Kentmorr Island Yacht Club

Today Beth and I flew down into the Chesapeake Bay to Kentmorr Airpark and walked over to the yacht club for lunch.  It was very cool!
We had talked about going down to fly around the Chesapeake Bay and since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to hop into the Viking Witch and fly down to Kentmorr Airpark located on Kent Island in Stevensville Maryland. 
We've been looking for an airport home and wanted to have a look at some of the properties along the grass runway at Kentmorr to get an idea of the variety of airport homes that were available.  The homes at Kentmorr Airpark have garage hangers that open facing the runway and car garages that open to face the street.  If you look hard at the first picture, you can see the homes lining the runway on the left and two parked aircraft in the upper right corner of the picture. Also notice, that if you land long and don't stop in time that you'll be going swimming!
The Yacht Club is located right at the top center of the picture.  You can see the entrance way for the boats to taxi up to the dock.  After landing, the walk over to the club would only be about 2 minutes at the most.  The close proximity had proved valuable a few years back when I had flown some buddies down to Kentmorr for a crab cake sandwich for dinner.  We were sitting there telling flying stories when the only fella with us that wasn't a pilot said "how do you turn on the runway lights since it's getting dark?".   I nearly shat a crab cake because Kentmorr doesn't have runway lights!  We paid the bill and ran back to the plane, did a quick preflight, cranked up the plane and took off just one minute (honestly, 1 minute) prior to official sunset.  If we'd had missed sunset, we would have had to stay there overnight.....in the bay.....with the sharks......and alligators......and mosquito's......and snakes! 

Today, Beth and I were there for lunch so unless there was an eclipse we wouldn't have to worry about runway lights.  As we entered the traffic pattern, we took a couple of photo's of the runway and some of the homes to take back with us to have a better look later. The grass looked dry and all the cow's had been shoo'd off the runway (just kiddin' Mom, we weren't dodgin' cattle).  The  view was gorgeous and we both found ourselves wondering what it would be like to be living on this airport with the plane parked in the garage. We'd have to get a garage door opener for the Viking Witch.

We landed and were able to stop in time so we didn't have to swim back to shore on this trip. We parked the Viking Witch next to her high winged friends that we'd seen from the air.  We told her (the Viking Witch) to mind her manners and not to point while we were gone for lunch.  She sure does look pretty sitting there in the field, like a princess huh? Kinda, except she appears to be turning her nose up a little bit and looking the other way.  That little hussy!

Two days out of each calendar year the Kentmorr Yacht Club leases it's outdoor eating facilities and beaches for private parties.  Today was one of those 2 days!  Pooh!   We would have to eat in doors and watch the boats through windows instead of sitting out on the dock tables and smelling the engine smog and sea water, hmmm.
Not a biggie though, as I was with my honey and we were enjoying a great meal.  After finishing up we took a leisurely stroll back along the houses that lined the runway.  There were all cute and not overly huge.  This is a good thing actually, because even a small house on this island is going to cost a pretty penny. 
After finishing our walk, we hopped back into the plane and took off over the bay and headed back to the Northeast towards home.  The day was beautiful and the visibility stretched out quite a ways with no haze to contend with. 
Along the way, we were chatting and looking out the windows when we overflew a small farm and Beth noticed a plane parked along the barn.  We did a 180 degree turn and sure enough found the little plane parked in the shade.  This made us realize that there are other options for runway homes as well.  Maybe we'll buy a live chicken or two, call it a farm,  and put a runway in the back yard.  As long as we don't advertise that we're an airport what harm could it do.  Be vewwwwy vewwwwy quiet and no one will notice we're taking off and landing there.  YAY! We're buying chickens!

It's still gorgeous and we're just crossing the canal that connects the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. Beth snaps a pretty picture of a bridge and all the boats playing beneath it.  Flying  along at 1000 feet its fun to look at the houses and see how they have landscaped their properties and the types of houses that they live in.  It's easy to get good ideas of what we'll do with ours. 

The flight ends, as always, way too quickly and we drive back home from the airport chatting about all the pretty scenery that we have seen today.  Landing on the island is fun in itself, and we'll have to return when we can sit outside on the docks for lunch. 
Its always a fun time getting airborne and getting away from the hussle and bussle of the city - if even only for a moment.
Ya'll Be Particular!

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Easter Egg Hunt, Georgia Style

Friday 3/25/05 - Chilly Morning (around 35*F), We're Heading To The South

Unlike many others, Mary, Samantha and I have mastered the skills necessary to wake up late for a trip, realize we haven't packed and head for the airport with dog in hand and luggage in the backyard. Just another day at the Watts Farm. We were headed for Jawja (Georgia) this morning and we were gonna make it by this evening if it took all weekend! After stopping halfway to see if we had the plane keys, and then stopping again to fill up with coffee and breakfast sandwiches, we successfully squeezed the 12 minute drive to the airport into three quarters of an hour. Oh we're good! We then lugged our backpacks and flight stuff to the airplane and all got settled in and ready for the journey that lay ahead. I had been flight planning all week and we were all excited to get underway; I just had to find the keys to the plane again that we had found only 30 minutes prior. Finally, everything's in place, seatbelts on, propeller spinning the right direction and away we go. The wheels left the ground from Wings Field in Philadelphia Pennsylvania at 8:32 am, and we pointed the nose down yonder way for our annual Easter Egg Hunt in Thomaston Georgia, 650 miles from where we currently were. We hadn't seen the sun since earlier in the week so not seeing it now was no surprise, although it may have warmed things up a bit. After reaching 4000 feet, I looked back to see Samantha's hair sticking straight up and frozen in to the roof. That was different I thought. I guess I had had the vents opened in the back seat and didn't close them before getting airborne. I couldn't close them from where I was now, and the luggage was keeping her from moving enough to do so herself. Teaming up, Mary and Samantha were able, however, to stuff jackets and blankets in front of the vents well enough to redirect the cold draft up and into my pants leg, thanks alot. Now I had to pee and we weren't even 10 miles beyond our departure point.

The clouds were thick! Thick enough that we couldn't always see the ends of our wingtips, which are lil short things. Thirty minutes later we noticed ice forming on the front (leading edge) of the wings and I knew that we'd have to either descend lower, climb higher, or turn around and head back to Wings Field. I requested a climb and was approved for another 2000 feet higher. That worked and the icing slowly started dissipating. While the higher altitude lessoned the threat of icing (too cold), it increased the headwinds that we were now facing. The airspeed indicator was reading 121, but the speed along the ground was barely maintaining 90. This would be a long trip.

We flew southeast of Baltimore and overhead the restricted area above Patuxant Naval Air Station. I had pre-coordinated it and since we were deep in the clouds and not seeing "anything", our transit through the area was approved. By the time we cleared the Chesapeake Bay, all the icing was gone, we were trucking along at 100, 540 miles still lay ahead of us, and I still had to pee. Over flying Richmond, the ride remained quite smooth, but still we hadn't seen the ground since we left. Samantha lay in the back seat sound asleep with her hair still frozen in place as Mary read a book up front. We'd need to stop earlier than originally planned, not only to thaw out Samantha, but to also close the vents, let me pee, and oh yes, refuel since the headwinds were stronger than forecasted.

Up ahead in the distance was Danville Regional Airport, which sits right on the border of Virginia and North Carolina; which now became our first destination. Everything was fine, well, kinda, except I didn't have any approach plates for the airport since it was well short of our intended fuel stop. Approach plates are the diagrams describing how a pilot, who's unable to see the ground due to weather, will get to the airport. There are electronic beacons that guide the way, as well as, altitude restrictions - by distance from the airport - to keep you from landing short of the airport and in someone's backyard that may be having a barbeque. The weather was not good, I still had to pee, and the nearest airport that had good weather was inconveniently way off in the wrong direction way over yonder in Tennessee. I asked the controller (Washington Air Traffic Control Center) to "describe" the approach to me, and Mary and I took notes to ensure we didn't miss anything. As we turned on to a 5 mile final, the 35 mph headwinds now became 35 mph crosswinds which required me to point the nose about 25-30 degrees to the left. Now whenever we descended below the clouds, the airport would actually be between the nose of the airplane and the right wing; crabbing down final. Still descending on final, the lower we descended, the less the crosswind speed became. As we broke out below the clouds just 300 feet above the ground the crosswinds continued to diminish and we were able to finally fly in the direction that aircraft was pointed. After landing, we taxied up to the terminal and the fuel truck met us as we shut the aircraft down. Samantha was just waking up with wet hair and wasn't sure if we'd arrived in Georgia or Mars. "Not there yet, but your hair thawed out", I said as we unloaded.

After refueling, getting a couple of snacks, closing the vents, going to the loo, buying every approach plate East of Denver that I didn't already have on board, and filing a new flight plan, we took off again from Danville Regional Airport, Virginia, and immediately entered the clouds before continuing our journey towards the South. I wish I could tell you how beautiful Virginia was but all we saw was 2 miles before the runway till about 1 mile past. I heard it's a pretty country though. The wind strength remained strong, however the direction slowly moved more Northerly than Northeast and our speed along the ground increased by 5 knots (7 mph). WooHoo, we were cruisin'! The journey continued "in the soup" until shortly after entering South Carolina airspace where the clouds started breaking up revealing the green wooded areas and crystal blue lakes below. We cancelled our IFR flight plan and descended down to 2500 where we could enjoy the scenery and get out of the strong winds above us. Another 10 knots of ground speed and away we went. Our next stop was Habersham Airport, 300 miles Southwest of Danville. Even though the wind was cooperating with us much more, we decided to land at Habersham anyway and top off our fuel tanks to avoid the $4.35 per gallon gas prices that would be charged in downtown Atlanta, which is where we were headed for our first fun stop down yonder.

