Air Show....Day 2

The Canadian Snow Birds flight team is really a spectacular airborne ballet compared to the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds which feature overpowering speed and power. Where else can you see nine jet aircraft flying together straight up and then spliting into a fantastic aerial fleur de lis? They are really top notch.

And top notch is a good description of today's show. I always like the Sunday show....it's less crowded, more at ease and gives me and the volunteers more time to actually watch some of the amazing flying. The weather was the best we've had in years with a warm sun along with a cool breeze to keep temperatures just right, and with puff ball cumulus clouds that give a certain perspective to the aircraft overhead. Especially for the Snowbirds and the Pearl Harbor reenactment where we have over 40 aircraft in the skies at once.

As always, I met someone rather unique today, however, not involved with aviation fame. Mr. Holiman is a rancher in Midkiff, some distance south of Midland. He was one of our gate greeters today. Mr. Holiman is 87 years old and drives up by himself just to help out in anyway he can. I had read the story of how he gave one of his ranches to our local Jr. College, and then sued them to get it back when their trustees, in effect, violated the terms of his endowment. His intent is to find someone or group to make this ranch into a multi-discipline learning experience for kids. A place to learn about their agricultural heritage along with the ecology, geology and history of West Texas. We talked for an hour about ideas to bring his dream into reality. I told him that this interested me greatly and that I would be pleased to help. He promised to give me a call. A really interesting and generous man, and I hope that I look as great as he does should I become 87 years old. Oh, and he said that now that his beloved wife had passed away last year, he was starting to notice women again, and weren't there some great looking ones in shorts at the Air Show!

Another Show under our belts and now we can get some rest!

Air Show......Day One

The first day of the Air Show went splendidly with great flying weather. High broken cumulus clouds at about 5,000 ft., moderate temperatures and gusty but manageable winds. And judging by the number of people we transported, the crowds really exceeded our expectations. Show goers started arriving early and kept coming for hours. The events went as scheduled, and the Canadian Snowbird flight team was spectacular as usual. It's not often you get to see nine jet aircraft flying wingtip to wingtip.

But I have to say again, the highlight of the show [and being in the CAF] is always the people I meet. Usually there is one special person that makes all the hard work worth the effort. Today it was meeting and chatting for awhile with astronaut Bill Anders above. Bill was a crew member on Apollo 8, the first mission to the moon. Bill and his two crew mates Frank Borman and Jim Lovell were the first men to leave earth's gravity and the first to reach the moon, and the first humans ever to view the dark, farside of the moon. Bill's photograph of the earth rising above the moons surface was judged by Life magazine to be one of the 20 most important images of the 20th century.

With a special thanks to Julie, her kids and Dad, and to all my volunteers it was a great day, though exhausting........and another just like it tomorrow.

McGovern Now!.......
For those to young to remember, that was George McGovern's campaign slogan in 1972. George was a very significant figure in 20th century American politics, and although I can't subscribe to many of his more liberal ideas, I have to say that I do admire the man. He came from the era when morals, ethics and political conduct mattered to candidates and to voters.

That is until his opponent Richard Nixon helped to change the game. Senator McGovern was the Democratic candidate for president in '72 and his campaign was the object of Nixon's Watergate break in. McGovern gained his strength from the ever increasing anti-war movement as the Vietnam War dragged on into its 7th year of combat.

The Senator was in town today and at the air show to honor author Stephen Ambrose. Senator McGovern is the subject of Ambrose's best seller The Wild Blue, for while he championed the peace movement, he himself was a warrior. McGovern flew 35 combat missions over Germany as the pilot of a B-24, winning the Distinquished Flying Cross. So, putting personal politics aside it was great to get to greet him [that's me behind him] and to pay our respects to his accomplishments. And Julie got to say hell-o to the authors son, Andy Ambrose, and give him best wishes from the man she works for, who had known Stephen Ambrose.

Tomorrow, the Air Sho starts in earnest! My troops and equipment are ready.

Men at work......

