Friday, May 16, 2008
Random Spring Picture
This is Daddy and Josh, cleaning up some manure outside the barn. It was a couple weeks ago; now, if the picture were retaken, he would be minus the coat, and the trees would be considerably greener.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Annetta
I took these a couple weeks ago, and just now realized that I had never uploaded them. So I can assure you that as I look out my window, there are leaves on the trees and flowers inthe grass, finaly!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Flying
Well, on Saturday, I finally was able to take my orientation flight with the Civil Air Patrol. I was thinking that I might experience some "not feeling good," but I really didn't expect to want to go back to the earth after roughly (pun intended!) a minute and a half. My pilot, Lt. Kangaroo-- I mean, Lt. Whantuck (I think) was a very nice guy, and an excellent pilot. He said that it was a bad landing, but I was about to kiss the asphalt, so I didn't really care.
Anyhow, I went to the Chautauqua County Airport at about 10:30, and waited around with two other cadets for our pilot to fly in. We watched him come in, and heard him over the radio. Then we went down to the FBO and waited for him to walk in. When he had taken care of some paperwork, we went out to the airplane. It was little. He said it was just like a Volkswagon. Having never seen a Volkswago, I took his word for it. It was a 4-seater, so we got our pictures taken and hopped in (note: I shall try to get those pictures emailed to me so that I can post them). I was in the left front seat, and he was in the right front seat. The other two cadets were in the back. We put on our headphones and taxied to one of the runways. Then, Lt. Whantuck said, "Let's go flying!" and off we went. We hurtled ourselves off into space, and it was like riding in a see-through elevator, only at 2300 feet above ground. I hate elevators. I have also had trouble with carsickness. Put the two together, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it was like.
Anyhow, I managed to not puke (mostly, I guess, because there was nothing in my stomach) for about 1/2 hour, until we went back to the airport, landed, and I elected to wait in the main terminal rather than go back up with my fellow cadets. I don't think they would have appreciated seing me die or jump out or something. But I had fun with two prospective cadets until my sister picked me up to go clean at my great aunt's. That was the first time that I skipped lunch, but I made up for it at supper time.
So to recap, I'm glad I went up, because it was a learning exerience. It's not something that I would do again very soon, though. I'd like to go up in a helicopter, though, just to see what it's like. Jessica says that it might be a little more choppy. (Groans are appropriate here.) Watch for pictures!
Anyhow, I went to the Chautauqua County Airport at about 10:30, and waited around with two other cadets for our pilot to fly in. We watched him come in, and heard him over the radio. Then we went down to the FBO and waited for him to walk in. When he had taken care of some paperwork, we went out to the airplane. It was little. He said it was just like a Volkswagon. Having never seen a Volkswago, I took his word for it. It was a 4-seater, so we got our pictures taken and hopped in (note: I shall try to get those pictures emailed to me so that I can post them). I was in the left front seat, and he was in the right front seat. The other two cadets were in the back. We put on our headphones and taxied to one of the runways. Then, Lt. Whantuck said, "Let's go flying!" and off we went. We hurtled ourselves off into space, and it was like riding in a see-through elevator, only at 2300 feet above ground. I hate elevators. I have also had trouble with carsickness. Put the two together, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it was like.
Anyhow, I managed to not puke (mostly, I guess, because there was nothing in my stomach) for about 1/2 hour, until we went back to the airport, landed, and I elected to wait in the main terminal rather than go back up with my fellow cadets. I don't think they would have appreciated seing me die or jump out or something. But I had fun with two prospective cadets until my sister picked me up to go clean at my great aunt's. That was the first time that I skipped lunch, but I made up for it at supper time.
So to recap, I'm glad I went up, because it was a learning exerience. It's not something that I would do again very soon, though. I'd like to go up in a helicopter, though, just to see what it's like. Jessica says that it might be a little more choppy. (Groans are appropriate here.) Watch for pictures!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Kelly Hill Times
Well, it's about time I wrote another one of these. So I believe I will go into detail about what I did on Sunday. As many of you are no doubt aware, this week is Armed Forces Week, and Buffalo has the second-best in the nation celebration. Naturally, the Civil Air Patrol was there. I had heard of the ceremony a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't yet made up my mind whether to go or not. Then, last Thursday, Captain Maternowski (my squadron commander) told me that there was an opportunity for her to drop me off from Buffalo at the Akron airport. From there, I would fly to the Jamestown airport with two seniors. This would be my orientation flight, and double as my prize for being Cadet of the Month of April.
However, Sunday morning, the weather was windy enough that the O-Flight was cancelled (drats!!) and so I went up to the Armed Forces Day ceremony along with 6 other cadets, a visitor, and two senior members, all from our squadron. It took probably an hour and a half to get there.
There was another squadron there, and a lot of other people--Boy Scouts, AF JROTC, Marine ROTC, a Canadian colorguard, Veterans, et cetera. Basically, we did a lot of standing. We didn't stay for the whole thing, but we stayed long enough to hear the 21 gun salute. I thought that it would be 21 guns exploding at once, but they fired 21 guns, separately, not sparing a single one. I counted. It was cold. And windy. And I was in my short-sleeved blues uniform, so I shivered the whole time. I was able to wear a fellow cadet's jacket, but I was still cold. Probably Buffalo had an earthquake Monday morning, generated from all the shivering.