The countryside of the Carolina's and Georgia is absolutely beautiful. Over flying lakes and rolling hills, Mary and I just sat there holding hands in silence enjoying the view that seemed to be there just for us. I was surprised that I didn't hear more aircraft on frequency, but didn't complain either as we had the sky to ourselves. Samantha sat behind us reading her magazines and listening to her MP3 player to Papa's Roach or something like that. We have an MP3 system in the aircraft but I haven't figured it out yet so she had her headphones on and jamming like a wild woman. Soon, Habersham Airport came in to view and we landed and taxied up to the back porch of this little airport. An older gentleman came out to greet us and quickly topped off our tanks. As we sat there in rocking chairs on the back porch of the terminal (honest), the airport dog came up to give us each a welcome-to-Habersham lick and we returned it with a scratch of his ears. Very friendly dog he was, and soon his kindness was rewarded as Mary and Samantha took turns feeding him snacks. After getting back in the aircraft and firing up the engine we started to taxi to the runway for departure. Our new four legged friend decided we hadn't stayed long enough and lay stretched out in the middle of the taxiway blocking our access to the runway. We had to chuckle as it honestly appeared that he knew exactly what he was doing. I taxied via an alternate routing as our new four-legged friend just watched us go the long way. No problem at all, as it was a friendly gesture from him for us to stay a while. Southern hospitality was not limited to those that walk on two legs.

Getting airborne again, our journey to Atlanta would only be 35 minutes as we were just outside the metropolitan area. In fact, at 3000 feet we could easily see the skyline of downtown Atlanta and knew that we would soon be flying through downtown traffic. Our workload (in and out of the aircraft) would significantly go up as the chatter on frequency increased from other pilots in the area. The need to keep all eyeballs looking outside the aircraft for other traffic in the area, as well as, attention to detail in complying with air traffic control instructions would be important as we were entering one of the busiest airspace classes in the world. The speed of communications reminded Mary and I both of our days as air traffic controllers. Sometimes the traffic load was so busy it would be impossible to get a break because it was too difficult to give a detailed briefing to another controller relieving you. Man-O-Man do we miss those days. As we approached Peachtree Dekalb Airport, the controller asked if we were still going to Upson County Airport later on. Apparently he had received our original flight plan and was curious if we were still headed that way. I told him we would be and gave him an estimated time of departure for 8:00 later that evening. He then said to have the tower give him a call and he would try to coordinate our passage over the top of Atlanta's International Airport (Hartsfield). Not expecting that it would be approved, I thanked him and said we'd give notice via the tower when we were ready to depart. Soon after, we were "handed off" to the tower controller and told we were number 9 for landing. Airplanes came in from all directions, but mind you, it was very organized and orchestrated by professionals. We touched down and taxied up to Mercury Aviation just below the tower. Samantha must have noticed when the flight line fella came up to tie the aircraft down because as I glanced over at her, she was grinnin' from ear to ear. "Country Boys are cute" was pretty much the message that her grin told us. It didn't hurt too much either that the temperature was 85*F and everyone was wearing shorts. Everyone that is except us - we had left Philly that morning in the 30's and quite cold so we felt like we were dressed in Eskimo attire. My Uncle Tony and Aunt Melinda picked us up shortly after our arrival and we headed to their house for dinner.

This would be the first time that Mary or Samantha had seen their house since it had been gutted and remodeled. I can tell you that their house is absolutely gorgeous and I'm sure the different wings require their own zip code. Initially, we weren't sure if we were going to be able to meet up with them or not since we kept missing each others emails and phone calls. We sure were proud when our plans came together and we knew that we would be able to visit for a while. We were also very excited to learn that my Uncle Hal and Cousins Melanie and Barbara would also be there to have dinner with us.

It had been a year or more since the last time I had been down and we were all very happy to see them. Uncle Hal lives just a few minutes away and joined us shortly after arriving at Uncle Tony's house. Melanie is going to school at the University of Georgia (Go Bulldogs) and had just returned from Spring Break down in Mexico (I think). Where ever it had been, she came back with a golden tan and temporary tattoo!

Barbara is no stranger to aviation as she spent time as a flight attendant with Southwest. It's funny to hear some of the story's she tells of her experiences. She is back in school now to earn her Masters or Doctorate in Psychology or something or other. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see my cousin Natalie, but hopefully will next time we're down yonder. She's a sweetheart too. They all looked great! I believe the last time our whole families had been together was when my baby Sister Kelly was married; Samantha was knee high to a grasshopper then. That afternoon / evening we all sat around and laughed and told stories and ate the very best chicken arms that I'd ever had.

There were buffalo wings ranging from just-as-they-are to sun-hot-melt-an-iceburg. I had missed good ole country sweet iced tea so I tanked up on probably a gallons worth. Just before leaving for the airport, I was treated to a ride in my Uncle's new toy - his brand new Mercedes Ragtop that had more avionics than any aircraft I'd ever flown. Very Nice Indeed. I think it goes from 0 to 100 in 1.2 seconds. Samantha was tickled pink when Uncle Tony asked her is she'd like to ride in the ragtop back to the airport. We followed behind them, easily keeping them in sight, as Samantha's teeth shown brightly through her grin - lighting the way. We do wish we could have stayed longer as we love them dearly and don't get the chance to visit too often, but my Mom would have snatched my hair loose for keeping Mary and Samantha away from her one more minute, ha-ha. I Love You Mom.

After saying goodbye and passing out hugs, we boarded the airplane and I contacted the tower for engine start. Not thinking it would do any good, I passed along the information that Atlanta had given me about requesting a routing overhead the international airport enroute to Upson County.

The tower taxied us to the departure runway and after clearing us for takeoff, told us to contact Atlanta Approach and expect the requested flight path over the top. This would be a cool flight, and we would reach Upson County in 30 minutes instead of the hour it would have taken us to go around Atlanta the long way. Shortly after departure and switching to Atlanta's frequency, we spotted the international airport and what appeared to be hundreds of blinking lights from aircraft in the vicinity. With the skill of a composer and the speed of an auctioneer, the controller weaved us through an imaginary hole between arriving and departing flights. Over the top of Atlanta International, I told Samantha to look down and remember the view as only a handful of other small aircraft had ever gotten the chance to see what we were at that time. Perhaps mentioning that Mary and I were previously air traffic controllers helped after all.

After flying clear of the hornet's nest of aircraft around Atlanta, we began our descent out of 4500 and prepared for landing at Upson County. A cloudless night sky coupled with a full moon provided another beautiful view of the Georgia countryside. I found it neat to watch the reflection of the moon dance across the lakes that lay below us. I had called my Mom just before boarding the aircraft to let her know that we'd be arriving in less than an hours time and figured since we were given the routing over Atlanta, we would be arriving about the same time my Uncle Tony & Family would be reaching their house just a short drive away from where we'd just left; they beat us by 10 minutes. We now had Upson County Airport in sight and aligned ourselves with Runway 12. We touched down softly and taxied up to the ramp where my Momma, Aunt's, Uncles, and Cousin's stood waiting. What a welcome we had and we knew the long day's journey had come to an end. We quickly unloaded the bags and headed out to Berry Hill where I had played as a child. Just after 9:30 pm now, the night was still young; besides, we had no where to go - we were there!

We must have laughed and cut up for a couple of hours and caught up on how all the youngens were doing. It's amazing how quickly the litluns grow up when it's been a year since the last time I'd seen them. Mary and I had flown in to Thomaston 8 months earlier on our maiden voyage in the Viking Witch, which is the name given to our Piper Cherokee aircraft that we had bought in Gainesville Florida. For Samantha, her last visit had been so long ago that she was getting to meet so many new faces and remembering others. She absolutely loved it! Around midnight, we headed in to Thomaston where we'd be staying with my Cousin Jennifer at her house in town. Since we'd come for the annual Easter Egg Hunt, we were sent out with strict orders to not show up on Berry Hill before 10:00 am the following morning as my Aunt Mary and Uncle Ken would be hiding eggs. I didn't think that would be a problem as I had been up for 21 hours at this point. I'm not sure I actually remember arriving at the house, but sure enough the next morning I did wake up at Jennifer's with Mary sleeping by my side.

Saturday 3/26/05 - Beautiful Morning, already 65*F and not a minute past 7:00 a.m. Today is the big Easter Egg Hunt

My Mom had awakened earlier that morning and prepared coffee and biscuits for us for breakfast. Mary and I got up and got ready before waking Samantha, before waking Samantha again, before waking Samantha one more time (Yes, 3 times. she'd sleep till noon easily if we let her, hehe). We had a long fun day ahead and were ready to get started! Not wanting to get to Berry Hill too early, we woke up Samantha and decided we'd stop by the airport to tie down the Viking Witch on the way. When we had arrived the night before, we didn't see any tie down ropes to keep her in place should any wind pick up. It wasn't forecasted, but still, we wanted to just in case.

