we came in over the city and flew past the two stadiums of Seattle's Major League Football and Major League Baseball teams:

While I was in Tacoma, I had the chance to drive by my old high school. It doesn't look all that different from when I was there 20+ years ago. And it certainly didn't feel that long ago as I sat & looked at the buildings.

I walked to/from school each day my junior & senior years. While not a very good picture, here is the house I spent the majority of my growing up years in...

More Jinx, Zeus and Hermes pictures :=)

Mt. Rainier (this was the view as I walked out of a Barnes & Noble in Tacoma - about a 2-hour drive from Mt. Rainier)...

Luci's friend Vasi...

Aside from being my sister-in-law, Luci is also a kindred Starbuck's coffee drinker :=)

And, last but not least, my friend Wendy (whom I unfortunately did not get to see on this trip) and her long-time boyfriend have gotten engaged. She said they're going for the long engagement! In true Wendy style, she was very mum on details, but did send me this picture from a recent trip she and Terry had taken.

Summertime in Tacoma

2008-07-28T22:55:00.011-05:00

I was able to get away from the Texas heat (of 100+ degree temperatures) and head to Tacoma for a few days to visit my sister-in-law.

Here are some pictures of the scenery - which are all about five minutes from Luci's house:

Here are Luci's animals (sadly, Pookie - the tabbie - had to be put to sleep due to liver disease):

Me with Luci:

Luci with a friend from Romania, Vasi, who now lives in a Seattle suburb, and is a long-time friend of Luci's:

Back to Seabrook

2008-07-05T18:04:00.004-05:00

I'm heading back to Seabrook (southeast of Houston and land of all the pelican statutes!) tomorrow for a week of HazMat training.

My one concession to being near the water will be to leave early tomorrow, get down there early afternoon and spend the afternoon at Galveston Bay which is about 25 or so miles beyond Seabrook with Cher and her husband Scott (pictured below at the Ft. Worth Stockyards). They're going to be in Galveston for the week but tomorrow is probably the only time I'll get a chance to see them.

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-04T09:37:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe the United States of America is a "young" 232 years old!

My neighbor across the way also hung his American flag again today (as he did for Memorial Day), so I enjoyed seeing that again.

When Life Throws You a Curve Ball

2008-07-01T21:41:00.006-05:00

For those of you who know me at all, you know how much I value my freedom and aloneness. Well, it appears that by the end of the year (at the latest), the curtain will fall on my solo act.

Stay tuned for Act 2 :=)

Air Racing & Air Shows

2008-06-14T15:54:00.015-05:00

Nothing like summer to get the plane engines - - both small and large - - going and the adreneline running. Add in a sunny day in the mid 80's with a decent breeze and there were no complaints!

I started off the morning as a timer for an air race based on speed. The planes were grouped by similar size horsepower for competition purposes but actually took off fastest to slowest (that way, the faster planes don't "run over" the slower planes). It was interesting to see the various ways pilots tried to get the upper hand on take-off. From staying low to the ground over the runway to build up speed and then climbing, to climbing first and then building speed, everyone has their own method.

Here are some of the planes who competed (there were 19 total):

The race concluded in plenty of time to get prime seating for the air show:

Random Friday Thoughts

2008-06-13T10:24:00.006-05:00

I'm thinking I need to re-name this blog as it's no long just aviation-related stuff that I'm writing about. However, I've yet to come up with a good name. Any ideas???

This week, I had the chance to celebrate the very different accomplishments of a friend's two daughters.

My friend Cher (on the right in the below picture) is here with her daughter, Hope, who graduated from high school this past Tuesday. Hope was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2007 but yet was able to get through her senior year and "walk" with her class.

This is Cher's older daughter, Cortney, with her new baby, Christian, born last Saturday the 7th. This is Cher's first grandchild, so he will probably be spoiled rotten! The "onesie" he is wearing I got when I was down in Houston in April. So it's fun to see him wearing it :=)

Speaking of Houston, I head back down there for a week at the beginning of next month to spend several days studying all things HazMat. Never mind that it's in the middle of hurricane season (anyone remember Hurricane Rita that hit Houston in 2005?)...hopefully it's only hot and humid :=)

Last random thought for the day...I talked to a friend a week or so ago who was hired at Trans States before I was and is still there. He was scheduled to upgrade (i.e., promote) to captain last month and was prepared to go to class when the class was cancelled, several current captains were "demoted" to first officer and a number of flights were cancelled. I haven't heard the entire scuttlebutt but I wonder if the airline lost several contracts (flying shorter hops for US Airways, United & American). So, a year to the month after my giving this airline a shot, it sounds like - - in the long run - - everything all worked out by my not staying and I'm where I should be, doing what I'm doing.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T14:44:00.002-05:00

This is the view from the back patio of my apartment to another building. Kind of sums up the spirit of the day, huh?

