Tequila Christmas Cake

It's the week before Xmas and like me, you are probably madly baking, purchasing last minute gifts, braving the crowds, tolerating the repetitive music and wishing that you had just a little time for yourself... to go FLY!

In the "spirit" of the holidays, I am going to share with you a secret family recipe.   
Well, maybe family tradition is more accurate?  Either way, it will get you to your "happy place" when flying is not an option.

Infamous Tequila Christmas Cake

1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups dried fruit

Sample the tequila to check quality.
Take a large bowl; check the tequila again to be sure it is of the highest quality. Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. 
Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.
At this point, it is best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try another cup just in case.
Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eegs and add to the bowl and chuck iin the cup of dried fruit. Pick the fruit up off the floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit getas stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the tequila to test for tonsisticity.
Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or something.
Check the tequila.
Now shift the lemon ice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 s and try not to fall over.
Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the tequila and wipe the counter with the cat.

It almost goes without saying, Tequila Cake is best enjoyed on firm ground.  


Merry Christmas everyone!
Wishing you a safe, happy and warm holiday season. 

Happy, Healthy and Oh So Thankful!

Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday.

Maybe that's because Thanksgiving doesn't involve gift giving and despite the early and earlier Black Friday sales, it is still the least commercial of all the holidays.
Or maybe it's because a holiday that sets us free to enjoy food and libations (including leftovers) without guilt and in good company, is totally worth celebrating!

I have a pretty nice life and am blessed to share it with folks who only seek to enrich it.

This last year has been one of intense learning, new friends (who I would proudly call family) and experiences and opportunities that I know I am very fortunate to have had.

A picture tells a thousand words... And these words, if spoken, would tell a story of beautiful landscapes and breathtaking sunsets, flying adventures, camping trips, sunny vacations, mountain escapes, scrumptious desserts, learning, laughter and love.

Yes, I am very thankful for all that I have, those whom I love and endless possibilities.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope this turns out well

The day Dick Bevington, pilot extraordinaire, gave me my mock check-ride, he made me promise to do an acrobatic flight with him after I was licensed.  I promised.

Two months later, he had "almost" cornered me at least three times at Air West.  Each time, I genuinely had other commitments and excuses.  Yesterday however, he managed to physically put a parachute on me as I was heading out on another flight!  I finally committed and agreed to a flight at 9am this morning.

First stop... A ground lesson, complete with VHS tape of maneuvers.
Am I too young to remember VHS?  No.  But I can't remember the last time I actually watched one either.
Dick gave me the run down on pre-flighting the Super Decathlon, what made it different and what we were going to do this morning.  He was sure to remind me that I was going to be doing most of the flying and he had "very little control from the back seat".  I told myself he was kidding.

Next, we did a pre-flight inspection and pushed the aircraft from the hangar.  Then it was time to get fitted snuggly with a parachute - and learn to walk semi-normally in it.
Dick tells me that fitting parachutes is one of his favorite parts... then later confesses, with a smirk, that he thought that might have sent me running to my car.

There is a proper way to get into the plane and I learned it.  Dick went about making sure I had my seat belt correct fastened and tightened.  It was at this time he said, without a smirk, "I hope this turns out well."

I know what you were thinking.  You read the title of this post and automatically assumed that I was the one having this thought....  Well, maybe given a few more minutes, I would have gotten there.
But yikes!  The instructor hoped, out loud, for a good outcome!

We had been previously discussing doctors and Dick had said "It's never a good sign when you hear the doctor say Whoops!"  I told Dick that a flight instructor saying "I hope this turns out well" is akin to a doctor saying "Whoops!".  Was that surprise I saw on his face?  Really?

I was front seat, Dick sat behind me.  He familiarized me with the instruments and controls and told me to "Memorize this attitude, Dallice... this is how we will land.", "Keep your feet over the rudder pedals so I know where those clodhoppers are at all times" and my favorite... "Don't touch the brakes.  If you do, there is nothing I can do to save us."

Along the same lines (as sure death) we covered the procedure for an emergency evacuation from the aircraft.  How to get rid of the door and dive out toward the tail, before pulling the D-ring on my chute.   Apparently if one is "fluttering toward the ground, in a spin", there may only be one hand to release the seatbelt, so that's how we practiced it.  Nervous much?  Me?

We were ready to go.

Upon take-off we headed north and sought to gain altitude over a low population area.
It wasn't long before Dick took the controls and demonstrated my first loop.  It was my turn next!

I watched the horizon disappear under the nose, then turned my head left (with difficulty under that amount of force) to see land under the wing through the mounted reference site.  Then there came the point in the loop when I heard Dick's voice over the intercom calling "look up" and I watched the horizon come into view through the top window... from the back, slowly working its way to the front windscreen again.

He repeated the process with an aileron roll.  Demonstrating, then talking me through it.

Like me, you may be wondering if I really got to fly the acrobatics, or was Dick subtly controlling the stick and rudder from behind me.  Dick was not a backseat driver.  He asked me afterwards, if I had felt his hands on my shoulders.  This was Dick's way of proving to a student that the instructors hands were no where near the controls and the student had completed the maneuver alone. Yikes, I did it!

Before calling it a day, Dick demonstrated other maneuvers for me.... A hammerhead and an inverted spin to name a couple.

I watched the airspeed indicator plummet from over 80 to 0 mph.  Interestingly the stall warning only came on briefly, despite the crazy pitches and low airspeed.  Also fascinating to me was that didn't feel very queasy... although a little more so after we landed.   The only "side effect" I felt, seemed to be a brief hot flush during one of the spins and a few seconds of mild dizziness.

Dick told me afterwards he wasn't surprised that I didn't pass out.  The thought had never occurred to me, but I looked at him, wondering why he wasn't surprised, anyway.  He read on my face, the need for him to elaborate and asked, "Were you afraid at any time or did you trust me?"  I responded that I did fully trust him.

According to Dick, apparently the highest risk of passing out (known as G-LOC/G-force loss of consciousness) comes when an increased G-force is coupled with fear.  Positive G-force increases blood pressure in the brain, but decreases the intraocular pressure within the eyes.  The first symptom is darkness moving slowly inward from the person's peripheral vision, until the tunnel of vision becomes smaller and smaller.  At the point at which there is only darkness, the person is still conscious... for a bit longer.  Then with a lack of consciousness, the once balanced headset, slips off.  A return to consciousness, which happens fairly quickly once the G-force is relieved, will invariably result in a sudden awareness of cabin noise!