It's a real good thing we did (tie her down), as you'll read in a little bit. While we were at the airport, Jim Shelley came out to greet us, as we had met him on one of our previous trips. Jim runs things there at the airport and is one of the kindest persons I've ever met. He let us know that he'd be away from the airport the following day so we went ahead and refueled then. He also made sure I had his after-hours cell phone in case I needed anything before departing towards Philly the next morning. We would need it...

We reached Berry Hill about 11:00 am, and went over to my Aunt

Deb and Uncle David's house. On the way in, we hadn't noticed anyone hiding eggs, but I wasn't going to be the volunteer to walk over to find out either. I still remember a whoopin' my Aunt Mary gave me 30 years ago and I ain't about to revisit that experience, ha-ha. Instead, I told my Uncle David that he was being called over. He hadn't been called, but I sat hid behind the tractor to see if he made it all the way over without catching all get-out. Mary and Aunt Deb must have wondered what I was doing as I looked bixtweenst (that's a new word) the holes in the tractor engine at what was about to happen. When the coast was determined clear, we all headed over to Aunt Mary's on the Northwest side of Berry Hill, which is where the Easter celebration would be based at. More of my family had showed up whilst I was hiding behind the tractor that I hadn't been able to see.

My Uncle Ken and Aunt Mary had long since finished hiding eggs and were helping my Cousins Bobby, Rodney, and Bubba unload the guitars and amps. Oh Yeah, there was fixin' to be a ho' down and a big grin spread across my face. I would have put a chew of tobaccy in my mouth if I didn't know it would have turned me green!

Soon it was time for lunch and we all joined in and carried enough food out to the tables to feed the entire country of Mississippi. Ham & Salads, Chickens and Taters, Cakes & Puddin stretched out as far as the eye could see. Along with that came at least 5 gallons of country sweet tea, oh, and those beers that I talked Uncle David in to sneakin' over. One of these day's he'll quit letting me set him up. After consuming our body weight in good country cookin', it was time for the litluns to begin their Easter Egg Hunt. The adults, plus me, would hunt eggs a little later. I forget how brave we were at younger ages. Those youngens were stickin' their hands in places that I'd never ever be brave enough to even look into, for fear of snakes and spiders and things that had more legs than me. I must have done it at a younger age though, because I'd grown up part of my childhood right here where I stood this day. My short-legged cousins (aged 7) Seth and Kailin came up to me with a plan that they had spent some time detailing. They proposed that I take them fishing from the airplane. We would do this by throwing hand-grenades out of the plane and into the lakes below, which would in turn blow the fish out of the water and onto the shoreline. Next, we would just have to land on the bank and pick them up before heading off to the next target area. The idea sounded plausible and I sat there contemplating how much heavy braking would be required to keep from running through the Solinburger's house just beyond the East side of the pond. I didn't have any spare hand-grenades available but I'm sure we could have found something useful. I finally had to nix the idea when it was mentioned that on the way back we could use the plane propeller to go duck hunting and chase them down over the Georgia countryside. I have my standards you know and never really have acquired a taste for Duck. The egg hunt was successful for all the youngens and Aunt Mary passed out prizes to each of them. Big smiles and outstretched arms were eager to receive the rewards for the hard work in finding their eggs. I could have competed with them, but Mary wouldn't let me.

The rules changed a little bit for the adults (plus me) Easter Egg Hunt. The boundaries spread further out into the country, whereas the litluns were confined to the front yard. As soon as the signal was received to go, Samantha and I lost our minds and wind sprinted for the woods. Mary, having more smarts at this point, searched along the wood line and watched as Samantha and I ran through and over briar patches that took skin away with each step we took. It turned out the Mary took the better route because at the end of the day, she had the most eggs out of her, Samantha, and I. When we were able to free ourselves from the briars and return to the starting point, I was about half naked with only shreds of clothes remaining. I felt something running down my leg and thought I had wet myself until I noticed it was only a little briar wound, that I would play for sympathy with later. My Aunt's and my Momma had chipped in and bought prizes for those that found "special" Easter Eggs which had numbers inside. I found 1. JUST ONE! Mary and Samantha found a bunch each so we would need to do some creative packing to get everything back in the plane. I thought a minute about going for a jog to work lunch off, but only for a minute and decided I'd have another one of David's hidden beers instead.

About that time, I heard the guitars crank up. They had all been ready to play for a while, but found it amusing to watch me try to get untangled from the woods that had grabbed a hold of me.

Obviously, I had lost some of my country skills, or perhaps the baby briars that had been there 30 years ago had all growed up to be educated stalking briars. Entangled up to my armpits, I kept wondering how many snakes were watching me licking their lips and I contemplated what would have hurt worse - me passing out and falling down against a tree or having a snake gnaw my arm off as stood there screaming like a girl.

Finally, I was free and now felt like singing; I could see the worry of "what's coming next" in Mary's eyes. After the bleeding stopped, I joined in as my Aunt Mary, Uncle Ken and Cousin's Bobby and Bubba began pickin' and grinnin'. My accompaniment consisted mostly of grinnin. Not to be out done, the rest of the ladies cranked up with Redneck Woman as the concert continued. I wish you could hear how well they all sounded together; I'd buy at least two records from them.

Later that afternoon, Bobby asked me to go help him out for a few minutes down yonder in the woods. I flashed back to the last time he asked me to do that when I was a child. My Granddaddy Berry, Bobby, and myself had been hunting all morning. I'm sure it was just bad luck that we hadn't got anything, or perhaps it was because I kept shooting my shotgun at trees and scaring every living animal within 30 miles away. When it was time go back home (I was out of shells), Granddaddy Berry and Bobby thought it would be funny to act like we were lost and make me think we'd have to stay over night in the woods. Little did I know, we were about 75 yards from home, but they convinced me that I was gonna have to tie myself up in a tree so the mountain lions, grizzly bears, and wild boar wouldn't get me. Bobby had asked me then to help him out by gathering sticks for a fire to keep the animals away. I pretty much brought back the equivalent of the rain forest. Now, Bobby wanted me to go back down in the woods and I didn't know what was about to happen. I kissed Mary goodbye and hugged Samantha. I told them I Loved them both and I'd miss them and hoped to see them soon. We headed out in to the woods towards Bobby's Turkey Huntin by Bow and Arrow shootin' hide-out. He had planted wheat down in a small clearing in the woods and wanted to move his hiding place to a better location about 50 yards away. My job was to stand in the wheat field and act like a turkey so he could see how well the line of sight was. As I stood there on one foot mocking a Turkey, I swear I could hear chuckling coming from within the hideout. I couldn't see him as he had everything all camouflaged and squirted with Monkey or Deer pee or whatever it is they use to hide their scent. Oh Yes, I lost my country skills. All worked out, and after I finished being a Turkey, we headed back up to the house to join in the singing. I was so proud to see my smiling Mary and Samantha there to greet me. I'd made it back.

Aunt Mary announced that it was time for the scavenger hunt and for all of us to get ready. I could have been the Captain of my team, but after everyone had witnessed my lack of skills, I was pushed back to the caboose end. Our team would be responsible for finding a Deer's head, A Deer's Horn, A Black Widow Spider, A Carrot Stick, a Broken Arrow and a Brisket. We took off in one direction while the other team headed in the other. Before leaving though, I'd hid some beers in my Easter Basket underneath that green grass stuff. As quickly as we crossed over the top of the hill, I handed them out and all was well. The first thing we found was the broken arrow which was stuck in a tree just off the beaten path. I found it so what does that mean? We continued our journey through the woods and soon came upon a deer horn, correction, deer antler and we were well on our way. We found everything but the Brisket and decided to read the note again. My Mary, not having her glasses on, announced that we were to bring back a Brisket, while in fact, should have read a Basket! Although we were looking for a Brisket, we figured we'd have had to run over to the Lumpkin's house down the road and steal it out of their fridge. The Basket made sense, since we had passed it way up the road so everyone turned around and took off to where we'd seen it earlier. Samantha, having the skills of her father, crashed and burned and rolled for about a quarter of a mile down the hill, red dirt and dust flying everywhere along the way. After we collected the BASKET, we headed back to base camp and were happy to know that we'd returned with our list of items first. More prizes awaited us and I wondered how we'd get even more into an already loaded airplane.