While at the Air Sho site this morning I met and had a good chat with these men at work from the Land Down Under. These Aussie aviation technicians were preparing a 1930's Russian airplane owned by a group in Austrailia. As I've said before, one of the real benefits of the air show is meeting people from parts far distant. And seemingly I've never met an Aussie I didn't get along with famously. These blokes from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Alice Springs seemed overjoyed to be here and to learn a little bit about our dry desolate part of the earth. I think it reminded the guy from Alice Springs a little of home. We also had a nice conversation about my sister city of Coober Pedy and they were surprised to learn that I had even heard of it, much less that I am the local expert. Two of them had been there.....and opined that Coober Pedy is one of the world's more unique locales.

My mission at the Air Show site was to confirm that all my equipment was "good to go" and that all arrangements for it's use were in order. I'm worried now. Everything was in exactly the right spot, was in a high order of maintenance and all personnel were knowledgable about the timing and location of it's use. I was in the Army far to long to know that when all things are running this smoothly, something of an ill nature is about to happen. Stay tuned for more.....

The one armed paper hanger.......

Digital publishing has been taking very much a back seat to real life of late. I/We/Us, Julie and I, have been very busy with trying to rearrange our lives to merge them into one household. We have been eating, sleeping and dreaming of fabrics, rugs, and window treatments while trying to decide which avenue to approach with the goal of redecorating the Estate. We may have made some progress. While these important decisions were being formulated we also had to finally buck up and decide just where and when we would actually tie the knot. That, thank goodness, is finally decided. The nuptial union will be performed the afternoon of December 30, 2003 at the First Presbyterian Church in Midland.
We think.

While visions of fabrics danced in my head, I've also been spearheading an October reunion of my old fraternity boys from Trinity University. One of our very own, my very close friend Gen. Tom Hill is being honored as the University Alumni of the Year. Tom is a four star general and the commander of SouthCom where he overseas all U.S. military operations and personnel in Central and South America. We're proud of Tom and his wife Toni and I've been trying to get as many frat brothers as possible from our era to come to San Antonio next month to honor him. In a word, trying to get 40 or 50 people from all over the country to merge together at one time is like herding worms. I am making progress.

And for the next five days my attention turns to The CAF AirSho where I hold the exalted position of Transportation Chairman! The crux of this high level assignment is basically imposing upon friends, family [Julies] and neighbors to give up part of their weekend driving vehicles that carry guest and VIPs around the air show grounds. I have a good crew this year and the operation really runs itself once everything is set up prior to the show. But, tomorrow, it is out to the airport for the first inspection of the equipment, obtain volunteer passes......and get Julie a flight suit to befit her positon as "supervisor" of the Transportation Chairman.

The AirSho is a large scale operation, one of the largest tourist events of the year in Midland......and is important in honoring those who have given so much to their country. Downright entertaining too, seeing so many historic warbirds in the air at one time. And just as important is meeting so many of the men who flew them in WWII. This year we have as our feature, The Canadian Snow Birds who are a spectacular show. Also The Bob Hope USO collection from his decades of entertaining the troops. This is only one of two times this exhibit will be shown in the US at a private event. And Bob's long time press agent will be here to help put it into perspective. Also actor Cliff Roberston and Sen. George McGovern will be here to honor author Stephen Ambrose along with Ambrose's son. Ambrose's book, "The Wild Blue", chronicles McGovern's years as a B-24 pilot. I'm looking forward to meeting the Senator. I didn't agree with his politics, particularly, but I always respected him. He came from a time when politics was not based upon personal attacks on the opponents, < oldperson > a somehow better time and one that I miss.< /oldperson > I hope to see you there!

The Emmy's.....

CNN's Quick Vote asks:

What show do you think will win an Emmy for best dramatic series?

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Six Feet Under
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing

My response: Who gives a rat's rear end......I haven't seen a one of them.

Mars......

If you have missed your close encounter with the planet Mars this month, here's an upclose and personal view. Amateur astronomers at our planetarium were out last night allowing the public a great chance to see the red planet. The amateur telescopes were impressive, some linked into computers to allow viewing on laptops and to automatically track Mars as it moved across the sky. The photo above was taken by simply [and carefully] applying my digital camera to the viewing piece of a rather large instrument. Note the ice cap at the north pole!