I learned a lot from Dick today.  Plenty about flying in general, plenty about wings designed for flying inverted. But one of my favorite things, without question, was the insight into a man, who's blunt honesty and sense of humor had me smiling for a whole lot longer than the two hours we spent together.

I'm very grateful to Dick, for his generous introduction to acrobatic flying and my first Super Decathlon experience.

Mark's New Flight Student

I'm not one of those parents who thinks their "little one" is the most gifted of all his friends.  Mine is definitely the cutest though.  (He really, really is!)

Marley is seven years old.  I believe his exceptionally good behavior is mostly explained by the "slow learning" tendency he exhibits.  This year marked a milestone on his learning curve.  He opened a door and walked through it.  I know, I know... sounds fairly  advanced, right?  Umm, no.  We are talking about a door that was already ajar by about 6 inches.  For six and a half years, Marley has stood at said door, whined a bit and waited for someone to get up and open it.  It had to be wide enough that he didn't touch it while passing through the opening.  You get the picture?

Did I mention that my "little one" is a Golden Retriever, not an actual kid?

In all fairness, it's not that he was un-trainable.  By four months of age, he sat, stayed, came, laid down and could "drop it" on command.  Totally treat driven, his little brain was a sponge and his larger belly was always on the look out for the opportunity to earn a snack.

Marley never taught himself anything though... Unless you count the time that he learned to wash his face by licking his paws and wiping his face, all cat-like.  Apparently he is happy to take instruction from a 4 month old kitten as well as me.  Interestingly, the kitten offered no treat for skill well learned!

I digress.

While out at the airport recently, Marley tried to follow, as Mark climbed onto the wing of his Bonanza and stepped inside.  There was some whining as he had trouble figuring out how to best get up on the wing and he ended up waiting impatiently for Mark to rejoin him on the ground.

Mark and I apparently had the same question.  How would Marley do as a passenger, in the back seat of the Bonanza? Perhaps it was time to find out.

A short flight from Longmont (KLMO) to Greeley (KGXY) seemed like the right time to test the new flight student.

Boy, was Marley excited!  I gave him a little help climbing onto the wing, then he walked up to the door, passed behind the co-pilot seat and settled quickly on the back seat.  Like any good student, he sat upright, positioned beautifully,dead center to get the best view out of the windscreen and, at a glance, out of either of the side windows.

Im not sure that Marley realized when we took off.  At about 500' AGL he seemed surprised at the new view out the window, for sure.  He spent the next 15 minutes drooling excitedly, with his head between the two front seats... And like a good student, he stared outside about 80% of the time and monitored the instruments (I.E. pilot) the other 20%.



As a mother, I worried a little that he would get suddenly nauseated and not enjoy himself.  As a hungry woman, I simply worried that if he threw up on me, I would not have something else to change into and would have to forfeit breakfast at the Greeley Airport!

My fears were unfounded.  At Greeley he (kind of) gracefully exited the airplane and proceeded to do what any decent dog does.  He marked his territory and laid down for a nap in the shade while we ate inside.

The flight back to Longmont was just as exciting and just as uneventful.

With an introductory flight under his belt/collar, Marley received Mark's endorsement to fly from the back seat again in the near future.

Spiders in the House!

Is it just me, or is anyone else noticing an increase in the spider population

...in their house?!

It seems that not a day is going by before I find another common brown house spider doing laps of my rooms.  At first I wasn't too bothered by it, but they are big (>1"), they move fast and there have been several times where they have crossed the line, pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Episode #1:
I throw back the covers to get out of bed one morning, only to find I am sharing the bed with a light brown/whitish spider of decent size.  Only later did I identify him as a Brown Recluse!

Episode #2:
I was about to jump into the shower when I noticed a large spider run into the bathroom and hide behind the toilet.  It was late and I was tired, I let him be and continued on into the shower.  Grabbing my towel afterwards, I thought I felt a little tickle as I dried my back but nothing fell to the ground when I swatted.  Fast forward half and hour and as I'm drifting off in bed, I feel that tickle again, on my head this time.  I wiped at my hair only only to have a spider run down my forehead, over my eyes and across my mouth.  Yes, I yelled!  As the lamp came on I saw him, sitting happily on my comforter just 4" in front of my head.

These two episodes marked the end of my "live and let live" policy.  I was borderline zero tolerance after this and as such, the cobwebs that had been building for years in my garage began to bother me.  How many spider dreams have I had in the last month?  Too many!

Episode #3:
My foray into the crawlspace after the recent flooding in Boulder to pull out wet carpet and cardboard, also turned up old wood, a bed frame and other trash that came with the house.  It was icky, but had to be done.  If you read my post about drying out the crawlspace you will also know that I had a spider interaction under the house too.  A black widow appeared in front of me after I turned over wet wood and it disappeared back into the darkness about the time I began screaming.

Episode #4:
As I took a call on my cell in the front garden yesterday I watched 3 big brown house spiders dart out from under the ivy near the garage.  Like a gang they ran onto my driveway.  Then 2 zipped into my open garage!  Just seconds later I was unable to locate them and my tolerance ran out.  (It has been a trying week.)

I'm now the proud owner of a Shop Vac.  Many of the cobwebs are gone from the garage and the rest are living on borrowed time.  I don't do things by halves either.  The plan, when the crawlspace chaos is no longer a factor, is to clean out the garage, replace the window, insulate between the studs and drywall it.

I'm just one woman with a lot of other big plans too, but mark my words, that garage will not be a safe environment for spiders looking for cozy, dark corners by spring!


And just in case you are wondering;   The Common Brown House Spider is not dangerous, but the bites from the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse can be.

Black Widow:   Affects from a bite take about 20-60 minutes.  The bite itself is small... maybe double fanged, but the pain at the site is severe.  People can experience mild to severe symptoms including severe muscle cramps, abdominal pain, weakness, tremor.  In more severe cases you might also get nausea, vomiting, dizziness, chest pain and respiratory difficulties.  Life threatening reactions have only been seen in children or the elderly.

