Great Grandchildren! Great Grandchildren!! Great Grandchildren!!!

25 April 2014; Maryland USA --

After seeing Uncle Bob off, we drove across the Potomac into MD to meet the three Great Grandchildren who live "over there". Here they are: Dalton (151/2), Jordyn (17), and James (131/2). As you can see, both of the boys are tall and Jordyn is beautiful. [The Old Man in the middle needs no introduction to regular readers of this BLOG.

Jordyn had to work this day so we did not get to visit with her. We (their Grandparents and me] took the boys to a Red Robin where we "pigged out" on the tasty selections available at this venue. I had a "Black and Bleu" burger -- it had mushrooms, sauteed onions and Blue Cheese packed in with the hamburger. [I overate!!] The boys had several "refills" of fries -- [I doubt that they were filled!]

Howard, who had just purchased a new Hyundai that afternoon, joined us at the Red Robin. The next day (26 April) was Howard's birthday, so I got the Waitstaff at Red Robin to sing him their patented birthday jingle. Howard's wife, Patricia also joined us, with her first ride in Howard's new car.

Happy Snow Day in Seattle!

9 February 2014; Cozy and warm inside Grumpy's Castle --

Well, Grumpy started out this month in a "grumpy" mood: I didn't feel "too awfully well". I spent all day the 5th in bed trying to overcome what I thought was "just a 24-hour bug". The next morning, I felt better -- for awhile, but then returned to bed to try to warm up enough to stop the shivers and teeth chattering. Finally, about noon I called the consulting nurse and was directed to enter Urgent Care for a check up.

What I had, and what I am now recovering from, is a stubborn case of infection. But that is not what this POST is all about; it only provides some background to what I am doing this morning! I AM SHOVELING SNOW!!

 

First of all, I should tell you about my process of getting up and getting dressed in preparation for going out into the cold. Taking care not to expose myself to the elements again for fear of being besot again with chills and shivering, I thought to put on extra layers of warm clothes. When at last I thought to be ready to venture forth into the cold, I realized

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I needed to go to the bathroom!

Mothers will recall incidents of such nature with their children whom they tried to bundle up suitable for the cold environment. I laughed to myself -- no one else to laugh at me!

A Newly Minted Great-Great Grand Pair Give Thanks

Thanksgiving Day 2013; At a Daughter's Home --

Having received an invitation to join her burgeoning family in the Northern wildernesses of another County, I gratefully and speedily accepted! And why wouldn't I? I would have an opportunity to see a significant majority of my 31 Great Grandchildren*, and -- even more exciting -- to see my first Great-Great Grandson together with a complete complement of his four generations of ancestors!!

Although the weather was good for flying, I chose to use the Red Rocket ground transportation mode for this visit in order to minimize the potential for interruption of the gala get together which the presence of free airplane rides might cause. [I'm going to have to endeavor to do something about my lack of recent flying time!! I might not have the luxury of the Mooney availability in the New Year.]

A Mutual Admiration of Great-Greats

A Newly-Minted Great Grandfather!

The Total Line-up: The Patriarch; His Oldest Daughter; Her Oldest Son, holding
the First Great-Great Grandson, focus of attention; and the New Mother,
 oldest Daughter of the Oldest Son

In this first photo the two new Great-Greats (Grandson and Grandfather) appear to be "sizing" each other up. Perhaps each considering whether or not this rather rare circumstance might be of some future value. A share in an inheritance for the youngster? A caretaker for the elder 15 or 20 years hence?

The fact that this "Old Guy" (left photo below) is now a Great Grandfather, made me realize that I am now the Father of a Great Grandmother!! Egads!! Only recently I was married to a Great Grandmother. Oh well, such is life if you live long enough. [I just wish the Grand Mother could have lived to enjoy this event as much -- or more! -- than I am. She would have been so proud of this young Mother and her choice of Husband. Of course she would also have participated handily in the inevitable spoiling loving of this handsome little boy.]

When presented with the opportunity, I was never one to pass it up. Thus, when it came to pass that the Grandfather of the Fifth Generation Offspring arrived to complete the complement of the Five-Generation photograph, I took advantage of the occassion. Now I came to realize that, in addition to becoming the Father of a Great Grandmother, I am now the Grandfather of a Grandfather!!

Oh yes; a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner was prepared by the Woman of the House and gratefully eaten by those fortunate ones** who stayed to partake. That was the title-subject of this Post, but somehow it seemed more important to show what seems to be the real news of the year.

So that's what I have done.