A flashback in history....

Via email comes this "what if" satire originally written by Rand Simberg. What if.....today's standards of political short sightedness and media bias were applied to the situation in 1945. Interesting.

August 12, 1945

WASHINGTON DC (Reuters) President Truman, just a few months into his young presidency, is coming under increasing fire from some Congressional Republicans for what appears to be a deteriorating security situation in occupied Germany, with some calling for his removal from office.

Over three months after a formal declaration of an end to hostilities, the occupation is bogged down. Fanatical elements of the former Nazi regime who, in their zeal to liberate their nation from the foreign occupiers, call themselves members of the Werwolf (werewolves) continue to commit almost-daily acts of sabotage against Germany's already-ravaged infrastructure, and attack American troops. They have been laying road mines, poisoning food and water supplies, and setting various traps, often lethal, for the occupying forces.

It's not difficult to find antagonism and anti-Americanism among the population--many complain of the deprivation and lack of security. There are thousands of homeless refugees, and humanitarian efforts seem confused and inadequate.
In the wake of the budding disaster, some have called for more international participation in peacekeeping.

A Red Cross official said that, "...the German people will be more comfortable if their conquerors weren't now their overlords. It makes it difficult to argue that this wasn't an imperialistic war when the occupying troops in the western sector are exclusively American, British and French."

The administration, of course, claims that, given the chaos of the recent war, such a situation is to be expected, and that things will improve with time. As to the suggestion to internationalize the occupying forces, the administration had no official comment, but an unofficial one was a repetition of the quote from General McAuliffe, when asked to surrender in last winter's Battle of the Bulge--"Nuts."

In an attempt to minimize the situation, a White House spokesman pointed out that the casualties were extremely light, and militarily inconsequential, particularly when compared to the loss rates prior to VE Day. Also, the attacks seem to be dying down with each passing month. But this statement was leaped upon by some as heartless, trivializing the deaths and injuries of young American men.

Many critics back in Washington seem now to be prescient, with their previous warnings of just such an outcome a little over a year ago. One congressman said that "...it's time to ask whether the German people are better off now than they were a few months ago. Yes, a brutal dictator has been deposed, but at least the electricity and water supply were mostly working, and the trains running on time. After years of killing them and destroying their infrastructure with American bombs, it seems to me that the German people have suffered enough without the chaos that our occupation, with its inadequate policing, is bringing."

It's not clear how much support the Werwolf has among the populace, who may be afraid to speak their true minds, given the fearfully overwhelming "Allied" presence in the country. But it is possible that, like the guerilla forces themselves, the people have been inspired by Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels' pre-victory broadcasts, and those of Radio Werwolf.

"God has given up the protection of the people . . . Satan has taken command." Goebbels broadcast last spring. "We Werewolves consider it our supreme duty to kill, to kill and to kill, employing every cunning and wile in the darkness of the night, crawling, groping through towns and villages, like wolves, noiselessly, mysteriously."

While no new broadcasts of Goebbels' voice have been heard since early May, no one can be certain as to whether he is alive or dead, and continuing to help orchestrate the attacks and boost morale among the forces for German liberation. As long as his fate, and more importantly, that of the former leader Adolf Hitler himself, remains unresolved, the prospects for pacifying the brutally conquered country may be dim.

Although Grand-Admiral Donitz made a radio announcement of Hitler's brave death in battle to the beleaguered German people on the evening of May 1, some doubt the veracity of that statement, and there has been no evidence
to support it, or any body identified as the former Fuehrer's. Rumors ofhis whereabouts continue to abound, including reported sightings as far away as South America, and many still believe that he is hiding with the "Edelweiss" organization, with thousands of Wehrmacht troops, in a mountain stronghold near the Swiss border.

