What's That Ahead?

We're headed South to Destin, about 4 hours into the drive, and I'm bored outta my gourd.
On the horizon... what IS that?!!
On a trailer behind a truck... it's squat and odd looking. And then it begins to look familiar...
My old friend, the "flying tadpole".
It's a Huey.

I had Sara Jean take the wheel from the right seat while I grabbed the camera and shot these photos as we passed. About 10,000 of these machines were produced in the 60's and early 70's.
With 3000 hours in UH-1's, what are the chances I flew this machine?
It's neat just thinking it's a possibility.
UPDATE:
It's a 1966 model Huey, so it almost certainly had Viet Nam service, complete with patched-up bullet holes in the floorboards.

Winding Down, May 2008

I'm weird.
(And a large chorus of acquaintances sing "Amen" in unison!)

I hate leaving home... always have.
I like the IDEA of traveling. I'm pleased reviewing memories gathered while I travel. I enjoy sharing adventures with people I love. But I hate loading the car. I hate not having all the "stuff" that makes my life comfortable within easy reach. I hate boring long distance drives. I'm on edge while driving to make a flight, knowing an accident along the way or car trouble could delay us long enough to miss the flight, (and the tickets I buy these days are worthless under those circumstances.) Sometimes I wish I had never agreed to travel in the first place.
I'm envious of people who gush about preparing for a trip, but know I'll never be one of them... it's just never gonna be me.

We returned from 9 days in our beloved Destin last night, after driving most of the day, pulling into our drive at Midnight. We put lots more good times into memory, ate fantastic caught-yesterday seafood, and spent a little time on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I'm glad we did it and look forward to the next trip. But is there anyone I can hire to make sure we have everything we need, then load the car and drive us?

One of the things I love about Destin is the airshow. Destin is just South of Eglin Air Force Base and just East of Hurlburt Field. So in addition to the normal civil aircraft you assume will be checking the beach, we see some pretty expensive military metal doing their "training". This time we saw the normal C-130's and CH-53E's flying low enough to take your breath away. But in addition to that I can add a personal first: I saw two V-22's in airplane mode, about 5 minutes apart, flying Eastbound, not too low. Neat.
I'm hopeful that'll happen more often.

So it's back to work tonight after almost two weeks of absence. Long breaks away from work make me rusty, so I'll climb back into my seat at the controls when I've finished my preflight and reconnect with all the levers, buttons, switches, and instruments. It's good to be home and back into my routine.

Now, to truly get back into the swing of things, can I order up an exciting night accident scene to share with you?
We'll see.

Oh, and just one more thing...
In my email this morning I found something I'd like to share with all Veterans.
Direct link here.
Thanks Cary.

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em!

That's an old Bob Newhart routine from the late '50's or early '60's.
I've never smoked, and that one line has always been hilarious to me...
"You do WHAT with it, Walt?!"
With the attention to, and education about tobacco, not to mention the cost, I don't understand anyone starting or continuing the habit these days.

The numbers are decreasing, but when I first started working in EMS I was shocked by how many folks in health care smoke.
Docs, Nurses, etc.,... I always thought these folks were cream-of-the-crop, Mensa types. Surprise, surprise! It became obvious pretty quickly that even Mensa-types can be stupid enough to start a habit more addictive than shooting heroin into your veins. Still, so long as those around me are considerate, I take a "live and let live" attitude.
Smoke... Enjoy. It's your life.

Now let's talk about something even more stupid-
You've been tasked with booking a location for the "International Tobacco Show".
Where should you book the event? I've got a great idea... let's gather at the Chicago suburb of St. Charles, Illinois, where they have just passed a State law banning the use of tobacco products indoors. That way we'll have to walk half a mile to a tent to try products we might be interested in purchasing. What a great idea!
Unbelievable.

Sometime in the future I'll blog about morbidly obese EMS personnel.
I swear, in some ambulance districts I think "huge-avoirdupois" is a job prerequisite!

Thank You Panera Bread!!

