New Orleans, LA (USA)

Woke up early at my hotel (Crowne Plaza on Canal Street) - I'd hoped to sleep later because our departure was at 1300.  Oh well... Ate breakfast at a Krystal's I saw last night and explored on Canal Street. Not much happening, but got bothered by lots of people wanting me to buy things... Did a bit of reading before meeting up with the other guys around 1100.  We checked out of the hotel and then left the center of New Orleans.  We made one stop at Salvo's Restaurant - an old favorite from my NAS Meridian days - and I bought po-boys for Nicky.  After returning to Belle Chase, we got airborne on time and had a good flight (lots of cloud cover) back to Fort Worth. Landed before 1500 and went straight home. Unfortunately, I've got a cold coming on...

Manta (Ecuador)

Had a chance to visit Ecuador today - first time! Flew (with Greg S.) from Fort Worth to a place called Manta, a coastal city in the north of the country.  It was a six hour flight but we had good weather and saw lots of the Yucatan and Panama. Didn't get to stay on the ground too long, but I had time to scout out some opportunities for the next visit. The difficult thing about Ecuador is that they don't have a good radar for flight following - this means you are mostly on your own! Still, made it out of there OK before the sun set. The return flight was pretty dull (clouds had rolled in) except for the beautiful night view of Cancun and Cozumel.  We arrived in New Orleans (Belle Chase) at around 2130L. Had some trouble getting the aircraft "put to bed" but eventually drove to our hotel, the Crowne Plaza located on Canal Street (in the French Quarter). It has been nearly 10 years since the last time I was here - and even longer since I walked down Bourbon Street. It has really changed and not for the better, unfortunately. I walked most of the street and only recognized a few places from the mid-1990s - I guess the rest closed up... Still found a place that made a good Hurricane... Went to bed relatively early - exhausted.

Grapevine, TX (USA)

Nicky had some things to do today, so the girls and I went exploring around Fort Worth. We started the afternoon off with a visit to Cabela's - one of the most interesting stores around here. The kids always like seeing the life-size animals and playing in the shooting gallery. We then drove over to Grapevine, where a co-worker told me there was a really interesting hotel called the Gaylord Texan. He was right - it was a great visit. Inside the hotel, there is lots of interactive scenery that reminds you of the Texas countryside: canyons, a Spanish mission, oil rig and ranch windmill. To top it all off, Santa was there with live reindeer and there was a gingerbread house and huge train display. We had fun walking around, but it was very crowded. I guess that was mostly due to the National Championship Cheerleading competition that was being held in the hotel... We watched some of that - the kids enjoyed that part - and then checked out some of the other things to do: fancy, dress-up dinners and world-renowned ice sculptures. We didn't have time to wait in the huge line to see everything - we'll have to go back! Later, we drove by the Great Wolf Lodge (it was across the street) and saw that they have an outdoor waterpark in addition to the indoor one - we'll definitely have to go back (see DEC 2007)... Topped the day off with dinner at Pulidos #1 (Mexican Restaurant - see JUL 2008) - everyone enjoyed themselves. What a fun day!!

Willow Grove, PA (USA)

After a restful sleep at the Delta St. John's Hotel and Conference Centre, I met up with the crew for an early start this morning.  When we reached Torbay (Esso Woodward Aviation), we were glad that we had put the plane in the hangar last night (temps were below freezing with ice all over the ramp). After a lot of logistics to get the aircraft ready, we departed for Willow Grove, PA. Along the way, we got some awesome views of Nova Scotia and could see all of Cape Cod and the Boston Area. It was a beautiful day for flying! Ended up getting descended really early (before coastline of New Jersey) but this allowed us to fly very close to Lakehurst - we saw the blimp hangar!. Also saw the Philly skyline - cool. Passed a formation of A-10s - were they going to the Army-Navy game? On the ground at Willow Grove for a short time and, in the meantime, I surrendered the flight controls to the other guys.  This meant I was in the back for the last flight. No matter - I read and rested.  We arrived in Fort Worth with great weather at around 1630. Nicky was waiting to pick me up, but I had to help the guys get airborne again (they were having problems with air traffic control). Eventually made it home to see the kids - whew!

St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador (Canada)

Day started early - it was time to go home.  After checking out of the NAS Sigonella Navy Gateway Inn, I headed to the flight line.  Despite being early, we didn't get going for several more hours. I got to fly with some guys I met a few months ago - lucky me! Trip over to Rota was great - views of Etna (snow), Ibiza and lots of Spanish Coast (Valencia). After a quick stop, on our way to the Azores. Landed in the late afternoon - not too windy, but we had JUST missed a huge thunderstorm (wet runway...). Got airborne again after a short delay - started to get dark soon after. Not too many problems during the flight to St. John's, Newfoundland.  It was supposed to be a fuel stop but we had to quit for the day when we arrived because the crew had reached crew rest limits.  After several more hours of moving the plane around and arranging transportation & lodging, I finally made it to my room at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre. It has been so long since I got to spend the night here and I always enjoy it! The weather was cold, rainy and windy - around freezing - but Keith and I walked around to see what had changed (nothing had...). Wanted to eat at my favorite "Press and Bean" restaurant, but there was a 1.5 hour wait for a table - ended up eating at a nearby Irish Pub. Back at the room around 2200 (very tired with time zone changes) - fell right to sleep...

Caltagirone, Sicily (Italy)

At work early again - although I was mostly done with my job yesterday... Had time to meet up with another guy who works with me ("virtually") - we had a good talk and will be able to keep in touch in the future. Did a little shopping before meeting up with Steve and Keith around 1300. Did some more shopping with the help of a wine expert named Pippo. Took the car over towards Caltagirone - with a detour towards Piazza Armerina. Took a VERY hilly road to drive up there - but had trouble finding the mosaics... Got to the Villa de Casale about 10 minutes after it closed (too bad...). Took a better road back towards Caltagirone - parked near the ceramic stairs. Steve had never been there - and the timing was good (Christmas festivities). Saw tons of kids who ran up the (approximately) 141 steps. Did some shopping and went in to see a huge Nativity Scene ("the largest in Italy"). Left for Sigonella around 1830. Decided to have dinner at "Il Caviliere" (AKA "the Ass Master" / "Farmhouse") - always good. Great way to finish the trip! Back at the Navy Gateway Inn by around 2130. Did lots of laundry and got packed - bed very late...

Motta Santa Anastasia, Sicily (Italy)

Worked all morning again - and visited some other friends of mine nearby. After lunch, did a few more hours of work and had some meetings. By 1600, went over to the sports bar and watched a movie ("I Am Legend"). Ended up leaving with Steve and Keith for Motta around 1900. Tried out a new place called Donna Fortunata - where we met Grant. Kids were having a birthday party in the next room (loud!). Dinner was great (had a calzone)... Later walked down the street to a place Keith recommended, Bar Centrale - where Carmelo the Baker gave us free samples and the other guys got canolies. Got some great cookies for the kids! Back to the NAS Sigonella Navy Gateway Inn by around 2100, decided to go to bed early.

Taormina, Sicily (Italy)

At work around 0730 - after a good breakfast... Spent all morning and part of the afternoon working - got a lot done. Around 1530, drove up to Taormina so Steve could do some shopping - he wanted to pick up a certain bottle of wine. Couldn't find it, but we had a nice dinner at a place called "Ulisse" in town. Sat inside - it is getting chilly. Had wine, eggplant, pasta, salad and pizza. Shoppers were out in force and the town was getting decorated for Christmas. Drive back was tough - really feeling effects of less sleep than normal... Had enough time to try to call Nicky - she wasn't there, though. Back in my room at the NAS Sigonella Navy Gateway Inn by 2200, I had time to do some work on the computer before turning in for the night.

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

Arrived in Sicily by around 0200L - exhausted.  We went to check in at the NAS Sigonella Bachelor Housing (Navy Gateway Inn) and I finally was in my room by 0300. Tired...  My internal clock is all messed up. Watched some TV and fell asleep around 0400. Awoke to hammering outside my door - still got enough sleep to operate OK... Had to go over for work around 1300 - saw some old friends. Around 1400, drove over to the Days Inn Pub for drinks and late lunch (dinner). Spent several hours there and saw even more old friends. Eventually went to a nearby grocery store to do a little shopping. On the way back to our hotel, we saw an amazing sight in the sky: the crescent moon with Venus and Jupiter close-by. Read about it on the internet later - it was a rare conjunction. Met some friends later for drinks at the sports bar. They had wireless and we stayed there drinking German beer until around midnight. Very enjoyable evening - it is great to be back in Sicily!

Gander, Newfoundland & Labrador (Canada)

After checking out of the Colony South Hotel & Conference Center in Clinton, MD (0610), our Inspection Team departed (with Andrews Air Force Base duty drivers) for the airfield.  We ended up departing the DC area very early - it was rainy, cold and miserable in Camp Springs and I'm glad we left... Our airlift crew crew decided to stop for fuel in Gander - the weather there was clear but crisp.  From the North American Mainland, we flew all the way to Sicily. Played video games all day and read a little. Unfortunately, we couldn't see much below the aircraft because there were too many clouds.  Still flying at midnight...

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 6

We got a late start, but soon we were back on the road to Fort Worth! With the time zone change, the drive took longer... We stopped near Amarillo, TX, to see some cars that were buried [vertically] in the ground along the Interstate. We made it back home late...

Clinton, MD (USA)

[CFLSW Inspection Trip] Didn't have to get up early today, but did anyway - Nicky and the kids left to go shopping in Santa Fe. Said goodbye to my family since they were going home without me (see separate blog entry by Brenna for this date).  Since I was leaving from the airport just after lunch, Chuck took me over to have lunch at a pub called "The Library".  It was a relaxing (and cheeky) stop before my long day... Arrived at the terminal about 1.5 hours before takeoff and made it through to the gate with plenty of time to spare.  My connection was through Fort Worth, just in case I couldn't get all the way to the DC area for the night.  On the first flight (American Airlines, departed Albuquerque at 1410L), I was onboard a (familiar ) MD-80 and then got a B737-800 for the second leg (also American Airlines, departed DFW at 1905L).  Both flights and the service were great. Made it to Reagan National around 2245 - even got my bag! Hailed a taxi (from a local drive named "Downtown Brown") for a quick ride over to the hotel (Colony South Hotel & Conference Center), located next to Andrews Air Force Base.  After I checked in (2355), I found out that the rest of the group was already waiting for me (at the pub) - it was great to see them. Spent about an hour trying to fix something with my travel itinerary, but eventually got to bed very late.  Family Vacation time is over - bring on the work trip...

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 5

We got to stay in Albuquerque for one more day - the cousins wanted to go shopping in Santa Fe! Everyone stopped on the way to make adobe bricks. Later, we got to check out the Georgia O'Keefe museum. Erin did a paper on the artist last year in school. Lots of fun times all day! The evening at Tamaya was sad, but we live close enough to be able to come to ABQ again soon!

