The Daily - October 2-4, 2023 - The Stop Over in NC

I'm taking my first leg of travel to London. First stop, Charlotte NC.

 

 
10/2/23 - Monday

 
Managed a 20 minute bike class, had coffee with Louie on my lap before wrapping up my packing and leaving for the airport. Jill did me a big favor and dropped me off. We talked a little bit about Janice and Joe - Joe is definitely getting better and hopefully able to leave the house soon. His girlfriend Jenna is staying with the family and Janice is adjusting. The cats are adjusting to their little kitten too! Flight to ORD was uneventful - here is the approach into the airport:

 

 
My flight to CLT was packed and I was seated next to a very large man but it was all ok. Teresa picked me up.

 

 
10/3/23 - Tuesday

 
Swam at the local recreational center - they have 8 lap lanes. Did 30 laps at a decent pace. Enjoyed today’s coffee outside on the garden bench by the koi pond and that was nice. The weather here is cool in the morning, a bit warm in the afternoon (80’s) then cool again as soon as the sun sets.

 

 
Went to visit mom and dad from 10 - 4:30. I took dad on a walk. He’s very slow but still able to shuffle up a decent incline on the walking trail. I retrieved their lunch and we enjoyed time together. Watched the season finale of only murders in the building with Teresa.

 

 
10/4/23 - Wednesday

 
I guess I didn’t sleep that well because I was wide awake at 5am (4am back home). I did a 45 minute strength class followed by a 20 slow flow yoga class outside that nearly killed me in my upper body. Did a final load of laundry. Picked up mom at 4pm and we left shortly afterwards for the airport. We had access to the American lounge which was nice.

 

 
Boarded the flight around 7:40 - mom’s first time in business class. The flight left on time for Heathrow. I ended up eating the meal (I chose the sea bass) because i just can’t pass it up! I realize how lucky I am to be able to fly business class. It’s really an alternate universe up here, buffered from coach.

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The Daily - September 17, 2023 - Sunday Photoshoot

I slept in until 6:30. Had weird dreams - some people dumped three kittens in our driveway. Charlie was here, I confronted the cat dumpers and they apologized, said they would take the kittens back. Then I let them in for a tour of the house. This was not our house! Walk in laundry then an empty salad bar that I claimed we used to house condiments. It looked like something you would see in a restaurant. The family room was furnished with dark rust leather couch with wooden ball feet. Now that I think about it, maybe the couch is similar to what Janice has in her living room. So weird!

 
Today is a rest day - I did a short core routine and foam rolled. The foam rolling felt great.

 
I mixed together ground pork dumpling filling and will air fry them tomorrow.

 
Had a photo shoot with Noelle Ramaly this evening. I hadn’t seen her since she was a little child and here she is, a senior in high school with her small plane pilot’s license!

 

 
This session was super fun - she pulled the plane she flies out of the hanger and we took photos of her with it. The only drawback was the bright sun. It had been cloudy all day long until a burst of rain rolled through and then clear skies. Maura was a big help providing some shade with a bedsheet I brought but we were only able to keep that set up for a few photos. Still, I’m happy with several photos. We also went to the Japan house and got many great photos - just a sample here, she deserves her own post.

 

 

 

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Above St. Augustine Bay

I found myself in the proverbial Right Place, Right Time a couple Thursdays ago, and took advantage of the unique opportunity that presented itself.

The scene - the St. Augustine Airport, where the evening's event included a private air show and dinner al fresco on the tarmac. The warm afternoon cooled had down to a perfect spring evening in Florida and I was checking out the assortment of small planes on display.





I was drawn to this biplane, a replica Waco YMF.




As I was taking photos, I removed a pamphlet from the plane's cargo door [because it was interfering with the photo I was framing]. Upon closer inspection, it was brochure for airplane sightseeing tours. I overheard someone say - "We can do plane rides tonight, if anyone is interested. In this plane here". Without hesitation, I spun around in the direction of the comment, raised my hand and said - "I'll sign up - how much?"

Long story short, I ended up riding in this gorgeous, open top biplane above the St. Augustine Bay.



1. Climbing Higher, 2. Waterways, 3. Castillo de San Marcus, 4. 116/365+1 View of St Augustine from A Bi-plane #plane #aerialview #Yolo, 5. Ships Below, 6. Pennisula

Here's some video I shot with my iPhone. I was literally clutching it for dear life while shooting this:


It was an amazing experience, "bucket list" worthy. Pilot Dave took great care of us (and insisted that I be in the picture with him when we landed):


If you are ever in the St. Augustine area and want to experience something completely different, breath taking and exhilarating, check out St. Augustine Air Tours. From their website, more information on the plane we rode:

The Weaver Aircraft Company was founded in 1920 by George "Buck" Weaver, E.J. "Sam" Junkin, and Clayton Brukner. The trade name Waco (rhymes with taco) was coined from the title letters of Weaver Aircraft Co. Originally located in Lorain, Ohio, the company later moved to Troy, Ohio, drawn by the concentration of aviation related businesses that had sprung up around nearby Dayton, home of the Wright Brothers. The first Waco YMF rolled out of the Waco factory at Troy Ohio in early 1935. In late 1942, Waco ceased production of powered airplanes.
In 1983 the founders of Classic Aircraft Corporation envisioned their childhood dreams coming true with the reincarnation of the Waco YMF Biplane. In the history of aviation, no company had ever taken a fifty year old design and manufactured it new under the original FAA type certificate. To accomplish this mission they hired experienced aeronautical engineers to re- draw over 1400 drawings and build new tooling for production. This was done while maintaining the sanctity of WACO.S original design. The WACO YMF is not a rebuild or a kit plane, but a brand new FAA certified production aircraft.
The first new production WACO YMF Classic rolled off the assembly line and received FAA certification under the original WACO type certificate in March of 1986. Today.s production aircraft has been greeted with overwhelming enthusiasm for its craftsmanship and the sheer joy brought to so many by making the thrill of flying in an .open-cockpit. biplane a reality.

Finally, the link to all the photos I took that evening:


Linked to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at Little Red House.

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Dreaming of Florida

I just finished going through the 200+ photos I took with my DSLR while I was in Florida last week on business. For this trip (my first business trip since 2008!) I flew to Jacksonville and drove south to Ponte Vedra Beach, right on the Sawgrass Resort. Sawgrass is the home of THE PLAYERS Championship, birthplace of the TPC (Tournament Players Club) Network, and backdrop to the PGA TOUR headquarters.

I was attending a software company's conference - I was there to learn and evaluate the functionality of the software package that my company is considering. Because it would bore you, I'm not going to go into those details, except to say it was a very useful conference for me to attend - I learned a ton and have many ideas on steps going forward.

That's not to say I had a great time at this conference. It was a wonderful venue with great events and people.

So I'm remembering some of my Florida experience here. More details to come in future posts.


1. Palm Valley Fish Camp, 2. Mixed Company, 3. Winners' Clubs, 4. Untitled, 5. Trick Plane, 6. Relax

Linked to Mary and Mosaic Monday. Wishing you the best week ahead!

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