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Showing posts from February 24, 2019

100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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I am moving into a new office for work this week. My commute was about 2 miles. Now it is yards. This is the view from my new 5th floor office window. You can see my apartment. I have an envious commute for SoCal -- understatement. Lots of folks drive (or ride) 2 hours each way a day. I am very lucky. Concentrate on your fortunes, not your misfortunes. We all have both. Our new offices are "temporary" for two years as they build more on the main campus.
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My flying club (I am part owner) just bought another plane, a piper warrior. That makes 4 planes total at Aeroventures. A 152, (2) 172Ns and the Warrior. All hangered. N733XE gets a new Penn Yan Engine this week. I wish I was there to help with the engine. I haven't been flying much at all. However, there are opportunities at John Wayne airport (SNA). I live about a mile away. There is a flight school with several decathlons.
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One of the things I find interesting in SoCal is the workman waiting outside Home Depot to help you with your projects. They flag you down and wave to you as you leave. I have not seen this behavior any other HD I have been too. And I have been to many in many different states. Illegal immigrants are a significant component to the economy in SoCal. It is expensive here. You have to find desperate people to work at low (affordable) wages. The politicians will pull at heart strings through words like justice, fairness, compassion, but only to get the economic boost for their constituents.