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 4

So stuffed from yesterday... I didn't think I would be able to eat today, but I found room (I'll regret it, too...). Spent a lot of the morning around the hotel, but the girls all went over to Elizabeth's Baby Shower around noon. The guys all went out to watch football at a restaurant called Twin Peaks. Stayed there for several hours, then drove down to the ABQ Indoor Karts - go-carts. Got to race with 10 guys for around four hours (3 races) - it was really fun. I did OK, but Tim was the fastest driver in most of the races. Headed back to the hotel around 2000 and spent the rest of the evening with the family - and saying good-bye. Kids had lots of fun watching movies and visiting...

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 3

Turkey Day! Got up early - but took our time getting ready. Over at Bonnie's for most of the morning - then changed. Lots of photos around 1200, then dinner at the Santa Ana Cafe (right down the hall). Had an awesome buffet-style turkey dinner. Everyone in good spirits - at two huge tables. It was very rainy, but we had a nice dinner under some plastic tarp (covering the open air seating). Big heaters kept us warm... After stuffing ourselves, went back to Bonnie's for some football and visiting. I made a CD with photos from previous gatherings - everyone liked that. We also watched Ellen's wedding video. Snacked on crackers, cheese and other goodies until around 1900. It was fun! The kids made paper-bag puppets and gingerbread houses. Ended up going with most of the adults to see "Quantum of Solace" (James Bond) tonight - until late. It was OK - definitely not your dad's Bond, though...

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 2

Woke up pretty early, actually, and went over to Bonnie's room - it is big like the last time we stayed here (2001). There is a big yard in the back and a gas fire pit. About half of the people were in town already, but most were not in the mood to go out. Kathy joined us for the day and we went to the Petroglyph National Monument. It was really interesting - symbols made on the volcanic rock by Native Americans many years ago. The kids enjoyed the sunny weather - and the hike to the highest point in the park (over 5500 feet). Could see everything from the top of the hill - downtown ABQ, Sandia Mountains, old volcanos. Went to lunch at a nearby hot dog restaurant. Back at the Tamaya Resort, met up with everyone else. The place was hopping by 1800. Saw all the cousins and other friends - this time around 40 people were there at one time or another. Had burgers for dinner - Burke's. Having so much fun, fell asleep early...

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 1

Had to work this morning, but computers went out early and ended up getting home around noon. Kids had time for a field trip at school this morning - that worked out great! We picked them up and left Fort Worth around 1400. The girls watched movies and tried to get the trains to blow their whistles (they did). Had dinner at the world's slowest Dairy Queen (Childress, TX - avoid it!). Back on the road as the sun was setting. Took US-287 all the way to Amarillo - it's four lane all the way now - and then on I-40 Played trivia games in the dark. Glad speed limit was 75 in New Mexico - it made the last few miles go faster... Arrived in ABQ around 2200 and got in a traffic jam at the I-40/I-25 merge. Finally made it to Hyatt Tamaya around 2300. Got into our room and went right to sleep...

Tacoma, WA (USA)

Had a good trip today - all over the country. Flying with my old buddy, Phil - haven't seen him in three years. First flew over from Fort Worth to Gulfport, MS. Weather was great and I met some other pilots during the stop - they took me on a tour of their airplane. On our way again - this time to Tacoma, WA. Weather was OK all the way into Utah - then we didn't see the ground again until we landed. Actually, the view of the Puget Sound was the best I have ever seen - saw the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (replaced the one that fell after the wind blew it over). Could see Seattle and all of the harbors nearby. Very windy... It was cool, but had my jacket. On our way again soon after - made it back to Fort Worth around 2000 (dark).

Marietta, GA (USA)

After checking out of our hotel (Hyatt Regency Suites Atlanta Northwest at Windy Hill), we finished up our visit to Atlanta this morning. It was a miserable day - glad we got nicer weather before this. Had breakfast at Chick-fil-a (didn't know they did breakfast...). Got to fly with an old friend, Ron, on the way back to Fort Worth. Weather was great! Glad to be back in Texas and its wide open spaces...

Marietta, GA (USA)

Up early again - had to finish all our work and write-ups before noon. Got everything done on time and then met up with a HUGE lunch crowd. We went to everyone's favorite: Williamson's Bar-B-Que. Hadn't been there in a few years - it was good. Saw around 20 guys I haven't seen in forever, including my old boss. He told me he thought I had retired years ago (that makes me old, doesn't it?). Networked pretty well - lots of good job prospects for someday in the future... On the way back, stopped to visit by friend Thom - who still works in the same office as he always had. We talked about the city, old friends and the Knights. Brought back how much I miss the guys from here... Walked over to see the ladies who coordinated my Master's Degree Program - they were glad to see me. Turns out, they are moving to another office next month - so I would have missed them if I came by later. Good visits all around all day! One more round of meetings and a wrap up for the group around 1630. In the hotel (Hyatt Regency Suites Atlanta Northwest at Windy Hill) around 1700 - just planning to relax tonight. Got some good work done tonight - can probably go home right after we get back to Fort Worth (I hope)...

Marietta, GA (USA)

Started the day with my work colleagues at our hotel (Hyatt Regency Suites Atlanta Northwest at Windy Hill) and then headed to NAS Atlanta.  My counterpart, Herb, was gone for the day, so I had most of the day to catch up on work from home. Got connection with files and phone lines - really helps to finish up important tasks. Sprang a drill on the guys after lunch (with a little warning, though...) and it went well. Also learning about contracts and other inspections from some of the "experts" with me. Finished around 1600 again - Brandon wanted to leave earlier, but we got hung up at a late meeting. He told me that our old friend, Nora, had invited us to dinner with her family. Drove over into Kennesaw around 1800 - Brandon took me on a tour of his old neighborhood. Saw lots of familiar places before arriving at Nora's (1900). Trip over reminded me that I am really glad to not have to deal with this kind of traffic any more!!! Nora and Eric have a great house! Talked business and family and had a great steak dinner. Stayed pretty late - and only left when we found out they are going on a trip in the morning (they never mentioned it earlier!). Back at the hotel around 2200. Brandon is sick (hope I don't get it!). Watched World Series until around midnight - then bed.

Marietta, GA (USA)

Woke up in my nice hotel (Hyatt Regency Suites Atlanta Northwest at Windy Hill) at around 0600 and got all "dressed up" for our arrival at the place where I used to work. I just realized this morning that I haven't been around here for more than a few hours since I left in 2005... Lots of familiar faces when we showed up. An old buddy of mine is the boss of the place now - that was something to see. Everyone on their best behavior for us - lots of meetings in the morning. Eventually got to work looking over the safety programs around 0930. Talked with Herb, who I met here when I first arrived in 2002 - feel weird inspecting him. Got some good stuff done before lunch - we headed over to another old office of mine to check out some of the other aircraft. Lunch with Herb at Quizno's down the street - an old favorite. Back after lunch to do some more research and ask more questions... Finished around 1600 and went back to hotel to change. Ended up with everyone from work at the bar called Johnny McCracken's (on Marietta Square). Weather is great, so we were outside mostly. Chatted for several hours and then walked over to the Marietta Pizza joint for a Stromboli (good...). Back to the hotel around 2300 - bed...

Marietta, GA (USA)

[CFLSW Inspection Trip] Went in early to work today - bags packed - for a 0900 departure and learned that we weren't going anywhere until 1400. Had time to get some important work done, though. Even had a chance to eat lunch at a Thai place in White Settlement with a bunch of guys who normally aren't in town when I am. Later caught a ride with some old work friends on the flight over to Atlanta - we're working there this week. Outstanding scenery all the way - including Tennessee River and central Alabama. Saw North Georgia Mountains and Lost Mountain on the way in. Arrived at NAS Atlanta (Marietta) at around 1700 and got our rental car. My suitcase has had it - too much traveling, I think! Thought our hotel would be near the Galleria Mall but, instead, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Suites Atlanta Northwest at Windy Hill (very nice). Brandon did all the driving... After a short time getting settled, an old friend (Frank) came by to pick us up for dinner. Didn't go far away - just down the road to Papadeaux's. It had Cajun / Naw'lins style food. Had a great plate of blackened Mahi smothered with Sherry sauce and seafood (lobster, scallops, shrimp). Brandon got the double-fudge chocolate cake after dinner (I tried a little...). Back to the hotel around 2200 - Monday Night Football on. Went to bed around 2300 - seemed early...

Virginia Beach, VA (USA)

Woke up early, checked out of my room at the NAS Oceana CBH and headed over to the airport for my flight home. I'd originally been scheduled on an American Airlines flight out of Norfolk at 1340L but was able to catch a different a squadron airlift that was already headed to Texas!  While waiting to depart, I ate breakfast at McDonalds and then visited with more former work friends. We departed NAS Oceana at around 0900 and we were in Fort Worth (Carswell) by 1100L (five hours earlier than if I'd gone commercial). Nicky picked me up - it was good to see her and the kids.  What a great trip!  Still trying to get back on the time zone...

Virginia Beach, VA (USA)

Left Travis AFB just after midnight (California time) - great flight all the way back to Virginia. Too bad the sun wasn't coming up when we flew right over the New River Gorge (see AUG 2007) because that would have looked awesome...  Unfortunately, the bright sunlight affected our arrival into Hampton Roads - this is always a tough way to finish a mission (all night flight ends with day landing... One lucky break was that there was no one else flying at NAS Oceana when we got there. After we tied up all the loose ends from the flight, I visited some of my old friends from work. Tried to stay up to get back on East Coast time, but eventually felt SOOO sleepy. Checked into my hotel (NAS Oceana CBH) and managed to get around four hours of good rest. Later, I did laundry and started packing for tomorrow. Also did a little exploring (even without a car car) and shopping the CBH. Hope to get a good sleep tonight and wake up at a reasonable time in the morning - Fort Worth tomorrow night!

Honolulu, HI (USA)

Tried to sleep late (in my room at Hilton Waikik/Prince Kuhio) but was awake by 0900.  Nicky called right after that so I didn't bother trying to get more sleep. Instead, got some work done ("wireless working") and then headed down to the beach for "brunch." Explored the recently renovated Outrigger Reef (this used to be our usual overnight lodging). Got back to hotel and finished up the last of the paperwork before it was time to leave (1330).  When we got to the plane, everything went really smoothly and we took off right on time (1530). Thought we would have bad weather, but we lucked out - it was west of Oahu. Started having radio problems about half way through the flight but got a relay from someone - next radio communication off the coast of California. Arrived for a fuel stop (Travis AFB) around 2300. We were a little ahead of schedule - but that is a good thing...

