9 July, 2008 Ain't Summer Wonderful?

Took a sauna while anchoring the van hitch into the back of the airplane, intending to deliver it to the boys in Marshall if I land there tomorrow. Going to northwest MO to shoot some corn. I should have taken it along yesterday on the driving trip, but didn't. It is very steamy today after several heavy rain showers. We got about an inch. (That's Lloyd dismantling the hitch before he drove to Marshall with the motor home.)

Friend Theresa sent me the squash picture from Booger County. She said "bigger is not better", and predicted it wouldn't be very good. Get your mind out of the gutter.

The flower garden is blooming now, just barely, got a few zinnias (oops, marigolds) in there. Also, got a few bugs! Tiny spider, and two views of the same skinny long-legged thing on an elephant ear leaf. Also, the drop of rain is balled up on a big leaf. Isn't summer wonderful?

They're baaaack! Those pesky @#$%^* ants are all over the countertop again. Maybe the soaker rain drove them back up out of the ground. So, I'm at war again.

Late Breaking News! Jan makes the paper! Wins Ribbons! Congratulations!

I'll bet you a dollar that I don't fly to northwest MO in the morning. This was just before dark. You should see it out there now. The half-moon is visible straight up, but that's about it.

G'ma Airplane, another rainy day

8 July, 2008 ... Long day, rain rain

Started the day checking weather at 4:30 a.m. (yes, ME at 4:30 in the morning). By 6, I had decided that blossoming rain showers would prevent any flying today, so I would have to drive the van to Marshall for the guys, tow the vw, then drive it back home towing the dolly. First, Jody installed new spark plug wires on the vw, rendering it functional again on all 4 cylinders instead of 3. putt putt.

Ben rounded up Don so they could watch the airport all day. They put 16 gallons of jet-a in an Air Evac helicopter. Big day.

Rained rained rained. Big cell came from Kansas City and hit Marshall about the time I had to start for home. The driver side window was open on the vw while we were rolling the awnings up on the motor home, and the rain was so horizontal that the inside of the window on the
passenger side was wet! As were both seats. As was my seat and backside all the way home. I had to stop about an hour out of Marshall and get gas, and boy did I look funny. But, what can you do... laugh about it.

Big thunderheads all around Mtn. Grove when I got home, but no rain this afternoon. Tomorrow will be rainy, I'll bet.

G'ma Airplane, dried out

7 July, 2008 .. Bees & Bugs, no Butterflies

Flying things, bees and bugs were working the butterfly weed at the airport. No butterflies, that I saw. Looks like Halloween, doesn't it?

After an afternoon pop-up shower, a Cherokee 180 fueled up, and then flew off for Louisiana. That's all the flying things for today.

I've been SLIMED!!! This critter is a BABY compared to the one that was eating out of Granny cat's butter dish of cat food that I left out on the deck in the damp night air. When I flipped the contents out into the pasture, the slug flipped backwards into my hair! Do a little dance.... talk about GLUE. And the little tree frog, one of the tiniest I've ever seen, jumped from the screen onto my shirt sleeve while I was photographing him. Him, I didn't mind giving a ride.

G'ma Airplane, I'm off to the shower.

6 July, 2008 ... Quiet around here again

Lloyd started out for Marshall this morning. An hour later, started out again. Van didn't tow very well, so he had to leave it behind. Weather kept Randy in Iowa, he'll fly down tomorrow. Get to work, boys!

Don and Bob rumbled in for a short visit.

Quiet evening, just a few leftover fireworks in the distance.

G'ma Airplane, back on airport duty

5 July, 2008 ... Fireworks, with hotdogs

Picnic! Hot dogs! Boomboom!

Better than last night, these were the big ones. Fonda's pictures are
better, though. http://2lloydsandme.blogspot.com

Well, Ames is a little bit bigger town than Mtn. Grove.

Now let's see some pictures from Grack. He went to Boomville, er,
Boonville for fireworks at a private lake.

G'ma Airplane,

4th of July, 2008 ... Fireworks, of course

Tonight, neighbors near and far from our house set off their 4th of July fireworks. They were small images far away, so I made a composite of the better ones. The moon made a sliver presentation.

All day, I printed most of the job that I shot last week. The printer puts down the yellow dye layer, then magenta, then cyan, and finishes with a clear uv protective layer. Then each print gets a label, is trimmed and checked off the list. Monday they will be shipped to Kansas.

Working off the Dell laptop, as the pc is still messed up. Shuts itself off at random, I guess it's the hard drive going bad.

Couldn't go shoot corn fields today, as the weather had us all grounded. Lightning and thunder and an inch of rain overnight. The twin engine Seneca finally departed for KC about ten a.m., and Randy took off for Iowa about noon. Too many clouds for me. I'll try again tomorrow morning.

G'ma Airplane... flying tomorrow maybe

Micro 4 GB

Can you beleive that this Micro SD card (on right) holds 4 GB. The card on left is a regular size SD card adapter. Man, how tiny can they get these things!!! And it only cost $ 10 in the end. Was 20, then had a Google shopping credit thingy and free shipping. Can't beat that! Anyway, it fits into my new Palm Centro smartphone.

3 July, 2008 ... Human Fly

Randy will fly back to Iowa to get his new helmet tomorrow before they start spraying again at Marshall on Monday. It arrived at home, and LAD opened the package. Human Fly?

Ooooh, noooo! My pc shot craps this morning. With my left hand I'm
working on the Dell laptop, with my right hand I'm reformatting and
reinstalling XP on the pc.

I fought with the Toshiba at the airport setting up a scanner/printer,
and it didn't want to work, so I fought with it at home on the Dell,
too. Finally got all that done, to scan and email some documents for Randy.

Randy replaced the spark plugs in my vw. They looked like original 1986
equipment! Weren't, but looked like it. Tomorrow he will install new
plug wires, then it will purr again like a kitty.

Speaking of kitties, Bitty the Black War Kitten caught 3 or 4 baby
bunnies this afternoon. All were rescued and relocated.

Been stormy looking all day, couldn't go shoot pics at Boonville. Rain
south of us at Gainesville, too. Then a shower late. Might be clear in
the morning so I can go to work.

G'ma Airplane, frazzled geek