The Bon fire was lit a little later and soon my Aunt Tammy and Uncle Wally arrived to join us. It was very nice to see them as it had been a while. Thinking we'd all be sitting round the fire chattin', I was surprised to hear that it was time to run down into the woods one more time. The "Sisters" (My Mom, Aunt Mary, Aunt Deb, and Aunt Tammy) were all given flash lights. All the rest of us had the task of running down into the woods and then trying to get back to the house without being spotted by the Sisters. We all got down by the woods and when it was time to start, we (Mary, Samantha, and I) soon found ourselves the only ones there. All the others having country proficiency and years of experience in these woods knew the best way to go to remain undetected. I also realized how loud quiet can be. We could hear Cheetahs and Wildebeests in the woods just behind us and Samantha's eyes had grown to the size of cue balls. Mary, having sense, had left at some point, and Samantha and I stood there like two chicken legs in a lion cage, just knowing we were about to be eaten alive. I walked as quietly as I could but could hear my heart beating and realized I'd forgotten how to breathe. I figured if I didn't look back, maybe "it" would just leave me alone and go eat one of Bobby's Turkeys. We made it back and I found it necessary to drink another beer or 3. The youngens were all cooking marshmallows and Samantha and I were starting to get some color back in our faces. Not too long after, thunder was heard in the distance and everyone in unison quickly gathered up the guitars, amps, youngens, food, chairs, and spouses and made sure the not country skilled folks (Mary, Samantha, and I) were accounted for. Within an honest two minutes of putting everything away, it began to pour and lightening and thunder like I can't remember. Everyone jumped in the their cars as we exchanged quick hugs and goodbye's since we were returning to Pennsylvania the following morning. Rather than leave immediately and head back to Thomaston, we hung out for a lil bit over at Aunt Deb & Uncle David's. David and I, with beers in hand, ran down to the barn to laugh and cut up while the ladies stay inside and talked about the nuts running through the rain outside. We stayed out in the storm down yonder at the tractor for about an hour and laughed about memories on Berry Hill and how quickly the litluns grew up and all sorts of things. I had a ball. It was time to head back to Thomaston and get our gear ready for the flight back home in the morning so we said our goodbye's and headed down the road. The drive only took 15 minutes and 5 minutes later everyone had gone to sleep exhausted from the long and wonderful day on Berry Hill.

Sunday, 3/27/05 Major Thunderstorms, Loud Thunder & Lightning and Explosive Winds Present with Baseball Sized Hail In The Forecast

Mom woke us up at 5:00 am, and I remember vaguely laying there half awake thinking about getting up. Lightening must have struck just outside the window because the thunder that immediately followed no doubt worked better than any alarm clock I've ever heard. Mary helped me get down off the ceiling fan where I'd jumped to and we pretty much knew that we weren't flying anywhere anytime soon. I turned on the television and found the weather channel to confirm what we anticipated. The entire Southeast was under Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado warnings and hail was one the way. I realized that the Viking Witch (our plane) was tied up outside at the airport and remembered the Jim Shelley had given me his after-hours cell phone in case I needed to reach him. I called and left a message and then remembered that when we were out at the airport on Saturday, there was a parachuting class going on. The jump school owns two large KingAir aircraft and the hanger that stands next to the terminal. I called the operator and got their number and called. One of the Jump Masters answered and I explained the need to find a hanger quickly to put my plane in as there was hail coming in to the area. The fella I talked to (who's name I wish I could remember) got his crew and pilots together and moved the KingAir's around and made room beside them for our Cherokee. I can't express how relieved I was for their kind efforts. Samantha and I drove over to the airport and I pulled the Viking Witch into the hanger and out of the elements. While we were there, we were introduced to some of the jump instructors, the KingAir pilot, and the receptionist that had just been hired in that same week. Samantha was interested in learning to parachute and this gave the new receptionist the perfect opportunity to give us her speech on the jump school. With just a touch of assistance from the Jump Master, she finished her briefing and answered the many questions we had, including what they would do with me when I passed out in the plane before jumping out. They also offered to show Samantha a video of the school lessons and some footage of the students jumping from the aircraft. Samantha loved it and we agreed that on our next visit, Samantha would attend the jump school and learn how to parachute with them.

Later that evening, a bunch of us got together and went out for dinner at Chili's just down the road from Jennifer's house (where we were staying). It was the perfect diversion for me as Mary had noticed how stressed I had become reference the weather and the fact that we had work and school to return to. I felt much better after spending the time with family and enjoying the stories that each of us shared. Later that night, we headed back to Jennifer's and we spent time with her son Kailin playing in-door basketball and watching DVD's. Chalk up another gallon of country sweet iced tea for me.

Monday, 3/28/05 Moderate Rain, 42*F, Icing In The Clouds From 2000 feet and Higher, Wind In Excess Of 50 MPH.

Mom woke us early again this morning to give me the chance to flight plan our way home with the newly updated winds aloft. After talking to the weather folks, the previously issued icing forecast was now confirmed and the decision became crystal clear that we would remain on the ground for another day. Besides missing our 4 legged critters back home, we weren't disappointed as we were still in great company and had the whole day to look forward to. Samantha and I drove out to the airport to check on the Viking Witch. Originally, I had expected to use hanger space for only one day, so I wanted to go and move the plane back outside and give Skydive Atlanta back the area that we were using. Jim met us at the door with fresh coffee and the unsolicited offer to move the plane to another hanger he had available with no cost to myself. It turned out we didn't need to move it as the Jump folks were quite happy to leave the Viking Witch where she was. Welcome to the South and the hospitality they offer! What a class act all around.

Returning from the airport, we picked up Mary and my Mom and went out shopping. Samantha was making out on this deal because every time we went somewhere, someone was buying her more outfits and goodies. On top of that, an unexpected day out of school; what a skate! ha-ha. Aunt Mary and Aunt Deb joined Mom, Mary, Samantha, and I for lunch at Aviono's just after we all went shopping (more packing/stuffing to go in the airplane), and again Samantha got treated to more clothes when Aunt Mary whisked her away to more stores. I wasn't concerned about all the added weight to the airplane as we had plenty to spare. I was concerned however about how we'd see since we'd no doubt be filled from top to bottom in new clothes. Spoiled Youngen!

After lunch, Bobby came over to the house and picked us up to show us his place. Pulling into his driveway, we immediately noticed the view behind the house as we were able to look down into a valley at a recently added man-made lake. We toured his house, and looked at the many deer trophy's along the walls from successful hunting trips he'd been on. I've shot many a tree before, and was a marksman in the military with an M16 and 9 mil, but never have I been able to hunt successfully. Many years ago, I shot the end of a squirrels tail off but that only made it mad and it chased me all the way back to Berry Hill. I quit hunting then for fear for my own safety.

I don't know if Aunt Mary was ever told this, but Bobby had made me quit hunting with him even earlier when I accidentally shot between his legs at a squirrel that ran behind him. He wouldn't let me go anymore for his safety. We were kids and it's still scary thinking about it. Now, I just act like I know which way the bullet goes in whenever they show me their newest weapons. We finished off the afternoon listening to a fella named Rodney Carrington who's a comedian. I learned a very valuable lesson while listening. He said that the only stories he tells are the ones that his wife won't let him and now he's probably a bazillionaire. I'm gonna get my pen out and start writing more!

Tonight, Mary and my Mom cooked dinner and I stuffed myself silly. After all, I hadn't eaten in what must have been 2 hours. Samantha followed dinner with a fashion show of all her new clothes. Reality is setting in at how much we have to get into the airplane and if we'll even be able to get airborne. I searched for a calculator and scale. I finished up the evening hooking up a DVD player to the living room tv at Jennifer's house. I'm definitely surprised any of it worked after I got finished with it. She used to have a working VCR player, but I fixed that. Now, it doesn't come on even a little bit. I'm sure it's a cable or something that I had left over when I finished.

Tuesday 3/29/05 Clear Sky, 55*F, Moderate Headwinds Above

Mary woke up first this morning and expertly packed our bags before I even knew that sun was up. Women can do that you know; pack their purses with everything from extension ladders to a complete weekends change of clothing and not even stretch the material of their purse. I think purse makers have solved the mystery of black holes and contained them in purses. We had gone from a room full of bags, presents and clothes to 3 backpacks and 1 duffle bag and she never broke a sweat. If it had been me, we would have ended up having to tie stuff to the tops of the wings to get it all home.

Jennifer has to leave before we do and drop off Kailin at school before heading to the hospital where she works. I think she's a brain surgeon or something because she uses words with more than 3 syllables and I had to keep asking Mary what she meant in English. They have a little dog named Shugah, which made things funny for us the entire stay. I generally call Mary and Samantha and Carole and Geza and Mom and Tracy and Kelly and Sue and Bob and Sandy and Mike and most everyone else I know Shugah. Trying to get the attention of one by saying Hey Shugah, caused the entire room, including the real Shugah, to look my way. It reminded me of who's on first. Mary's my Shugah, but the four legged Shugah wasn't ready to share it's name without a biscuit in payment.

I loaded up the car and we headed out to the airport, this time pretty sure we'd depart enroute to Philadelphia. Jim Shelley was already there and let us drive right up to the hanger door after seeing the bags that he thought I'd have to drag across the ramp. He put on a pot of coffee for us while we waited for the Skydiving folks to arrive and open their hanger doors where the Viking Witch was parked. While we were waiting my Aunt Deb and Cousin Marcie showed up to see us off. We sat around and cut up telling stories for a few more minutes until the hanger doors came open revealing our ride home. We packed up the plane using a little Vaseline and passed out hugs and kisses before boarding for the flight for Philly. Besides headwinds and a bump here and there, we expected an easy journey back up North.

