Chazd's (Charles Dowdell's) News Burps

I am back from England and NY. Busy. Busy. Just like everybody else this time of year. Last year when we went to Hawaii that set a good vibe for us. I can't say I like the insanity of the Christmas season in the US. It is not what it is all about. Some descriptions of the pics. On the way to Europe it appeared we flew right over the farm. I had to hit the brakes when an Alpaca had broken through a neighbor's fence in NY. A nice Sundog. Douglas and I had some original Speidies in Vestal, NY. And some other assorted pics.

I decided to spend some time "under the hood" today. I am wearing the "foggles" in a pic here. Simulates flying through clouds. I can only effectively see the instruments, not outside. Of course, since I am working on the rating, I need a safety pilot with me. The clock is ticking to get my instrument rating. The air was clear and cool.

Angie's map on Countries she has been to: My map on Countries I have been to: Create your own visited countries map or check out the JavaScript Charts .

A very nice fall weekend in Duluth GA. The cat is a neighbor (The Big Grey) cat that checked out the new spa.

We have had a spectacular Thanksgiving this year. We worked hard on the house and yard. The weather has been perfect. When we were out on the boat the other night we heard a (what I have heard before) a beaver slap. The beaver slap sound is a different from a carp jump. The beaver slap is well ...a slap. A carp jump is a just splash. Looking about we saw the critter, not sure what it is, a Beaver. An otter? You let us know.

Atlanta's Spaghetti Junction ranks as the No. 1 worst freight bottleneck in the entire country. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/3-atlanta-roads-make-list-worst-bottlenecks-countr/npTZP/

Installing the electric for the tub was more work than I planned (as usual). Pulling the 6AWG wire though the conduit was a total pain. I laid a bunch of f-bombs and did some thrashing about. The thrashing seems to help get wires through conduit. Anyhow, the spa operational. It is quite nice. We have had a cold snap at the same time so getting out of the tub is a bit traumatic. We went to the Buford Farmers Market Sunday. The place is well known in Atlanta. You can get foods from all over the world and great selections. We got fresh baked Mexican pastries, Ukrainian candies, Russian Herring, Fresh Turkey and chicken and strange fruit from who-knows-where.

We spent the weekend at home. Managed to get the spa placed. A little bit more to do to get it in use. Having a bobcat comes in handy for sure.

Angie and I had some VIP treatment at the airport today. I got to fly a CRJ700 in the simulator. I did good. I landed it ok first try. Much fun and education.

Some pictures from India

Some pictures from Malaysia.