Many have criticized flawed intelligence for our failure to find him, causing some, in the runup to next year's congressional elections, to call for an investigation. A staffer of one prominent Senator said, "For months, starting last fall, we were told by this administration that Hitler would make a last stand in a 'National Redoubt' in Bavaria. General Bradley diverted troops to the south and let the Russians take Berlin on the basis of this knowledge. But now we find out that there was no such place, and that Hitler was in Berlin all along. And now we're told that we can't even be sure of where he is, or whether he's alive or dead."

For many, marching in the streets with signs of "No Blood For Soviet Socialism," and "It's All About The Coal," this merely confirmed that the administration had other agendas than its stated one, and that the war was unjustified and unjustifiable. General Bradley's staff has protested that this is an unfair criticism--that the strategic decision made by General Eisenhower was driven by many factors, of which Hitler's whereabouts was a minor one, but this hasn't silenced the critics, some of whom have bravely called for President Truman's impeachment, despite the fact that most of these decisions were made even before he became president in April.

But some have taken the criticism further, and say that failure to get Hitler means a failed war itself. "Sure, it's nice to have released all those people from the concentration camps, but we were told we were going to war against Hitler, even though he'd done nothing to us," argued one concerned anti-war Senator. "Now they say that we have 'Victory in Europe,' but it seems to me that if they can't produce the man we supposedly went to war against, it's a pretty hollow victory. Without this man that they told us was such a great threat to America, how can even they claim that this war was justified?"

More benevolence for Veterans....

In the continuing story of how our lawmakers treat the very heart and soul of our society, the Veteran, we have the story of the disability squabble. Read as: how can we spend less money on Veterans than we promised.

I am not a retired veteran, nor a disabled veteran, but I spent over 17 years of my life in some form of the military, including ROTC, the Regular Army, the National Guard and the Army Reserves. I have many close friends who are in the retired, disabled or the retired and also disabled category. From the later I have been kept abreast of the government's campaign to short change the ones who have given the most to their country.

Under current mandate, if you are a retired veteran who happens to also be disabled, the total amount of your disability payment is deducted from your retirement pay. Some veterans who are 100% disabled, receive no retirement stipend at all, only disability. In other words, if you flew 100 deadly missions over Hanoi for your country's sake, but were shot down, spent 7 years as a POW, were tortured to the point that you ended up as a quadriplegic, all you could collect is your disability payment. A payment intended to help defray the cost of your injuries. You would kiss your retirement pay, based on 30 years of selfless service good-bye.

Now after years, and legions of veterans explaining how unfair this is, the Congress is prepared to rectify this injustice. And how do they propose to do this? As Joe Galloway explains in his current article Robbing Sgt. Peter to Pay Sgt. Paul the "honorable" men on the Potomac are set to pay current veterans what they are due by not paying future veterans what they might be due. I can see the volunteer ranks swelling when the potential recruit learns that losing a leg might be, according to the new philosophy, only a minor injury.

We Support our Troops.....But!
"Jeebus h. Christ! Is about the only thing I can think of to say in response to this one".

That was the accompanying comment written by my friend, author Joe Galloway, when he sent me this article from the Stars and Stripes newspaper. Apparently in it's infinite wisdom the Department of Defense is making some soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq pay for their meals while in the military hospital.

Surprising? Not really when you consider some of the other pronouncements coming from DoD recently. Like the "study" currently being done that would aim to considerably lower benefits to Veterans in the future. Veterans benefits, like a free education, decent retirement pay and medical benefits, have long been a lure to young people in joining the military and a just reward for a hard life of service in harms way. Now the reasoning seems to be that American citizens volunteer for our armed services, they know the dangers in the job, and so they should not receive any special treatment beyond the abnormally low wages received for serving and protecting the Nation.

Despite all the election time high speaking from most politicians about how we love and support our servicemen and women, the sad truth is that mostly it's a lot of hot air. The bottom line is money and a reelection ticket that can show that "we lowered our spending" for you the taxpayer.... and oh yeah, the voter. This reminds me of the situation currently ongoing in our area of West Texas. The Veterans Administration is "studying" the possiblity of closing the large regional Veteran's Hospital in Big Spring and transfering services to smaller clinics. The V.A. press releases state something to the effect that they are doing this "to better serve our servicemen and women......." Sadly, whenever I see that the Dept. of Veterans Affairs is doing something to "better serve me", I know I'm screwed.