Brown Recluse:  The bite may not hurt initially.  Redness, pain and a blister at the site will follow.  Itching and mild to intense pain may occur for 2-8 hours after the bite. Necrosis follows a week or more after the bite and the ulcer may take months to heal.  Some people will have a systemic reaction which includes the breakdown of red blood cells.  Other symptoms include fever, chills, skin rash over the body, joint pain, nausea and vomiting.

What to do after a spider bite?

• Remain calm  (I know!  Easier said than done!)
• Apply cool cloth and/or ice.  (Do not apply a tourniquet.)
• Try to identify the spider or catch it.
• Seek medical attention if you have symptoms that are non-localized.

 Black Widow                                                         Brown Recluse

A Journey of a Thousand Steps...

When people come to me, ready and able to buy real estate... but unsure of the process and nervous of the commitment, I tell them this:

Buying or Selling real estate can be an intimidating process.  My job is to break the process down into a series of small steps. Each step is manageable and none of them is a surprise. We turn a seemingly overwhelming event into a guided, low-stress journey down a well worn path.  Of course it's hard work... but it's also fun and worth it.

Manitou Incline.  Less than a mile, but a 2000' elevation gain.  A series of small steps!
Photo courtesy of Bill Dayton

Learning to fly has been like this, for me.  As the saying goes..."How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time."

Remembering back to Day 1, I thought pre-flighting the plane was overwhelming.  Its called a what?  What is that for again?  What should I checking for?

Then I got INTO the airplane.... Oh dear!  So many instruments, knobs, and levers.  Forget knowing what they do and when to use them, just show me which ones not to touch so the plane doesn't crash!

My instructor, Mark Mantei, applies the same "principle of small bites", to learning to fly, that I do to real estate.  Did he let me take off at my first lesson?  Nooo.  We began with straight and level flight, then shallow turns and other basic maneuvers.   Once I was almost comfortable with something, we added another skill.  Soon, I was learning take-offs and talking on the radio.

Then came landings... they took a bit longer.  There was one day when I watched Mark's face, perplexed, after my less-than-elegant landing and actually asked him what he was thinking.  He replied honestly. "Why doesn't she get it?"

But I did eventually "get it", and like a fledgling, the day came to leave the nest. With a little push, I was on my own.

Solo.  Another step along the road.  An accomplishment for me and an accomplishment for my instructor too.

For the next 8 months, I flew mostly solo.  Sometimes just to play in the sky, other times, to complete student pilot flying requirements.





The small steps were adding up and Mark was under the impression I was almost ready for my check-ride.  Another little push... a little further from the nest.

Ok... it was a big step and required a big push!

Not only was Mark asking me every day, if I had booked my check-ride, but he made sure to ask in front of other people at Air West.  Crap!  Peer pressure!  An old, but effective tool.  Very soon Mark had Larry, Lori, Cody and many more, also asking me when I was going to sit my check-ride.

In all honesty, I recognize that without the support and encouragement of my friends at Air West, I might still be flying solo... a "forever student".  I could not ask for a better team and learning environment.

But mostly, there were two men who were instrumental from start to finish...

Osman, who took one look at my bucket list and arranged my first flying lesson.  He found me an instructor that would understand me and he turned a blind eye to the hole I was putting in our joint bank account.  Osman covered me at work and listened to my aviation ramblings for over a year before I was officially a pilot... then he dared to be my first passenger!
(I only hope I can be as useful when it's his turn to learn to fly.)

And Mark.  The CFI that was able to take me, a girl challenged by math and physics, and turn her into someone who could convince a FAA examiner that she was good enough to have earned a private pilot license.  I swear, no bribery involved!  All it took was 45+ hours of Mark flying with me, hundreds of hours explaining stuff online with me, the patience of a saint and the ears of a seasoned therapist!
(My conclusion... CFI's don't get paid enough and must be in it for the love of teaching and flying.)

Check-ride Part 3

It was "practical examination day".  Sunny, warm, calm.

FAA examiner, Bev Cameron, watched me do a thorough pre-flight inspection.  Nothing escaped her and at various points she asked me what I was looking for and why.  What would I do if I found this or that?  What would it mean for flying that day?

We jumped in and got situated.  Well, I jumped in and Bev, a tad older and shorter than me and with her boat cushion/booster seat in hand, kind of climbed in.  End result... the two of us, snuggly fitted into Cessna 65440 and ready for action!

All pilots know that checklists are important.  Pre-flight inspection lists, pre-start up list, pre-take off lists.  They were never more important than that day.  Failure to reference a checklist was just that... failure!  And Bev was watching everything I did.

I started the engine, checked weather once again, radio'd my intentions and set off to the end of runway 29, in calm winds.  Of course just about the time run-up was complete, 3 or more other aircraft announced their intentions too.  A take-off at runway 11 and two landings... at 11.  Drat!  Best to taxi back to 11 and go with the flow.

First things first... a short field take-off with a 50' obstacle.  Not a problem.  Could have put flaps up a bit earlier, but definitely cleared the imaginary obstacle, tracked the runway, and was safe.  Bev reminded me that a good way to double check the obstacle was cleared, was to quickly look at the altimeter.  Good to remember.... and served as another reminder why I liked Bev.  She added value.

I turned to my first heading, did a clearing turn and began flying the first leg of the cross country I had planned.  It was a bit of a challenge, having another person in the cockpit.  After all, she took up the seat that had traditionally been "my desk".

I was on track, the times were working out nicely and ground speed too. I passed over each visual checkpoint as planned and was able to point out the landmarks and identify them on the chart.  Just one thing not going quite right... I was having trouble getting my VOR right.  Was it me or the VOR having problems?  The more I thought about it the more it bothered me.  Later Bev and I talked about this distraction and how she had wished I had just turned it off instead of going back to it again and again.  The truth was that I didn't need it to navigate right then and should have turned it off.  My other navigation was serving us just fine and we were on track. By the way, Bev asked me what the "other navigation" was called.  Yes, pilotage.

Shortly after this cross country bit, Bev asked me to turn us to the west and prepare myself for the foggles (view limiting device) portion.  "You've got the plane", "I've got the plane", "You've got the plane" was exchanged as she took control while I stowed and un-stowed equipment, then put on the foggles. We did climbs, descents, standard rate turns and recovery from unusual attitudes - which has always been a favorite.  My belly was twisted in knots of anxiety and I know I didn't do as well as the other times I have practiced this.  When the foggles came off, I was able to identify where we were pretty quickly, as asked.  Several small bodies of water and a main road tipped me off that I was between Longmont and Boulder.  We had flown quite a bit further than I thought we had, but I'm guessing it was no accident we were still within the bounds of the chart I had open!