Honolulu, HI (USA)

I was awake on time and hoped we could get going early again.  However, we had a lot of trouble getting ahold Majuro Operations and I started to wonder if we'd be unable to leave Guam.  It is always a hard one to coordinate... Fortunately, I reached them just before our ride arrived to pick us up from at the hotel (Guam Resort & Spa by Marriott).  Even with all the worry and work, we managed to take off about two hours early.  We were all hoping it would pay off with longer time on the ground in Hawaii. Encountered lots of weather on the way to Majuro. Finally got clear about 300 miles west of Kwajelein. Saw lots of atolls along the way and listened to some funny conversations on the radio. We've gotten to know one of the guys in Japan quite well - we talk to him each day to relay for us and he seems to enjoy the conversation (I guess he got stuck working on the holiday weekend...). As we were arriving in the Marshall Islands, we ended up in a conversation with an aircraft that had just taken off (VFR) from Majuro as we were approaching the island. First time I've ever gotten an urgent message about traffic from Oceanic... We tried to help him out (his radio was weak) so that he could continue his flight down to Australia. He started to make us mad after about 20 minutes, though - the more we helped him, the more bossy and annoying he got. We eventually landed and let another plane try to work things out for him. On the ground, we saw our friend Claus again (we always joke that he secretly tells himself "It's my island!"). Back on our way again after less than an hour. Immediately heard the annoying private pilot again - but we ignored him on the radio (we let Majuro try to sort it out). Boy, was he ticked off - he had to come back to land and refuel because he ended up getting denied clearance to continue (must be an expensive lesson to learn: don't take off without clearance...). Crossed the date line and got to relive yesterday... Flight was actually pretty easy to Hawaii - got our passengers there almost three hours early and got good service. This time we are staying at the Hilton Waikiki / Prince Kuhio. Arrived around 2300 and had just enough time to walk down to Duke's for some drinks and a late-night snack before they closed (0030). Everyone was in really good spirits - just have one more (long) day of flying to get the rest of the trip done. Later walked down to Kelley O'Neill's. Back to the hotel around 0200 and went to bed.

Tumon Bay (Guam)

Decided to leave about an hour early today - with the blessing of our passengers. After checking out of the CBH NAF Atsugi, we made good time getting the aircraft ready to go.  Our departure weather was really good and we got some nice views of Mount Fuji during the climb out.  We also had no problems on the way to Okinawa. Had hoped to get some yakisoba today but everything was closed (holiday?). Made good time getting back airborne again. There was a little weather on our trip down to Guam, but it was very nice when we landed. Got a ride over to the Marriott Guam Resort & Spa.  It was a nice place to stay but I still thought it was too bad we couldn't stay at the Pacific Island Club this time... Spent some time with the guys down by the pool and then went across the street to do some shopping. Getting a little tired from the many different time zones... Bed at 2000.

Atsugi, Honshu (Japan)

Woke up early and was checked out of the Hilton Hawaiian Village by around 0700.  We left Honolulu by 0930 - bound for Wake Island. I haven't been there for a few years because it got hit by a T-5 (typhoon) back in 2006. It was good to be back - the views of this historic island from the air were cool and they still had the "Thai Box Lunch" that I remembered (mmm...). We hit one bird (probably a White Tern) on the approach - but missed 29 others (whew!). Had to drag Rocky and Bruce back to the plane - they were having so much fun taking pictures and looking at all the World War II sights. On our way again soon after and arrived in Atsugi about two hours ahead of schedule. Met up with my friend who still works there - he got us a ride to the hotel. Weather was pleasant - but it gets dark here much earlier than back home. Went to Mass - made it just before it started. Later (at the CBH NAF Atsugi), did some laundry and then went over to the club to see what was going on. Hardly anyone was around when I got there, but about an hour after my first Asahi a huge group showed up to celebrate someone's birthday. They didn't kick me out (even though it was a private party) and I ended up having some great conversation for a few more hours. Met up with Mike later to get everything ready for tomorrow. Bed around 2300.

Honolulu, HI (USA)

Got a call yesterday that my old buddies needed a hand with a week-long trip. They flew in to Fort Worth this morning and picked me up. Our flight over to Moffet Field (near San Jose) was uneventful - weather was great there. Took off for Hawaii around 1430. Turns out that this was the first time Mike had been out of the country in several years - everything for the trip is going to be a "first" for him. Same goes for a few of the other guys... Flight to Honolulu was pretty easy, too. Arrived to awesome view of Pearl Harbor and the mountains on the North Shore of Oahu. After a short delay, arrived at our hotel - the Hilton Vacation Village. Stopped for a Mai Tai at the hotel lounge and then went next door to one of our favorite haunts for a couple more. Found some more Kona coffee for Nicky... Bed around 2100.

Richardson, TX (USA)

Went to a funeral this morning on the Northeast side of Dallas. I was asked by my Boss to participate in the service honoring a veteran. Several other people from work went too. It was a very moving experience - and hard to do, since everyone was very distraught. The service was outdoors - luckily, it stopped raining just long enough to get the service done. Afterwards, the family graciously asked us to join them for a family lunch, held at a Japanese restaurant called Ajisen. Food was good, reminded me of Yokohama...

Whidbey Island, WA (USA)

Woke up at 0530 and packed - still feeling effects of bad cold... Checked out of the Navy Lodge and then met up with the rest of the Inspection Team.  When we arrived at the NAS Whidbey Island Flight Line to meet our aircraft, we found that it was broken. Got a Subway sub for the road and finally got in the air by 1000. Flew down to Tacoma and waited for the next flight. This time, I got a chance to fly with Jon and Andy. When we departed the Seattle area (at around 1130), we got a great departure: flew right by Mount Rainier - wow! We also were treated to views of the Snake River (ID) and Great Salt Lake (UT). I had trouble clearing ears during descent, but was OK by the time we reached the ground. Weather was warmer - but clear and dry - in Fort Worth. Home around 1800.  Nice trip!

Anacortes, WA (USA)

Went in to work late today (1000) because I was scheduled to fly. Ended up waiting all day to take off (plane was broken). In the end, flew for a few hours with an old college buddy (Bob H.). It was a great experience, since this was a different version of my aircraft type. Saw all of Whidbey Island and the Olympic Peninsula - sunset was great, too. Landed around 2000 and drove with Steve up to Anacortes (stopped for souvenirs on the way) to meet the rest of the gang. Missed them for dinner, but they were over at the Brown Lantern again when we arrived. Watched OSU beat USC. Drove back to NAS Whidbey Island in some rain (first we have seen).  At the Navy Lodge, I watched some TV and went to bed at 2300. Getting a bad cold...

Oak Harbor, WA (USA)

More Whidbey Coffee this morning (for John & Dave) and then worked for most of the morning. Lunch at the Club. Worked until 1530 again. Met up with huge group (for dinner) tonight at "Flyers." Menu was restricted to burgers and sandwiches (!!), but I sweet talked the waitress into giving me a side of Dungeness Crab (mmmm....). Stayed until around 2000 and then drove over to the airfield with Jeff to meet some friends of ours who flew in this evening - Ken and Andy. Took them for dinner at "Mi Pueblo" (and had myself a margarita...). Back to the Navy Lodge at NAS Whidbey Island at around 2230 - bed.

Anacortes, WA (USA)

Woke up at 0500... Eventually got the day started with a delicious cappuccino from Whidbey Coffee. Worked for about four hours before having Subway for lunch. After finishing work around 1530, went back to change. My friend Jeff lives here now and he invited us to visit him in Anacortes - a town about 15 miles north of Oak Harbor. We left around 1700 and drove up WA-20. Stopped to enjoy the view at Deception Pass - more great weather! Arrived at the Brown Lantern at 1800. Dinner was good - including local brew. Visited with Jeff and his friends until around 2100. Back to my room at the NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge and did paperwork until 2200...

Oak Harbor, WA (USA)

[CFLSW Inspection Trip] Flew from Fort Worth up to Whidbey Island today (with my old squadron buddy, Herb). As we descended into the airfield, could see nice homes on the water. Lots of logs washed ashore on the beaches. Arrived to great weather! Got checked into my hotel (Navy Lodge Whidbey Island) in Oak Harbor and enjoyed a few hours of the pleasant Fall evening. Later, went with the guys to watch Monday Night Football at a nearby sports bar (restaurant attached - Hendersons). Stayed out until around 2100. Tried to stay awake in the room to get on the time zone - bed at 2230.

Beaufort, SC (USA)

Got an unexpected flight today. We didn't leave until around 1300, but I'm glad to go at all! Flew over to South Carolina - very uneventful until the last 20 minutes (thunderstorms). Flight up to Camp Springs, Maryland, was also OK. Leaving for our return trip to Fort Worth, however, was the most challenging work all day. Had to fly slow airspeeds and stay low for much longer than usual. The controllers sounded really busy - and ticked off - so we eased our way over towards West Virginia with great relief. Arrival into Fort Worth was also congested, but Fort Worth Center is much easier to talk to, sometimes...

Irving, TX (USA)

Chuck called last week and told me that Bonnie had some leftover seats for the Cowboys-Eagles game tonight. Asked at work - and everyone wanted to go! Ended up going with eight co-workers to the final Monday Night Football game at Texas Stadium. Took forever to get to the stadium (nearly two hours) and get home (also two hours), but the game in the middle was unforgettable! We saw a 98 yard kickoff return, a Terrell Owens 60+ yard catch, fumbles and sacks - a great time! The Cheerleaders were there and the crowd was LOUD... The only other game I had ever attended at Texas Stadium was in November 2000 - and the game wasn't sold-out - this was MUCH different. Had a great time...

New Orleans, LA (USA)

Got a call this morning that New Orleans was evacuating - and that they needed me to help out. I was kind of surprised, since Hurricane Gustave wasn't predicted to make landfall until around Tuesday, but I went in to work anyway (1030). We left around 1400 - flew over to Louis Armstrong International. When we got there, it was pure chaos. Waited around five hours to get going again - destinations for the evacuees kept changing (San Antonio, Fort Smith, Louisville, Nashville). Eventually took off with nearly 90 onboard. Got priority handling all the way and landed in Nashville just before 2200. A huge crowd of people met us and whisked the passengers away [I found out later we were the first ones to show up today - a Nashville Channel 5 TV crew took a movie of our arrival]. On the way back to Fort Worth again around 2300. Wanted to keep going tonight, but our hour limit had been reached by that point... Back home after midnight.

San Diego, CA (USA)

Had an early trip today, but we had some problems getting out of Fort Worth. After we left at 1030, the day went great. Saw White Sands from the air, as well as some good views of the Imperial Valley in CA. Stop through San Diego was quick and we left within 30 minutes. Trip over to Manhattan, Kansas, was easy. Saw some interesting features in northern New Mexico. Weather was great almost all day - just a few thunderstorms to avoid. On the way back to Fort Worth, saw the Red River and a great view of the Dallas-Fort Worth area: all the way from north of Eagle Mountain Lake down to the city. The visibility in this place can be really amazing! Home by 2000.

