What Did I Do Tuesday? Hmmm... Let Me See

I had the pleasure of a two hour helicopter flight!!!

My friend Dave and I accompanied Doug in his Enstrom 480B on a flight out of Longmont airport, up and into the foothills.

It seats five. Dave took front passenger seat and I sat in between he and Doug, next row back.

Just out of Longmont airport... Long's Peak on a gorgeous day.

Dave got to take control for a while... bringing back memories for him I'm sure!

We flew low over the site of Monday's plane crash. The wreckage now removed. The pilot had called a "mayday" before crashing. Cody and I had seen the smoke as we approached Longmont from Greeley the afternoon before.

This is the area around the plane crash site.

A little joy-riding over Horsetooth Reservoir.

(This is actually a video... but do ya think I can make it work???)

Ice fishing at Red Feather Lakes

(Coming in to land... another video that I can't get to play!)

... But trust me, it's REALLY quite and experience, landing at an airport and completely by-passing the runway!!!

Thanks Doug and Dave for great company and an incredibly memorable afternoon jaunt. :-)

Going Solo

The time had come... like I knew it would.

I radio'd a "touch and go" as we approached the runway. Mark immediately radio'd in a correction... It was going to be full stop landing.

This meant only one thing... He was going to get out!

It was time for me to fly solo. (Despite the anxiety!)

I taxi'd back to the end of the runway and took off without him. The plane was lighter and colder, but other than that, not so different with just me in it.

First landing - pretty good, if I do say so myself!

Up I went again.

This time while flying the landing pattern there was little misunderstanding/miscommunication between two other aircraft. I watched, horrified, as they both called final approach to landing. A crash would certainly mess me up.... where would I land?

The second aircraft realized the dilemma and circled back around to land after the first one. I extended my landing pattern and followed in third place. It was a bumpier landing for me... What can I say? My mind was in overdrive!

It was also the landing that Mark and Marijke caught on film.

All in all I did three take-offs and landings to make up my first solo.

It was a beautiful day and went very smoothly. My anxiety took a vacation while I was in the air and I was surprised how clear everything became.

Back on the ground it was time to debrief...

Endorse the solo section of my logbook....

And get my shirt-tail clipped in "first solo" tradition!

Why the shirt tail?

Traditionally, the instructor sat behind the student in the plane. During lessons, with no (or poor) headsets, the instructor communicated to the student and taught them, by tugging on the back of their shirt. Once the student solo'd, the back of the shirt was cut out... no longer needed for or available to, the instructor.

Mark dated and signed it then handed it to Lori with these instructions...

She did a spectacular job of decorating it before it was hung on the wall at Air West.

I feel very special! :-)

I Don't Want To Jinx It, But...

Summer temperatures with autumn colors... Nice!

This morning I blew the chiropractors advice right out the window and went hiking. Nothing too strenuous, but liberating and uplifting none-the-less.

Today is proving to be nothing short of gorgeous. With temps in the high 70's, a refreshing (and warm) breeze, barely a cloud in the sky and all mine for the taking!

Marley and I headed to one of our favorite foothill loops, as did the rest of south Boulder and their dogs. Within minutes I realized I was well over-dressed and had stripped down to just one little layer. Note to self: trust the weather forecasters!

Before we even hit the trail head I knew it was going to be a great hiking day.

No idea what sort of plane this is, but he was having fun, enjoying the empty sky and taking in the Foothills as one can only do from up there.

This saturated blue sky is one of my favorite parts of autumn and winter.

Do you think this is funny?

I have to give the guy an A for effort and the "Entrepreneur of the Year" award for this.

He set up a business as a stalking clown. Hired by parents to scare the crap out of their kids, stalk them, send them messages and finally... shove a cake/pie in their face!

Happy Birthday??? (Not so much!)

But whether I would find it funny or not, if I was the gift recipient/victim, is not something I'm keen to discover.

Let's face it, clowns are creepy on a good day and this one has an ongoing dental hygiene problem to boot!

Full Article Here

Fly Away

What is better than a great flying lesson on a beautiful fall Colorado day? That's right! Another flight! :-)

Today I got the opportunity to fly with friend and neighbor, Dave Paule.

We left in his Cessna 180 from Longmont this afternoon.

And just over an hour later, we were in Salida. This little mountain town has a small airport with sloping runway, very little traffic and .... tumbleweeds!

I love it. Best of all, for future reference, we discovered that they have courtesy cars for pilots and the town (just 2 miles away) has a great breakfast restaurant - or so this random guy claims!

Of course, there was no time today for sight-seeing and soon enough it was time run over the pre-flight inspection for the return journey. Dave was extra-vigilant... knowing I am a student pilot and not wanting to lead me astray! Thanks Dave!! :-)

At an altitude of about 15,000 ft, we needed oxygen - hence the little flesh colored nose pieces. What a difference that makes. For those who have hiked with me and know I don't do especially well at altitudes over about 11,500 ft, you are probably wondering if I should be considering this little set up for hiking too... trust me, it has crossed my mind too.

Dave and I traded jobs on the return trip. I flew (minus the take offs and landings) and he was chief photographer.

I love photography... but flying gives me a bigger buzz, for sure. In fact, still have my perma-grin on!!

Epic, Exhausting, Exhilarating!

We are 99% done. A few little things remain, but it's time to wrap up the "kitchen remodel" posts and fill you all in on what we do with the rest of our lives!

In under 2 months (just as promised by Josh) we have torn out the old cabinets, flooring, appliances, lighting, window and wall that separated the kitchen from the front living room... and replaced it all with a new, efficient, functional kitchen.

A RECAP OF THE DESTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION:

Original kitchen

The future kitchen island shape... explained with the help of painters tape.

With the beam in place in the attic, the load bearing wall came down.

The cabinets came off.

The new cabinets and refrigerator are installed.

With the hood in place, the template for the island countertop is laid out.

The counter and back splash are installed.

THE NEW KITCHEN:

Island Time

The day had finally come... the granite guys were back and this time the island slab was not broken! :-)

Due to the large size of the granite slab, it took 4 guys and some very careful maneuvering to get it into the house. A story best told in pictures.

We are so close to being done now.

All we need are island faucets, pendant lighting, paint... blah, blah, blah.

Give me a week, it will be finished, I swear!