Over a low population density area, Bev asked me to get the airplane ready for slow flight.   This portion went fairly quickly... slow with turns, climbs etc.  Then I got to chose which stalls we did first.  Power-off please!  (I like to work up to the power-on stalls.)  After a couple of nice full power-off stalls it was time for the power-on ones.  For me the hardest part is keeping the airplane straight when pointed at a clear blue sky, with no cloud references.  I think I could have slowed 65440 down a tad more before going to full power and pitching up, but it seemed I kept on heading ok and my recovery wasn't too bad either.  Bev then asked for a power on stall in a turn.  I was honest and told her I had never done these.  I was able to answer questions about stall-spins and recite the checklist for a spin recovery - as memorized from the POH.  Bev asked if she could demonstrate the power-on stall in a  turn, and I gave her control of the aircraft.

I was actually having fun now!  Bev showed me the stall, then I followed her instruction and repeated the maneuver.  I remember at one point, the stall warning going off loudly, the nose pitched up and to the right and Bev asking me "What causes a stall spin?".  I immediately looked at the turn coordinator... "Being uncoordinated" I said, as I jammed a foot harder onto the rudder peddle to correct myself!  She smiled.   I recovered from the imminent stall and cleared my mind, ready for the next instruction.

Just as I prepared for more flying maneuvers, I "lost the engine".  Simulated engine roughness or failure was only a matter of time in a check-ride.  I had practiced this more than once with Mark and Dick and luckily, Colorado is full of fields, just waiting for an emergency landing.   I knew to verbally run through the list of possible causes and how to attempt to restart the plane, but before I could get most of it out, Bev looked at me and said, "Its not any of the common things you are going to check for, and you can't restart the plane".  Ok... so we are going in for an emergency landing then!

I pitched for optimum glide speed and picked the field.  After a quick descent, carb heat on and flaps down, I was on final approach.  About 500' above the field, I was told that I could go around.  (Phew!  I wouldn't be spending my Sunday picking corn husks off this Cessna 152 after all!)  I had full power back and slowly retracted flaps, as I climbed.  We talked about what made a good emergency landing field, why I chose the direction of landing and what to be careful for.  Obstacles, irrigation ditches and deep plowing ruts were obviously not ideal, landing into the wind was.

Steep turns ensued.  No drama, no problem.  I can say from experience that some days steep turns are a cinch and other days I'm struggling to understand why I cant maintain altitude and angle of bank very well at all.  This day was a good one.  We then began S-turns.  I think I got about a half turn completed when Bev said we were done with those too.  And there was no "turns around a point" during my check-ride.

Now half way between Longmont Airport (Vance Brand) and Fort Collin-Loveland Airport, I was asked if I would prefer to do some landings at either one.  Since I was tuned to Fort Collins and could hear plenty of traffic, I took a chance and opted for Longmont... my home turf.  It paid off.  There were maybe two other aircraft in the landing pattern.

I almost forgot to mention;  On the way back to Longmont, I encountered simulated engine roughness!  This time I knew what Bev had spotted. The woman thinks on her feet!  There is a private airstrip near Berthoud and she had seen it out her window.  She had me quickly determine whether or not I should land, where I might land and why.  We talked about the legality of landing on private strips and whether or not my engine roughness was a real emergency.  I concluded, after running through the possible causes, it was not (yet) and would make haste to Longmont airport and land as soon as practicable.   Also on the way back we did some VOR work. I was able to find which radials I was one, for 2 different VOR's and estimate where I was on the chart.  She asked me questions about my bearing and which radial I was on.  She had me demonstrate finding my radial, then turning to the heading that would take me to that VOR.

Once on downwind at Longmont, Bev asked me to pick the place on the runway I would touch down on, then asked for a short field landing, no obstacle.   In talking later, she informed me I was a bit short of my chosen touchdown point...Oops!  We taxi'd back and did a soft field take off, then a soft field landing, before taxiing back to the ramp to park and tie down.

It's a little weird to ask your examiner to help you park, but Im a light-weight and pushing down on the tail to turn the plane, in order to get it into its tie-down spot, is pretty much impossible for me!  Like the rest of my experience with Bev, I found she was very willing to help and again, I was better off for it.

Im sure Im missing stuff, but this how it went for the most part. It took about 1.25 hours in all.
We discussed most of her notes before exiting the airplane. Then it was just a matter of getting back into IACRA and her printing me off a temporary private pilot license to finish up.  (Easier said than done... that site is not exactly intuitive!)

I would like to say I was overcome with emotion... that a great sense of relief flooded over me and I couldn't stop smiling.  But the truth was, that came hours later!  It takes a while to discharge deep seeded anxiety, to fully comprehend that there is now time and brain space for something other than check-ride preparations.

For me, it just felt good to be leaving the airport a bit lighter.  To be able to enjoy food again, to sleep long and deep and enjoy quality time with the people that have long supported me.

A sense of tremendous accomplishment didn't really hit me until the morning I opened my little white envelope from the FAA and found this:

Check-ride Part 2

Surely that's not rain I hear?  What do you mean overcast?

It was tough to wake early, expecting another glorious Colorado morning, anticipating the termination of all this check-ride stress in the very near term... only to find it dark, cold and generally crappy outside!
The oral exam would proceed, no question.  Unfortunately, with visibility of a quarter mile, it was not looking good for the flight portion of my check-ride.

FAA Examiner, Bev Cameron and I met promptly at 8am.  We had the FBO pretty much to ourselves as we set up in a small teaching room and began "the check-ride".

Checking the student pilot:
Firstly, she checked IACRA to make sure I was registered and endorsed.
I presented appropriate ID, then my logbook, for endorsements and student pilot minimum flying requirements.
She looked at the original copy of the written exam certificate, and my medical certificate.
I paid her and we discussed briefly the procedure from this point forward.