Daddy-Daughter Trip - Day 8

This morning we found out what the surprise was! We drove out of Independence and found that this is the town where Laura Ingalls lived in the book "Little House on the Prairie"!!! When we got there, we saw that it was just a little log cabin - only one room! There was a sign that said "suggested donation." We asked Daddy if we really had to pay - and he said we should, so other people could keep coming here. We got to go inside the cabin and there was furniture and a little bed in there. It was windy. We read about how the little house was just a recreation (the old one fell down). But someone did some research and figured out that the well in the backyard was the one that Pa dug. There was also a one room school house and an old post office that people brought here. Laura Ingalls' house was very fun to learn about - I wonder what it would be like living in one room... We talked to a nice girl in the gift shop who knew all about the town and the house. Then we drove for a while and saw a sign that said the next town had the "world's longest yellow brick road." We stopped [Sedan, KS] and it was true (so cool!). People paid money to have a stone with their name or business on it - and they were gold stones. A lady at the historical society told us about the town and how lots of boys around here work on the farms and ranches and then play football. They get a lot of exercise working out here! Then we left and drove down to Oklahoma. There were lots of casinos and signs about Indian Nations. We didn't stop, though, because we had to get back early tonight! We made it through Oklahoma City quickly and then had some lunch (we even had a twinkie!). In a short amount of time, we made it to Texas and then we were in Fort Worth. It was the only traffic jam on the whole trip - right near our house. We were glad to get home - yaaah!

Daddy-Daughter Trip - Day 7

This morning, we went to a Continental Breakfast. When we got on the road, we switched time zones and drove over to St. Louis. We liked seeing the Arch again - and wanted to stop - but Daddy said we should keep going so we could visit Laura Ingalls Wilder's house. Seven hours after we woke up, we arrived in Mansfield, Missouri. This is the house where Laura wrote all the "Little House" books. We went in a museum next to her house and it had all of her belongings in it. The museum was all about her family and her life. After Laura died, Rose donated the house to the Foundation. We had an amazing time and saw Pa's fiddle! Later, we went on a tour of Laura and Almanzo's house - it was nice. Then we went to see the Stone House that Rose bought for them to retire in. After only a little while, though, they told her they were homesick and returned to their old house. Then we went to the gift shop and got some souvenirs. We also visited their cemetery stones in town. Then we went to Tasty Freeze and had a banana split and butterscotch sundae (the best!!). When we left Mansfield, we drove for a while in the Ozarks. They are pretty mountains. Daddy said he had a surprise and wouldn't tell us what it was! He drove us into Kansas (our first time!!) and we stopped in Independence for the night. We are staying at the Lamplighter Inn. There is a bowling alley next door, but they were closed :-( We did get to walk over to Sonic for dinner, though. What do you think the surprise is?

Daddy-Daughter Trip - Day 6

Today we woke up and had pop tarts. We got in the car and drove a short way to the United 93 Memorial. It was cold and windy there. It was a very interesting place - people left things to remember their friends and family, who sacrificed their lives. There isn't a visitors center yet, but there was a nice man who told us what it was like on September 11th. He worked for the volunteer fire department and was there that day. He also knew the farmers up the hill from the crash site - he said they didn't even know what happened until the police and fire people arrived! Later, we got on US-40, which we learned is also called the National Road. We stopped for lunch at Pizza Hut. We played songs on the juke box while we had pizza and cheesy bread. After that, we went to Fort Necessity, where George Washington had his first battle (which he lost). We saw a demonstration of guns shooting and took a tour of an old tavern. The museum told us about how people used to take the National Road from the East Coast all the way to Illinois. After a few hours there, we got back on the National Road and kept driving until we were in West Virginia [I-70]. It took weeks to drive this way for the pioneers and we did it in a few hours! Along the way, we went through Columbus and Indianapolis. We crossed the Ohio River and saw lots of pretty buildings. We stopped for the night in Terre Haute, Indiana, and went to bed.

Daddy-Daughter Trip - Day 5

We woke up late and had some oatmeal. We used up a LOT of time taking down the tent (it was muddy!) and everything else and packing the car. Then we said goodbye to our KOA camp site and left. We drove through Amish country again and saw horses and kids plowing the fields. Daddy drove us on the "scenic way" and we explored the Susquehannah Valley on PA-372. Soon after that, we fell into a deep sleep and when we woke up, we were driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike! A little while later, we stopped at Roy Rogers and had cheeseburgers, french fries, cherry coke and mashed potatoes (yummy). We went through a lot of big tunnels. Then we got to the Lincoln Highway [US-30]. In a short amount of time, we found a motel. They let us borrow their basketball and tennis rackets and we had the best time. Then we got some delicious ice cream. We liked stopping early for the night - we got to watch TV and read our books! See ya tomorrow!

Daddy-Daughter Trip - Day 4

Today we started off the morning with very tasty french toast at the KOA Kitchen. We had to get up really early to go to the wonderful city of Philadelphia because Daddy wanted to beat the crowds. So we were on our way!! We arrived in Philadelphia (it took an hour) and got tickets to visit Independence Hall. A nice tour guide named Larry showed us around inside the building where the delegates signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We worked on our Junior Ranger, too. There were people on the tour from Australia and Switzerland! Afterwards, we decided to take a carriage ride through the city with Kim and her horse, Omar. She showed us around town and we got to feed Omar a carrot! It started to rain a bunch, but we brought our rain ponchos (the ones from Sea World and Disney's Animal Kingdom). We walked over to Benjamin Franklin's house and he was there! We got to talk to him and he told us a story about when he was a little boy. He told us to look around in his museum and print shop, so we did. His house isn't there any more (there is a frame that shows what it looks like). It was really pouring, so we decided to have Philly Cheese Steaks for lunch at a place called "Sonny's." It was really good. Then, we walked over to the Betsy Ross House. There were some funny people in front who took us back to the time of the Revolution by waving their hands and making a funny noise. We took an audio tour of her house. She was inside! She showed us how to make a five pointed star for the flag she was working on and she called us "thee" when she talked. We bought some good souvenirs, too. Later, we went back to Ben Franklin's print shop and learned how to print things. We finished our Junior Ranger and, here is the very exciting part, went to the Independence Visitor Center and got our pins! We were walking on the street when we saw some people filming a show called "Cold Case." We think we might end up being in Episode 2 this season (how cool is that?). A lady from the show talked to us! We walked along the Delaware for a little bit and we found an Irish Memorial. We walked back into town for gelato (Brenna got pistacio, Erin got tiaramissu and Daddy got strawberry) and bought a few more souvenirs before leaving. It was really rainy all day and there was a lot of construction on the interstate. The detour ended up taking us by the ball field where the Phillies play - and there were people at the game (they must have been really wet!!!). On the way back to camp, we stopped at Valley Forge and drove around. Valley Forge is where George Washington and his soldiers stayed during a cold winter. There were tons of deer there (more than 20!) and we got to call on Daddy's phone to listen to an audio tour. Daddy found a place where he went to camp back when he was in high school [Freedoms Foundation (see APR 1985)] and we stopped to eat at Bob Evans for dinner (yum yum!). When we arrived at the campground, we learned that there had been a big hail storm and lots of flooding while we were gone. Our tent was OK, though, and we told spooky stories and went to bed.

Daddy-Daughter Trip - Day 3

When we woke up this morning, Daddy had made oatmeal on our little stove. We had poptarts too. Then, we rented a canoe from the KOA and went canoeing on the Brandywine River with Mariam, Adam and their dad (they brought their own kayaks!). At 1000, we got back to camp and went to a craft event - we got to make spider cupcakes with Twizzlers, frosting and sprinkles and little oreo inch-worms with mini oreos and gummy life savers. When we got back to camp, they suddenly disappeared (we ate them!). Then we were ready to visit Amish Country. The KOA let us borrow an old tape player that had a tour for us to follow. It was fun to listen to the tape as it gave us directions and told us to "turn me off." It took us to a one room schoolhouse, a flower mill and some markets. One memorable thing we saw was a girl dressed in plain clothes who was roller blading on the road with a watermelon under her arm. We saw lots of Amish people in their carriages and working in the fields. It was quiet and nice to drive through their farms. The tape told us all about their way of life and the difference between Amish and Mennonites. Daddy spotted a pretzel factory and we went in to make some ourselves! We bought a ton of things today: postcards, hickory smoked BBQ sauce, homemade rootbeer, pretzels (we sampled every kind!), mint slices and corn chips. The pretzels were awesome - there were regular (with cheese dip!), brown butter, herb and also sugar and spice. After we finished our tour, we were heading back to camp when we saw a place called the Christmas Museum. We stopped and took a tour - it had the history of Christmas! We learned what people in other countries call Santa Claus. For example, in England, they call him Father Christmas. There were trains and presents and trees and a life size manger scene inside the museum. We liked it a lot. After that, we headed back to camp and Daddy made mac and cheese on the stove (mmmm.). We really like the corn chips we bought today, too! Then, we went to a magic show at the KOA and Brenna got picked to help the magician! We went with Mariam and Daddy did some laundry. When we got back, Daddy started up a camp fire and we roasted marshmellows. Daddy told us more spooky stories and then we went to bed. See ya tomorrow!

Daddy-Daughter Trip - Day 2

This morning, we woke up and headed towards the Beebe Ranch. We learned about it in the book called "Misty of Chincoteague" (and other books in the series). The horses in the story were called "The Phantom", "Misty", "Stormy" and "Sea Star". We really liked reading about their lives on Chincoteague and wanted to see where they lived. We met Mr. Billy Beebe (Paul and Maureen's first cousin!!) and his wife. They knew Grandpa and Grandma Beebe - it was Billy's Grandpa too! They showed us a movie about the true story of Misty and we got to visit her stable. In the pasture, there was a horse named "Angel", who was the fifth generation of the Misty family. The order is Phantom had Misty, Misty had Stormy, Stormy had Windy, Windy had Night Mist and Night Mist had Angel. Guess what - we got to feed Angel!!! It was fun to learn about the wild ponies and learn that it was a true story. The Beebes even had Misty and Stormy inside their house (they were stuffed)! Later, we stopped at the Wallops Island NASA Visitors Center to learn about rockets. We had Hardees for lunch and then we drove towards Philadelphia. We went through Maryland and Delaware and finally got to Pennsylvania. Daddy found the KOA campground near Coatesville. We had to set up the tent (we got a new one!) and get organized. Our camp site is next to the Brandywine River and there are lots of campers here, some with big tents and some with RVs. We met some very nice people at the next camp site - they have kids named Mariam and Adam. We got to go with them to the Game Room (Daddy gave us money) and we played pool with them and other games. We got some ice cream from the little restaurant next door. When it got really dark, the KOA had a flashlight lollipop hunt! It was really fun. Then we got ready for bed and Daddy told us spooky stories. :-o!!