How'd They Do That?

2008-05-15T22:11:00.002-05:00

Here is an interesting photograph of a plane crash at a small airport relatively near to where I am, although closer to Ft. Worth than Dallas. I've been to this airport several times but fortunately was nowhere near it today!

The red airplane (a high wing plane with a tailwheel) was apparently getting ready to take off and the cream colored plane (a low wing plane) was apparently preparing to land. With their wing configurations (i.e., one low and one high), they were in prime position for just such an occurrence of not being able to see each other. (According to the news, no one was hurt.)

NASA/Space Center

2008-04-20T15:17:00.010-05:00

For the mere price of parking, I was able to spend several hours at the Space Center (one of my classmates gave me a complimentary admission ticket she got from her husband who had been given a bunch and was just going to throw them out).

A Little Wrinkle

2008-04-19T17:29:00.014-05:00

The flying didn't quite happen as planned. We were all set to take off when a plane who had just landed didn't fare so well and ended up with quite a few "wrinkles" on the airplane...

We figured once emergency equipment (and possibly the FAA) arrived, the airport would be shut down for the investigation and we would be unable to get back in. So we scrubbed the flight and rescheduled.

Within less than 10 minutes, a fire truck, EMS truck, and three La Porte police cars (they had 4 on duty for the shift!) were on the scene. The guy I was supposed to fly with will let me know what happened (he didn't know who was in the plane but recognized the plane itself from another airport).

So, it was off to the San Jacinto Monument and Battleship Texas.

Afterwards, I found this place along the road as I was heading back towards Webster and had lunch there.

Then, on to Galveston Bay and the Kemah Boardwalk to enjoy the weather...

Pelican Statues, Part 2

2008-04-18T13:18:00.015-05:00

Pelican Statues

2008-04-16T21:30:00.014-05:00

Welcome to Seabrook - class is being held at the Seabrook [Volunteer] Fire Department - where there are pelican statues are all over the place.

Driving around, there are pelican statues everywhere...

More statue pictures to come as I find them :=)

Studying

2008-04-16T21:16:00.009-05:00

Cramming my head full of facts and assorted things the average person never even considers feels like deja vu (a la airline training). The only difference is that instead of studying at a Starbucks in the middle of a bunch of pavement in St. Louis, I'm studying off Galveston Bay (I did watch out for seagulls though!)...

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I Could Learn to Like This...

2008-04-15T17:27:00.009-05:00

As we were driving to class this morning from the motel, we saw a couple deer in a field between a housing development and a major road/intersection. One of the officers in my class said there are often deer hit on the roads around here as things have built up so fast.

We drove down the street to Kemah for lunch and stopped in at this restaurant. Seafood was okay, view was fantastic, prices were a little steep for lunch, and we were the only customers in the place during the lunch hour.

Sightseeing

2008-04-14T19:39:00.011-05:00

I had the chance to do a little sightseeing during lunch today. There are a number of little towns right next to each other (with populations under 10,000) that give the appearance of beach communities.

One such town is Kemah. They have a boardwalk similar to the one in Santa Cruz, CA or Atlantic City, NJ - albeit on a much smaller scale. Here is what Kemah's version looks like:

Here are the books we were given today for our class for the next two weeks (reminds me of the books we were given last summer during airline training!):

There are about 25 people in the class - perhaps 2/3 are commissioned and the rest of us are civilian. Both local law enforcement and the state are represented; the class is taught by state troopers.

Made it to Webster

2008-04-13T17:06:00.011-05:00

After just over a 4-hour drive and getting through downtown Houston (and yes, there were traffic slow-downs on a beautiful Sunday afternoon), I found the motel in Webster. Here is where I'll be staying for the next two weeks:

On the same property is a pretty authentic Mexican restaurant. I had some really good corn tortillas, chips & salsa, and steak fajitas.

Downtown Houston:

This is Clear Lake (between Webster and Seabrook, where classes will be held):

Heading to NASA in Houston...

2008-04-11T17:02:00.004-05:00

well, sort of. I'll be driving down Sunday to Webster, a suburb southeast of downtown Houston but where NASA will be two miles from the hotel I'll be staying in. It's about 300 miles from Dallas one way.

Monday starts the on-again, off-again training for various state certifications I'll be acquiring over the next six months related to a new job I have working for the state. Typically, training classes are held in the capitol (Austin) but this particular class is being held in the Houston area. Webster is only a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico, so it will definitely be more scenic than Austin!