Checking the aircraft was airworthy:
We went over the documents required to be in the aircraft fairly quickly.
Then proceeded to open the aircraft log book and review maintenance records and AD compliance for airworthiness.
Bev didn't just want to see me find the latest inspection entries, she asked questions along the lines of how often the inspection is required, who can perform it, where and why it is found under different sections of the log.
(Did you know that the 100 hour inspection, which is required on all planes "for hire" is not a requirement for a check-ride?  I did... and it was asked.)
We looked at my the weight and balance calculations and the applicable performance charts in the POH.

Cross Country prep:
After reviewing the flight plan calculations, route and weather forecast, I was asked questions about my planning and research.

I needed to be able to explain the weather info that I had and how long it was good for.  Including understanding notams and TFRs.
Why this route in particular?  Why these check points?  What could I do if not sure where I was, at any given time?  What would I do if weather appeared to change and how could I get updates en-route?  What were legal weather minimums and what were my personal comfort minimums for flying?

There were multiple questions about different areas and symbols on the sectional chart and we spent considerable time here.  I needed to identify airspace, with particular attention given to Class E (our area). Also military airways and operating areas, what the different methods of navigation were and more.

Safety questions were prominent and most questions were framed around real life scenarios.

Density altitude was big discussion - no surprise, since I got a density altitude question wrong on the written. (She was quick to see if I had studied and improved since learning it was a weakness.)  Honestly... I could still be better with this!  Bev was very good at taking a concept that I had learned but could improve on, and giving me different perspective, to further increase my level of understanding.

She asked me some performance and limitations questions related information found in the POH.  Eg:  If it was 100 degrees outside, the aircraft had full fuel and me as pilot, there was a 50' obstacle at the end of the runway and the runway was 1500' long... could I take off (safely)?  What could I do to improve the situation?

Other questions:
Where do I start?!

We talked extensively about the classes of airspace, minimums for VFR, and communication requirements prior to entering and while flying in different classes of airspace.

Equipment Failure/malfunction:  I was asked what would I do in the event of a complete electrical failure.  No cell phone/text messaging capabilities.  Is it an emergency?  Where should I land?  Where could I land?  How do I communicate with ATC?
Flap failure?
Engine failure on take off?  At what point and under what conditions do I abort and not?

What does the Cessna 152 use for heating, cooling, de-icing?

What equipment do I specifically need for Class B airspace?  What will I be asked to do with it?

Causes, symptoms and action needed with various hypoxia conditions.  She targeted carbon monoxide, low oxygen caused by high altitude flying.
Other pilot safety issues... stress, alcohol, drugs, sleep deprivation, were all touched on too.

There were questions about the limitations and privileges of having a private pilot license, including night flying, carrying passengers and accepting compensation.  She asked me about the various requirements for maintaining currency.

When and who to contact when lost, encountering IFR conditions, or needing help of any kind during flight?

Bev gave me this gem of advice:   

If the controller at the other end of the radio, asks you if you are declaring an emergency, this is your cue to do so.  Once you do declare an emergency, you will be given your very own controller to work with and that person can then assist you to a higher degree. 

We took a couple of bathroom/coffee/snack/weather-checking breaks and there was some chit chat along the way.  Four hours later (a good three of which were exam questions) an exhausted me, walked out of that teaching room, one step closer to a private pilot license.

I am not afraid to admit that a big part of me was relieved that the weather was even crappier by this time, and there was no way we would be doing the flight portion, that day.  The small part of me that was still kind of hoping to have this whole thing over in one day, was taking a second seat to nausea.  (I knew that granola bar was risky!)

It was time to try for that elusive sleep, once again.

Check-ride Part 1

The day had almost arrived.

Two weeks prior, I requested several names from Air West Flight Center and had been advised that as a personality, Bev Cameron would likely be a good fit for me.  I find recommendations are often the best way to go, especially if they come from someone you know and trust.  Thanks Lori!

I also took a little time to see if I could Google Bev, before calling her.  Researching a buyer or seller that I intend to work with in a real estate transaction has become a habit for me, so it makes sense to carry it over into other areas of my life too.  The internet is a fabulous resource and one that should be taken advantage of.  I often dig up information such as the tax payer address (where they really live), job titles, blogs and other things published, charitable contributions, memberships in organizations, notable achievements, prison records, licenses held and so much more.  In the past I have had clients who have dug up even more about the other people involved in a deal. Yes... you would be surprised what is public knowledge - or horrified!

Back to Bev.  

I found her to be local, a very experienced and capable pilot, and a note-worthy teacher.  That's all I need to know!  

From the first phone call, which she immediately picked up, I found Bev to be easy to talk to and a person who was well practiced at this.  She asked me to confirm I had taken and passed, the FAA written test.  Then she asked if my instructor had endorsed me to take the final exam/check-ride.  To which I replied, "My instructor, Mark, has told me it is time.  He doesn't want to see me be a lifetime student pilot."  She laughed and said "I will only sign my students off three 90 day solo endorsements... After that, I tell them to sit the check-ride or find another instructor to keep signing you off."  Okay, so now I knew she thought like Mark, or he thought like an examiner.  That's a good thing. 

(I don't think I mentioned that my third 90 day period was almost up!  No pressure!!)

We chatted a couple of minutes and formulated next steps.  I was to call her two days before the scheduled check-ride to get details of where she wanted me to plan the cross country and to get the weight needed for the weight and balance calculation.

I hung up, thinking "Oh crap, there is no turning back now!"

10 days later, post mock check-ride and other check-ride prep you have already read about, I was back on the phone with Bev.  Again, she was enthusiastic, organized and reassuring.  Just what I needed.

Armed with the weights I needed (passenger and luggage) and the cross country destination, I set to work.

Weight and balance had always intimidated me, yet it's probably one of the most logical and easy calculations out there.  I had prepared a simple sheet, pre-filled in with N65440's weight and balance info, which I found in the aircraft itself and in the airplane logbooks.  Ten minutes later I could tell that we were good to fly... with full fuel and with no fuel.  

No fuel is obviously NEVER the plan, but Mark had taught me to calculate both as some airplanes can indeed come out of limits when fuel tanks are empty.  I knew that N65440 was not one of these airplanes, but the habit was in place, and I think it's a good one, don't you?

An example of my sheet, with weights changed to protect the innocent: 

At the bottom of the sheet I referenced the Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) chapter and page numbers, as a reminder to myself.  This is where the weight and balance limit graphs for this Cessna 152 are.  I had already penciled in the result on the graph, so I could quickly find it and show the examiner.