Daddy-Daughter Trip - Day 1

We left Virginia Beach today for the last time. Before we went, we said goodbye to some of our friends. Then we drove on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. We got to stop and have free drinks on the bridge, where we saw a submarine and Sam the Seagull. We drove over to the Eastern Shore and when we got hungry, we had lunch at a restaurant called Little Italy. We had good ravioli and our dad had alfredo with shrimp. It was really yummy! A little while later we got to Wallops Island, where our hotel [SCSC Wallops Island] was. We got changed into our bathing suit and headed over towards Assateague Island so we could go to the beach. On the way, we looked for the farm where "Misty of Chincotegue" used to live. We couldn't find it right away, until we found the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce. A nice lady told Erin where to find the Beebe Ranch - they won't be open until tomorrow. We got to the beach and it was crowded, but fun. We worked on a sandcastle that someone had left behind. It was right in front of the waves. Brenna and Daddy went boogie boarding and swimming (Erin thought it was too cold). Next, we got cleaned up and went mini-golfing on Chincoteague Island. We had a lot of fun. Brenna and Erin each got a hole in one. The funny thing is, our dad didn't! After we played mini-golf, we drove around a little more and found a place called the Chincotegue Pony Center, where we bought souvenirs! We were going to go back to the hotel but Daddy remembered that he forgot a shirt at the beach. We went back and there were hardly any people. It was windy but nice (Daddy didn't find his shirt...). At the hotel, Daddy taught us to play pool and foosball - it was fun! After that, we went to bed.

Moving Trip (Part 3) - Day 9

[staying at Dam Neck Annex CDSA - worked at NAS Oceana all day - dinner at O-Club - surprisingly, I got one last night at the beach - will pick up girls tomorrow morning - after that, it's "homeward bound" to Texas!]

Moving Trip (Part 3) - Day 8

[Staying at Dam Neck Annex CDSA]  I got a mission - this is definitely a good reason to still be hanging around in Virginia Beach!  For the first time in quite a while, the flight took me through NAS Meridian. Weather was great in Mississippi and Alabama. Ken and I flew my annual flight check-ride in some clear weather and stopped into Dannelly Field for lunch. We then returned to Meridian before flying home (arrived at 1630).  It was a nice day!  Back to Dam Neck for one more nice evening on the beach before the forecasted rotten weather arrives...

Moving Trip (Part 3) - Day 7

[staying at Dam Neck Annex CDSA - worked at NAS Oceana all day - back to Dam Neck Annex CDSA in the evening]

Moving Trip (Part 3) - Day 6

[Staying at Dam Neck Annex CDSA] With my regular day off from work, I decided to check out Colonial Williamsburg and the William & Mary Campus one more time. After departing Virginia Beach (1200), it took over two hours to get there, though, because of big wreck near Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and then bottleneck in Hampton. Finally at W&M campus - unfortunately, they were closed ("interterm break"). Drove around Colonial Williamsburg for a little bit. It was already getting later than I had wanted, so I headed over to the Bass Pro Shop for some camping supplies. Had some trouble finding what I wanted - it was also mobbed. Found a tent at another store nearby. It was easier to get back across the HRBT - thank goodness I went back to Dam Neck early (1700)... Spent a little time on the beach before the sun went down.

Moving Trip (Part 3) - Day 5

[staying at Dam Neck Annex CDSA - picked up girls in the morning - drove around our old neighborhood, saying goodbye to everyone - showed them my hotel on the beach (they didn't want to go swimming...) - took them so stay at another friend's house for more sleepovers - back to beach]

Moving Trip (Part 3) - Day 4

[this morning, I left our house in Virginia Beach (Kingston) for the last time - felt sad because we will all have good memories of the place - went to work all day - afterwards, moved to new quarters at the Dam Neck Annex CDSA) - I always love visiting this place on the beach]

Moving Trip (Part 3) - Day 3

[staying at old home (Kingston) in Virginia Beach - farewell lunch & Norfolk Tides ballgame with buddies - got to spend some time with Twins in a Corporate Suite (with their friend's dad) - back to house for one more night (help from our neighbor, Floyd)]

Moving Trip (Part 3) - Day 2

[staying at old home (Kingston) in Virginia Beach - dropped off kids at their friend's house for a few days of sleepovers - work at the squadron all day - Club in the evening]

Moving Trip (Part 3) - Day 1

Found out that some of my buddies from Virginia were coming down to Texas on some business - with a plane. We had known about this for a couple of weeks, but confirmed it last night. Luckily, it meant we could get back to Virginia Beach today! Brenna, Erin and I packed our bags and met the crew at around 1100. Nicky was upset to see the kids go, but she will have some time with Mollie to figure out where things are in town - that should be good - and the twins can visit with their old friends in Virginia one more time. Our flight was quick and easy - just a few clouds. The kids enjoyed the ride. When we got back to VA, we had about 30 minutes of humid air before a huge thunderstorm. During that time, we worked out some issues with the mail and money. Had dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise - first time (finally). I had the signature meal and the girls tried gumbo, burger and fish & chips. It was fun to hang out while Jimmy Buffet played in the background... We drove back to our old home so Brenna and Erin could spend one more night in their rooms (I still plan to stay until the last day of our Lease).  The kids had several hours to play with their friends down the street while I worked on the mail. We all went to bed kind of early - no TV and little to do (it will be nice to get some sleep, though...).

Moving Trip (Part 2) - Day 4

[unpacking and setting up the new house in Fort Worth]

Moving Trip (Part 2) - Day 3

[unpacking and setting up the new house in Fort Worth]

Moving Trip (Part 2) - Day 2

[unpacking and setting up the new house in Fort Worth]

Hobbs Trip - Day 6

Left really early (0715) - we'll be losing an hour within the first 10 miles... We left Hobbs after saying our goodbyes to Bonnie and Chuck (this time with a full gas tank!). Drove with nice weather towards the East - but we could see the signs of Hurricane Dolly to the south. Stopped for an early lunch in Snyder (at the DQ). Great weather for drive on the way home - only stopped one more time (bathroom break). The only depressing thing was the 10 degree increase in temperature (F) - it is MUCH hotter in Fort Worth than Hobbs... Made good time and arrived in White Settlement around 1430. Picked up our cat - he's been in the kennel for two weeks - and drove the kids back to their new home! They were very excited and ran throughout the house to find their rooms. Erin and I got the car ready and then drove back to the U-Haul place to finish emptying it. Surprisingly, we got everything inside the car. What a relief - it only took four trips with the mini-van to get everything back to the house. Rest of the day spent unpacking and grocery shopping.

Hobbs Trip - Day 5

Woke up a little late - Chuck had already left for work. He told me we would get together for lunch before leaving for Hobbs in the afternoon. I didn't feel like exploring - I spent most of the morning paying bills and reading emails. Around 1130, Chuck called to tell me that he wouldn't be getting out of town for several more hours. We still met for lunch - at a Mexican restaurant on the north-side of town (Papa Juan's). It was very good (more of Chuck's co-workers and bosses were there), but Chuck tricked me into getting the combination platter (huge!!!). More green chili today - still not too spicy... After lunch, I left Artesia and headed back to Hobbs. It seemed like a shorter trip this time (same route, US-82 to NM-529 to US-180). Got gas and did some grocery shopping for tomorrow's drive to Fort Worth. Kids returned from Lubbock around 1600 - right after Chuck made it to Hobbs. Pool working good again - we spent a lot of the afternoon and early evening out there. Kids enjoyed the cooler day (around 25 C). Nicky went out to dinner with our cousin Kelly. Chuck and I entertained the kids with dives and flips and then we went out for ice cream at Kalidascoops. Chuck gave each of the girls a ride in his Nissan convertible - that was a highlight. Spent the rest of the night with Bonnie, Kelly, Chuck and Nicky. We planned to go to bed early, but we didn't (again...). We leave tomorrow.

Carlsbad, NM (USA)

When you go to Carlsbad Caverns, you get to take an elevator down 750 feet underground. It was 56 degrees (F) nearly all the time. Long ago, the first people that traveled inside the caverns were Indians. The first person to get credit for discovering the cave was Jim White. We learned about stalagmites and stalagtites. The difference between them is that stalagtites grow from the ceiling and stalagmites grow from the ground. When they meet, it is called a column. One day, Jim White saw the cave and thought he saw smoke coming out - but it was really bats flying out of the caverns. One of the rooms we visited was called the Papooseroom. Lots of stalagtites called soda-straws are growing there. Another room, the Queens Chamber, is cool because the Ranger did a "blackout." It was so dark you cannot see your hand at all! With the lights on, you can see lots of amazing things there called the Queen's Draperies, the Queen's Ice Cream Cone and the Queen's Orchestra. In the Bashful Elephant Room, there were small elephant formations. The Green Lake room has a pond called the Green Lake Dip Pond - it is eight feet deep. If you think this all sounds cool, you should go to the Carlsbad Caverns!!!

Hobbs Trip - Day 4

Called my cousin, Chuck, today and he agreed that I should make a trip over to where he lives in Artesia. I have been there a couple of other times - it is a real New Mexico oil town. There are thousands of wells and a refinery. I hung out in Hobbs until around 1600 - swimming (pool checks out OK) and working around the house for Bonnie (new energy efficient lights for the driveway). The trip to Artesia was pretty easy - arrived just after 1730. Chuck met me and we drove over to his place. I didn't know he had a nice Nissan convertible! With the temperatures in the mid-high 20s (C), it didn't seem like riding with the top down would be good - but when you run the A/C on high, it feels OK. We drove north for dinner - to the town of Dexter. Chuck knew about a great steak restaurant there - and it ended up being packed! There are probably only a little over 1000 people living close to the town center, but it seemed like most of the adult population was at the restaurant! Lots of Chuck's co-workers were having business dinners there - we were lucky to get a table. I had a lousy beer - it was from the tap and must have gone sour. Still, the steak with cheese and a green chili was delicious. After dinner, we drove back to Artesia and went to a bar called the Wellhead. I didn't realize that it was owned by Chuck's boss - and we ended up sitting in the back with him and his wife at their reserved table. The bar has its own microbrewery - great stuff. It was great to discuss flying, oil & environmentalists and politics. We stayed for several hours and I met some great locals. We went back to Chuck's house around 2300 - he has to be at work early...

Hobbs Trip - Day 3

Woke up around 0900 - Bonnie said we "won't stay up that late again right away!" While she was gone this morning (on errands), I ventured out to the pool. Bonnie said that the cover was broken, but it actually opened when I tried it. By 1100, the kids were splashing and having a great time. We ate some hot dogs on the back patio around 1300. More swimming after that, but the sun came directly overhead and I went inside so I wouldn't burn. We had a good dinner and then went out to see if we could swim in the dark. There ended up being something cloudy in the water, though, when the lights were on. It may only be air bubbles, but we didn't go in - Bonnie wants to have it checked first. Went to bed much earlier...