After we shivered and shook for an hour and a half, we hopped in the van and drove off to McDonald's. There, we got lunch, and drove home. This was when Captain Maternowski had the radio on, kind of quietly. Suddenly, a cadet lieutenant sat up and said, "[*Bleep*], turn that up! I think that's (insert guy's name here; I forgot it already)!" She did, and he started singing along with it. Then, he turned around and made some sort of comment to me about the singer. I think it was Ray or Roy something. I said, "Who's he?" He about had a stroke. "You don't know who he is????" (Apparently, the singer is some famous rock icon.) So they had a jolly time finding about how much I really live in a cave by asking me the names of various bands and singers. Naturally, I hadn't the faintest clue who Kiss or Poison or any of the many others were, and they were all practically having myocardial infarctions and going into cardiac arrest. It was really funny, because I have no desire to listen to that stuff, and I can't understand someone whose life is so controlled by a little iPod or MP3 player. There are better ways to go deaf!
So anyhow. We kids have all been practicing singing for the Mother/Daughter Banquet, which is this Tuesday. I'm having a ton of trouble with one of the songs that Jessica and I are singing. Thankfully, it's the song that everybody cries through, so it'll be the best one to mess up on. Seriously, if I see one dry eye in the audience during that number, I am going to duct tape half an onion under that nose. Then I will be laughing so hard that I will make mistakes, but it won't matter, see. There's one problem, though, which we might not be able to work around: There is a cold going around, and Jessica nearly lost her voice. It's getting better now, but I think I'm coming down with it. I just hope I don't lose my voice. But, the only song they really need me on is the song that I have already established won't matter if we mess up on. Regardless, it will be a unique and learning experience.
I shall try to get pictures form both the Armed Forces Day thing and the Mother/Daughter Banquet and post them here.
However, Sunday morning, the weather was windy enough that the O-Flight was cancelled (drats!!) and so I went up to the Armed Forces Day ceremony along with 6 other cadets, a visitor, and two senior members, all from our squadron. It took probably an hour and a half to get there.
There was another squadron there, and a lot of other people--Boy Scouts, AF JROTC, Marine ROTC, a Canadian colorguard, Veterans, et cetera. Basically, we did a lot of standing. We didn't stay for the whole thing, but we stayed long enough to hear the 21 gun salute. I thought that it would be 21 guns exploding at once, but they fired 21 guns, separately, not sparing a single one. I counted. It was cold. And windy. And I was in my short-sleeved blues uniform, so I shivered the whole time. I was able to wear a fellow cadet's jacket, but I was still cold. Probably Buffalo had an earthquake Monday morning, generated from all the shivering.
After we shivered and shook for an hour and a half, we hopped in the van and drove off to McDonald's. There, we got lunch, and drove home. This was when Captain Maternowski had the radio on, kind of quietly. Suddenly, a cadet lieutenant sat up and said, "[*Bleep*], turn that up! I think that's (insert guy's name here; I forgot it already)!" She did, and he started singing along with it. Then, he turned around and made some sort of comment to me about the singer. I think it was Ray or Roy something. I said, "Who's he?" He about had a stroke. "You don't know who he is????" (Apparently, the singer is some famous rock icon.) So they had a jolly time finding about how much I really live in a cave by asking me the names of various bands and singers. Naturally, I hadn't the faintest clue who Kiss or Poison or any of the many others were, and they were all practically having myocardial infarctions and going into cardiac arrest. It was really funny, because I have no desire to listen to that stuff, and I can't understand someone whose life is so controlled by a little iPod or MP3 player. There are better ways to go deaf!
So anyhow. We kids have all been practicing singing for the Mother/Daughter Banquet, which is this Tuesday. I'm having a ton of trouble with one of the songs that Jessica and I are singing. Thankfully, it's the song that everybody cries through, so it'll be the best one to mess up on. Seriously, if I see one dry eye in the audience during that number, I am going to duct tape half an onion under that nose. Then I will be laughing so hard that I will make mistakes, but it won't matter, see. There's one problem, though, which we might not be able to work around: There is a cold going around, and Jessica nearly lost her voice. It's getting better now, but I think I'm coming down with it. I just hope I don't lose my voice. But, the only song they really need me on is the song that I have already established won't matter if we mess up on. Regardless, it will be a unique and learning experience.
I shall try to get pictures form both the Armed Forces Day thing and the Mother/Daughter Banquet and post them here.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Josh and Katrina
Does anyone have a caption for this last photo?? Katrina always shuts her eyes, so I told them both to, and this is what happened!Spring!
It's here!! This is Grandpa, on the John Deere.
I asked the camera-shy Josh if I could please (please!) "picture" him, and so he shut his eyes and smiled for me.
"Birdie birdie in the sky, Dropped some whitewash in my eye. Me no laugh, me no cry, me just glad that cows don't fly!" The girls have been saying recently...
And myrtle. You know spring is really, really here when the myrtle blossoms.
I asked the camera-shy Josh if I could please (please!) "picture" him, and so he shut his eyes and smiled for me.
"Birdie birdie in the sky, Dropped some whitewash in my eye. Me no laugh, me no cry, me just glad that cows don't fly!" The girls have been saying recently...
And myrtle. You know spring is really, really here when the myrtle blossoms.
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