Next... planning a cross country route to Searle Airport (Ogallala), Nebraska.  

I got lucky when I planned my mock check-ride route.  I had not only seen Searle Airport on the Cheyenne Sectional at this time, I had planned a stop there.  I was already one step ahead in the research about the route and the services offered at Searle and other airports along the way, quite randomly.  

For example, I knew that one of the larger airports along one of the potential routes, was closed (with the runway out of action) so I selected another route, near another of the larger airports.  A decision that had safety in mind and one that gave me more options as far as refueling, repairs, ground transportation and accommodation... should the need arise en-route.

Other advice gleaned  from the mock check-ride included, but were not limited to; 

1.  Angling the climb-out from my home airport, KLMO, slightly north, thus keeping well clear of Denver's Class B airspace, just in case.

2.  Not starting the time and distance calculations en-route, until at top of climb and preferably over an easily identifiable landmark.

3.  From the first landmark, the distance to the second easily identifiable landmark could be something like 10 miles... to make for an easier calculated ground speed (calculator or E6B), once you have the time taken to fly between the two points.
4.  My mock check-ride also reminded me that I would be expected to make basic calculations... time, distance, fuel, while flying.  The E6B is one of my weaknesses...and knowing its a pretty common weakness doesn't change anything!

So... there I was.  Sitting at the kitchen table, weight and balance completed, cross country mostly planned. .
What had I forgotten?  Darn it!  I didn't ask Bev what her fee was!
One call to Bev, one trip to the bank later... and all under control again.

I was just waiting for that 6am alarm to go off the next day, so I could print weather from Duats.com, call the briefer for more weather, TFR and notam advice, make final calculations based on forecasted winds aloft and get myself to the airport in time for coffee, before meeting Bev.

Good to go?  Almost.
One more thing... My undying need to have all the information and documentation in a nice folder, and my check-ride checklist CHECKED!

Sleep was the last logical step.  Easier said than done.

Check-ride Checklist

In my opinion, one can never be too organized. Why risk this Oscar situation?!

Photo by fractalznet

For your organizational pleasure, This is my tailored version of a list that Jeppeson suggested in its Private Pilot Practical Test Standards booklet.

AIRCRAFT

• Aircraft Documents:
• Airworthiness Certificate
• Registration Certificate
• Operating Limitations
• Aircraft Maintenance Records:
• Logbook Record of Airworthiness Inspections and AD Compliance
• Weight and Balance
• Pilot’s Operating Handbook, FAA-Approved Airplane Flight Manual

PERSONAL RECORDS

• Identification—Current Photo/Signature ID issued by a US or Foreign government
• agency.
• Pilot Certificate
• Current Medical Certificate (any class is OK for any checkride)
• IACRA number/login
• Computer Knowledge Test Report (original)
• Pilot Logbook with appropriate Instructor Endorsements
• Examiner’s Fee

PERSONAL EQUIPMENT

• View-Limiting Device
• Current Aeronautical Charts
• Computer and Plotter
• Flight Plan Form
• Weather Briefing Print-out -DUATS
• Current AIM, Airport Facility Directory, and Appropriate publications
• Headset
• Timer/Watch
• Pen/Pencil/Highlighter
• Knee board
• Spare paper
• Pink notebook (plan B)
• Sunglasses
• Flight books
• Snack/Drink

I can honestly say I used it, both for the mock check-ride and the real thing. As pilots we have been trained to follow checklists and not rely on memory. There is a reason for this! Nobody wants to get to the exam only to find they left their foggles at home, or perhaps more of a problem, forgot the examiners fee. Oops!

The Check-ride. I'm not ready!

It has been about 2 weeks since my check-ride. A very, very good experience overall, with a ton of learning and finally, relief... lots of relief!

As you might imagine, it was also one of the most stressful weeks of my life. Almost every day was spent at the airport during the lead up.

This is "my story". Everyone's story is a little different, yet I remain convinced that we all share certain aspects and can all benefit from the experiences, warnings and reassurances of each other.

The pre-check-ride process through actual check-ride, can be broken down into several stages.

1. Studying the books.

2. Completing private pilot student logbook requirements.

3. A mock check ride and dual flying to prepare for the check-ride.

4. Dealing with anxiety.

5. Actual check-ride - which is entitled to its very own post and will follow.

Studying the books:

I consider myself to be a good student. Not top of the class by any stretch of the imagination, but one who devotes time to actually learning the work and uses the resources given, to the best of my ability. I don’t leave stuff to the last minute and I take it very seriously.

Working my way through the Jeppeson books I had purchased at the beginning of my training, I used the "big book" and accompanying written test study guide to study for the FAA written, about 6 months earlier and the practical study guide and flight maneuvers books to study for the check-ride.

There was one more little book... Practical Test Standards. A comprehensive list of what you should know, the minimum standards to which you will be held during the check-ride and a list of things you will need to take with you.

Tidbit of advice: I wish I had "found" the PTS book a little earlier. It is an extremely good organizational tool and was absolutely key in determining my weaknesses. If I was doing this all again I would have used this little book earlier in my "getting ready" process.

Completing logbook requirements:

It sounds a lot easier than it is. How many times have I looked in my logbook and thought "just have to do this one more thing, then I’m done"? Too many! The truth is that when faced with pages of notes and figures, it is easy to misread or simply miss things. You may have read my post about missing 18 minutes of cross country time. It happens. It’s not ideal and it’s not the end of the world.

Tidbit of advice: 3 Things... Have your instructor double check you. Tag the requirements in the book so they are easily found and identified by you, your instructor and the examiner. And lastly, begin the double check of requirements well ahead of time. You do NOT want to be faced with "must do's" the week before or the day before the check-ride, trust me!

Mock check-ride and dual flying prep:

I was terrified of my mock check ride. Of course my instructor wouldn’t have given me his blessing (or in my case, a push) to go ahead with the licensing exam, if he didn’t think I was ready. But at the end of the day, that has very little to do with performance anxiety... my nemesis.

The mock check-ride was booked with the senior flight instructor at Air West. His reputation was one of a darn good pilot... and a tough teacher!

The event was a mixed one for me. I learned new things and new ways to do the same things. I did plenty wrong and lost some confidence, but I also got encouragement for the things I did right. I got a good peek into what a check-ride was likely to feel like.