Hobbs Trip - Day 2

Slept very late - still recovering from the late night! Had a nice "brunch" of spaghetti with Bonnie and helped her around the house. Had some trouble with the TVs - they can get messed up pretty quickly if the remotes are used incorrectly... Kids glad to see us and spend time together. Spent most of the afternoon working on my computer and printing out lots of emails with important information. We had to fax a lot of things back to Fort Worth, too. We had dinner at Kathy's - she has a new house. The kids had been there before, but it was Nicky and my first visit. She treated us to pizza (the kind you buy prepared but uncooked). She prepared the food in her custom kitchen - and we explored her custom home. Her garden patio was very spacious and quiet. The pizza was good and we had a nice visit. As we were leaving, the first rain we have seen in a couple of weeks began. Discovered that we have a problem with our car's wipers... Stayed up late again with Bonnie - very relaxed and enjoyable. Bed after midnight.

Hobbs Trip - Day 1

With the movers getting done last night at 2345, Nicky and I slept in until around 1100. We are only beginning the unpacking process - it will be a long time before things are organized around our new home. In any case, we decided it was time to go get the kids again. After a few errands around town, we drove out of Fort Worth for the trip to Hobbs. It seems like just yesterday that we drove this trip, but it was nearly two weeks ago! The weather was good and the temperatures dropped from 38 down to 30 degrees C as we drove up into the high desert - a welcome respite from the heat. By the evening, it was actually in the high 20s! My favorite part of this trip is turning out to be the section between Snyder and Seminole (TX) on US-180. There is a huge valley/canyon with a sombrero looking "butte" on the south end. Cows are everywhere and the view is probably at least 50 miles in all directions as you come down into the valley. You can smell the oil (or, as Bonnie calls it, the smell of money) and there is lots of agriculture. Hobbs is a good destination, too, since they have some tall, shady trees there. We relaxed again this evening and enjoyed seeing the kids. Stayed up talking with Bonnie until after midnight.

Moving Trip (Part 2) - Day 1

[movers showed up very late and it took a few trips of their Penske Rental truck to get all of our household goods situated - it was a whirlwind day (and quite frustrating) but we managed to finish the entire move before midnight (barely) - whew! - slept at our new house]

Househunting Trip - Day 10

[checked out of NAS JRB Fort Worth CBQ "Texas Room" - took Nicky to the new house so she was officially moved - I still have to go back to Hampton Roads to check out of my old squadron - (we used sleeping bags for one night before movers get here tomorrow)]

Househunting Trip - Day 9

[NAS JRB Fort Worth CBQ - took care of items for the house - bought refrigerator]

Househunting Trip - Day 8

[NAS JRB Fort Worth CBQ - relaxed in the morning - went to new house to get things set up - ate celebratory dinner at (nearby) Saltgrass Steakhouse (had to join a club to be able to buy a drink in this "dry" section of Tarrant County)]

Househunting Trip - Day 7

[Staying at NAS JRB Fort Worth CBQ] Finished paperwork and got approval for our home this afternoon. What a relief. It will take a few more days for all of the signatures, utilities and our furniture to be delivered, but we have a new address to look forward to! After several weeks of racing around without certainty about where we could end up, it was nice to be able to relax at the hotel. Nicky and I spent some quiet time watching movies and resting.

Househunting Trip - Day 6

[Staying at NAS JRB Fort Worth CBQ] When the kids call us from New Mexico, it is clear they are having the time of their lives! They have seen a lot of cousins and have been swimming a lot. We miss them, but they are having a special time "alone." Hopefully, we can go back to join them soon... Started out today north of I-820: it was Fort Worth, but the school district is Saginaw. Prices for homes are much better there - especially in the Highland Station area. We started to get a lot of calls again for properties that we had wanted to see a couple of days ago. Some had rented over the weekend - too bad. We checked out an area called Fossil Hills and along North Riverside Drive. It looked nice. A realtor called around noon to tell us about another home we could see - one of our favorites up to this point. She told us to meet her at 1700. Meanwhile, we explored areas called Westover Hills and Monticello - prices are through the roof on rentals... Nice places, though. I guess people around that area don't send their kids to public school - we keep hearing this across the whole Fort Worth city. Stopped in to see our cat this afternoon. Late in the day, we met with the realtor and really liked the place - Nicky was getting really excited about the chance that this was over! I had some reservations because the schools were so far away - I don't want the kids on the school busses all day long. I asked the realtor if she had any more places to see - and she did. When she drove us into the neighborhood, Nicky and I were even more impressed than we had been earlier - it was one of those "wow" moments. House looked good inside and the price was right. It was pretty late, so we went back to the hotel to think about it for a little while. By the time we went to bed, we were both pretty sure we wanted to rent the place. It looks like our search may be over! Some paperwork to finish and other details to be completed... Went to bed feeling good about things.

Househunting Trip - Day 5

Checked out of the Springhill Suites this morning (1140) and decided to switch hotels. Hit the pavement pretty early - lots more calls for appointments. I bought a map book of Fort Worth that seems to correspond with all of the real estate listings (it has a grid and you can find addresses off the MLS with the grid). We really tried hard to see things in the TCU area again. One realtor really got us going with about six homes in the space of a few hours. Each one was old (1920s) and wasn't really up to date. We started hearing about some of the hit/miss schools around here, too. Drove out towards Aledo and saw some homes zoned for horses - drive seems iffy, though. Checked out Lost Creek area and then went back over to Blue Mound and Saginaw. The area north of I-820 is growing on me... Nicky really getting unhappy about the selection. If we were buying, we could get a great house. I don't want to take the gamble on the housing market now, though. Spent nearly all day looking at houses and driving around I-820 (back and forth). We did find a promising neighborhood up near Heritage Trace Parkway - couldn't get a showing, today, though. At our new hotel NAS JRB Fort Worth CBQ (in their fancy "Texas Room"!) tonight - met some folks who are also doing some househunting. They are convinced that Weatherford is the place to live. It seems awfully far away, but maybe we'll be joining them soon... More internet searching tonight - I'd like to wrap this up really soon.

Househunting Trip - Day 4

Woke up around 0800 - had breakfast at the hotel (Springhill Suites at University Center). Each night on the trip, I have done a ton of searching on the internet for places to visit. So, we have a large list of places to check out. Nicky made lots of calls this morning, hoping that we could get to see houses. Instead, we ended up leaving around 1030 with no confirmed tours. I took Nicky up to Lake Worth and we looked around there for anything that might be available (there wasn't). We looked around North Fort Worth and Saginaw again - saw some places with potential. One person wanted us to come back to see a house at 1700 - so we drove down to an area north of Crowley and explored homes in that area. Unfortunately, not much looked good. We did discover a really interesting (and pricey) neighborhood near Team Ranch BLVD - Wow!!! Too bad it is way out of our price range... Got bored in the afternoon, so we worked on arrangements for another hotel. Then got a showing at a home near TCU (I had visited in June and it was still available). Nicky wasn't impressed. Drove back out to Saginaw late in the day to see the place we had wanted to see earlier. Right as we got to the house, the realtor called and said he would be another hour. So we decided that $1.50 Margaritas were much more worth the wait and cancelled the showing. Another dinner at Pulido's was a better way to forget how much trouble it is to find a new house every three years... Bed around 2300.

Househunting Trip - Day 3

Woke up really early - had to get organized. Nicky and I had a nice breakfast and then headed out so I could show her some of the neighborhoods I found last time I was here (see May 2008). I had hoped to find a place in the TCU area of Fort Worth. In fact, there were fewer rental homes this time and the ones that were available were (to be frank) overpriced and tiny. Nicky began to get discouraged pretty early in the afternoon, but I took her on a tour of other areas: Heritage (near Keller), Saginaw, Blue Mound and Benbrook. Lunch was at a great pizza place in Keller. Looked around the area again all afternoon. Called it a day around 1730. Back at the hotel, we noticed that there was a restaurant called Pulido's across the street - that had $1.50 Margaritas! We decided to give it a try - and it was worth it, from the enchiladas to the sopapillas! We left around 2130 and enjoyed the restful room at the Springhill Suites at University Center. Bed early...

Househunting Trip - Day 2

Today, Nicky and I planned to head back to Fort Worth for some house-hunting but we stayed with Bonnie and the kids for as long as we could. We had a nice lunch at the Hobbs Country Club and a tour of the town (including seeing some prairie dogs near the College of the Southwest). It has really changed since I first visited here in the 1970s. The kids were very excited to have "summer camp" with the cousins but Nicky was very sad to leave them alone.  Actually, I think it's the first time in a long while since she and I were alone without them... After departing from Hobbs (1500), I realized we should have gotten gas (and I had joked about this early in the day) - we only had half a tank when we left. Around two hours later, we discovered that we had also missed the last gas station (near La Mesa, TX). Hoping there was fuel in Gail, we continued East. Nope - only a sign at the general store that said "NO GAS". It was very disconcerting to drive East with 32 miles to Snyder and a needle on empty... Nicky was sure we wouldn't make it and I imagined hours of walking. It wasn't any comfort that we never saw anyone on the roads, either. After about 30 minutes of sweating and worrying, we rolled into Snyder and got gas. Boy, I love that Chrysler! The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful - stopped for dinner in Abilene again. Arrived in Fort Worth around 2100 and were checked into our hotel at University Center Springhill Suites (by Marriott) at 2145. Relaxed for a little while, but very tired. We start looking for our "dream home" tomorrow...

Househunting Trip - Day 1

Leaving Nicky and the kids sleeping in our hotel (La Quinta Inn), I woke up (0600) and hurried to get the next step of our Do-it-to-Yourself move completed.  I first stopped at the Shell on Cherry Lane in Fort Worth and reset the gas tank in the U-Haul to its original level (0710).  Afterwards, I drove the truck rental place (nearby) to unload the truck. We got a free month of storage when we rented the truck - very helpful for our move. It only took about two hours to finish the job, but I had to drive about 10 miles to get the truck weighed again (I used Drivers Travel Mart on I-35W, Exit 54B/C). When I finally returned the truck to the U-Haul, I figured out I'd only driven 35 miles over the allotted distance - pretty good, considering I initially had to drive 155 miles from where I picked it up in North Carolina... Nicky picked me up around 1000 and we drove to a nearby vet to drop the cat off. Luckily, that didn't take long. Went back to the storage building to pack up the kids' fun gear (bikes, roller skates, balls, etc.). You'd think we'd take time to rest but NO - we still had a trip to New Mexico to complete!  We left Fort Worth around 1200 - on the way out to New Mexico! The kids are going to spend a week or so with their cousins. Stopped for lunch near Weatherford and then stopped for pretty cheap gas near Abilene. The drive was nice - used I-30 to I-20 and then got off at US-84 in Sweetwater. Up until then, it was actually very hilly. Drove up to Snyder and US-180 - enjoyed the scenery for the rest of the drive in the beginnings of the high desert. We saw hundreds of windmills - it was really amazing to see so many new windfarms. Made it in to Hobbs (with the time change) around 1730. Had a very nice dinner and some drinks - first time to relax in weeks! Bonnie, as always, was a good hostess. Went to bed early (time zone catching up...).