Dateline Destin, Florida-

Things could be worse. Actually, things could hardly be better. But I have been, in a way, speechless for four days now.
The wi-fi connection I was hijacking here in the past is now password-protected. There are four very strong wi-fi signals irradiating my body, 24 hours a day... all password-protected. So here I sit at Panera Bread, sipping on an excellent cup of Hazelnut coffee, checking my email and communicating to you why I haven't published a post in a while. I just wanted to let you know nothing is wrong... we're suffering under sunny skies with 82 degree temperatures and winds of 15-20 knots. Free beer might put a bigger smile on my face.

Post-West Virginia I want your thoughts...
I'd call that a first class whuppin'.
Rodolfo will minimize it, 'cause West Virginia doesn't put our gal that much closer to the goal line. But nevertheless, 67-26 can only be called "wiping the floor with him" time.
Will it cause more buyer's remorse?
And we're still talking about Michigan and Florida!

Ain't this fun?

Dear Senator Kerry,

See how easy this is?
Sign that SF180 like you promised, you jerk!
(H/T- Just One Minute.

Not So Fast, Bunky!

The media, (those same wise folks that said she was out of the running months ago), are saying our gal Hill is outta here. Let me tell you, (with some help from a friend), why she'll hang on, and MAYBE take all the marbles home:

Who would you say has the most powerful political machine running today? Now I can only repeat what is said by folks that know more about the issue than me, but most folks I respect indicate Bill and Hill are the powerhouses of politics. I can only imagine the reason she is holding on is because she knows something we don't... she's hiding an ACE.

Rezko and Ayres.
These are nasty, NASTY people... people you wouldn't want for neighbors. People you wouldn't want close to your children.
They are Obama's neighbors. Obama has worked with them, and in the case of Ayres, FOR him.
Now to be sure, no strong Obama/Rezko connection has been uncovered, YET. So far, as I've indicated before, there is just a TON of smoke coming from beneath that nasty pile of Chicago politics that is Obama's campaign. But if you were Hillary, looking forward, what would cause you to continue? What would cause you to lend $6.4 million to your own campaign? Somethin's afoot!

Friend John at Marathon Pundit is watching the Rezko trial closely.
A verdict in that trial is pending. If Rezko is found guilty he faces serious time. The amount of "serious time" he spends could depend on what information he shares before sentencing. I'm mighty glad I'm not the Governor of Illinois right now.

And watching Hillary's behavior in the face of what appear to be impossible odds, I think I'm also glad I'm not Barack Obama.

I could be wrong.
Still, it's fun to watch nasty people squirm!

Newt Gingrich Called!

Got a call today from some conservative group, asking if I would participate in a "one question survey". I laughed out loud at the thought of it.
I agreed, wanting to hear if it was possible for anyone to conduct a survey with one question. They played a pre-taped message by Newt Gingrich that took one minute. Newt talked about how the Republican party has lost it's rudder. When Newt's one minute message was done a different female came on the line and asked, "Are you dissatisfied with the present leadership of the republican party?"
I think the outburst of uncontrolled laughter hurt her ears.

No Matter What, I Pledge-

The past 8 years HAVE been a fun time for cartoonists, comedians, and political junkies, haven't they?
Down-to-earth, good 'ol boy GWB can't properly string a full sentence together, so he has provided comics and pundits with plenty of amusing material to use against him. Those qualities have actually endeared him somewhat to those of us raised in "fly-over" country, where actions speak louder than words. But Bush's stumbles have embarrassed some of our more "tightly-wound" citizens...
Like that other "seemingly laid-back" Texan, LBJ, there have been times when GWB should have been more aware that not all those around him had his best interest at heart. He's been a relatively easy target. Cartoonists and photographers have had a field day with some of his goofy expressions.

Those that come here regularly know I'm disappointed in GWB.
When I cast my vote for him in 2000 I mistakenly thought I was voting for a conservative.
I cast my vote for him in 2004 because for a Veteran, the thought of his opponent becoming President was unthinkable.

Now we face a new election, unfolding with all the drama and suspense of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Everyone on the ballot is 'way to the left of my political stance, so I cannot get worked up about voting this time.
Can McCain convince me he knows he screwed up BIG TIME on the immigration issue?
Will Obama be able to satisfy my fears about his numerous
"Birds of a Feather"?
I bet not.
And if not, I am gonna act out my threat and write "NONE OF THE ABOVE" in the block where it asks for my candidate's name.