*Unfortunately, the major contributor to Great Grandchildren reported that their family were suffering from some respiratory infections and would not be able to join the festivities. [I had especially shaved off my almost year-old beard to honor a promise I had made to my Great Granddaughter from this family.]

**Grumpy, Oldest Daughter (Woman of the House), Husband of the House, Pianist Granddaughter, "Nancy Nurse", "Nurse's" Husband, a Guy named Scott, and Andre "Son" of "Nurse".

The Grass Short-Field Landing and the One Hundred Dollar Lunch

27 July 2013; Landing on Grass --

I invited my #2 Son to fly with me this Saturday to visit the people that live in the Straw House, "Fort Bale". Without hesitation, my Son enthusiastically accepted my invitation. Little did he know what he was to experience!

We had agreed to meet early in the morning; as experienced pilots know, the cool, calm air of the early morning is favorable for aircraft performance as well as beneficial in the ride comfort department. We arrived at the home field (home to the Mooney, that is) a little after o7oo; the code-secured gate was open!

After preflight-checking the aircraft to ensure its airworthiness, and refueling with twenty or so gallons of low-lead aviation gasoline, Grumpy continued with the in-cockpit preflight check list and, after running up the engine to check that both sets of sparkplugs were firing clean, he radioed for take-off clearance and pushed the throttle to the firewall. The 180 horsepower Lycoming pulled the little airplane down the paved runway and we lifted off into a beautiful blue sky towards Rainier.

As we climbed in the cool morning air, Grumpy pointed out the procedures required to maintain proper engine operation (keep cylinder head temperature below 400: add more air speed); lean mixture as density altitude allowed; adjust throttle to maintain intake manifold pressure in inches equal to engine RPM in hundreds. And be sure that the "far hoizon" is rising relative to the "near horizon". That's to be confident that our climb rate is sufficient for us to clear the jagged terrain that comprises the near horizon.

Grumpy's initial course was a little to the left of Rainier. He had flown this route several times before and knew that the view of this snow-enshrouded queen of the Cascades would be spectacular from the East and South sides at this time of day. We were soon at our cruising altitude of 10,500 and on the Southeast side of Rainier. From here we could see Mt Adams, Mt St. Helen's, Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson (both the latter in Oregon).

As we rounded Rainier, staying near the boundary and at a "respectable" altitude so as to not interfere with the wilderness experience of those people on the ground below, Grumpy set his course for the destination field, "Cedar North" in southeast Battle Ground. This course took us on the southeast side of Mt St. Helen's -- close enough to easily detect the topography of the ridges and ash flow paths down this side of the mountain. We could also see Spirit Lake beyond St. Helen's.

As we passed St. Helen's, we could see nothing but a "sea" of clouds covering the landscape to the South and West. Grumpy had been advised of this situation before we left, but he figured that it would either be thin and broken, or be breaking up as the sun's warmth dissipated the clouds. Neither situation greeted Grumpy's eyes as he gazed across this puffy surface of low-lying clouds; however he saw what looked like a "hole" in the cloud cover somewhat to the North and West of his destination. He checked his Aviation Chart to confirm that the land area in the area -- and all the way South and East to his destination -- was at and below 1000 feet msl (mean sea level).

As we neared the "hole", it appeared to be only a depression in the cloud tops; Grumpy opined, "This doesn't look good." He added throttle to stop his descent and considered his #2 alternative: continue southwesterly to the far edge of the cloud cover (roughly at the Columbia River) and then drop down and fly back toward Battle Ground underneath the clouds.

But as we flew over the depression, we both could see terra firma beneath! Grumpy readjusted the throttle for a continuing descent as he made a gentle turn to his left to remain within the hole clear of the surrounding clouds. The bottoms of the cloud cover was at about 2000 feet msl, so once we were below the clouds, Grumpy set his course direct to "North Cedar", the grass strip on which he planned to land.

"Trees are not as far away as they appear to be!"

The field was not easily identified since there were no aircraft or obvious hangars on the site. But Grumpy discerned a mowed strip about 2000 feet long that he realized was what he was supposed to land on. Making the perfunctory radio communications (with non-existing other aircraft!) he lined up his approach to land on "runway 26". As he neared the threshold he beheld a couple of tall trees; a little power to keep from hedge-clipping them and then a 70 knot airspeed to achieve a steep glide path to touchdown. 

"That's not as far down to the end as it may appear!"

