OK, about three weeks from vacation
We had bad news this weekend. Friday night a cargo plane went down between King Salmon and Dillingham. The pilot and co-pilot were killed. Very bad. While I work with this company daily, I am not sure if I have met these pilots
The “interesting” note is that this plane went down in the same area Ted Stevens went down a couple years ago.
With the risk of repeating myself, I almost had my flying license. Three hours of night flying was all I needed.
I had a deal with my buddy FRED in Louisville. He was a pilot. He would train me for free, just that I would pay for the plane rental. HAPS AIRPORT in southern Indiana.
I ended up taking my SOLO flight and it was a PASS.
Then there was the required cross country test. Three different airports on a trip over several hundred miles. I was to leave Louisville, fly to Henderson Kentucky, then Seymor Indiana, then Middletown, Ohio. Return home. In one piece. It was a dream when I took off. Navigation is mainly by landmarks. Major highways, water towers with town names... Most normal flights like this would be about 1500 feet above the ground. First thing I did was take her to 10,000. Because I COULD. After that there are oxygen issues. Frankly, the better view is at 1500...
I found Henderson with no problem. Seymour was a piece of cake. But somehow I got mixed up looking for Middletown Ohio. A decent size town. Played golf there several times. So I flew lower
looking for signs. One BIG sign was I-75 heading north and south. Flying east, I had to cross it. I did and figured it all out. Just do not panic.
Today I saw my hat I lost a couple of days ago in the TEMPEST. In the middle of the road.. I did not slow down. We are in the BIG MELT phase of our local cycle.. It turned BEAUTIFUL today.
Calm. Warm. Melting.
With the time change, we are getting dark at 9:30 PM.
GNU GUY is gone for a few days. GNU-R left yesterday for three weeks. The idea was to give them a break before I leave. So we are pretty short handed for a few days. A few LONG days.
It felt good to get home at 9 tonight. OK, 9:30.
Yesterday was a superlative. Just after 4 AM (after a long day) I get the call. Need tomato. Just 5 cases, but they still needed them. They said they would be leaving around 6 AM. By weird coincidence I had let GNU-R use the Tahoe the night before. My keys were in the Tahoe, which was parked at his apartment. I had no key to the warehouse. First I went by another employees place to check what keys were in his ignition. NADA. So I took that 7 minute drive to the far end of town. As I pulled up to the Tahoe parked at GNU-Rs apartment, at 4:30 AM, GNU-R was coming out the door. Heading to work.
YOU GOTTA LOVE THAT.
No time to chat, I got the keys and headed off. Tomato was delivered. I noticed that boat was here until noon...
Later that LONG day, just as I was going to bed, RING. Phone call from another boat about MISSING TOMATO. 11 PM. Get dressed and go to work.
Three weeks I am OUTTA HERE.
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Sad about the pilots. I am surprised you don't hear more of that up there in the wide open spaces. I'm glad Joe isn't making those runs!
When my parents were stationed on St Paul Island back in the 70's, Dad had to go out to the balloon launch building (twice, I think) every day, fill a large weather balloon with gas, attach an instrument package to the end of a long tether, open the big door...garage-door sized... then release the balloon at a run holding the instrument package aloft until it cleared all the drifts, the building, etc.
Often the wind grabbed the balloon and slammed it back down to the ground but Dad was still holding up the package, so it (balloon) would bounce back into the air...or not. He had to replace smashed instrument packages many times, and even burst balloons.
He fell often, and once even knocked himself out on the ice, suffering one frostbitten finger during that time. He realized it was time to hand over the reins to a younger man, and they left the island soon after.
But they had a great time out there; enjoyed the people, for the most part, and got to see some interesting things.
Those flights to/from St Paul were the most harrowing
part of their experience as far as Mom was concerned. It wasn't PenAir back then, but I can't remember the name of the company.
Anyway...I have a whole new perspective on living on the edges of Alaska; day to day is a real challenge, but I can tell from talking to others that they think the experience is worth the challenges. It definately takes a certain breed!
YES is probably my favorite group, mainly due to Steve Howe, the guy who replaced Peter Banks. I just heard recently that Peter only played on the first album, but got credit for #2 even though Steve Howe played.
These guys have put out MANY albums, hundreds of songs. Several over 20 minutes long. TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS had four songs. One for each side of a double album. (Remember ALBUMS?) The first song was a little ditty called THE REVEALING SCIENCE OF GOD. Joe Kentucky brought me my first copy to Dayton, Ohio while I was in college there.
It was called the worst rock album ever written. It certainly was not quite in the same category as Elvis.
They have put out so much original music even I do not like some of it. But the rest is AWESOME, even though much of it is hard to dance to...
Give it a listen, especially the early stuff. It takes an acquired taste.
RIP buddy.
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