Winging It Daily

Six More Days

The Airman and I are heading to Hill AFB, Utah in six days. It should be a cramped fun adventure for father and son as we traverse the country in a Chevy Aveo. At least it is a 4 door. We have our packing list, shipping list, keep - but don't send list and throw away list. I can actually see some progress in my garage.The weather out there was 45 this morning. My kind of August weather. I'll have to toss a fleece jacket in with the shorts and t-shirts for the trip.

My cameras (digital and video are ready). I have extra memory and an extra battery.

Having dinner today with the whole family, FlxFlyer is doing well and Poochiegirl is also happy. The Mechanic and Pepper are coming over too (remember the red pitcher, lol).New website for Sunday Stills and Macro photos. I promise this is it. I will be taking this site down soon.

Keep A Smile On Your Face.

Sunday Stills - The Elements

Wow, this was a challenge. Figuring out what to use was hard.

Take a look at how everyone else interpreted the challenge at Sunday Stills. There are many discussions on the elements and what they consist of. I went with Earth, Wind/Air, Fire, Water as the basics with some sites listing metal and wood. I tried something different with posting mulitple shots too. Don't know if I really like it.I did go to the archives for these photos. Fire - our fireplace; Wood - Carving from Black Forest area in Germany; Earth/Metal - Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina; Wind/Air - Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina; Water - Bailey the Waterbug.

Another busy week for us. FlxFlyer is home and talking back to the TV - normal. The Airman is home on leave waiting to go to his first real assignment - the dining room is a mess - normal.

Keep a Smile On Your Face.

Sunday Stills - Fences

Sunday Stills challenge - fences. We have an escape attempt from one of the inmates and we have the old and new fence. The old is mine, the new belongs to the neighbor.

The Airman comes home this week. Some leave and then on to his first assignment in Utah. FlxFlyer is going in for surgery again this week and Poochiegirl is going to spend the night with us. Good eats for her, sorry dad, you'll have to wait until you get home.

It has been crazy to say the least around here. I did manage to almost finish a quilt hanger for Armywife. I'll post a shot once it is done.

Keep A Smile On Your Face

Return of the Airman

The Airman will return in a few short days. Armywife is ready to fix his favorite foods. I'm ready to turn over his car. Did I mention we're doing a father son road trip to his next duty station in Utah. 2100 miles give or take a 100. Actually I'm looking forward to it. I'll fly back once he reports in.FlxFlyer is doing much better since his surgery last week. I believe he got a green light from the doctor today to resume normal life.

Keep A Smile On Your Face.

Holy Cow!

I believe those were the words spoken over and over by the announcer at Rockingham Dragway. It was hard to hear with ear plugs and a brisk wind blowing in your face. I went with The Recruit and FlxFlyer to the NitroJam World Championship last night. We were layered up, gloves, hats, ear muffs and ear protection as we braved the cold wind and the "Rural" Crowd. The Recruit coined that term, "Rural Crowd." We met up with The Mechanic and his buds who braved much more of the day at the track than we did. Thanks to The Mechanic for calling us and advising us to bring warm stuff to include gloves.

We saw a semi with a jet engine go 219 MPH (HOLY COW) after warming the crowd with a burst of high octane flames, a motorcycle with a jet engine go 196 MPH (HOLY COW) and a couple of world records fall in Pro Stock and Pro Mod (HOLY COW).

FlxFlyer really enjoyed the race, his last trip to a dragstrip was probably with me in the 70's. What a change in cars and power since then. I can't describe the feeling that those Nitro Funny Cars and Top Fuel Dragsters give you when they roar buy with 8000 horsepower pumping (HOLY COW) and speeds approaching and in several cases going 300 MPH or better (HOLY COW). Both The Recruit and FlxFlyer now know what I mean. Armywife said it pretty good when she went last year, "I feel like they are trying to peel my skin off. " 

 The Mechanic drug his brother down to the start line and they got to experience the Nitro Cars take off when the light said GO! Did I mention the Recruit wasn't wearing his hearing protection at that moment. It seems he was busy looking at how "rural" the crowd was near the start line. He was too busy taking in the smell of beer, gas and nitro and was waiting for the second car to fire up and get ready to race. He wasn't watching, because he would have noticed that it was a solo run. So he got the rural crowd experience (HOLY COW), the smell of stale beer (HOLY COW), the fumes of the nitro burning your lungs (HOLY COW) and the feeling of skin peeling along with the deafness that comes from being within a 100 feet or less (with your ear plugs dangling around your neck) of a car taking off for a 289 MPH run (HOLY COW).

Armywife and Poochiegirl got the night to themselves in their respective homes with their furry kids cuddling around them.

HOLY COW! BTW we saw gas for $2.80 on the way to the track. Needless to say there was quite a line of cars waiting to get gas.

Keep a Smile on Your Face. Another benefit of going to the race was seeing your dad out with his son (Me) and his two grandsons (The Recruit and The Mechanic) enjoy himself so much (he forgot his earplugs during one run too).

Graduation and Happy Mother's Day

College Boy graduated yesterday from Appalachian State University. Did I mention that ASU Football is Back 2 Back 2 Back!!! 3Peat Champions. It did get mentioned a couple of times during the ceremony, along with that victory over, let me think... MICHIGAN last September. The tub has College Boy, The Girlfriend, Pepper and The Mechanic. Armywife and Regular Guy were sitting back slamming back drinks. We had Mojitos that I made (very good I might add), Sangria (thanks to The Girlfriend) and assorted other drinks.
Pepper and The Mechanic had to head home today. College Boy cooked Mother's Day dinner, I was impressed. He received compliments all around. It was a pretty good feast thanks to College Boy and The Girlfriend.