As soon as ground contact was made, maximum brakes were applied to stop us at the far end of the runway. [Grumpy later found that over-run provisions included a filled ditch and a continuation into an Alfalfa field on the other side of a narrow, paved driveway.]

Grandson "Stretch" was there to meet us and take us to the newly-developed "town center" where we later met the Swede and Grumpy's two tall, blond Great Grandsons.

We had a delicious lunch in the local "Public House", with Great Grandson J having the "Steak of the Day" [a big -- according to our server; not according to this Porterhouse-eating young man! -- 8 ounce flat-iron steak] and everyone else getting their choice of items on the menu. Grumpy had invited this gathering for lunch, so of course he paid. [The biggest expense, though was the cost of the flight down here! But it was also part of the pleasure.]

Swede, Stretch, GGs A., GGs J. (on wing), #2 Son, Grumpy

Number 2 Son and his Dad are already plotting their next flight adventure.

A Day at the Racetrack

Saturday, 26 May 2012; Portland International Raceway --

Although Grumpy "laid some rubber" as he entered the gate onto the straightaway, leading to the infield parking area, he did not make even one lap around this fine race track. Sorry, the "spirit" of doing "some speed" just overcame him momentarily, and he exhibited poor judgement in front of his tallest Grandson.

Instead of watching automobiles roar around the track, this day was for Human Powered Vehicles, and their riders, to challenge each other's speed, endurance and acceleration. The day became both a humbling and a rewarding experience for the Old Grumpy One. But that tale will be told later.

"Gr-rr-r!!" says J.

The night before this event, four men with the "snarkiest-attitudes" toward facing facts, met at Fort Bale for a "gourmet" dinner (Swedish style) and a night of rest and relaxation. Wait, I almost forgot! There was no relaxation for a certain Uncle of two very determined offspring of the Tall One. 

Laughter: Antidote for defeat

First J. challenged the wrestling acumen of Uncle B, a former High School wrestling team member. Each time J. wound up folded and mutilated on the big leather sofa. Laughter seemed to be the antidote for any disappointment in this (inevitable?) take-down by Uncle B.

Stealth approach

Next came A. with the dogged determination of a true crusader. Despite his fierce countenance and unique, stealth approach, he too became wound up and tied in a knot to be deposited on the leather sofa.

The next day, after a (full?) night's sleep at Fort Bale, the caravan left for the PIR, where all four had already registered as competitors. Grumpy was conservative as to what events he would participate in, saving his best for the drag races in which he believed he stood a chance against all three of his young descendants. Yes, his thought was "old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill".

At first Grumpy tried to entice a spirit of true and fair competition from the decades-younger set by offering them what Grumpy thought to be a small handicap, considering his advanced age and decrepitude: give me a 50-foot head start. No takers. 

Race official advising T.O. how to beat Grumpy

Having to do battle manu-ad-manu, Grumpy first challenged the Tall One in his yellow streamlined, wing-tank-looking tricycle. Grumpy's thought was that the extra 100-plus pounds that this monster weighed would sufficiently impede TO's ability to accelerate from a standing start to allow Grumpy to get far enough ahead and capture his first blue ribbon and some bragging rights. 

Well, that strategy failed when the Tall, Gray-haired Grandson actually overcame a slow start to blow past the final gate about two wing-tank lengths ahead of the gritty Grumpy. 

#2 Son blazing away from his Dad without remorse

Oh well; there is still hope -- [the #2 Son is riding a bicycle that is new to him; I'll surely win with my greater skill and experience on this old Raleigh!] Here he is "up in the stirrups" so to speak, blowing by Grumpy before he could even get into second gear. Poor Grumpy -- no one cared about his dejection at being so blatantly humbled, now by two of the fearsome foursome that were "friends" when we came to this event.

Still negotiating the 200M drag race; clarifying the rules

Finally, the B-man came with hat in hand, offering a deal that would grant the Old Grumpy One some "breathing room". B-man would start and run the drag course (200 meters?) in just one gear -- no hands on the handlebars (to effect extra push/pull on the pedals), after getting up to stable speed. What a deal!! Still, it seems that B-man is seen here (right), trying to coax a little "blindness" on the part of the race official overseeing the start of these races. 

Accelerating out of the "chocks", pedal to the metal!

In the end, which Grumpy won by "a nose", B-man probably lost only because he chose a notch too low a gear and "over-revved" his pedals by the mid-point in the race while Grumpy was still able to  squeeze out a smidgen more acceleration as he blew through the final gate -- his final reward for a day of hard work. [Thanks B-Man; you made my day!]

