335 As The Crow Flies

Thursday, February 10, 2011

10 Feb., 2011 -- Skiing in the Ozarks

I have my own private ski hill here in MOUNTAIN Grove, loosely based on the designs of Aspen Mountain, Vail and Steamboat Springs, which I frequented back in high school. When I graduated in 1961, lift ticket at Aspen was $8.00 a day. Today, day rate at Aspen is $96.00 a day, Vail's $105.00 a day. Aspen has a 56 inch base and 11 inches of new snow on 675 acres with 64 miles in 76 trails, 3 miles longest run, from 8,000 feet to 11,000 feet summit.
My MOUNTAIN is a little bit less extensive, designed on 10 acres, with 3 trails (one uphill, one downhill, one on the flats) in .7 miles, elevation varies from 1465 to 1505 feet summit. Preferred method to get to the summit, walking.
Wildlife abounds, and sometimes it's difficult to maneuver with Stinker-Cat milling around the boots. And while paused to enjoy the glorious silence and scenery, a hint of REAL stinker essence wafts from the bushes. (It gives real incentive to hustle back to the top of the run, and being armed is not discouraged).

There is a great thrill in making the first tracks in the fresh snow!

Aw, somebody beat me to it.

At the start of the big downhill run...

Scoot the critters out of the way, and push off!

Ooh, steep!

Wasn't that a rush???

No long lift-lines here!

I guess you know, I really don't want to be here...
I'm just a roadie, following along...

Always, always be fashionable.

Friday, February 4, 2011

3 Feb., 2011 -- Running away from the snow

We left Mtn. Grove this morning with clear roads and not snowing,
destined for Little Rock (Flight Instructor Clinic).

MG
Started snowing about 50 miles out, but it's only about an inch and it's very wet.
Now, this guy: do you suppose he came to Little Rock
to get away from winter?

Little Rock

My sister Caro sent me this email:

Gerry and I are holed up at Andy and Bruce's (Corpus Christi) Texas house. Of course we chose this week to leave the 70 degree (Arizona) desert to come here for UNUSUAL cold and sleet/rain/snow and temperatures of 28 degrees at night. The bouganvilla, hibiscus, rubber trees, and palm trees are all frozen solid! The palm leaves sound like pieces of wood clacking together! The wind has been bad, as well. Supposed to let up today, but Barb and Mark couldn't leave the Dallas area this morning because of 6 inches of snow and closed major highways. Hope they can get out of there later today!

We are playing cards and eating, eating, crabbing about the weather, eating, crabbing, eating, crabbing, so on and so on! Gerry and I will be here about a month, drifting around the area and sightseeing when the weather smartens up. The pictures of LAD and all the kids in the snow area great, but I don't envy you at all! Had enough of that in years past. Did a splat on the street in front of Andy's house this a.m. while walking the dog. Will have a big blue bruise on the behind! Glad no one saw it!

Love to you all, Carolyn, Gerry, Andy and de dogs

I get this poem every winter and I love re-reading it
It's a beautiful poem and very well written.
I thought it might be a comfort to you and could help warm things up.
"Winter"
A poem by Abigail Elizabeth McIntyre

Shit!
It's Cold!
The End.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

1 Feb., 2011 -- We got a little, they got a lot

Tuesday, Feb., 1, 2011
Grant emailed me these photos of Jeff City. No groundhog showed up.

They closed our office at about 9:30 am, said not to come in, wasn't planning on it anyway... tomorrow we're open, and supposed to go in.

School was canceled even before it began snowing... while it was raining still... they've canceled tomorrow as well. Prob won't go Thursday either.

Skis would be handy right about now. I've shoveled the drive twice today. Every time I turned around, another inch had fallen. Probably make a tunnel thru that mountain of snow on the side of the drive, maybe a luge.

Devon and Kelly made snow-ice-cream tonight. it was good. not yellow.
(Iowa got a lot of snow, too)

On Saturday, end of January, Jeff City had lots of snow already!
Cam got into a snowball fight with his dad.

Samantha's supposed to be doing Karaoke at her 15th birthday party...
but she mostly just acted shy and let her friends do all the singing Friday night.

Friday, January 21, 2011

21 Jan., 2011 -- Soft field landing

So, I'm sitting there, minding the airport, and I hear a mighty roar.
Grabbed the camera (be the first to the scene), saw low high speed pass, figured they'd go somewhere else to land on a cleared runway, and started to retreat back into the heated office. Uh oh, going around, slowing down, gear down... maybe I will be the first to the scene.

Nice stabilized approach...

Perfect soft field landing!

All fueled up, taxi out, wave goodbye...

Unusual event during a low overcast, potentially snow-stormy day; warned them about several deer that had just bounced across the runway.
They were from Illinois (2 degrees F), headed to Oklahoma for maintenance. They said it was warm here. I think these guys must be former military... smiling for the camera all the way! The letters AURI are painted atop the right wing.
"The plane is a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, former 1950's era military trainer. The aircraft is based on a civilian Beechcraft Bonanza. We took the plane to Ada, OK for a wing spar upgrade. We then had a friend pick us up where we flew to Kirksville, MO to pick up a couple of other people, (very snowy). We then flew back home to Springfield, IL and I got home about 7:30 tonite. Long day! (Marty T, the pilot in the backseat)"
Are these guys active or former military? (No, but I almost was!!!! Mike never was, either. He is a business owner here in Springfield and I am a soon to be retired police detective with Springfield, IL PD. I am also a pilot and plane owner, (1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D). Mike owns about twelve airplanes including a WWII P-51 Mustang and a Korean War era F4U Corsair.)
(I'm sending them pictures, this is quoted from Marty's email tonight.)
(Oh, about the funny design on the side of the plane, I always mush up the plane identifier numbers.)

"Here is a picture of Miss Scarlett, my '46 T-Craft I picked up in Mississippi last November. She is my third T-Craft I have owned and definitely the prettiest."