Class will be held Monday through Friday for the next two weeks. I have heard the days run from both 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., so I don't know which is accurate. We'll be "off" next weekend so I'm planning to visit the Space Center as well as the San Jacinto monument remembering the Battle of San Jacinto (a huge event in Texas state history). The monument (based on pictures I've seen) looks like the Washington monument out in D.C. Weather permitting, I'll also being doing some flying - - over the San Jacinto monument and around the Gulf of Mexico.

So, definitely pictures to follow :=) But, here is a picture similar to what I'll be renting...

Sideways Rain

2008-04-11T16:04:00.010-05:00

One of the highlights (?) of living in Texas is spring storm season. As the weather starts getting warmer (of course, winter in Texas is relative compared to other parts of the country), it's very easy to start off with a beautiful cloudless day and ended up with towering puffy clouds (called cumulus clouds), heavy rains and enough rotation to spawn tornadoes.

Just as March was an odd weather month in that it snowed twice in the same week (after not snowing in more "normal" months), this week it was massive rain and wind storms. Monday had huge thunderstorms. There's nothing like being sound asleep at 3:00 a.m. and being awakened by a thunderbolt that sounds like it's right outside your door! Wednesday night, storms came in from the west and they put every other storm I've experienced to shame (some friends who have lived in Texas far longer than I even said they hadn't seen weather like Wednesday's since they could remember).

At one point, it literally was raining so hard you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. It was so windy (sustained wind over 80 mph) the rain was falling horizontally (i.e., sideways). It was bad enough that I momentarily considered getting into the bathtub with a mattress (i.e., tornadoes appeared to be very imminent). There was also a phenomal lightning show. In my apartment complex, we lost power for several hours. Driving to work Thursday morning was pretty interesting what with all the damage. Here are some pictures:

This is one of those huge light poles that sits in a grocery store parking lot. Another three that were in this particular parking lot were in a similar state as this one.

This is a metal "box" where one deposits DVD movies, etc. after hours for a local video store. It normally sits about 100' to the right of where this picture was taken.

This is at an intersection about two blocks from my apartment. It is a traffic light/street sign that was bent as a result of the wind. The Dallas Police Department put out flares and was diverting people through the bank parking lot as there were live wires all the way across the road. You can also see limbs, etc. across the roadway. A lot of the roads looked like a war zone.

West of the Dallas/Ft. Worth "Metroplex", there were five confirmed tornadoes. So my simple power outage was really a very minor thing. By Thursday around noon, it was sunny, no clouds, mid 70's and a very light wind.

Road Trip

2008-03-21T10:44:00.004-06:00

I had the opportunity to drive down to the state capitol (Austin) earlier this week. It's about a 4-hour drive; flying would have cut that time in half but wasn't feasible.

Among other things, Austin is home to the main campus of the University of Texas. I did a little bit of bumming around with a co-worker (who also went to Austin with me) and here is a picture of her before we went into a a well-known pizza place to eat supper.

I'll have several road trips to Austin over the next six months so hopefully will be able to get more pictures vs. only being there two days this week.

Next month, I'll be near Houston in a city named Pasadena (supposedly named after Pasadena, California) for two weeks straight. In between work-related stuff, I hope to visit the Johnson Space Center which is the hub of all the NASA astronaut flights, has a large museum and other things. I'm also hoping to see some local places tied to Texas state history, head over to the Gulf (of Mexico) Coast, and - of course - do some flying. There are a number of smaller airports outside the Houston metro area which is where I'll look for a plane rental. So, definitely more pictures to come :=)

Flying Myself Silly

2008-03-15T22:13:00.006-06:00

Any guesses on how I spent a sunny mid-70s Saturday? Sitting in an airplane, of course :=)

Aside from The 99s, another organization I belong to is the Civil Air Patrol. This is an organization that is an arm of the U.S. Air Force and is called on in various types of emergency situations - - everything from flying fire watches (i.e., on really windy, low humidity days watching for fires to break out) to searching for planes that are overdue at their destination to searching for ELT signals (an ELT is like a homing beacon). Civil Air Patrol also has a huge program for teenaged-kids (i.e., cadets) to teach them leadership, about flying, and all sorts of related things.

Anyways. Back to today. A lot of practice and training goes with being involved with Civil Air Patrol so that when the real thing occurs, you're ready to go. Today we practiced various types of flying scenarios with various people doing different functions. All that meant I spent four flights over the day (for a total of about 9 hours) sitting in an airplane practing.

Below is a picture coming into Addison heading north during one of the flights when I was sitting in the front right seat next to the pilot.