More fun, more laughs and greater rewards are not to be had in any other company than a Grandpa in friendly competition with his Son and two Grandsons -- unless a Great Grandchild or two were to join us, that is! Maybe next year -- we'll see.

Two Days of Fun with the Gang at Fort Bale -- Part 4

Thursday Evening, 21 April 2011; Clark County Country --

Our last evening at Fort Bale (after the excitement of the "bottle rocket" launch) was to have dinner with the Fort denizens at the local gourmet restaurant. There were no "exciting" photos to be taken during the eating process. However a memorable "Kodak moment" occurred as we were about to leave and part company.

We came away from this visit with many happy memories, a good long visit with our Swede Granddaughter, our two Great Grandsons and our tallest Grandson. We also left with a carton of five dozen "cossetted" eggs from "coddled, spoiled-rotten, queenly-treated, hand-petted daily, range free, organically-fed" chickens whose nightly abode is "bigger than most 3rd-world families".

Yes, a good time was had by all!! The next time cannot come too soon.

Target Shooting

Wetter'n Washington; Ides of March --

Gosh, it's been almost two months and this BLOG hasn't revealed any new action; guess it's about time to "do it again", huh? In fact, Grumpy acknowledges that the main subject of this post actually took place about two months ago and apparently got lost in the throes of Income Tax time -- or at least that's my story, and I'm going to stick with it.

About two months ago Bopop and my two Grandsons, Blief and "Stretch", invited the Grumpy One to go target shooting with them. They assured me that they had found a safe location, deep in the woods away for noisy neighbors -- no, wait; we would be the noisy ones -- I should have said, "away from neighbors who might object to some noise".

Grumpy brought his single-shot 12 gauge shotgun, his .22 rifle that he got on his 12th birthday, his .30-'06 deer rifle and his .22 pistol. He also brought a .30-30 lever-action rifle and his Dad's old pump-action 16 gauge shotgun. Bopop brought along a Mauser-action rifle that had been re-barreled by his Grandpa for the .30-'06 cartridge. Grumpy was the only one of the four who had fired a rifle before.

Needless to say, Grumpy planned that he would "show these young whippersnappers a thing or two" about precision target shooting. The paper target were set up about 45 yards distant, with a dirt bank behind them to catch all the bullets after they had passed the target -- whether through the paper or any near miss -- and there were a few of the latter. But more about that later.

Bobop, aiming his .30-'06 Mauser

But first we each had to find their own "best" posture where we felt comfortable in making our most accurate shots. Bopop found this one, on the left, to suit him just fine and he fired off three shots. His rifle is the one with the German Mauser action mated to an Enfield .30-'06 barrel. Grumpy's Dad (Blief and "Stretch's" Great Grandfather) had made this modification sometime in the mid 1950's.

Blief, aiming to put us all to shame

Blief followed his Dad's example with this pose, on the right, also shooting the .30'06 Mauser. Of his three shots we initially could find only two, and a rash assumption was that one shot had missed the paper target completely. However, closer examination (see below) revealed the truth!

"Stretch", finally found this comfortable position

Now, it was "Stretch's" turn. He experimented with two other attempts at sighting the rifle over the make-do "bench" (plastic trash bin), before finally settling on this sitting position, which better suited his elongated chassis and from which he made a respectable shot group -- better than either his Grandpa or his Dad.

Grumpy, the old Pro, aiming the .30-'06 Enfield

Grumpy (right) seemed quite relaxed and confident as he settled into his shooting position, aiming his favorite hunting rifle, the 1917 model .30-'06 Enfield, which his Dad (the Grandson's Great Grandpa) had "sporterized" for Grumpy when he was a lad of 18 or 19 -- more than sixty years ago!

Alas, not only did Grumpy not make himself proud with his many more years of "experience" [hole upper left in the 7 circle; hole on center left on line between 8 and 9 circles; a lucky hole nearly centered above #10], but Bopop with no experience out-shot him with a tighter group [hole upper right just inside 9 circle; holes on lower right in 7 and 8 circles], and Blief did even better with two holes less than a bullet diameter apart and three shots within a 1.5 inch circle [double hole at bottom tip of #9 and hole on top-right in 10 circle]! All of this with open iron sights!!

"Stretch's" shots came later and are not recorded here, but they were second in accuracy only to Blief's. That could be explainable due to the less steady shooting position (sitting, rather than a bench rest) that he assumed. Needless to say, Grumpy had reason to be very proud of the target shooting acumen that seemed "natural" for his two Grandsons.