Airborne and pointing towards Raleigh-Durham, we could see my Mom, Aunt Deb, and Marcie all waving to us as we climbed to 2500 feet for the 650 miles that lay ahead. Our speed along the ground stayed right around 110 knots as the towns below us started coming to life. Steam rose off the lakes below and the highways started to fill up with folks on the way to work. I turned to tell Samantha about a Nuclear plant that we were passing and she had already fallen asleep in between the bags and flight documents that also occupied the back seat. Mary and I enjoyed the view and pointed out to each the farms and ranches passing beneath us. I gave Atlanta air traffic controllers a call on the radio and they identified us on Radar and would provide us with information on other airplanes within our flight path. It was educating to see how much open land still exists in the beautiful South. For as far as the eye could see, lay forests of trees and rolling hills. If you ever want peace and quiet, I know of a few places to return to. A little more than three hours later, we're descending in to Sanford-Lee airport, located just a few miles Southwest of Raleigh-Durham North Carolina.

We hadn't left the South yet and it was definitely obvious by the Southern hospitality that was given to us. The folks there made us feel right at home and fueled us up immediately, showed us where to get some snacks and even provided me a tour of their avionics shop, there on the field. Another treat for me was getting to see the two Russians jets that were in the Avionics hanger getting restored. They were both in good looking shape and would no doubt be fun to fly. A quick check of the weather with Leesburg Flight Service Station, and we boarded the aircraft for the final leg home. This flight would bring us over Richmond Virginia, and then up and over the Chesapeake Bay and finally into Philadelphia. It would take us 3+ hours to get there, but that was OK too, as the view from above continued to present us with the beauty 2500 feet below. Mary and Samantha switched seats this time and after I took off, Samantha flew us the majority of the way home. I'm sure before too long, I'll be the one in the back seat while Mary and Samantha take us to where we're going. I was quite impressed at how well Samantha controlled the aircraft in less than ideal conditions. We had moderate turbulence but she was able to maintain proper altitudes and headings along the way. Soon we'll start going over radio procedures and she'll be ready for the big jets.

Unlike the trip down, we weren't able to fly over the restricted areas this time so we flew between Baltimore and Putuxant steering clear of any areas that were a no no to over fly. It was nice to hear familiar voices from the air traffic controllers in Philadelphia as it indicated that we would soon be home after a long day's journey. Not long after, our destination came in to view and we prepared for landing. After landing and taxiing to park, I calculated the flight numbers and recorded our journey as 15 flying hours covering 1347 nautical miles (round trip) which averaged only 88 nautical miles per hour along the ground. In a calm wind situation, it would have taken us approximately 11 hours and 15 minutes. We're not complaining though at all, we loved the entire journey!

Thanks Mom for staying with us the extra days we were there and Thank You as well Jennifer and Kailin for providing us a fun place to stay. We musn't forget Sue, who cared for our critters while we were gone and kept them happy and their tummies full. We're looking forward to the next trip down yonder and send ya'll each great big hugs and kisses.

Mary, Samantha, and Shane
Easter 2005 on Berry Hill

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Penelope is now a Southern Girl

Hello All,  I know it's been a while since I've jotted anything down in the journal but I figured it was time to get back in to it as my buddy and I have just completed a 1488 mile journey down to Georgia and back. We did this in a Cessna 150 named Penelope. We were on a mission, and we passed with flying colors. My Buddy Mike, and his Wife Sandy, were looking to add to their boat collection and they had found one on the internet that was based in St Simons Island Georgia. The advert matched their requirements and contact was made to schedule an appointment to take the boat on a test drive and complete an inspection. Mike and Sandy already have a yacht, but this new boat would become their fishing platform and could accommodate their needs during overnight excursions.

Since buying Penelope, I'd been dreaming about flying down to Georgia to visit my relatives whom I hadn't seen in a while. Since Mike needed to go that way too, it was a perfect excuse to hop in Penelope and point her down yonder. We began planning our trip and before we knew it, it was time to go. Since Penelope is a little C150, her fuel tanks only hold 26 gallons of gas. Of that, only 22.5 gallons are actually useable so we planned 6 fuel stops (3 each way) during our cross country flight. Penelope, and myself are approved to fly in the clouds using the on board instruments, so unless there were thunderstorms or worse in our route of flight, their wouldn't be a reason to delay the trip for cloud coverage or medium intensity rains.

The night before the flight Mike and Sandy came over and we all sat down and discussed the details of the flight. We went over routings, possible divert scenarios, current and forecasted weather, and general what if scenarios. They had both been flying with me before, but never this far so I wanted to cover the bases so there would be less chance of surprises during the flight. Having completed the pre-flight briefing, it was time to get some shut eye to rest up for our adventure.

Mike showed up the next morning at 5:00 and was ready to roll. I had been watching the weather and would need to file an IFR flight plan to get airborne and enroute from Wings Field in Blue Bell Pennsylvania. Flying IFR is basically a request to fly into the clouds without visual reference to the outside world. This IFR flight plan is required in order to establish a route of flight that will be known both by the pilot and the air traffic controller. Since the pilot cannot see outside the aircraft due to flying in clouds, the air traffic controller is completely responsible for keeping other aircraft away from him/her, and also to ensure that both parties concerned have agreed upon the routing the aircraft will take. Again, surprises in aviation are not generally fun, so we filed our IFR and received our clearance and route of flight from Philadelphia.

After checking out the aircraft we got airborne at 7:00 am EST, IFR enroute to Dinwiddie County Virginia. Dinwiddie wasn't our original first refueling stop, but due to a strong headwind we needed to select a closer airport than we had originally planned. Within 1 minute after getting airborne, we entered the clouds and were "in the soup". Because of other traffic in the area, our initial routing headed West for about 20 miles before turning back to the south. We flew in the clouds for about an hour into the journey until the Washington Center climbed us up to 6000 due to another airplane crossing our path. We broke out of the clouds about 4200 feet with another layer just above us.  

Backing up just a few weeks, Mary and I had taken a trip to England to celebrate her Dad's 80th Birthday. At Heathrow airport I had bought a pair of boxer shorts that had the UK flag on them. I hadn't even opened them until this morning and now I was wearin' 'em. Anyway, shortly after departure (it never fails), I had to, uhm, take a leek bad! I held it for a while and then decided I'd have to either land, or pee in the bottle that I'd brought along for such an airborne emergency. I told Mike he'd have to fly as I had to aim. We were still in the clouds and I gave Mike a quick lesson on what instruments he'd be using to keep us upright. Of course I was still there if he had difficulty in doing so. Anyway, I began to, well, uhm, aim and fire. That's when I noticed that a 12 pound (UK Money) price tag was stuck right on my you know what. I started laughing but somehow managed to keep an eye on the target, never missing. That's when I noticed the artificial horizon begin to roll to the left. Mike did a great job flying on instruments

and Penelope was easily rolled back level. At any rate, I was empty and felt MUCH better. Mike and I discussed spatial disorientation for a little bit as we continued Southbound.

Three hours and 30 minutes later it was time to begin our descent into Dinwiddie airport, which is just to the South of Richmond Virginia. I flew a VOR approach in to Dinwiddie and broke out below the clouds right around 1000 feet (above ground) and we landed to refuel. Mike thought that was the neatest thing as he had not experienced IFR flight before in a small airplane, much less from the cockpit. Dinwiddie is a big airport with very little going on. We were only there for 20 minutes, but the weather was improving rapidly as the winds were from the South and pushing all the weather back up towards Pennsylvania. By the way, on this first leg, Penelope averaged 63 knots along the ground just to let you know what kind of head wind we were fighting. The ride however, was absolutely glass smooth with no bumps or rocks. Very Nice! 

We departed Dinwiddie VFR and flew towards Goose Creek North Carolina at 1000' above the ground. Unlike IFR flight, VFR flight allows the pilot to fly almost anywhere they want to at altitudes below 17,500 feet. There are exceptions of course to where one can fly, but for simplicity, VFR flight is when the pilot is able to see outside the airplane and navigate using ground references. Under VFR flight, a pilot cannot intentionally fly into clouds which would require an IFR clearance. Again, IFR and VFR is more complex than this, but for the purpose within this journal, we'll keep it simple.

Our ground speed improved a little and was now 75 knots. We flew over some really pretty countryside that included huge lakes and reservoir's with huge mansions along the shoreline. We landed VFR at Goose Creek and the fella there (a young 30 year old, ex DC-8 pilot) refueled us and

volunteered to drive us in to town for lunch. "You drive, I'll buy" I told him and away we went. During lunch, we learned that he had been flying since age 16 and flew for 5 years for a cargo company operating in South America. The maintenance history and age of the aircraft got to bothering him and he elected to get out of the cargo business. Two weeks later, a DC8 (that he normally flew) crashed on departure at Miami killing all aboard. "

Goose Creek is a neat little airport. The runway is narrow and could be considered short in some circles. It's about 2500 feet long. Lunch was great, and now that Penelope was full (of gas) and we were full of Subs, we took off and headed towards our overnight destination, Thomaston Georgia's Upson County Airport. 