Living in an Airplane Hangar

2008-03-08T21:29:00.006-06:00

How would you like to live in an airplane hangar that is decorated like something in Santa Fe, NM?

This airplane is called an RV. It is a "home-built" or "experimental" and rather than being made entirely by a manufacturer, it can be made by an individual (it will still go through various FAA certifications, though).

In the following picture, the airplane (and hangar) owner is on the wing...Carol is a 70-something grandmother who still flies on a very regular basis. It is not uncommon for her to fly herself from the Dallas-Ft. Worth area to Denver or Cincinnati or the West Coast or, basically, wherever she puts her mind to! Unless last fall, she had an airplane that had been painted to match her hangar theme. Unfortunately, that airplane met its end when it got flipped over during a gust of wind; this red airplane is its replacement (and may yet be painted in the hangar colors!)...

The other women with Carol are also pilots. All of them either currently own, or have owned, their own airplanes. With the exception of Carol, they each (in concert with their husbands, who are also pilots) have owned multiple flight schools. They are quite an interesting - and eclectic - bunch.

Here is everyone taking the lift from the hangar floor upstairs to the living quarters on the 2nd floor. (And, no, they didn't send it back down for me!)

March Weather in Texas

2008-03-06T10:30:00.006-06:00

Suffice it to say, flying this week has been very hit-or-miss. Sunday it was sunny and mid-70s, Monday it snowed (first snow all winter), Tuesday & Wednesday were sunny with Wednesday in the mid-60's, today (Thursday) there is a cold steady rain, it's windy and blowing from the north [when wind blows from the north it's colder cuz it's coming from the northern U.S. or Canada; likewise, south winds are warmer cuz they come from Mexico or the Gulf of Mexico], and the rain is expected to change into snow this afternoon! It's definitely interesting to see flowers blooming and blossoms on trees right alongside snow on rooftops :=)

Thundersnow is also forecast (think thunderstorms where there is thunder with rain but this will be thunder with snow)...

Where Has the Time Gone?

2008-02-25T10:30:00.003-06:00

When I pulled out of my late parents' driveway eight years ago today, with two boxes and a suitcase and said, "See you in a month", little did I realize I would still be in Dallas eight years later!

It was supposed to be 1-month stay to finish my flying certificates...but after the training (and thoroughly enjoying my first Texs winter and spring!), the job doors just popped right open! Within two weeks of each other, I started my first instructing job and my job at Plano. So then I started telling people, "I'll see you at the end of summer".

Summer turned into fall, fall into winter, winter into spring, and so on. I guess it actually struck me I wouldn't be heading back to Tacoma permanently (and had to quit saying 'I'll see you when...') when I attended my first funeral tied to someone I had met down here. And my first wedding. And first baby shower. And a multitude of other things that make you realize that, without even thinking, you've established roots.

So, here I am, 8 years later! I wouldn't change a thing - -

Getting Ready to Land

2008-02-11T00:17:00.000-06:00

Here's what happens with poor planning, or distractions, or ????, when one is trying to land:

According to news reports, the pilot was coming into a small airstrip just north of Addison, overshot the runway and was trying to go around for another attempt. For whatever reason, the plane didn't regain enough speed so he landed down the way, off the airport, on a piece of land between two fairly main roads.

Just like the guy the other day who was out flying and not noticing his surroundings (mainly us!), I wonder what was going through this pilot's mind as he got ready to land. He had two passengers with him so perhaps they were a distraction. It will be interesting to read the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report when it comes out with their findings.

[And for anyone who's wondering, the pilot and his passengers all walked away from the accident. I'm afraid, though, the poor plane is toast.]

February Saturdays in North Texas

2008-02-02T14:13:00.000-06:00

Days like today - when the temperature is in the mid-60's, it is sunny, and there is very little or no wind (after a week in which some days saw wind between 50 - 60 mph) - are the perfect reason to fly :=)

Although not flying myself, I spent a couple hours sitting in the parking lot of a strip center by Addison Airport watching airplanes. Everything from small planes with tail wheels to small planes used by a couple local flight schools, to various types of small personal planes - with either one or two engines, to a couple business jets were flying today. I even saw a plane I had never seen before (a Convair 440, described more below).

This is a Convair 440 (one of a half dozen or so models of this plane). By looking up the tail number on the FAA's web site, I was able to find out the specific model.

It was very cool watching this plane. On the right engine nacelle (what is behind the propeller) was a big exhaust pipe where you could see the exhaust coming out. It was also easy to smell the jet fuel as the plane was taxiing and taking off.