Following the mock-check-ride, my instructor, armed with a list of weaknesses, spent time with me, flying and peppering me with likely questions my examiner would chose. We did more simulated emergencies, more simulated instrument work and practiced all sorts of other things on the list.

Tidbit of advice: Have a mock check-ride performed by a different instructor than you are used to. Have your instructor and the new guy, evaluate strengths and weaknesses together discuss a plan for the next step in preparation, with you.

Anxiety:

For me, there were tears, fears and an exponential increase in anxiety. It was the beginning of a week of sleep loss + appetite loss = weight loss. My focus was entirely on preparing for my first check-ride now. To say I couldn't work, found myself run out of clean clothes and with a sudden realization I hadn't done laundry or any other house chore, that I needed help in taking care of my dog and in taking care of me, is an understatement!!!

Honestly, the examiner is expecting you to be nervous. Some people are more prone to performance anxiety than others. I have had performance anxiety for as long as I can remember... tests, singing, acting, public speaking all get me.

Anxiety is a serious problem when it reduces performance, if that performance is a requirement for the "next step" or heaven forbid, for safety.

The mistakes I made during the mock and real checkride were at the beginning of the flights and I did get better as time went on and I became more comfortable with the examiner. It should be noted that the examiner worked really hard to put me at ease and actually did the best job anyone could. By the end of the flight, she had taken control and demonstrated some very cool things and I had had fun with her.

But if I could have removed or reduced the anxiety to a lower level initially, I would have. My symptoms included a reduced ability to concentrate, breathing difficulty, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. (Not something you probably wanted to hear!) Different people suffer with different symptoms and I am lucky not to have be paralysed by it or to have cracked inappropriate jokes! Yes, I have heard of other pilots with anxiety issues.

The truth is, on any other day, with these physical and mental limitations, I would make the judgment call to NOT FLY - and I was sure to let the examiner know this. However, that is just not an option with a checkride and the only way I could see to get rid of my anxiety, was to get it over with.

Tidbit of advice: Make sure you can devote significant time and energy to the process... and plan for it to be an expensive and exhausting week. You will need someone in your corner, cheering you on and lifting you up. If, like me, you suffer from anxiety, don't do what I did and suffer with it. Plan for it ahead of time, find therapies, exercises or balance events to try and reduce it. As counter-intuitive as it seems, studying harder is NOT a cure, because performance anxiety is not the same as anxiety brought on by being unprepared.

Don't ever forget, this supposed to be fun and will definitely be worth all the effort and stress.

Cross Country requirements met... for sure this time!

As you may have read the other day, I found myself to be 18 minutes short of my solo cross country requirement- as I was planning for the private pilot check-ride. Oops!

There was only one thing for it, so I sucked it up and flew the 120+ miles to Fort Morgan and back yesterday morning. All in all, a beautiful flight. Clear, smooth air all the way there and back.

The briefer gave me winds aloft of 280@15kt from Longmont to Fort Morgan, flying at 7,500' and 270@20kt for the return at 6,500'. I spent that sleepy-eyed hour between 6:45am - 7:45am, calculating wind-corrected headings, time between checkpoints and fuel burned.

Like a good student, I got the flight plan approved and the appropriate logbook endorsement from my instructor, filed my plans with the briefer, then high-tailed it to the airport.

Nothing unusual to this point, I know. But check out the flight calculations and actual times!

Despite an obvious wind shift (noted in brackets, the actual heading I flew to get to each checkpoint), and the fact that Cessna 65440 simply refuses to cruise at anything close to 106 KIAS, my times between checkpoints and overall flight time was really close! Just 4 mins slower, getting to Fort Morgan and 2 mins faster returning to Longmont.

I recognize now, that even before coffee and being fully alert, I am capable of accurate and fairly quick flight planning. And there we have it... The silver lining to my last-minute cross country flight.

I am the proud wearer of a $144 smile!

Yikes! I'm 18 minutes short!

The best laid plans, right?

I'm one week from a check-ride. My logbook is filled in nicely and each requirement entry is tagged to make it easier for the examiner to find quickly.

I ran through the list of requirements (FAR 61.109) and checked each one off as completed a month ago. All was looking good. I booked the check-ride and began the application process at iacra.faa.gov

Uh-oh.. Disaster! I discovered to my horror last night, that I am 0.3 hours short of the cross country requirement. When I had read my log book the first time, I had mistakenly seen 5 take-offs and 5 landings, and thought I read 5.5 hours.

Like there isn't enough to think about this week, I'm now planning a cross country and crossing my fingers that all this gorgeous weather we have been having, will hold out another week. Delaying my checkride is not ideal for me, since I procrastinated a couple of months before booking it to start with. And then there's the "other" cost. The one that affects my bank account. Let's see....

Minimum flight is 50 miles each way, but of course there is no airport at the 50 mile marker. I'm probably looking at 120 miles, round trip. Contrary to the POH, which tells me C65440 will cruise at 106, experience tells me I should expect to cruise at about 95.

Total time will be around 1.7 hours by the time I taxi, run-up, take off, climb, fly land and repeat.

1.7 hours x $80/hour aircraft rental = $136

18 mins required, $136 spent.

That's $7.50/min.

Photo courtesy of Steven Depolo

Lesson from the trenches for all you student pilots out there:

Yes, there is a lot of planning involved in a cross country. You have a head full of figures, charts, notes. You are using all those little computers, calculators and rulers that have weighed your flight bag down for months now. It's a lot, I get it... trust me!

But consider this... You could find yourself just short of time like me - because I doubt I'm the first. Imagine just 10 mins or 5 mins short!

You are doing the math and checking the weather, but take it a step further. If your calculations tell you that the flight will be 2 hours and you know you need 2 hours or more to fulfill requirements ... Recalculate! Go further, fly slower, fly a less than direct route or prepare to do another cross country later!

This advice is worth $7.50/min and you are getting it for free! Just sayin'.

From the beginning...

Who is Dallice?

In short, a Realtor in the Boulder area and a flight student out of Vance Brand Airport, Longmont.

Of course there is more to me... I'm a person, with all the diverse interests, issues and complications that any decent human being has acquired by the time they get to my age.

I invite you to peel back the onion... get to know me through my posts. Give me advice, make comments and share your stories too.