We'll see.
But I'm ready to promise ya this... and having watched how the game is played for eight years, I'll bet lots of others feel the same way. The gloves are definitely off.
If the most liberal Senator in the U.S. Senate is elected President of the United States, I'll support him every bit as much as the left has supported GWB.
I'll be doing my patriotic best to point out every single mis-step he makes and litter his path with as many obstacles as possible. If he makes another gaffe like he did on the campaign trail, mistakenly reporting 100 tornado deaths as 10,000... I'll be one of the first pointing out what an idiot our new President is!

And what about the caricatures?
Oh my! This surely is a "target-rich" environment!
Here's one artists conception, (and I think this was intended to be becoming) :

What animal do you think he most resembles?
All's fair here, right?
I think the "Chimp" theme might continue in the future, don't you?
Yessiree!
No matter what, this election is gonna be a riot.

Rendered Me Speechless:

Brought to my attention by Ann Althouse.

(Not So) "Good Vibrations"

Flying things vibrate.
Folks that fly twin engine airplanes know the drill...
Every now and then you have to tweak your power settings to keep the engines singing from the same page.
But helicopters are absolutely the worst!
Engine(s), main rotor(s), transmission(s), drive shaft(s), tail rotor... all vibrate at their own frequency and all need to be harmonizing.
Things that vibrate affect other things, sometimes detrimentally.
I found this video interesting and topical:

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

1975...
I liked the looks of her. She was proud... full of spirit.
It was a match race at Belmont Park, and for those that love horses it was a "must watch".
I was at a party. We were all supposed to choose a horse and throw $10 into a pot. Those that picked the winning horse would win/share the money.
Fillies are normally at a disadvantage against the larger, stronger males, but this filly had proven up to the task against lots of stallions. I was one of a minority of partiers willing to take a chance on her.
Her name was Ruffian. She hit her shoulder pretty heavily leaving the gate and favored it for the first part of the race but nevertheless led. She was still in front by a head when her right leg broke. That's when her spirit became a disadvantage.
She was quickly euthanized.

Today Sara Jean called while I was at work...
"They're gettin' ready to run the Kentucky Derby. Which horse ya pickin'?"
"Is there a filly in the field?"
"Yep... as a matter of fact there are two."
"I'll take the one with the shortest name." (Some horse expert I am, right?)

In a little while my cell phone rang...
"I have good news and bad news. She came in second. But she broke both front legs and they had to put her down."

My job exposes me to too much tragedy and I have to be stoic about it. It's gotten to be more than I can handle at times. Many times the strangest, slightest things will reduce me to tears. Today the death of "Eight Belles" made me a blubbering fool in front of friends.

Two years ago, Barbaro looked like he was gonna beat the odds. News reports got my hopes up for a year or so, but it just wasn't to be.

So it's a sad list...
Ruffian, Barbaro, and now Eight Belles.
It makes me wonder...
Will public opinion of thoroughbred racing force them to do something to reduce the number of these injuries? I know just enough about the sport to be dangerous, but I'm tired of being "punked" when these beautiful equine athletes have to be euthanized.
If the trend continues, I'll have to quit watching horse racing in order to quit looking like an emotional basket-case.

"Jersey Boys"

I grab the phone...
"Hey, whatcha doin' tomorrow night?"
"I'm working days tomorrow... won't be off until 7:30 in the evening."
"Damn!"
"Why?"
"'Cause I got four tickets to see the "Jersey Boys". Any way you can get the day off?"
"Boy, that's short notice! Lemme check and I'll call ya back."

And although he had worked an extra shift the day before and was gonna work an extra shift the day after, Dan came to my rescue and we got to go see the show.

If you are a fan of 60's Rock and Roll...
If you are a fan of "Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons"...
Or if you, like me, just enjoy most music...
Go see this show!

I should qualify the following statement, because when "Sherry" first hit the airwaves I was a testosterone-filled 16 year old male with my own AM-Radio equipped automobile. I LOVE "The Four Seasons" music!
But I have seen most of the big shows that have toured the nation, and I think this may be the BEST show I have ever seen. (And Sara Jean, who is 10 years my junior, concurs.)

It's presently showing in 10 or so major cities across the U.S..
Go see it. I think you'll be pleased. Then come back here and tell us all about it.