According to "A Field Guide to Airplanes" (which is a reference book that talks about any and all airplanes since the beginning of time), this model can seat 40 - 50 passengers. No idea what this plane was carrying. The book also says this model (along with some others) is apparently rare. When it got time to take off, it was interesting to watch how slowly it gained speed and how much runway it took to get off the ground. It looked like it was never going to make it off the runway!

Days When You Shouldn't Be Flying

2008-02-01T16:17:00.000-06:00

It is usually drummed into all pilots that if your head is not totally in the game - - if you're distracted by work, home, life issues, etc. - - you're better off not flying. Well, I think someone today wasn't listening when he was told that!

I was out with a student south of Mesquite (about 20 miles southeast of Addison) working on instrument approaches (basically how you fly if you're in a cloud and have no outside references). I was watching out the window for other traffic as well as monitoring his GPS which has a Terrain Information System (or "TIS" for short). The "TIS" will show traffic around the area, what direction they're heading, whether they're climbing or descending, etc. but it's still ultimately up to the pilot to keep their eyeballs outside.

We see a target pop up south of us showing to be several hundred feet above us. When I look outside, I see him and start watching him (the student is still flying only by reference to instruments at this point - wearing what are called foggles that block his ability to look at anything other than just the instrument panel in front of him [sort of like horse blinders]). The other plane turns in our direction - while still above us - so I give my student a new direction/heading to fly. The other guy doesn't seem to see us as he makes no adjustments in his heading so I give my student another heading. With the other plane still making no adjustments to indicate he's seen us, I tell the student "my plane" (a positive exchange of controls between two pilots leaves no doubt who is "flying" the plane at any given time). I start making some pretty good deviations because the other guy still doesn't appear to see us.

He starts flying in a big circle and decides to start descending, still not apparently seeing us. At this point, we're pointed nose to nose (although quite a distance apart). Because the other guy is not acting as though he's even aware we're in front of him, I pull the power all the way to idle and put the plane in a descent. We're in enough of a descent at this point that we momentarily experience negative G's (you've got to try that at least once!). My student has been watching the "TIS", and realizes the other guy is totally not paying attention to us, so he takes off his foggles to keep his eyes on the guy while I'm turning out of his way.

He ended up passing several hundred feet over us but we don't think he ever saw us because he never climbed in altitude or altered his heading. Hopefully, this guy got back on the ground sooner rather than later. He was in a high-wing plane (a Cessna) and well had the ability to look out his window and below him to see us. Especially when he started descending. Fortunately, we were paying attention; however, the student & I decided "fun" like that is not something we care to experience that often :=)

Flight Cancelled

2008-01-29T16:46:00.000-06:00

Well, here's the latest info off the American Airlines web site.

AMERICAN AIRLINES - Flight #268 FLIGHT STATUS - CANCELLED

AMERICAN AIRLINES Departing
SEA Seattle, 01/29/2008 8:35 AM 1 A6
Arriving
JFK New York, 01/29/2008 4:40 PM 8 42

Lots of weather has been occurring around the country - - from tons of snow out west to high winds here in Texas to who knows what on the East Coast - - so maybe that has contributed to the long delay, and now cancellation, of the flight.

Already Delayed

2008-01-29T14:13:00.000-06:00

For whatever reason, Jay's flight out of Sea-Tac was delayed from an early morning departure to a mid-afternoon departure. He doesn't have a cell phone, or any way to contact him, so hopefully he'll blog about it when he has the chance. This delay will also throw off his connections to Dulles and Rio. Should be an interesting first post from him down in Rio.

AMERICAN AIRLINES - Flight #268 FLIGHT STATUS - DELAYED

AMERICAN AIRLINES
Departing Date Est. Act. Term. Gate
SEA Seattle, 01/29/2008 8:35 AM 3:00 PM 1 A6
Arriving Date Est. Act. Term. Gate
JFK New York, 01/29/2008 4:40 PM 11:05 PM 8 42

Following Airplane Flights on the Computer

2008-01-29T11:04:00.001-06:00

Did you know you can track private or commercial airplane flights on the computer? The web site is flightaware.com. Put in a tail number or an airport or a specific airline and you can pull up the information. The only caveat is the program works only for flights within the Lower 48.

Here are maps of Jay's three flight legs today.

From Seattle-Tacoma International to John F. Kennedy International (in New York) on American mainline:

From JFK to Washington (D.C.) - Dulles on United Express/Shuttle America:

And, from Dulles down to Rio de Janiero (you can tell by the map that the web site is no longer able to track the flight) on United mainline:

Jay arrives in Rio tomorrow morning about 10:00 a.m. Rio time; Rio is approximately four hours ahead of Central Time.