August 2013

Welcome to our world

We are thrilled to welcome James Wyatt Lindor to the family. Born August 6th to proud parents Vance and Amy, he joins his 5 other brothers and sisters in the menagerie. We couldn't be happier that everyone is doing well. You go, little man!

One in 130,000

In 2008, Janice began spilling the beans to friends that I was going ahead and would learn to fly. Many (including you, perhaps) thought I was crazy. When she added that I would build the airplane to learn to fly in, you knew for sure I was crazy. 

I was determined to build it in one summer (2009) and be flying before my 60th birthday in 2010. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men.  Once finished,  I did get to fly it for a few hours in 2012 thanks to Ian, but my instruction finally got of to a start in late June this summer. Last month I wrote that I was progressing  but I was  not quite ready to apply for a job with American Airlines. 

A month ago I was a know nothing wanna be. A month later, I know just enough not to be dangerous. That is, a wet behind the ears, low hours sky pilot. My instructor was fond of reminding me that when together, we had 4030 hours of experience in the cockpit. When I went off on my own, we had 30 hours of experience in the cockpit. It makes a difference.

 I am thrilled to report that the deed is done. I flew solo on August 13th, 2013 and I am beyond the moon! It took me 23,220 days on this earth before I reached the point where, on my own "I slipped the surly bonds of earth, put out my hand and touched the face of God". I felt the fluttering in my heart, an inexplicable sense of excitement. I was as happy as a puppy wagging two tails.

Of course I would never tell anyone but you of those inner demon fears that could have haunted me. Like that I would have built an airplane that in the end could not even fly, even though 3,500 others identical to it do. Nor would I ever have said anything about the fear that the plane would fly just fine but as a pilot I would simply never get the hang of it and wash out. Still, I continued to push myself way out of my comfort zone. I could not have lived with myself had I not.

I simply decided to take Mark Twain's advice. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover"

There are roughly only 1 pilot for every 1,300 people in the US, with a similar ratio of airplanes.  8% of the planes are built in a non commercial setting and only 1 in five of that small number were built and are flown by their owners. That being the case, there are only 1 meticulously hand crafted, exquisitely custom built airplanes (what some disparagingly call home built's) actually built and flown by the owners themselves for every 130,000 people in the country. I am incredibly grateful to be one of them.

What a spectacular retirement this is.

Fun, fun and more fun

For the past umpteenth years, we have regaled you with stories of one household renovation project after another. While we obviously enjoy them, it would be understandable if you thought that I was simply incapable of not doing any and of just spending time goofing around.

OK, so you are mostly right. After 10 summers of doing serious work around here with little time to lollygag about, this summer is the exception. Yes there are still projects to do. Some pretty good ones too. But, this is the first summer where to date, we have just visited places (to some extent because we have Kayla), entertained, goofed off, Jet Skied around and of course, I fly.

Is it legal to have this much fun?

Again?

Five years ago, Cottage Life did a little write up on our dock bench. This is a Canadian publication that covers all manner of cottage living pretty much anywhere. With a subscription base of 900,000 people, they are the definitive resource for the lifestyle. We had brought our sons old surfboard from California and I turned it into a dock bench by adding a few legs to it and they wanted to share the concept with their readers.

  
Last summer, the local papers here took turns doing cute little write ups on our Little Free Library. This summer, we got an email from Cottage Life Magazine again.

They too wanted to do a short write up on the only boat access Little Free Library in the world, which happens to be at a cottage. Ours. So they sent a photographer all the way from the big city of Toronto to little old us and he shot pictures of the library to his hearts content. That story will be published in their magazine at the end of this month. Then, he spent hours shooting pictures of every inch of the island and the house.  

Shortly thereafter, we got a call from the magazine's editor who had reviewed his portfolio, and asked if they could send a couple of their people for two days to photograph  and write a full feature story about the Bee for a 2014 publication date. Cottage life publishes 6 times a year so they have months of lead time for each edition.

It would not matter when they came as we would always feel that we are not quite ready, there is always more to 'finish', improvements planned, and better, nicer, yada yada to come. What they will get is where we are at at this stage and time.  Next year, as is the case every year, we plan to make it better.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure
(Nova Scotia or Bust!)

I made a quick trip to Nova Scotia this month. I was invited by my flight instructor to drive there with an other fellow ( he is a wanna be pilot also) who had purchased a plane identical to mine and wanted our instructor (Claude) to fly it back.  By tagging along, the owner and I were able to split the 2000 mile (3200 Km) drive and fly time back.

 

I wish I could say that I was invited along due to my superior flying skills, but as Claude reads this blog also and is now probably laughing so hard he is choking, the truth is that I was like the fat kid picked last on the playground to join a game as there was no one else available.

No matter, I was thrilled to be part of the invaluable experience of cross country flying, new airports, navigation and all of the details involved in this kind of flying. We flew 5 hours a day for 3 days to get back.

The view from the magic carpet

I felt like a Peeping Tom, peering in everyone's back yard from 1-2,000 feet (3-600 M) for hundreds of miles. For the geographically challenged, Nova Scotia is a Canadian Province (its like a State) on the East Coast, located on the map due South of the North Pole and West of Iceland. Regionally, it is also East of Maine and West of of a place called Newfoundland.

Meanwhile, this was our second week of island rental for the summer so Janice and I set up a home exchange that we initially thought we would spend the week at until this Nova Scotia thing came up. Janice and Kayla spent the week at  a 3500+ sq ft stunning home (325 sq M) on the water across from the Canadian capital of Ottawa. 

With a beach outside the dining room window and a place big enough to get lost in, they were pretty comfortable during my absence. 

Meanwhile back at the Bee, the girls get snuggle time

Out exploring the secret garden

There is magic in the air 

Its hard to explain what magic is to a 4 year old. Fantasy and reality all blend together and its pretty much all the same. But, Kayla got a real wake up call this month. I was explaining to her that it was possible that fairies could move onto the island but she didn't believe it. 

So, we had  her sprinkle some fairy dust near a tree by the cabin door and rest her magic wand next to it overnight. She came out the next morning and to her stunned amazement found that they had indeed moved in. Now a true believer, she spent the day trying to turn us into frogs with her powerful wand. 

We too were shocked when on a subsequent day we found a note that had been written by the fairies. Proof positive  that they exist and live here. Don't believe me? Just ask Kayla.

Click once on the photo

 Aunt Mandy is to be thanked for coming up with the idea when she is not too busy running the law office she works at.