Moving Trip (Part 1) - Day 4

After a good night's sleep, our family got a much earlier start this morning.  We even made time for a short swim in the pool of the Double Tree Hotel! We checked out at 0945L and, after getting some gas at the Sam's Club (1005), departed Jackson (TN).  Heading west towards Memphis on I-40, we passed through the city at around 1100.  Kids liked seeing the big pyramid in the city.  The crossing of Mississippi River was easy and a HUGE sign welcoming us to Arkansas. After that, though, the welcome wore off - their roads were horrible, probably the bumpiest I have ever seen (except for I-80 in western PA). Still, we had very little traffic and speed limits were high. Kids continued enjoying the walkie-talkies and listened to more radio programs. I think they have almost had enough of the truck, though. We had so much in the other car that they really couldn't fit in there with Mollie.  We stopped for gas again in Brinkley (AR) at 1245 and that raised their spirits a little.  Next, we drove through Little Rock and saw the Clinton Presidential Library from the road.  Departing the city to the west, we switched to I-30 and drove down to Texarkana. Had ice cream near the TX-AR border. Also saw some great looking State and National Parks - we'll have to come back someday! Never saw a welcome sign for Texas...  As we continued west toward Dallas, we made pretty good time.  We made another gas stop in Mount Pleasant (1710) and then reached the Metroplex at around 1900. Nicky did her best to keep up in the busy streets of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Saw Six Flags, the Ballpark and a huge water park - all those things should be fun! We had a bit of a detour for one of the kids (she needed a bathroom break and we didn't see any easy places to stop).  We eventually arrived at our hotel(La Quinta Inn Fort Worth West Medical Center) in White Settlement (TX) at around 2000. The kids seem VERY relieved to be done with the big truck but excited to be at our new hometown. We went swimming for awhile tonight and walked over to a nearby mall for dinner. Bedtime was pretty early, considering. Cat still hasn't bit me...

Moving Trip (Part 1) - Day 3

We woke up early - but with breakfast and baths for the kids, we didn't leave until 1130. After checking out of the Hampton Inn (1115), the drive west from Martinsville was through pretty farm country. Eventually, we were climbing some big hills. Passed an unbelievable vista at Lover's Leap (elevation 3000'). Stopped for some fudge and produce at a market near the Blue Ridge Parkway (top of the mountain range). Kids really enjoyed riding in the truck. We had fun listening to the radio - there were some good serial radio shows: biographies and stories of adventure told in the first person. Reception wasn't always good, but when it was, the kids didn't want me to change the channel. We had fun with the walkie-talkies we brought, too. One went dead about halfway through the day. Mollie was with Nicky and I had the twins, so they talked back and forth for most of the trip (used the cell phone when there was reception). We stopped for gas in Wytheville (VA) at 1345 and made it to I-77 around 1500 - whew! Using this route saved about 45 miles and avoided the worst traffic on I-64. Still, I'm sure climbing 3000 feet and turning on all the country roads used up much more gas. Used I-77 to get to I-81 and then drove south into Tennessee.  We later intercepted I-40 and had made good time after that. After stopping for gas (1715)  in Crosville (TN), we missed most of the rush hour traffic in Nashville and made it to our lodging for the night, the Double Tree Hotel in Jackson (TN) by 2115. This is our second day with our cat travelling in his carrier - I'm sure he is going to bite me by the time this is all over... When I have to get him in and out, he tries to squirm away. We bought a little leash, but it is all I can do to hold him while his claws are scratching. We had a good room and everyone should get some good sleep.

Moving Trip (Part 1) - Day 2

We finished up loading the truck at 1800 - much later than I had wanted. This was due to rain, mostly, but also finding a way to organize the last boxes so we could actually find things on the other end... Drove out of our neighborhood with Nicky and Mollie (with our cat, Frosty) in the car and Erin, Brenna and I in the U-Haul. Leaving late turned out to be much better than I had expected - I guess the heavy rain scared off all the weekend tourists early in the afternoon. Our drive out of town was easy but also a bit sad: we enjoyed all the fun things to do in Hampton Roads. Used US-58 all the way to Martinsville (western Virginia). There are some nice paved four lane sections on this route (we used this way to save the miles on the U-Haul). Driving at night was harder, since there were no lights and few cars. When I stopped for a gas fillup in La Cross (VA) at 2120, I figured out that the U-Haul was only getting about 10 miles to the gallon - with $4.00 a gallon at stations all the way along our drive, that didn't bode well for my wallet. Directions to hotel (Hampton Inn) in Martinsville were not very good, but eventually got there (2350). We hit the mountains just before we stopped for the night - tomorrow will be lots of up/down driving.  Bed very late...

Moving Trip (Part 1) - Day 1

We had to drive down to North Carolina today - to pick up a U-Haul truck. It is amazing how the Law of Supply and Demand can drive up the prices for rental in an area where people move all the time (i.e. near Norfolk)... Anyway, there were much cheaper truck rentals down in NC. The drive was nice - US-58 to I-95. Took just over two hours to reach Sharpsburg, NC (got the truck at 1440). The kids were really excited about riding in the truck (a 14 foot, newer model). It had an Alaskan Osprey on the side and seating for three in the front. We had no problems getting home, although I took many back roads to get back to Hampton Roads - needed to save the miles for the drive to Fort Worth! We stopped to fill up the gas tank in the truck in Tarboro (1520).  With high gas prices (almost $4 a gallon) everywhere, I was only able to pay a flat amount (max allowed) of $100 at the station - this is going to cost a LOT...  The best part of the trip was when we were driving near the town of Ahoskie - lots of peanuts and cotton.  We then got on US-13 and drove through the Great Dismal Swamp.  I had expected to see some of the fires but all we got was heavy smoke. After searching for commercial scales for about an hour, we finally found one in Emporia - it turned out that there are actually only two in all of Hampton Roads!  We arrived in Virginia Beach around 1800 and I treated everyone to Dinner at Denny's.  After that, we back to the house to load up the truck.

Biloxi, MS (USA)

Left around 0830 for Pensacola, FL. Good flight down - some clear areas in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama. Around 75 miles northeast of Pensacola, we saw some huge thunderstorms. I don't miss those... We missed all of them and landed uneventfully. Our group was waiting and we took off around 30 minutes later. The flight over to Biloxi, MS, was quick - almost too quick as Eric had to go around after starting the approach too high. Still got in OK. Another quick turn - group waiting. Headed back home and made it pretty early (1530).

Williamsburg, VA (USA)

My friend from Notre Dame, Bob, called me and suggested we meet in Williamsburg tonight. I'm glad that he thought of coming down here because we move next week! I headed across the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel around 1630 - not much traffic until just after passing the Hampton Coliseum. Luckily, the signs told me about the jam and I took Jefferson all the way up to Williamsburg. Faster (even with lights) than the interstate (could see it on my left - parallel). Arrived at Kingsmill Plantation around 1730. Bob was delayed, so I explored the grounds - it was very nice! I had never come here - just heard that they served the special Anheuser-Busch products that are sold in Busch Gardens. I learned today that it isn't true. Still, by the time Bob arrived, I was sipping a stout at the Eagles golf club. Enjoyed a fine meal with Bob and one of his friends from work. Later, we walked around and admired the pretty view of the James River. Didn't leave until it was getting dark (2045). Almost ran out of gas, but got some just in time. Made it back to Virginia Beach around 2200.

Ithaca, NY (USA)

We got up pretty early - both to be able to leave and to catch Carolyn before she had to be at work. It was a good thing, too, since Nicky left her keys at Carolyn's house... We drove along through green valleys and saw lots of farmland as we used I-81 down to Luzerne County, PA. We had lunch near Hazleton and then we got off the beaten path - using US-209 as it snaked its way through Schuylkill County. I have always been interested in this area - almost all of the early Coogans in the US lived either in New York City or in this area of PA. Nearly every town had some significance - Coogans had lived in almost every one between Tamaqua and Pottsville. We were racing the rain clouds, so we didn't really stop again until we were well south of central PA on the extreme east side of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Saw lots of buggies and happy Amish families. Used several PA highways to make it to Delaware - crossed near Wilmington and got on DE-1. Good drive with little traffic all the way through DELMARVA. Dinner at Popeye's Chicken (mmm...). Hit Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel just before sunset and had a beautiful view of the sun dipping into the Sea. The kids were still jazzed all the way home - only a couple of movies on the entire trip. Home by full darkness.

Ithaca, NY (USA)

The morning started out OK - rain cleared out early. Carolyn came over to meet us at the hotel and then took us to the Cornell Ornithology Center. They had great trails and lots of birds to see. We even saw a muskrat! The kids enjoyed themselves in the sunny, crisp air. We went back to the hotel for lunch (leftovers and peanut butter sandwiches!). Afterwards, we headed over to Carolyn's house for an afternoon of games. The kids played "The Game of Life" - and with Carolyn's cats. We then went over to a beaver pond and saw lots of rabbits, groundhogs and other small animals (Mollie even spotted a snake). Just after we got back in the car, it started to rain (again...). We had dinner at the A&W stand in Cortland - Chili Dog Night! Picked up some donuts on the way back to Carolyn's. The kids had fun with a donut race (eating off a string) and even Nicky tried it. Finished the evening with some more card games. We had to take Carolyn back to her car at the hotel - so we got one more swim in at the pool! We'll leave in the morning.

Ithaca, NY (USA)

Got a later start today (around 1000). To find Carolyn's house, we had to navigate around some construction (down country roads). Carolyn's house (a pretty little place) used to be a one-room school house long ago. After meeting her cats and looking around, we drove over to a nearby nature trail. We had nice walk through shady glens and enjoyed the sun. Afterwards, we drove over to where Carolyn worked and met all her friends. Lunch was at Friendly's (complete with ice cream). Later, we explored some nearby parks along Cayuga Lake. Carolyn took us up to Taughannock Falls - where we walked on more nature trails and enjoyed the last bit of sun before it began to pour. We drove around Cornell a little bit more and then headed back for some swimming at the hotel. The kids had a great time - that only got better when Carolyn bought us some Papa John's pizza. The night finished up with several hours of games: UNO (card game) and Scattergories were the favorites. Bed was kind of late - everyone was really tired!

