Beach
Club - December 2005
December, 2005:
We did two things in December that are quite "noteworthy":
the first (documented below) is to help-out some neighbors who helped
us out, - see "Orchid Roof" below for that
activity:
Hang-Gliding on 30 December, 2005 - almost the last-day in the year to
do this - YES - we're 'STILL LEARNING'
but it's getting '''funner''' as we go farther down (up?) the 'learning
curve'?!
Here's some pictures and some text...
small picture (click to get 1.7 meg picture) of Ms. May (on the bottom
in the 'controlling' position) and Mr. Bob (in the top harness ready to
speak 7 years of wisdom in her ear and keep her safe!) ready to
take-off (see the towing-bridle all the way to the left)...
Mr. Bob and Mr. Bill being towed back to the 'flight-line' (where you
take-off from) behind the little-tiny white tow-truck), also - click
for larger (1.5 Meg) image.
another picture of the 'tow-truck'; this tow-truck-driver just happens
to have been the waitress at the local Thai restaurant, also, in
addition to being both a fairly successful attorney as well as the Mom
of a college-age daughter - not a bad achievement before you're 40...
Mr. Bob (in the top harness) and Mr. Bill (in the bottom harness)
almost ready to take-off. Click for much larger (1.7 Megabyte)
image...
OH - one more picture - this is where we 'snack' while awaiting the
next-tow-up to 2,500 feet altitude and release to glide-back-down...
and - back to Stuart, here, Ms. May decided we needed to 'simulate' our
Hang-Gliding Experience, so she designed our simulator, and I built
it.. But we were 'struggling' with how to 'simulate' her
instrutor's weight - but finally had another 'family member' help by
sitting on her back?
More hang-gliding on Saturday
& Sunday -
December 10,11; but took only one picture, - sorry:
All this activity is at "Quest
Air Force" in
"Groveland, Florida" (about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive from Stuart (
location is a 'bit' west of
Orlando)))
(some of these pictures are actually from late November)
We'll show you a few pictures, here, there, and everywhere We HOPE
(very much) to go back soon and start on our qualification /
certification process (as of end-of 2005 - we're about 1/2 way through
this process). YOU could review the US Hang Gliding
Association web-page at: http://www.ushga.org.
This is the USA-based 'governing-body' for the sport. It provides much
the same role as does "US Sailing"
for the sailing-gang... US Hang Gliding Association also
has a rules-making and 'lobbying' body that interfaces with the USA's
"Federal Aviation Authority' (FAA) to keep them suitably removed from
the Hang Gliding Sport - and so there are a whole 'plethora' of FAA
exemptions and rules which one must not only learn, but remember and
comply with...
Kevin's Tandem Glider - May flew with Kevin in this Glider, in November
and some in December
Here's an 'action' picture of Mr. Kevin, in his glider, with another
student - this is Just - after take-off - the towline can be clearly
seen, leading to the 'tug' plane to the left out of the picture.
Ms. May and Mr. Kevin (her instructor)...
Bob's Tandem Glider - Bill flew with Bob in this Glider
Mr. (Awesome) Bob & Mr. Bill (not so awesome, but getting there!)
Here's a picture of one of their 'tug' ultra-light airplanes
(they have 4 'tug' planes). They were designed here in Groveland
/ QuestAir - by one of the partners in the business. They're called
"DragonFly" and they are pretty spectacular for this type of
work. They use Rotax engines (some 2 cylinder, some 4 cylinder,
all water-cooled. Made by the Austrian firm Rotax, but used, also
in SeaDoos and SkiDoos - mostly by 'Bombardier' corporation.
another "tug"
and no pictures of mechanical things would be complete without a
picture of their chief mechanic, working VERY HARD to keep the planes
flying...
Here's Ms. Erin, with Ms. May... - We met Ms. Erin and her husband Ryan
when we were in Hatteras in mid-October at the Hang Gliding school
there, then low and behold - here are Erin and Ryan, - AGAIN, - and
they are a LONG WAY FROM HOME; Erin and Ryan are both engineers for the
State of Alaska, and live in Fairbanks! - they were having a VERY GOOD
TIME enjoying our Florida weather - even though it was 36f when we
woke-up on Saturday morning, the 3rd of December in Groveland, Florida.
Some text-explanation of how it's
all done at "Quest Air Force" in Groveland, Florida...
The 'recommendations' from the gang we took the sand-dune-based lesson
from in Kitty-Hawk were great. However, never having been
hang-gliding before we were not real sure what to expect, OTHER THAN
that these were towed (behind an ultra-light) gliders, so you get to
about 2,500 feet before they let you go and then you have 10-15 minutes
to get back to the ground - air-field. In Kitty-Hawk you
run-down the sand-dune and you might be air-borne for about 5 seconds -
10 seconds if you're both very very good and very very light...
We were told to be ready at 08:00 and we actually arrived underneath
the shade-tree at about 08:10 and by 08:20 I was in a harness and
before 08:30 we had taken-off. Once you're in the harness
(in the bottom-position in a tandem-glider, with your instructor in the
top-position) you don't do anything except hang in the harness, take
instructions, and fly the glider... The instructor (in my case
mr. Bob (picture above)) did all three of the take-offs behind the
tow-tug (ultra-light) - and then he instructs you as you go along - I
did two landings pretty much on my own - BUT - these (tandem) gliders
have wheels, so they are very easy to land...