The journey to Upson County was uneventful for the most part until the last 30 miles. The ride remained very smooth and Penelope, Mike and I continued our double digit shuffle South bound. Thirty miles from Upson County Airport, low level clouds, heavy rain and a lightning began to show up on the horizon. Atlanta approach had just been struck by lightning and the sector that we were flying in didn't have radio's. We were VFR and pretty much on our own as no one else could hear my radio transmissions, apparently. We circumnavigated the heavier rain's and trucked right through the light to medium, still maintaining VFR flight. Lightning flashed about 10 miles to our East, never closer. Upson County soon came in to view and we were glad. It was very hot and humid down on the deck at a 1000 feet where we were flying. We'd worked for that beer that we were looking forward to upon landing. "..

During the flight, Mike had been watching the map and keeping us updated as to what lay ahead. Railroad tracks and power lines, airports, and highways came into view just about the time he predicted each one of them. In less than 700 miles, Mike had become an expert at reading navigational charts. He's obviously fluent with charts used for sea navigation so it was a smooth transition to the charts that are used for flight. He was then known as the Map Master for the rest of the ride. Although the boat that we were going to look at was still 200 miles away, we had planned on staying in Thomaston Georgia with my relatives for the night.

Shortly after landing at Upson County, one of my Aunt's (Aunt Deb, hey Shugah) arrived and wanted to see Penelope. I asked her if she'd like to go for a spin and with a big grin she said REALLY?! I said sure and her and I jumped in for a quick spin.

Just prior to departure my Aunt Mary and Uncle Ken showed up and watched us taxi out. We took off and flew about 5 miles West to circle her house and the area that I had played at as a child. I had wanted to overfly this area for so long and I was now doing it. So many memories flew through my mind as we banked around their home. Aunt Deb hadn't stopped squealing the whole ride. Well once she did when I asked her if she wanted to "drive". I thought she was going to faint, hehe. We flew for about 10 minutes and headed back into Upson County. After refueling Penelope and securing her for the night, we headed off to eat Southern-Fried Catfish.

On the journey down, I had told Mike, whom had never been down South, that we'd be having fried chicken lips and BBQ'd pigs feet. He had already prepared to eat ice chips until returning home. I told him if he didn't like any of that, I could probably get him a bowl of grits if he wanted. He asked for more ice.

Dinner was no doubt delicious and we were joined by my Uncle David, three of my cousins Stacey, Jennifer, and Marcie, and Marcie's daughter Laurie. After dinner we all headed back to Aunt Mary & Uncle Ken's house. The fella's stopped by to get that beer I was telling your about. We sat around laughing and cutting up past dark. We Southerner's were teaching Mike Southern expressions and a proper accent. He's working on it.

The next morning, we departed out of Upson County IFR with a 300 foot ceiling with no precip. Again, we had to file an IFR flight plan because of the clouds we'd have to fly through enroute. We broke out on top of the clouds as we climbed through 2200 feet and it was a glorious morning. The clouds were so thick, we didn't have much heads up that we were reaching the top of the cell, we just all the sudden broke out. It was beautiful up top as there were no clouds above us and the sun shone brightly. East bound now, our ground speed picked up to 101 knots and we were on the way. Destination, St Simons Island along the Georgia coast.

Two hours later as we reached St Simons and we knew we were at a vacation spot. Beautiful Beaches, lot's of huge hotels, flip flops & bikini's along the shore. The airport is huge with a 100 foot control tower adjacent to the terminals. The tower hadn't been in use for 25 years, but at first, I thought I had came in without talking to them (not knowing it wasn't in use). The line folks were great. We were being refueled even before I was out of the airplane. Steven, who was the owner of the boat we'd come to see met us there and drove us to his boat, this thing is GORGEOUS. I figured Mike had already made up his mind to buy it when he saw it, but I kept my non-knowing-nothing-about-a-boat mouth closed. We took it out into the ocean and then up the intercoastal waterway for about 1.5 hours. That boat flew, 42 knots through the water! I even got to pet a wild dolphin! Honest Abe. We stopped out in the bay where the dolphins have gotten used to being fed by fisherman on the way back in. The fella driving the boat splashed his hand in the water and a huge dolphin just emerged. I nearly shat a wildcat when he came up in front of me. I didn't know what I was about to see and when it surfaced, all I saw was jaws! Mike and Steven negotiated and we headed back to the airport with Mike now owning a beautiful huge new boat. I'd tell you what it was called if I had a clue. Trust me, it's big and fast and purrrrrrrrrrrty.

We left St Simons Island about 1:30 pm and headed North just off shore toward Elizabethtown NC. The leg was 250 NM but traveling now at a ground speed of 114 knots, we were moving right along. We climbed on top of a scattered layer of clouds and leveled at 3500. I wanted that extra altitude in case I had to glide back towards land. The air traffic control center called out traffic 12 o'clock opposite direction fast moving at 2500 feet. Searching and searching and we still didn't see it, just a few seconds later Mike calls a visual on a humongous C17 that screamed by underneath us, and the scattered layer of clouds. Penelope must have looked like a bug to those pilots. Continuing on, we passed Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, and several other nice areas along the way. We landed up in Elizabethtown and enjoyed a quick walk around and stretch. Again, the line crew were awesome!

Leaving Elizabethtown and now heading for Crisfield Maryland. We climbed up to 2500 and had to weave our way around storms heading north. Believe it or not, and I have it on video, our ground speed was now 122 knots (140 mph) and we were cruisin'! Lightning off both sides kept our interest although it was atleast 5 miles away. We went through several rain showers and Penelope never missed a beat. We made it up to Crisfield in record time but noticed that the airport was completely vacated. Steven King Vacant! That's when we noticed why. Pranced in the center of it's web was a spider that could easily, cover the top of a soda can - and that was her body alone. She was honestly 3 inches long and at least 2 inches wide. She must have eaten the town. We didn't notice her at first and as I was using the service phone to get a hold of the airport manager, Maxwell McCreedy, I saw her out of the corner of my eye. I almost gave birth to a Puma. Mike ran over, told me get down off the top of the aircraft hanger (where I was hiding from it) and got his camera's and videoed this heifer to provide proof as to just how large she was. Maxwell told us that just days before this beast had invited her male spider friend over. The two must have gotten in an argument cause she ate him up like a chicken wing. Max made it over to the airport within minutes began filling up Penelope with fuel. Afterwards, he asked if we'd like to go in to town for a crab cake. OK, he advised us that we'd have to go as he didn't want us leaving without tasting the local crabcakes. We did and they were excellent. If you find yourself near Crisfield, definitely stop by for the best crab cakes you'll probably ever eat.

All those storms that we passed enroute to Crisfield caught up with us as we were sitting in the restaurant. The lightning that stretches out like a spider lit up the entire (now dark) night sky. We finished our dinner and headed back to the airport. I checked the radar and although there were no low layers, I filed IFR in case I inadvertently ran into a thick rain shower and lost visual contact with the ground. Anyway, we got airborne just as the night lit up again and we were on our way. Still, the ride remained smooth as glass. We leveled out at 2000 feet, but for only a moment and then up to 3000' to cross the Delaware Bay.

Patuxant had also been hit by lighting and were just getting back on line so the frequency was quite busy with other aircraft checking in to talk to the controllers. It was such a great feeling of accomplishment when we were sent over to Philly Approach because we had been in the air for over 1400 miles at this point and ready to get home.

Philly has weather radar and reported clear skies ahead of us and we were almost home. They took us over the top of the Veteran stadium at 2000' and we touched down just about 10:40 pm. All in all, just about 1488 miles traveled in 18 hours of flying. 

I'd do it again today! 

The link below was our refueling stops. The route was direct when able, except for our initial departure routing that initially headed West for a bit. Still the ride was GREAT. 

Happy Flying to ya'll, and congratulations to Mike and Sandy for their newest addition to their fleet. 

http://www.airnav.com/cgi-bin/fuelroute/1/LOM-ptb-28a-opn-ssi-eyf-w41-lom

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Bye Bye Ms. Otislipps

Hi Everyone,

Just sittin here thinking I should be adding to the journal.  As some of you already know, we've had reduction in numbers on the farm and I thought that I should get out the pen and dust off the paper and do a little writing.  Only trouble that I'm having is where to begin, as there are so many things to say and some of ya'll have to go to work this week.

I guess I should just write what comes out, so "make it click", lock the doors, and let's go....

This past Thursday was a sad day here at home.  I woke up at the usual 4:45 to get ready for work, ok ok, 3 snoozes later, I got up at 5:12 in a mad rush to shower & shave and be on the way by 5:45 for the 1/2 hour journey to work.  I worked out a system where I can go from a deep sleep, to a showered and shaved half asleep computer consultant on the road in 22 minutes - with coffee in hand.  The book will be out this summer.  That's not the sad part...

I did the usual, wind sprinted to the shower with toothbrush in one hand and razor in the other.  I figure I'll slow it down a bit when I start shaving off my eye brows and using Mary's conditioner for toothpaste.  So far though, only a few rolls of tissue have left the house as bandages on my razor cut grape. I jumped out of the shower into my slacks (part of the secret of the 22 minute stop-to-start preparation) with the hair dryer blowing at an approximate 317 mph's. If I point it just right, I can cause my lips to open far enough to swallow the front on my face.  It's a really cool party trick, but at times, can be quite painful trying to remove my head from my mouth.  I hurriedly finished getting ready and left the bathroom enroute to the kitchen to grab the java and hit the road.  Here's where our sad day began....