Ithaca, NY (USA)

It turned out to be a great day for driving today! The forecast included lots of rain, but we never saw any! Left at 0915. We took I-64 over to US-17 and then made our way up to Frederickburg. On I-95 all the way to Baltimore, then got on I-83. This way has worked pretty well before - and it did again (Sunday is the best day for this route). Caught I-81 in Harrisburg. Great views of Schuylkill County today - could see a lot of mining operations and some pretty farm scenery. Crossed into New York around 1700. Took the scenic route to Ithaca - drove through Dryden and found our hotel near the Ithaca airport. Met Carolyn at her job - she was just getting off work. Went to a Chinese Buffet for dinner (mmm...). After a little rain shower, we went over to see the Cornell Campus. It is pretty and we had a nice evening for walking around. Later, we saw a nice waterfall and walked on a suspension bridge nearby. We went back to the hotel that night around 2100. We'll have lots more fun tomorrow...

El Paso, TX (USA)

Left early this morning (0800) - needed to get to El Paso before the 100 degree weather! Good flight and great views of high desert and Guadalupe Mountains. Landed to only 85 degrees (nice) and made it out of there before it got hotter. Could only get to Killeen, TX, with our cargo and fuel. OK stop there. Great flight up to Fayetteville, NC. Saw lots of Mississippi River and flew right over Meridian, Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. Could see all the way from Columbia, SC, into North Carolina. Pretty area - green fields and lakes that would probably be a cool break from the 100 degree weather here! On our way after a stop - home before 1900. Still hot in Hampton Roads with haze from fires in North Carolina...

Terceira, Azores (Portugal)

Woke up to heavy mist and rain - it seemed like a good day to leave England... Our crew checked out of the Gateway (Air Force) Inn early and we left Mildenhall Air Base on time.  Overall, it wasn't a bad start to the day - we got lots of help from the London controllers (I guess they didn't want us on their airways) as we flew towards the Azores.  At one point, we had fuel concerns - fortunately, everything worked out. Best part of the first leg was seeing the green coasts of Terceira. Flew in on a visual approach (rare) and had very little wind (even more rare). Great turn around on the ground - some problems with flight plan, but quickly fixed. Weather said to be OK in Canada, so left for Gander again. About 3/4 of the way there, we started to hear that the weather was not good at all - right at minimums. Sweated our way to about 100 miles and still heard no good news. Thunderstorms in St. John's kept me on track for Gander - and we broke out of the clouds around 400 feet. Believe me, we were happy to have even that ceiling (not much fuel for a "fun" divert)! Another great turn here - the place is slowly growing on me... Trip down to Hampton Roads was pretty easy - except for a huge thunderstorm in the first 30 minutes. We dodged it OK and then had nice views of Cape Breton, Cape Cod & the Islands, Long Island, Sandy Hook (NJ), Cape May and DELMARVA. Could see downtown Norfolk from 50 miles! Had to wait for a crew to drive over to take the aircraft from us (we reached our crew time limit) - that took a few hours. Finally got to my car around 1830L (2330 in London). Very tired... Glad to have this trip opportunity - definitely one to remember!

London, England (United Kingdom)

Unbelievable day! Started in the wee hours (continuing flight from 31 MAY). On the NAT, we saw lots of other east-bound aircraft - nearly flying in formation - throughout the night. Some stayed close all the way, but others blew us away with their speed while we conserved fuel... Saw fringes of light on the northern horizon all night and then a brilliant orange crescent of moon around 0500L. Didn't feel tired until the sun came up and shone in our faces for the last two hours. Weather was beautiful on the western Irish coast - could see Galway Bay, Arran Isles and other terrain features that are usually obscured. Weather degraded, though, until we landed in Mildenhall Air Base around 0730L. Glad we made it in - it would have really sucked to have to fly for much longer. Took a nap for about three hours after getting checked into the Gateway (Air Force) Inn. Met the rest of the guys around 1300 so we could try to get to London. When we left, I really didn't think it would work out. However, the directions from the friendly locals were great: a nearly 30 pound taxi to the Ely train station (saw the pretty cathedral on the way); a 14 pound round-trip train & Underground pass (best deal when we bought four tickets); a one hour and 15 minute train ride to King's Cross/St. Pancras; and a "Tube" ride to Tower Gateway station ("Mind the Gap!"). We were in the city, walking near the Tower of London, in less than two hours! Very misty. We walked for a bit in the financial district (all closed) and found a nice pub that served all the local beers and had fish & chips. After awhile, we walked around the Tower and enjoyed the Thames views of the Tower Bridge. Most of the attractions were closing by this point, but it was nice to walk. Later, we took the Tube again to Westminster. Came out on the "Houses of Parliament" tunnel and got a view of Big Ben from about 30 feet from the base! Really spectangular angle! Could see the London Eye, but thought better of using our precious time to visit it. Instead, walked around Westminster Abbey (closed for church services) and then down to where we could see 10 Downing Street. Continued over to Trafalgar Square. At this point, I found a map on the ground and we learned that we were near the St. James Park and Buckingham Palace. Enjoyed a stroll with much improved weather (sun was actually poking out of the clouds by this point) down "the Mall" (parade route for the Royals). Reached Buckingham and Victoria monument around 2000. Enjoyed a little more of the parks nearby before heading up to Piccadilly for some quick shopping. Finally went over to Green Park Tube station - only to discover they were working on the trains. Luckily, another train went back to King's Cross/St. Pancras. Our train left about an hour later - had a good sandwich in the station. Train ride back to Ely was long - and I was exhausted by this point... Fortunately, cab was waiting at the station and we had a quick ride home. Driver told us about the local area (good story about the "island of eels"). Bed around 2300. Whew!!!!!

Gander, Newfoundland & Labrador (Canada)

Took off late this afternoon - bound for Europe. We almost didn't get out of Norfolk because all the airspace north of us (on the DELMARVA peninsula) was closed (really bad weather). Finally got a re-route around the storms and made it to Newfoundland around midnight. This was my first time stopping in Gander (we usually use St. John's). The runway is longer - that's good, I guess... Weather was awesome - wish we could have stayed. We had planned to fly on the North Atlantic Tracks (first time for that, too), but we had trouble getting our route and altitude. Luckily, we were empty and had some flexibility. Finally got on our way for the all night flight after about an hour on the ground.

Mackey Island, NC (USA)

We drove down to Pungo this morning - to enjoy a few hours of the annual Strawberry Festival. It was fun for the kids to see all of the livestock (cows, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, rabbits, ducks, bees) and produce. There was a carnival, live bands, a mechanical bull (named Wild Willy) and pig races. We watched a pretty funny clown and a pie eating contest. Of course, we also tried some strawberries - the shortcake was really good. Afterwards, we drove south from Pungo and visited a wildlife refuge just across the border in North Carolina. Mackey Island was really pretty - and the gravel roads were all open today for public access to the wetlands. We saw lots of snowy egrets, great blue herons, loons, turtles and red-winged blackbirds. Spent most of the sunny, pleasant afternoon on the island before driving down to the (free) ferry back to Currituck Landing. While aboard, we saw the nests of ospreys (and their chicks). I met one of the commissioners of the County and he explained how the far flung, water crossed county gets school kids to the only high school (ferry) and how he travels around to visit with his constituency. Interesting guy. Back on "mainland" side, we stopped for dinner at our favorite Sonic. Wanted to get some procucts at the Farmers' Markets - but they were already closed (1900). Drive home was easy.

Mayport, FL (USA)

Woke early at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Lexington - hoping for another great day!  Flight over to Jacksonville, North Carolina, was OK until we got there and it was raining... Still made it through OK. Flew north to Norfolk and found there were no clouds at all. Quick flight after that down to Jacksonville - landed at Mayport. Birds everywhere! I'm really amazed that we never hit any on landing or the takeoff. Back in Virginia Beach by 1500. Weather is great - hope we have time this weekend to visit the beach...

Lexington, KY (USA)

I'm getting tired from all this travelling. I think I would give anything for just a few days of doing nothing... Woke up early again and left from Hampton Roads before 0930. Stopped into Jacksonville, NC, to pick up a group and flew them over to Lexington, KY. The good news was that the flying was over around 1300. After checking into the Radisson Plaza Hotel (downtown), I found that my room was located on the 13th floor!  I didn't think they had 13th floors anywhere but now I wonder if they have a room 1308 like the recent movie... Yikes!  After meeting up with everyone again, we drove through the University of Kentucky campus. We hoped to find a restaurant nearby, but it wasn't until we drove around on KY-4 (a circle around the city) that we stumbled across "Harry's" bar and grill. We tried some of the local beer - Kentucky Ale and its cousin, Kentucky Ale cured in Bourbon (good!). Sat with a new guy who told us stories about his tours in Iraq, including a helicopter crash that he nearly didn't survive. After a few more hours, we drove over to a liquor store on US-68 to pick up some of the the good beer... By the time we were back at the hotel (1700), I was feeling tired. We watched some movies in the room (it started raining about this point). Went to bed early.

Fort Worth, TX (USA)

One of the guys woke me up at 0600 to tell me the part had not arrived as scheduled last night. About half an hour later, they had tracked it down. I tried to go back to sleep again, but Work then started to call - asking if I could go on another flight on Friday! I told them this wasn't such a good idea, asking me to fly in Virginia while I was still broken in Texas (not to mention that I haven't really been home for more than one day in the last few weeks...). They wouldn't stop bothering me - eventually they told me I was going on the flight even if I didn't want to... In other news: my plane finally got fixed by 1100. Ken and I rushed around to get everything ready to leave (including returning my rental car to Enterprise at 1110 and checking out of my room at the CBQ) and we left NAS JRB Fort Worth by 1200. Flight back OK - very bumpy with lots of cloud cover until just before we arrived in Virginia Beach. Stayed at work for a little while to sort out tomorrow's "good deal."

Househunting Trip - Day 3

Woke up this morning with plans to leave Fort Worth - it's been a good few days but it's time to go home.  I checked out of the La Quinta, filled up my rental car gas tank at Conoco in White Settlement.  After that, I headed to the base.  Soon after I arrived, I learned that my ride back to Hampton Roads had broken down upon arrival. I spent most of the morning trying to coordinate parts for the aircraft and driving my buddies from Atlanta (who planned to rescue our passengers) for food. Eventually, all but a handful of our maintenance guys (they came down for a memorial service for one of our guys who recently died) were left. We got rooms at the CBQ and I retrieved the rental car (Enterprise let me use the same one again) before beginning the long waiting process for the needed repair part (it was supposed to arrive at 2245)... For lunch, Ken and I drove over to the Railhead BBQ restaurant (see April 2007). Had some good food and hung out there for a few hours. Nicky called and told me that one of the houses I had found yesterday in Berkeley Place was open for a tour. Went over there at 1845 and looked inside - it was built around 1925 and had some unique charm to it. Kind of small, but neighborhood is nice. Afterwards, drove around the TCU campus. Ken wanted to go downtown to Sundance Square, so we went there next. It was my first time in that section of town - lots of great bars and restaurants. This place is barely a city: there are big buildings, but it feels like a town. Saw lots of people with Cowboy hats and boots... Back to the NAS JRB Fort Worth (CBQ) at around 2200. Waited all evening for news of the aircraft part (big surprise: it never showed up...). Bed at 2300.