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Showing posts from April, 2011
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DJ and I took the plane up this morning. That is... the plane that I am almost certainly going to buy fractional ownership in in a couple of weeks. I will finish my flight training in this plane. The plane flies very straight and it is in great shape, low hours and her name in "Princess". I flew in the left seat, DJ in the back, up around Lake Lanier and then around Stone Mountain. It sure is nice getting around the road traffic in the air, but the traffic we do encounter in the air is more impressive. I am going back to Europe (France, England and Belgium) in May as well as NY. I need to get back up to Kansas as well.
DJ in is ATL. We had a lot of tornadoes around here the other night. Compared to the last time I lived in a Tornado area (Ohio) a lot has changed. The radar is so good nowadays you can watch the storms on the TV with great accuracy. We watched tornadoes on TV go by us both to the north and south. The weather in my neighborhood never got worse than a mild thunderstorm. I didn't mind. I have enough excitement.
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A couple more pics from last week from Copenhagen.
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I am back in the US. It was a very productive trip for work. I also managed to have a good time over the weekend in Copenhagen. It is very difficult to take a bad picture in Copenhagen. On this trip, all-in-all I was in 4 countries (besides the US) in 7 days. Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. Palm Sunday in Copenhagen was a full day to say the least. I cruised the city like a local on a rented bike to sight see (highly recommended). I was telling my Danish friend that I tried to look like a local in Copenhagen on my bike. He replied "It isn't difficult." A great great place. Notice the bicycle lane traffic light in one of the pics, also notice folks aren't wearing helmets. I went to St. Albens church on the bike and after that I stumbled on seeing the Dalai Lama. Seeing the Dalai Lama like that was quite a treat, indeed. Yes, I took that picture, among others. That pic was just after he stepped out of the car. You might say he made first eye contact w
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I am in Sevenum, Netherlands at the moment. I landed this morning at 7:00 AM local (Dusseldorf) and put in a full day. I only feel a little tired. I must be getting the hang of this. One of the tricks is to stay up after your first day is over. You have to move towards the new time zone. http://www.techworld.com.au/article/383125/facebook_biggest_bank_by_2015/?fp=2&fpid=1 I think the above article (and pasted as a image below) is important and a potenteous, and a bit scary. Especially, since it was written by the the founder of what facebook has become.
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I like this piece of music. It ties US immigrants together; New Orleans (African and French), western Appalachia (Irish), and the Midwest (German and Scandinavians). You can almost see tributaries of the Mississippi river. How shallow it is to think that we don't each come from a particular heritage. Pride (deferred or demonstrated), genetics and familiar water holes is what makes us real.
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I just received a Medal from the US Government for Service in Antarctica. Certainly, it isn't every day I get a medal. It is one of the few medals that the federal government gives out to civilians. I am not sure what to do with it. Maybe I can find an old Webelos uniform to wear it with (not that I could possibly fit into it). I would like to get back to Antarctica again someday. Early next month I am giving a presentation called "Aviation in Antarctica" to the Atlanta chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Tuesday I am headed to Dusseldorf Germany, The Netherlands, and Denmark. I will be spending next weekend in Copenhagen. I hope to rent a bicycle.
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Monday I take another look at a Cessna 172 I may buy. Hopefully, I can get to Southern Sudan (not in my own plane) for their first independence day this summer (or something equally adventurous). Pilatus Porter Aircraft
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Well I made it up to NY for the weekend. I think there is a hint of Spring coming on up there. It is more than Spring in Atlanta. I think everyone I know up in NY (or up North for that matter) has told me what a long Winter it has been up there. It will be over soon. DJ and I went to see "Scheherazade" by the Binghamton Philharmonic. On the way to Church on Sunday we saw a car in the ditch. Getting closer we saw there was someone still in the car. We opened the door and it took less than a full statement to tell us she was bombed. Totally wasted. It was 8:45 AM Sunday. We convinced her to get out of the car and kind of had to drag her out. She had only a toga on, and no shoes. There was a loaded (chambered) bolt action rifle in the back seat. I locked the rifle in the trunk. DJ put the ammo in her purse and we drove her about five miles to her home. That must have been a wild party. We drove down to Baltimore stopping to see a friend in Newark Delaware. We have been in do