Otis has her own bed, one in which none of the others dogs will even look at.  They are terrified of her as I have mentioned in the past.  Otis doesn't sleep but one other place, and thats on top of the laundry that she bowls over to make a throne. This morning was different.  As I left the bathroom and turned towards the door, there she lay in the archway leading into the hallway.  I honestly stopped right there, 10 feet away, and knew what I would soon verify. I called to Mary and said something is wrong.  I was actually afraid to go up to Otis because I knew already what I would find.  Mary got up and knew as well without me saying a word. We walked up to her and sat down beside her.  Neither of us could speak, nor do I think there was much we could say anyway.  Really there are good things about this, like the fact that she is no longer in pain, she no longer itches, she no longer hurts from her tummy disagreeing with anything that is put into it.  Right now, still, though I want her back, as does Mary.  We only asked that when it did happen, that she was not scared.

I picked her up and lay her back into her bed as I thought this would make her feel better.  Irrational yes, but I didn't really know what to do.  Mary put a blanket on her to keep her warm.  It was even sadder when we saw that Mo had realized what had taken place.  Mo, who is one that never comes to Otis, walked up with a toy as if to offer it, "Otis, come play with me".  It's the innocence that only a situation like this can present.  Boomer on the other had was calculating the increased portion size of his meal as now a large can would be shared between only himself and Mo.  I guess the numerous bites that Otis had delivered to him had hardened him.

The sun doesn't rise for an hour and Mary and I have decided that she will rest in the garden at the edge of our property.   I want to stay home, but Mary insists that she'll be alright.  I have a weeks worth of work to do, as one of the folks in my office is out on vacation and the increased workload has steadily built into the In Basket.  I shall come home early and together Mary and I will say bye to Otis together.  Mary is dressed now and in the kitchen, Boomer is waiting for dinner time to see if his calculations are correct and Mo still sits in the hallway at the bedroom door that we have closed where Otis lay.  Helga has spent the night outside stirring up trouble somewhere.

I go to work and Mary and I spend much of the morning on the phone or Instant Messenger.  Neither of us have actually accepted that our Otis has gone.  It just doesn't seem real.  I still remember like it was yesterday when I came in to work (Mary was working air traffic control) and interrupted Mary's traffic flow to show her the Pot Bellied Pig look-a-like that we would call Otis-Lipps Watts.  From day one we knew this would be a little different.  She lay behind the couch and growled for hours.  Soon, she learned that she could lie on 7th stair leading to upstairs and successfully block Major (our German Shepherd we had) from either going up or down, depending on where he was when she made the climb.  I can't prove it, but I'd be willing to bet that, that was a grin I saw on her face as Major looked at us wondering how in hootin' holler he was gonna "do this".  He (Major) didn't like stairs to begin with so jumping over her was completely out of the question.  Besides, if she raised her head to bite him while airborne, she may actually bite parts that would end his singing career as a Bass. No, this was definitely out of the question.   Thinking about it, Major was quite smart; anyone who has been around Otis for more than a week  is very lucky if they didn't get bit too.  Otis's hearing went first, but the worst part is when she started having trouble with her seeing.  Because of her many health problems that she'd had since birth, we were constantly feeding her treats that contained medicine's, steroids, or antibiotics.  Yes (in case you're wondering) we paid for the East Wing and the Yacht that our Vets now have.  Anyway, in feeding these meds to Otis, she has successfully bitten each one of us approximately 1635 times each.  Her little toothlets were extremely sharp.  I do think they could have had Otis straddle a jack hammer and she could have gnawed her way into and through anything.  Those that have been bitten will agree.

I got home just after lunch and Mary had found a place in the garden where the sun seems to rise; this is where Otis would rest.  We wrap her in a blanket, placed her in a little box and Mary placed a Teddy Bear between her arms and we wrote a card to her saying good-bye.  We'll be planting something there as well and I have a feeling that whatever it is, will grow to be a beautiful addition to this place we call home.

Boomer is still inside trying to stare through the cabinet doors as he knows that soon he will get to test his mathematical skills.   Mo is with us, he sits just 10 feet away watching.  Helga has slept most of the day and is cleaning her face as she has a hot date tonight with some Tomcat up the road.

It's Sunday now,  and here I sit typing away.  Looking around here still seems different. Please don't misunderstand, we still have the zoo. Lemme' explain... When Samantha, Janie, and Alyssa were here, I built two tree swings in the back yard.  They are long ropes with round seats on them. Simple enough...but I thought I had to use them to prove my carpentry skills.  I spent a thousand dollars to build a $40.00 workbench and two $5.00 swings so I must be pacing myself.  Honest Mary, I'm gonna build that wrap-around porch real soon; I'll start tomorrow.  Anyway, Mo loves to try and bite the swings so I've had to slide the seat up higher on the rope and just leave the knot hanging below by itself.  Right now Mo is suspended in air holding on the the rope with his teeth. There he is just swingin', I think he's lost it.  Boomer is telling Mary some sob story about not getting any treats cause he donated his share to the dogs next door.   First of all, Bob & Sue (our good neighbors) only have one small dog and Boomer wouldn't donate any food for any reason.  Secondly, Boomer didn't give it to Mo cause Mo is still outside, uh, swingin'.  Helga don't do dog treats, and Mary and I have cut back. 

She'll (Mary) give in though, remember this is the one that cooks them breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner.  Remember family hour, oh yeah, that continues.  I'm off tomorrow for the holiday so I'll get to take part in the sit-n-chat session that I've heard so much about. That's about it really.  I do have another journal entry that is written about our New Years celebration.  I know this is kinda out of sync, but I wanted to send this one tonight as it is important to us.   I will tell you that that if you ever take your loved one to a party and at that party you meet an airline pilot. Don't let your wife or husband try to make you look good by telling this airline pilot that you, too, fly for the airlines....only later to say that it is on the computer!!!!!  

Ok Ok, I'm outa here.
Take care and we hope to hear from you too, I have to go get Mo out of the tree.

Ciao for now...

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Happy Millennium!

Hi Again,  We went to a New Years Party last night and guess what!!! The journal has found it's way to my desk.

Today, the first day of the new millennium (some say Jan 01, 2001 but for the sake of arguing, humor me and let's go) and brought back some memories, not only of last night but of the last decade in the lives of the Watts, Mary & Shane, and the farm we have.

I'll jot a few notes down on last night first, and then kinda go backwards.  This is not a bad idea actually as most of you know my memory is, uhm, I forgot where I was going with this, oh Mary's Emory board is in her purse. What? Uhm, ok, let me reread this and we'll start again from page one.

Last night we arrived at Carole & Geza's about half past Seven.  Geza was sick and contemplated even going.  I would have none of this though, could you imagine me, on my own, to baby-sit Carole and Mary.  Most of you haven't seen these two in action.  It'll take your breath away actually, ok ok, that's probably from getting trampled as people run in all directions, but still the same, it's a site that happens only once in a long while.

The girls look great, naturally, and Geza and I have been told already that there will be no Bermuda shorts and flip flops as we had planned the day before.  Instead, I'm dressed like the dude on page 32 of the recent Penny's catalog and Geza is sporting a turtleneck underneath a Cardigan sweater that would make Sean Connery envious.  Mark (Carole & Geza's Youngen, aged 10) has plans that he wouldn't tell us about, but says he needs to be able to get dirty.  In fear of the worst, Carole has allowed him to wear jeans & a sweatshirt.

We arrive at the large house on Maple. WOW, this house is only the size of the Georgia Dome, and sat there in the back, on top of the tennis courts, stands a tent that is equal in size to one of the German Oktoberfest Beer Tents.  This may be good or bad thing, more people to hide behind in case my babysitting skills fail, but also more running people should they fail really bad.  Oh lookie there, a karaoke setup, how fun.  We walked in to the tent, and immediately started shaking hands and meeting people that none of us knew, but we thought we did by the warm reception that we got. For simplicity, and because I haven't a clue, everyone in the tent besides the 5 of us  were named, Anna or Rodney.  The music was loud enough that we could smile and say " Hi Sgheewlis, Nice to see you again", and no one would know the difference.  This numbers thing may just work out.

Did someone say "Open Bar", I ran, oops, meandered leisurely over to see what may be in "that" locale of the tent. After all, I wanted to get the girls a wine and Geza and I had to take a peep at the large bottles labled Scotch, Bourbon, Tequilia, & Boonesfarm. By the way, did you know if you pack it right, you can squeeze a half  quart of crab dip into the cup of an upside down mushroom. Honest you can.  Anyway, I, I mean, we, as in Geza and Geza, didn't want to look under the cupboard for glasses, so we had to settle for 20 ounce huggers to mix our small drinks in.  "Hey Geza, wanna sip of scotch, how bout a liter".  Geza remains glassy-eyed one week later.  I settle for a small jug of Bourbon & Coke, and the girls are given  red wines, four of them.  Disregard, there are still only two, I think the crab dip has been spiked.  We continue to meet people there, some I think we have met a few times already, but still everyone is very nice and Anna and Rodney say hello.

