22 July, 2008 -- Business as Usual

Mississippi Air Tractor heading for Iowa (look out boys, competition!) Our boys are headed for Iowa, too, probably this week. Itinerants following the crops...

Ercoupe enroute to Oshkosh, from Texas, outrunning the hurricane coming ashore at Brownsville. He had to maneuver around rain storms after lunch. We only got a little sprinkle now and then.

Grandma Airplane made an effort (Monday) to determine the volume of fuel
remaining in the tank, clumbed the wall, and stuck the tank. (Fonda, if
you use this photo on your blog, I'll ... well, uh, ok, uh, never mind.)

LAD and Harry-cat and Fonda returned to Iowa, too, loaded with
blueberries and peaches, (which added only a tiny amount to the load in
the Honda.) Why is everybody going to Ioway...

Hey, I've seen this airplane before...

335 as the crow flies... isn't that supposed to be in a straight line?

21 July, 2008 -- Buggy

Funny, Buggy was my nickname in high school. Jamie & Jared gave me a bug catcher, so I caught a bug. Fonda's rolling her eyes, because I had to get out the big gun Nikon, then the lighting wasn't right so I got out a flashlight, etc. etc.

LAD colored airplane pictures for his Dad. Fonda colored Grant's picture for ... (payback for the sliding van door incident?)

We have had a big day with LAD, Jamie & Jared, Jan, Mommy and Ma in the swimming pool (Jody got wet, too). I can't catch up with all the photos we've taken lately.

G'ma Airplane, end of the day

20 July, 2008 .. 38, Happy Birthday, Grrraaack

Happy 38th birthday, Grant.

Just a couple of pictures tonight, will post the rest tomorrow. Grant's
bunch and Billy's bunch got Young Eagles plane rides today! Weather
cooperated, and the kids (and parents) really enjoyed the ride.

G'ma Airplane

19 July, 2008 Day with the kids

Sleepyheads, Sam & Cam & Ralph snoozed this Saturday morning. Samantha dreams in colors, Cameron dreams in numbers, Ralph dreams in... autos? girls? Kelly dreams in... snow cones? autos? money? Kelly stayed in Jeff City, to work. I toiled at the airport, had to dig down to the buried anchor to replace a tie-down rope. Briggs helped.

They brought me lunch, we ate in the pilot lounge. Samantha did a food dance, and Cameron did a fly dance. Funny kids. The terrapin and the ant had lunch, too.

Ralph helped me move a trailer, he practiced driving on his learner's permit. No, we didn't knock down a tree, the thing was already full of bonfire material. Then Ralph got to practice driving again, this time with standard transmission.

Fonda and Lad arrived from Iowa via Boonville. Lad had to show Jared how to hop.

I am SO worn out...

Grant and Dev went to his 20th class reunion, then Grant fudged on his birthday and opened some gifts. Is that all there is?

Yes, that's all there is. G'nite.

18 July, 2008 Aw, they're pretty, but...

Well, new wheels, and the hubs melted down within an hour. Either they're the wrong ones, or they've cheapened them up so they won't last long. Back to square one.

Fueled up a pretty yellow ag plane... heading for Iowa.

Ok, get ready for Grant's bunch, his 20th class reunion! Man, he's getting old. So, clean off the bunks for the kids, move a few things in the closet, and shrumphghelhhmpljmpgh... the shelf unloaded and all the paper cardboard mailers packing stuff hit the floor. Oh, well, ... Oh, blast... I stepped on the glue board (mouse trap) just inside the closet door. ...

So, the bunch arrives, we settle in for the night. Rain to the west, but for us a full moon. Grant & I watched Jupiter through the telescope. Samantha was making a movie on the computer with some new software, Cam was working math puzzles, Ralph was dozing, Dev was booking, (Kelly was in Jeff City, has a job).

17 July, 2008 Tribute

Today, the Missouri Pilot's Association Chapter 50 held its regular
monthly meeting at Mtn. Grove Airport.

The best we can muster today is a patriotic salute to our good friend
Jim Evertsen. We are brokenhearted.

16 July, 2008 -- Big sonic boom!

Boom! Sonic boom today, can barely see the contrail of the offender. He came out of the northeast (St. Louis?), crossed to the southwest, made a big u-turn, then went back to the northeast. They aren't supposed to do that!

Spotted these cat-tails. They look like the hot dogs that we're serving tomorrow night at the Missouri Pilot's Assn. meeting here. That's why I'm posting early tonight, got things to do.

Well, blow me down again! Army helicopter, this time.

15 July, 2008 .. Happy Birthday, Fonda!

Fonda, I hear you got black balloons at work this morning! You're 2 and a half, same age as LAD. This was way back in the 70's.

Look out, obstruction on runway!! Abort!! Oh, it's only a potato. What, another potato picture??? Well, I didn't want to run short on photos like I did yesterday.

So, many bees are working the butterfly weed, still no butterfiles.

I found these tiny scrapes where the mud-daubers have harvested the wet clay for their mud nests. No, it isn't snow, but sevin dust. It will reduce the population of those pesky, messy nuisance wasps, eventually.

I dismantled and boxed up Lloyd's gps unit to send to the manufacturer for testing, then Randy will have it installed in his Ag Husky. That is, if Briggs will let it go.

No animals were injured in the making of this movie. Really. Lazy Briggs just put out his paw and laid it on top of the toadie, and I rescued it for relocation.

The box turtle found a lizard (already immobile) and I couldn't keep up with it to get a picture! It was trying to get away from me, kept circling, and I started laughing. What, can't keep up with a turtle?

I semi-repaired the lawn tractor wheel, shimmed it up with a bunch of washers. It worked long enough to get some mowed at home just before sundown.

There's Luke's deflated soccer ball, still out there since the July 4th fireworks. Notice the duct tape. First time on the planet that duct tape didn't work!

Well, blow me down!

G'ma Airplane