We took Pepper and The Mechanic to downtown Boone and drove through the ASU campus. Armywife bought Pepper some good foot lotion. Maybe I should say, she bought The Mechanic some lotion for Pepper. Yesterday I took them to the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis. Today it did not get into the 60's. Most of the day was in the 40's with rain. There was a thunder storm during our after dinner, it is cold and dreary, nap. The picture below is something called a jagerbomb, before the bomb. The kids had those while we sipped water.

I almost forgot, we had to make an emergency run to the store, less than an hour before graduation, because a certain Armywife forgot her shoes at home. Keep a smile on your face.

Back to Reality

Everyone has gone home, returned to the hustle bustle of their own lives, their jobs and the comfort of their own bed.  The family pet has welcomed their return with purrs, barks, growls and a constant thrust of their head under an idol hand, begging for attention. In our house, the "squeaky brakes" are singing their song, the cat is sneaking around the house trying to lure the "hyper" one into a chase or maybe a good old stand off. The hyper one is looking for an idol hand to put a sloppy ball into with very pleading eyes I might add.
The momma bird is still holding her ground; the nest is intact with four eggs. Armywife and I enjoyed the leftovers of fried pork chops, London broil, cracker barrel hash-brown casserole, macaroni and cheese WITH gravy and green peas. We did space this out over several meals, not all at once. After you get on the scales and see the damage, you have to honestly ask yourself, would you do it again. My answer, YES and I would have gone for more "Death By Chocolate." With the surgery of my mom, still putting stuff away, moving little things out to the Newlyweds we have yet to actually sit back and say it is all done, I guess it never truly is. Armywife is on her second shirt of the day (so far) and the Old English is complete. Also all unnecessary lights are off. We're still sorting through pictures, getting some enlargements, waiting for more to show up. These are just the photos shot by us, family and friends.
Poochiegirl is recovering from hip replacement surgery. She is doing very well. With luck she will go home today. FlxFlyer has been the trooper, being there for his one and only. She is following the doctor's orders and those of the therapists. In no time she'll be dancing the jig and attending the graduation of College Boy out at Appalachian State University in May.
The Mechanic and Pepper are settling in. They got cable yesterday and their own cell phone plan. I believe the cell phone plan was the last thin strand of that umbilical cord that has gone away. Spider Pig, Spider Pig, doing whatever a Spider Pig does...
Keep a Smile on your Face - only 27 days until graduation.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving

I am especially thankful for my beautiful wife (Armywife), my boys and my parents. I've been blessed with a good life.

Chester, Bailey and Baxter are thankful for a softy - Armywife. She rescued all three from the elements. You can see the thanks and love in their eyes. Bailey is especially thankful for the inventor of the Frisbee and Regular Guy who can wing it pretty good. Baxter is thankful for turkey and chicken.

Hope you all had a great day and took time to give thanks.

Keep a smile on your face.

Pack is Back

I don't mean the Wolf Pack. The family has managed to co-locate under our roof for at least part of this weekend. The Mechanic squeezed in last night after going to the IHRA Races in Rockingham. College Boy and his Girlfriend drifted in on Thursday.

Armywife is happy to have all of her boys together again. Even Bailey and Baxter like it.

Armywife spit out a table top quilt in about 24 hours. She was determined to pump it out before GarnerBonBon departed back to the cold country - Michigan. We delivered it along with a dish of Dirt Pudding to GarnerBonBon last night and took her completely by surprise. She was staying with FlxFlyer and Poochiegirl.

Enjoy your weekend, Keep a Smile on Your Face. Watch out for the Big Bear.

Poochiegirl Day

I've been quite remiss in not posting a blog to celebrate the birthday of Poochiegirl (my Mom). Armywife and I treated her and FlxFlyer to dinner at the Red Robin, a gourmet hamburger joint (if there is such a thing). The burgers were great and the onion rings just topped it all off. I believe her grandsons (The Mechanic and College Boy) even called her.

Armywife and I are enjoying our second full week of the Empty Nest. The first week absolutely sucked. I didn't get home before 9:00pm for three of the four nights, the fourth night I got home around 7:30 or 8:00. We did finally enjoy dinner together on Friday night. This week is more normal and I make it a point to get out of the office and enjoy my time with Armywife. Besides, I have to rescue her from the "hairy" kids, especially Bailey and her need to play ball.

The Mechanic is now settled in Mooresville, NC (Race City, USA) just outside of Charlotte. He started classes this week and is doing well. College Boy is in his junior year and also doing well. Surprise to everyone, he has become a football fan. I think it is the beer and tailgating, rather than a love for the game. Although he does talk highly of the team and complains about the officials (signs of a fan).

The weather was fantastic today, below 80 and tomorrow morning it is supposed to be in the upper 40s. Gas prices are around $2.27 at a gas station near Fort Bragg. Maybe it will get to $2.00. Great place to stop get gas and your lottery ticket all at once.

Hard to believe it has been over 5 years since the attacks on 9/11. We watched United 93, I recommend it. Every member of the ACLU should have to watch it too, on a regular basis. We also watched The Path to 9/11 on ABC. It was pretty good, I didn't care for all of the constant camera movement, but it was still pretty good.

Keep a smile on your face.