They tow you up to 2,500 feet - let you go, then you coil-up the
tow-bridle (about 10--15 feet of line) and put it in your harness (yes
- you can take your hands off the 'control-bar' for a few seconds the
hang-glider is very very stable... Then your instructor directs
you around and you turns this way and that, then figure-eights, then
you land. Then if you're going up for another 'round' the
tow-truck comes with a little gadget that she activates from the
driver's seat so she doesn't even have to get out - and then she tows
you back - on the ground (on your wheels) to the
'flight-line'. The next-time the tow-plane comes around she
helps you connect-up your tow-harness, and then off you go again.
I did 3 'rounds' in less than 90 minutes... Ms. May followed me by
about 20 minutes, and part of her wait was that they were waiting for
the 'tug' (tow-plane) - eventually the people at Quest Air started-up a
second tow-plane (they have 3 tow-planes)...
Bill had some 'mis-perceptions' about this sport:
1.) he thought that the gliders would be un-stable, NOT TRUE - if you
'let go' of the bar - the glider is extremely stable, and you would,
eventually, land (if you didn't steer at all)... - You might land in a
tree but you would NOT 'just fall out of the sky'...
2.) he thought that the harness(es) would be both uncomfortable and
easy to fall out of: NOT TRUE, again - they are extremely comfy
(though my hips did cramp a bit (maybe a spreader-bar would help) -
and/or just 'practice' - and there's NO WAY you're going to 'fall-out'
of one of them...!!
3.) he thought that he would be scared silly going up 2,500 feet with
nothing under him (like a firm airplane seat) - NOT TRUE, again - he
wasn't scared at all
so - it was WAY BETTER than I'd previously anticipated!
AND YES - we're BOTH going to get certified / qualified / licensed,
etc. etc. etc. ... - and then when we travel we'll be able to rent
equipment, get towed, and enjoy 'life aloft' with the birds &
such.... - Down the road I hope to be able to do some time &
distance gliding!
After we went Hang-Gliding - we drove to Alachua, Florida (west of
Gainesville) and spent some time at the ceramics-studio of Mr. John
Tilton who does some very impressive things with 'crystal glazes'... -
He and his wife run the studio area and they make some very wonderful
objects...
The above items are all 'clickable' for an image that is 4x bigger...
John Tilton does amazing things with glazes, and Ms. May is learning
something. Mr Bill also learned a lot from John about kilns,
power, firing, and other such more engineering oriented things.
One of John's greatest assets is his 2,100 square feet of space -
compared to the 200 or so that Ms. May has. However John is
'making a living' in the ceramics business. One of our
discussion points was the issue(s) of what is 'accepted' in the
market-place, versus what is challenging and/or enjoyable to create?
Replacing
the Orchid House Roof for Ms. Leuveda & Mr. Elmer:
December in South Florida has dawned
bright, sunny and 'coolish' in the mornings - which is quite a good
sign, and we are already planning for our Christmas Holiday(s)...
However - 'EARLY' in the month (on 1 & 2 December (Thursday and
Friday)) we decided to help-out our very good friends Elmer and
Leuveda, about 5 houses down from us (Ms. May met this couple as
'Orchid Friends' and they have graciously taken care of May's orchids
during our sometimes absences from Stuart... This couple has just
had their 71st wedding anniversary, they are an amazing pair... -
if we make it that far Mr. Bill will be well over 100 !!!
Their nice Orchid-house lost it's roof during our last Hurricane (Ms.
Wilma (who also blew-off some of our 'ridge-vent' so we had a bit of
water in the house), so we went to Lowe's yesterday morning - bought
'some stuff' and started replacing their roof ... We went to
Lowe's again, this morning and finished up the project...
here's 'just a few' pictures to help you understand our 'construction
methodology' - mostly 'driven' by what Mr. Elmer had done prior to our
arrival, but then we continued on-wards with the project and finished
it off for them...
Needless to say we now have a lot of 'credit' at the 'orchid-sitters'
... First - some 'Finished' pictures:
Ms. Leuveda, Mr. Elmer, and Mr. Bill (on ladder) with finished roof in
the 'background'
finished-inside picture (click for
bigger);
finished-outside picture (click for bigger).
Mr. Bill
'in-process'
Mr. Elmer, supervising our craftsmanship
A tribute to Chuckles...
We are saddened to report, however, that the 'reason' we didn't put-up
our typical "November" web-page(s) is that Because:
Step-Dad - Chuck Mead
died on 12 November (after some time with Leukemia) - so there were
several trips back and forth between Stuart and Jacksonville during the
month, and not much else happened that wasn't related to taking 'care
of things' (and that process will continue 'for some time', now, I'm
quite sure). As Well as handling Mom's 'needs' from the
sociological perspective - I've also been helping her out in other
areas. I'm sure it will take a lot of time for all of us to
'adjust' to this loss... Chuck was my step-Dad for nearly 45
years,
and he was also an mentor, instructor and my Mom's husband, too.
I learned a lot from him and he supported me in many ways over the
years, he will be missed a great deal.
Whoops - almost forgot - we have to have AT LEAST ONE CAT PICTURE in
our web-page every month... =
This is more a "Toshiba (laptop-computer)
keyboard accessory picture" but - hey, it'll just have to
substitute this month!
(we won't talk about the 'cats-(almost) have fresh-squirrel for
lunch' episode that we did NOT get pictures of!)
and one last - finish-up the web-page; finish-up-the-year picture
for one and all to enjoy... - Ms. Tigger,
Helping Mr. Bill after his bicycle-ride.
last updated: Friday evening
(21:59); 30 December
2005; revID: 2s....fixed_path_names_BBE.mnl...br>
