Oshkosh Bound...

Well, if everything goes OK, we should be on the flightline at OSH AirVenture on Friday morning.

We're driving...not a long trip from here, about 180 miles each way, a three hour tour...and should leave the house around 4:00AM and stop for breakfast along the way.

Last time we went was a couple of days before my stroke...and when I found out I was a diabetic. Sooooo, it's an emotional time for me. When we were there the last time, I wondered why it was so difficult for me to walk around. I just felt "off" and not normal. Well, a few days later, I found out why. Hope this time is very different.

I just have two "must sees:" one, is the Boeing 40B; the other is the LSA "Mall." Anything else is "gravy." (Hmmm, so many quotes.)

I'll just take it easy and see how much walking I can do. I've been walking every day from home to Clarendon Hills village and back to get fit enough to walk around up there. In fact, when I'm done with this post, I'm off on my walk as it's getting REALLY HOT around here. Mid to high 80's today with 90's on the weekend. Well, it IS the first weekend of August, after all.

I plan to take and post as many pictures as I can. So we'll see how that works out.

Read on the EAA website in the article about the WhiteKnight2 rollout at Mojave Spaceport that they plan on taking WK2 to AirVenture next year (2009) and that at some later date to launch a suborbital flight during AirVenture...maybe 2010? FUN! Gotta plan to be there...along with several hundred thousand of my closest friends.

I got nothing else to say...gotta walk.

A hui hou...

Dis 'n Dat

After a few days of severe thunderstorms, the weather calmed down today. It's one of those days you do NOT tell anyone about. You know, da midwest is "hot...humid...sticky" during the summer. Weather stinks, yah? But today is one of those days we think about in the dead of winter...you know, don'tcha mid-western-ites...when the wind is howling at 30mph and the wind chill temp is...well, so low it doesn't matter...when you step outside, it's not cold...but your skin starts burning. Yeah, on days like that we remember days like today.

SOOOOOOO different from the land of my birth...Hawaii. MUST. GO. BACK. SOON!!! Well, with the cost of airline tickets going up with the price of fuel, I have a LOT of saving to do.

Like I said a while ago...anybody need an experienced writer/editor with 20 years tech writing in Information Technology/software development? Please...anyone, anyone...Bueller...Bueller???

BOOKS

Am reading "1421: The Year China Discovered America" by Gavin Menzies Really intriguing...theory of a retired British naval officer (submarines) who uses the first world maps to show that the great Chinese treasure fleets of the 15th century could have circled the world and made landfall in South America, discovered the Straits of Magellan waaaay before Magellan, visited and mapped Australia, Antarctica and other places along the way. A very good, detailed read, not to be "skimmed." He lays out his theory and proofs and is very convincing. There is a website with more and updated information. Very good Summer read.

PS: He also has another book "1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance." Wow...gotta read THAT one, too.

FUUD

Made a KalBi (Korean short ribs) recipe on Friday on the Weber. OMG!!! A great recipe and a keeper. I'll post it soon. Must give props to the website where I found it. Now I just have to look it up. Wait...wait...OK, here it is: the recipe is from the blog, "The House of Annie." Go HERE. It's the recipe, "Killer Kalbi Recipe" from Wednesday, July 09, 2008.

GO TRY IT, especially if you're an ex-pat from Hawaii and miss da kine plate lunch. I made my mac salad to go with it and it reminded me so much of home. I guess I'm a little homesick right now. Auwe...gotta save for da trip.

OK, enough said. I gotta go and give myself my first of two pre-dinner injections...diabetic, you know. But ooooh, leftover kalbi for dinner...AND leftover mac salad. Ono kine ginds, as we used to say.

A hui hou...

Updating Previous Post...

According to comments on Mojave Skies, the SS2 pics are 6 months old! Better late than never. Hey, at my age, I'm a little slow.

I do have Virgin Galactic in my bookmarks, so I guess I need to pay closer attention to their site.

The Beautiful Wife got her day off of work so we can go to Oshkosh (AirVenture) at the end of the month. Of course, that depends on how I'm feeling.

Been walking almost every day to see if I can make it walking around OSH. Actually thought of getting one of those motorized rider-thingys...when I mention to the BW, she said, "..funny, I was thinking if you should get one." Of course, that would be admitting that I'm not the man I was, but then, just getting up and down the stairs at home is sometimes difficult. We'll see. GOD, I hate getting old.

A hui hou...

SpaceShip2 Photos

An aviation blog that I found a few weeks ago has posted photos of SpaceShip 2 being built. Virgin Galactic released the photos. Check out Mojave skies at Mojave Skies. The last photo shows aviation legend, Burt Rutan, sitting in the under-construction fuselage. Boy is it big! Wish I had da money to buy a ticket!

PS. If you're really interested in the Mojave Airport (Spaceport), this photo blog is updated daily, I think, and has really great aviation information about the goings on at Mojave. One SAD entry was about the old DC-9-50s from Hawaiian Airlines (I probably flew on more than one of them, back in the day) and their trip to the scrapman.

Check it out! A great site on the internet.

A hui hou...

Still Here...

Well, I'm still here, even if no one else is.

I'm thinking of starting a new blog devoted exclusively to food...a passion of mine. More on that later. But this blog is so...unfocused. I need to tighten the focus and DO something with it.

Today is July 6th, the last day of the 4th of July weekend. Tomorrow is the start of the mid-Summer period. It's all downhill to Fall from here. Before you know it, Labor Day will be here (and gone) and Fall will upon us. (Sighs). Time really does go by faster when you get old-er.

NEWS of the DAY (or Week)

More success in Iraq which is ignored by the Drive-Bys in the MSM. No surprise there.

Cubs beginning their "July Good-By?" Kerry Woods gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning last night and the Cards won. I'm picking the Cards to win the Central. Hey...it's the Cubs we're talking about...you know, 100 Years of Futility.

NASCAR sucks. Toyota is beginning their dominance of the sport because...of the MONEY! When will people learn that MONEY=SUCCESS in professional sports. Look at the results and Toyota will probably win the mfgr's championships in Nationwide (Busch) AND Sprint Cup this year. And, Kyle Busch seems to have the inside track to the Driver's Championship. Yup...Money Talks...(as an old song says). With the Auto Industry heading for tough times, I just don't think the American Mfgrs. can keep up with Toyota.

OSHKOSH!

Last week of July is the EAA Oshkosh Fly-In, now called (in true "corporate style") AirVenture. Hope to drive up and spend a day just walking and looking. Even though my flying days are truly over, I still like the hardware.

OK, that's enough for this time. Keep your eyes open for a new blog...maybe.

Hey, anybody looking for a freelance writer/editor with 20+ years experience as a Technical Writer? I need da work...

A hui hou...