August, 2010

©Ian Coristine/1000IslandsPhotoArt.com

Guess where that truck driver would rather be?
Around here, we are apt to say...
"If you are lucky enough to live in the Islands, you are lucky enough.

TIAFU
(Thousand Islands Air force Update)

I bought an aircraft carrier last month. No really…I am not kidding. OK, so it is mis-marketed as a ‘pontoon boat lift’ but I think that is just so the Russians don’t catch on. I bought it much sooner than I needed it as the plane is hardly finished, but it is another critical component to allow this wing of the Thousand Islands Air Force to patrol these parts.

What is this gizmo?

Pre-launch scratching, spitting and planning

It was used, but it was the only one I had ever seen of this size that would accommodate the floats on my plane. The way it works is by lowering the frame underwater and floating the plane over it, you raise the frame with the plane on it by turning the large wheel.

Working smarter, not harder. We
are going to float this puppy into place...

Opportunity knocked and I rushed to open the door. Because of its size, I had to disassemble it, float it across the river in my smaller aluminum boat and reassemble it on the island. The real event was picking the now reassembled 450 pound (200 kilos) unwieldy beast up and getting it out to its final resting place in the river.

Gently.....

I realize that no one really gives a rip about this thing but I spent many sleepless nights trying to think about every possible misstep and what I could do to prevent or mitigate it. Every step of this process required help. I am grateful to my many friends who risked life and limb to help make it happen. The whole event was injury free and flawlessly executed, due to meticulous prior planning and having the right tools. Good work, men!

No, this is not a Chinese fire drill.
This is a well oiled, coordinated work team.

I had planned for 8 of us to move this thing, including a neighbor who had allowed me to use a tool in his garage a few days earlier to work on a part for my airplane. Unfortunately, just as I was about to stop by and ask him, he was killed in a horrific motorcycle accident when he was struck head on by a drunk driver in the middle of the afternoon. He was a quiet but very competent man who a few years ago was instrumental in saving our island during our absence, when a fire started near a burn bin we had . We will forever be in his debt for that.

Success!

Here is how it works.
Pretend I am the plane. No, not some whacked out nut job, a plane.
As seen here I float over the submerged lift and...

...when the wheel is turned the plane is lifted out of the
water to secure it during storms, wake from passing boats, etc.

Speaking of the plane, I did get to put in a few more hours this month and I continue to chip away at it. The most visible part of what I got done was putting my instrument panel in and got serious about the electrical wiring. Getting serious does not mean I am done. It means I got seriously started.

Where does the purple wire go on the back of the instrument panel?

See? Piece of cake!

This picture ought to bring chills to a couple of my friends who have helped me with some electrical issues I have had in the house and was not able to figure out on my own. They know that in spite of having wired two homes, electrical work does not play on my strengths. Knowing that I will do all the electrical work on my plane will surely cause them to run out and take a life insurance policy on me, naming themselves as beneficiaries.

The business end of things.


My uncle Dave helping me install the windshield.
White paper covers the Lexan to protect it
from scratches until final assembly

Finishing the electrical does signify an important step though because when I am done, I will be ready to cover the fuselage (the main part of the plane you sit in), paint, install the engine, perform endless time consuming minor tweaks, adjustments and finishing touches so I can begin to fly. Cool huh? Meanwhile, don’t hold your breath or ask me in a month if I am done. I won’t be.

Birthdays galore!

We had a whole raft of birthdays this past month. For one, it was 10 years ago this month since we bought the Bee. We had come to the East Coast to attend my grandfather’s 100th birthday family get together when we spent a few days at a cottage we had rented nearby.

We toured the area on a tourist cruise ship and we were in awe. Later that day and on a whim, Janice and I drove over to the Canadian side to have cocktails at a riverside hotel when Janice picked up a real estate flier and spotted an island for sale. “Wanna buy an Island?” she said. The next morning we were on the agent’s boat and the moment we saw it we were in love (with the island too).

Janice was a birthday girl this past month but I can’t quite say she celebrated. It was shortly after her chemo treatment so it was hardly a party or a picnic for her. I had my birthday also, truly a depressing time as I entered the next decade of my life involuntarily, kicking and screaming all the way. Funny, I don’t feel like I am circling the drain. There is a real irony in the fact that the best time of my life is happening at this age. Could my birth certificate be wrong?

I figure I have at least another 70 years of plans and projects ahead of me so I better either get moving faster or plan on living longer because people tell me the math is not adding up.

New Hampshire

We just got back from New Hampshire where we spent a week on a home exchange. As always, it allowed us the opportunity to visit little nooks and crannies in New England that we were not familiar with. With the Island rented out for a week during our travels, it gave us a break and a vacation from...well...eh... gosh, I dunno! What can I say, it was a blast. It was a resort home facing the pond within the Forest Hill Estates in the White Mountains.

One of the reasons Janice likes the home exchanges so much is that she often sees something that catches her eye that 'we' can do at our place. I am happy that she then has a reason to keep me around a little longer.

It was a real relaxing time for us as we visited the area.

We swam at both a local beach

at the foot of Mt. Washington...

and at a local swimming hole....

We crossed a number of New England covered bridges...

and took the Cog railroad up Mt. Washington. It is the highest peak in the North West US, with the record for the strongest winds ever recorded by man (231 MPH / 372 KPH). This was the worlds first Cog railroad, with the wheels only keeping the train on the tracks but supplying no power. The power of this steam powered train goes to the 'Cog' or gear that climbs a center sprocket between the tracks to prevent the train from sliding back down the mountain's 37 degree slope.

This, is seriously steep.

Another diagnosis...

You would think that with Janice battling Cancer, we would have enough on our plate to deal with. But no, having just past another un-welcomed milestone on the birthday calendar, we now find out that we have both been diagnosed with a new condition. Something called 'Islomania'. It is a little embarrassing to write about on these pages but there is a short description of the condition at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islomania
(You can copy and paste the link into your browser)

No, it is not fatal but then again there is only one known treatment and it is expensive. Currently, we have somewhat under control. As rare as it is, we actually know at least one other person with it.

How I spent my summer vacation...

Meanwhile, Janice continues with her chemo treatments and will begin radiation sessions in September. As of this date we are continuing to try to work things out with our insurance company to allow us to return to France for the winter and complete the treatments there. We will see.

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