People are yelling!!!!! Oh my gawd, what's goin on? Geza have you seen the girls? Should we hide now or check it out?  Gimme one of those crab legs and lets run.....  Oh Oh, I see now,  Fireworks are lighting up the nights sky in London and folks are gathered on the west wing of the tent watching the telly and all the celebrations of the UK, as it is launched into a new day.  Oh no, now what have I done and here comes Rodney.

"Hi, uh, I can't shake hands right now Sgheewlis, my pinky finger is stuck inside of this crabs leg.  How did it happen?  It's kinda funny really, uhm, ok you're right, never mind".  Geza, was that Rodney the mayor, and can you hand me the bottle opener there at the bar."

One of the fun things about going to a party where you know no one, is trying to figure out what these people do for a living. For example, take that lady there, yeah the one with no teeth.  I figured she would end up being a professional fisherman, but in fact, she has a seat in the local government.  I think I've seen her on tv before now that I think about, something about hygeine in schools.  Apparently her teeth came out while eating pate' and I'm not sure she knows it yet; Geza had made her a small drink.  And this fella, the short, uh, jovial one. Certainly, he's a bread maker.  Darn, wrong again.  He's the swimming coach in town.  And who's this guy over there holding two hands up in tandem, appearing to tell one of the "There I Was" flying stories. This could be cool. I've successfully removed the crabs limb from my finger and the bleeding is sure to stop soon.  Sure enough, he drives planes for a living.   I kinda mosey up to his general location and act as if I'm studying the naval knot that is holding approximately 1000 balloons just 10 short feet above.  I contemplate giving it a little tug, but we both know what would happen and I ain't going there.

At precisely this same moment, I hear what really made me nervous.  An English voice it was, "Oh how nice, my husband too flies for the airlines, he's off this weekend as it is the millennium celebration". Oh My Gawd,  I seriously think about faking a illness, but Mary has one hand wrapped tightly round my wrist and the other pointing directly at me.  "Uh hello, my name is Jose Hemanez".  He introduces himself and we talk about his current bid flying DC9's and the fact that this a great plane.  A plane that has managed to avoid all the fancy smanshy computers and requires true stick and rudder skills. "What do you drive", he asks.  Just as I am preparing an answer that will allow many loopholes to squeeze through, Mary blurts out, "747's for Noble Air".  I nearly pass out.  Things are getting fuzzy and I feel the warmth emit from my head as my face turns to the shade of Webster's College Dictionary. You remember that one too huh, the big red book.  "WOW, what an assignment".  I try to explain but nothing will come out of my mouth, I have no air in my body; I've forgotten how to breathe.  A small crowd has gathered around us to hear some of the tales of a job that both mystifies and scares over 90 % of the worlds populations.  "Well, er,  uhm, hehe, I recently returned from a trip to Australia."..

I must tell you now that this statement was partially true, kinda.  Noble Air is an airline that is known worldwide.....but.....by only a few people that happen to live.....worldwide.  In order to practice my instrument flying procedures, I have joined a (very small letters) computer virtual airline (normal letters) http://home.att.net/~dfwhub/ (I'm there in the roster, hehe) .  I had in fact just flew a hop from LAX to Sydney Australia without ever leaving the comfort of my desk chair and filed a report to prove it.  Mary had forgotten to mention this one small fact and now I was left to work my way out of becoming the village idiot. Be Nice, hehehe.  I start by saying that I learned to fly in Vegas and now do most of my private flying around the Philly - New York City area.  This is kind of a small region to fire up a big 747 so I kind of mumble that the airline flying I do is only a simulation for instrument proficiency.  Either everyone around has missed that small confession or they are in awe of brushing shoulders with a Noble Air 747 Captain.  I notice Carole over in the corner picking herself up off the floor from laughing so hard.  Again, good thing there are large numbers of people as none of them have heard her uncontrollable cackling. "Excuse my, I must find the loo" as I step away I hear a voice from behind "Step aside, a 747 Captain has to P".  It's only a few minutes after 7:00 pm and I have still, at least, 5 hours to deal with.......hehehe

Dinner is served....Geza and I have worked our way through the MadDog 20/20 and have opened a freshly fermented bottle of  tangerine flavored ripple.  Just then a small army of men come marching in with tall white hats in the shape of a South Georgia dinner roll.  The serving tables quickly fill with roasts, fish, numerous vegetables, salads, and some things that I've not seen before.  We shuffle over to the girls and patiently wait our turn.  Dinner is outstanding and although I mistakenly ate the plate furniture (parsley), all went over without a hitch.  Every hour, on the hour, we celebrate the new millennium with the peoples of lands East of our own.  The numbers of "Toasts & Cheers" coupled with 20 ounce huggers has allowed most people to forget that 2 airline drivers are among the attending public; one of which commands 747's.

Its freezing outside!  Some lady on tv has just proudly told a local reporter that it's so cold every time she opens her mouth her teeth freeze.  This brings two things immediately to mind. First off, I feel sad for the toothless woman that I met earlier this evening because she doesn't know what she's missing, and second, why is it that the person always selected to speak on camera happens to be the worst possible candidate as ambassador for your community. Its quite comical really.

The midnight hour approaches...In preparation for the New Years Toast, Geza and I have been practicing our "Prost-ing" skills.  ok ok, so we've been practicing since 7 but we haven't quite got it right yet.  Mary has kindly placed a party hat upon my head and bless her heart, when she pulled down the elastic band to go under my chin, it, uh, slipped and popped the underside of my nose - just the little bridge between my two frozen nostrils.  I think I've just wet myself and both eyes have shot skyward; the sting slowly but shockingly travels all over my body.  Certainly this has caused brain damage and permanent scarring. Who's that cackling? Where's the loo?

Only 11 minutes remain in the 20th century and Mary and I are both having to "go" in a bad way.  We both duck walk into the house and discover that others too are hopping up and down in queue at the large white door that each one of us want so much to be on the other side of.  The lady at the front has started doing the "Charleston" as it appears that she's on her final leg. Mary thinks its funny that I've started dusting furniture, which is something that I do when its about to "buss loose".  The others in line find nothing amusing about it cause in order to laugh, other muscles must relax and no one wants to relax nothing....7 minutes remain....

Being the considerate husband, I let Mary go first.  This has nothing to do with the fact that I'm straddling the banister and can't move at this particular minute.  Mary, thinking, that I'm just outside the door strikes up a conversation from the other side...Actually the bread maker is now at the door and finds it very welcoming that Mary has said he has a cute behind when he's dusting the furniture!?!  Finally I get my turn and can't help but sing America the Beautiful and freedom rains.

Two minutes to go and we make it back.  As everyone gathers toward the tv end of the tent, champagne bottles are passed around and glasses are filled, spilled, and filled again.  Someone hasn't synchronized their watch as we hear fire crackers in the distance from some overly anxious celebrator.  10...9..8 Geza sneeks in a sip..7..6..I catch up...5..4..3..Geza refills our glasses..2...1..YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY HAPPY NEW YEAR. Every one rushes outside to see the night sky light up with mini explosions from all directions.  Whistlers whistle, Roman Candles  launch their glowing comets, and bottle rockets rocket round our heads  like Bagdad only 9 shorts years before...Mark streaks by in only his boxers...sparklers ...WHAT...there he goes, then another, and atleast 10 more youngens are sprinting down Maple avenue in nothing but  boxers.....12 mothers hide their faces, 12 fathers swell with pride, and 12 boys decide that this is kind of cold out here and streak back inside to the warmth of their jeans and sweats and a roaring fire.

We hang around outside for approximately 10 minutes and slowly people start heading back into the warm tent that sports 4 massive heaters, one in each corner.  Their teeth must be frozen or something, all except for one of us...I suppose we stay for one more hour to welcome the mountain time zone into the millennium.  We bid our farewells and go inside to locate our coats, gloves, scarves, ski masks, parka's, shaws', moon boots, etc....  the cackling begins...

Mary and I walk out to locate our ride and Geza and Mark are soon to follow but Carole is all the sudden no where in sight.  We wait for a couple of more minutes and finally Carole is viewed exiting through the front door.  She must have spent a little extra time putting on that big coat.  Anyway, we all jump in and away we go, Meadowlane is our destination just 3 miles away.  the cackling continues.....

We say goodnight to the driver and inside we head, as it is Carole and Geza's house that we have arrived at.  It must have taken us 10 minutes to remove all the winter gear that we had bundled up into as the temperatures felt like they were in the upper negatives.  Carole is still chuckling and it is only now that we realize what is going on.  From her inside coat pocket, a 10 pound  Roast of Beef is pulled and shown off to us as we stand their not believing what we have just witnessed.  Carole has  successfully packed a 10 pound roast into a 2 pound pocket and  we now understand what the laughter has all been about.  One of the chefs at the party knew Carole and Geza and offered the beef to them as he knew that we had enjoyed it.  Carole, not wanting to start a massive rush towards the kitched had cleverly hammered it into her coat in order to exit without being "caught in the act".  The laughing was Carole trying to figure out how she would remove it when we got home.

As you can see, we had a memorable night in the small town of Doylestown Pennsylvania.  I truly hope that your celebration was at least half as enjoyable as was ours.  Take care of yourself's and do something today that will make you smile.

Good Night and Happy New Year

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