I began flight lessons in August, 2010. Everyone has a bucket list. Mine's not that long, since I'm a "why wait?" type of girl. However, learning to fly had been on my list for a good 15 years... which I realize does call into question whether I am truly a "why wait?" girl after all!

This is "my" airplane. A Cessna 152. Tail number 65440.

We have become friends, have lots of memories together, and have a good deal of trust between us.

And my flight instructor, Mark. Same deal.

Around the same time I began flying, I undertook a kitchen remodel. My own house... so I was driven by passion and a vision for my home's improvement.

Sounds simple enough, right? Ummm... Not really!

There is a lot of work that goes into making a 1955 (original - Yikes!) kitchen, complete with washing machine, no dishwasher, poor lightening and poor storage, into a functional kitchen to be enjoyed and proud of.

There was dirt, noise and a generally high level of chaos which I thrived in for the first 3-4 weeks... then a slow decent into "make it stop" land. The kitchen (and all the other bits that need doing just then too) took 7 weeks... but what a transformation.

Long story short, the chaos of construction was offset by the freedom of flying. The anxiety that came with learning to recover a stall and from trying to learn landings was quickly pushed aside by each physically and emotionally demanding day of kitchen remodeling.

I am now a year into my training. The anxiety of new maneuvers has given way to test anxiety as I get closer to my check-ride.

Like many of you, I turned to the internet for advice, information and general reassurance about this upcoming exam. I found little. Perhaps because I wasn't looking in the right place... or perhaps because few of us log the process, emotion and planning that is upon us when preparing for such events.

Hence this blog... A place to record my journey, both the ups and downs.

Back to the Dunes

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve... since 2003.

The highest sand dunes in North America, surrounded on three sides by grasslands, wetlands and shrub-lands and nestled beneath the San Juan mountains.

Daytime on the dunes.

Apparently the sand can reach temps of up to 140 Fahrenheit. Thank goodness, not today.

Just before the dunes, this abandoned building caught the afternoon light... Blue sky, greenery, white washed walls. The discovery of copious quantities of animal bones inside, broke the spell!

Camping here is easy and fun. You would never know that our campsite was one of one hundred!

We only had one hiccup... a torrential downpour that left a lake in the tent... Nothing that couldnt be tipped out, swept out, dried out. :-)

S'mores were involved!

Wandering the dunes at midnight, tripod in hand, it was the perfect night to experiment with the camera.

Its a wonderful, magical place that has always captivated me! What better time to visit that a warm August weekend with a full moon?

The Grand Campfire Muffin Experiment of 2011

It started as an idea... inspired by You-tube, as all good things are.

But what quickly evolved, was a mission to try - no, perfect campfire baking.

Using my Swedish camp cookware and a muffin-in-a-box recipe, I added the wet ingredients and set about cooking.

The batter goes into a ziplock bag, then rests atop of a handy-dandy hot plate which is raised about an inch off the base of the cook pot. The pot gets water filled to the level of the hot plate.

The pot is lidded and placed over heat.

Yes... that would be a camp fire or cook stove normally, but in the experimental phase, its ok to use all available resources. I have found that a new kitchen, complete with granite and a stainless gas range, works very well in a pinch.

And 25 minutes later... OMG, it's steamed chocolate cake in a bag! Delightful!

Ok, so you've noticed... The "hot plate" is a do-it-yourself treasure. You too could make of these... Just open the can and remove the tuna, drill holes in the base and CLEAN it!

I would be lying if I said this didn't taste amazing. Every warm, gooey, chocolatey bite of it!

However, as I mentioned at the beginning, this is a quest for perfection and despite all its deliciousness, I feel I could do better. As such, I am driven to keep "experimenting and tasting" until no further improvement is possible. Life is SO hard.

These are a few of my favorite things

Our guides were named James and Sam.

Sam drove… and was quieter. James sat in the front passenger seat, mumbling about famous Australians, animated arms and hands flailing wildly as he spoke. Sue sat in the back making fun of him, convinced she was out of his sight… which I debated. I laughed so hard I cried.

First stop… winery.

We sampled a Chardonnay, Reisling, Pinot Noir, a blended red and a white port followed by a red port.

My favorites, the Reisling, the blended red and the red port. We snacked on a lovely artisan cheese and bread platter, as we chattered and admired the view. Across the vines was the coast… and French Island. Fittingly. (My grandmothers name is French, my mother and her sisters all with the maiden name French, obviously.)

Next stop, the chocolate factory… our mouths already salivating with anticipation. Promises of tastings on our minds. There was a quick tour with lots of good info about how bitter little cocoa beans are grown, harvested, ground into paste and made into dark, milk and white chocolates.

The displays were pretty impressive. Someone had spent a lot of time putting together colorful scenes made entirely of chocolate.

We sampled and shopped. The store had seen us coming (us and everyone else). The chocolate was good but the prices were high… Not that it stopped us!

The van pulled away, the 7 of us and 2 other women from Oregon, high on sugar and wine… Sam still talking mundanely from the front seat, his arms not yet ready to take a break either.

Up the road further we entered a wildlife park. Aussie critters abounded. Wallabys with joey’s, echidna, dingos, koalas, native birds (including a barking owl… yes you heard right and it DID bark) and Tasmanian devils of course.

Pauline and I got chased by emu’s in the enclosure. Taller than me, with a large pointy beaks bearing down, they were going for the brown paper bag of food pellets I held. I didn’t stick around, instead made for the exit gate and escaped.

The koalas were much more mellow. Waking only 4-6 hours a day, its not a surprise. Super cuddly and cute, I could have photographed them all day… and it looked like a couple had the same idea about me.

We had dinner and headed for the highlight of the day. The penguin parade.

Little blue penguins head out to sea to fish and eat for about a week at a time. At this time of year, the chicks are almost independent and go fishing too. Only about 300 penguins come in each evening, versus the 2000 or so at the peak of penguin watching season. They ride the waves to the shore, then jump upright and waddle up the sand banks to their burrows.

At a foot tall and weighing roughly a kilo, they really are LITTLE penguins. They come in just as the light fades. Small groups make the walk together…. Calling to each other loudly. Safety in numbers.

OMG they are adorable! I want one!

The day finished with a 2.5 hour ride back. Stopping only to get surfing off Nana's bucket list. Yes! She is 80 years old!!!

It was close to 1am when I launched myself into bed and entered blissful unconsciousness.