So long Canada!
After
a quick visit to my mother and sister in Toronto, we could see that it was that
time of the year again. The weather threatens to get chillier, the water levels
drop in the river and the geese are heading south. That is our cue to head west. After pulling the boats and jet
skis out of the water, tucking the plane in for the winter (yes, the repairs
were completed on time and I flew it a few times before winter, storing it at
the airport) we hopped the plane (commercial variety) and headed to the other
home for the winter. You guessed it, sun, sun, sun. California..we are back.
It
didn't take us long to get the place in tip top shape. In spite of having a
superb property manager there are always maintenance issues deferred until we
return and we have been on it like bears on honey. Eight months is quite a
while since our departure and over 500 visitors have been here in our absence.
(We rent our home for short term vacation rentals during the months we are
absent) We are now awaiting French
friends that, as I write, are heading our way from Europe for a 12 day visit.
Much more on that next month for sure.
Janice's
mother was anxious to see us and we are happy to report that she is doing
better than ever. She continues to be our shining beacon of hope and our
benchmark for what we want to emulate. A terrific mother, grandmother, great
grandmother and a mother in law for the stars.
While
on the subject of mothers and stuff, we have received great news from our
oldest and youngest daughters that they are both expecting, bringing the total
count of grand children to.........drum roll please........10! Seven from our oldest daughter and 3 from the
youngest. If our other 3 kids get on the
J... O...B we will have a
platoon! I will have to carry a rolodex to keep track of them all.
The
California drought was hard on some plantings so Janice has been gardening with
a vengeance and putting in more drought tolerant color. My deck project from
last year just got its second coat of finish and is back in business. We are
making 5 o'clocks here with a glass of wine on our deck a new habit.
In
between chores we are finding it fun to return to our favorite sites and being
just a few minutes from our Mexican restaurant of choice is a great break from
work. Mexican is not high on the list of dining choices in the islands:)
Another change in our daily routine is not boating to everywhere we go. Janice
is off on her walking rounds in the morning and going from airplane related
projects to keeping up with our 3 acre property is my new drill.
In
spite of being goaded from the right and the left (politically as well as
figuratively) we are trying our best to get through the next political month
unscathed. We are in a situation where no matter what we do, think or say, we
are wrong. I have decided some time ago not to crawl into the swamp and have entertained
few discussions about our current morass. Life is too short and what will
happen, will happen.
Long
time readers of the Epistle have a decent idea of what I believe so there is
little point in beating a dead horse into the ground. The rest of you are
allowed to be wrong. (Lighten up, I am just kidding!)
The
plan is to play like crazy while we have company, then look see what we can do
about our winter project that we planned last year. Fortunately, all the
required building supplies were bought and stored, awaiting our return to put
them in place. More on that later.
The
word from the flight deck
I glossed over the plane
returning to service a little quick back there at the top. I bet that more than
a few people believed that after what they saw below, the thing would ever see
the light of day, much less the wind beneath my wings.
Well, it took about 3 weeks of serious work, after
3 weeks of chasing down parts but I have friends who were almost as determined
to see me back in the air as I was to get there. I see the plane as a piece of
art, albeit with a 31 foot (11m) wingspan. I am temporarily back on
wheels (so wrong in so many ways as this baby was born to play in the water)
but that will be corrected upon my return.
Meanwhile, anytime I tell someone new that I fly a
small plane, the first thing they tell me is a story about a crash--some
ghoulish tale filled with lip-smacking gore. Their implication is that flying a
small plane is about as safe as taking two sticks of dynamite with a glass of
water to cure a hangover. Ain't life grand?
Flying tip of the month: A ship is safe in
harbor, but that is not what ships are for.