******************
The following comment arrived by email from a retired Army Officer......

"Ah, but you don't know the half of it. Lets say I'm so *Bleep*ed up I'm on IV drip for six months in a coma. Under the current miserly government regulations which are passed by Congress and not the military, I would be charged for three meals a day for six months or about 180x$8.10 a day. We are the only *Bleep*ing army on the planet that charges its troops to eat in the field and in combat!!!! During DS/DS the *Bleep*suckers took my BAS back each month because they were giving me MRE's and other crap for the 7 1/2 months I was deployed. I lost 30 lbs on their largesse. Congress needs to fix it for everybody, not just the wounded. Why should a soldier give up his Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) WHICH IS TAX FREE AND DONE IN ORDER TO INCREASE HIS MEASLY *Bleeping* PAY because he is now being shot at??? How could we be so stupid!!??"

The Homecoming........

It's homecoming weekend for my alma mater, Midland High School, and the big parade was this afternoon. The parade route takes the extravangza by the park two blocks from my house so we are able to walk to view it. As Julie, Jack and I stood by the street with the crowds of Bulldog fans and alums gathering, I realized what a great way that this was to spend September 11th and honor those who were lost that day two years ago. No rousing patriotic speeches, no extreme flag waving...just ordinary citizens coming together to do something completely American.

I lived in Dallas, a very large city, for many years, and so I still appreciate the way that Midland, Texas is. The small town quality. I know that people have their close neighborhoods in the bigger cities, but there is something beyond that in a small city the size of Midland. In the short walk to the parade, we pass a friends house in the next block. I've known Scott since I was 11 years old, we were in Boy Scouts in the same troop and toured the US on a bus together in 1964. Scott was at the parade. While waiting for the parade to begin, we saw Julie's old friend Maedee. Maedee is the sister of my partner Wes, who went to high school with my younger sister. You see how it goes.......

Everyone feels connected to each other. When we go to events like the parade, the crowd is not just made up of nameless faces. When the floats go by we yell at the kids, because we know their parents, their grandparents or because our kids know them. We know the homecoming queens parents and we know the brother of the twirler in the PeeWee cheerleader squad. We're proud of the kids on the floats. And the kids are proud of themselves. We clap for all the kids on the floats whether it is the Football Team, the Future Farmers of America, Distributive Education, the Ice Hockey Team that we didn't even know we had or the Foreign Language club. We know someone connected to all these activities.

It's a special feeling and a great American feeling, knowing your neighbors. It's what keeps us strong, we can count on each other, and in some ways we're accountable to one another. Let's hope the smaller towns and cities of the United States don't loose this feeling.

From those left behind....

The reunion of the Ia Drang Veteran's Reunion is held every year on Veteran's Day in Washington D.C. The Veteran's not only includes the battle tested men of that conflict, but also the families of the survivors and those tragically lost all those years ago in 1965. The long years have not washed away the loving memories and the pain. One of the families I have had the privelage to meet is that of Sgt. Jack Gell who was killed in action at LZ Xray. Sgt. Gell's daughter, Carol Gell Crowley, sent me this poignant and timely story yesterday................


"I flew my three youngest children to New Orleans in mid August to visit some family and friends in Slidell. Upon arriving to the airport, we were coming through the security area. I observed a rather large group with a FOX camera right outside that area. Looking at the "Welcome Home " signs, and matching red Marine T Shirts, and seeing the excitement bursting from each one of them, I quickly realized they were awaiting their own Marine's return from Iraq. I asked my children to stand beside me, and told them to watch what was happening. I told them a young man was coming home from war. I stood silently as I heard the happy chatter and anticipation.....I thought of my friend Johnny Privette and knew he had been through this recently when his own son came home. Emotions were soaring and the thrill of a homecoming was powerful.

"There he is! There he is!" I heard...The Fox news camera man swirled his camera back and forth from family to the exiting passengers...I stood right with them, and felt almost like a part of their unit. My heart beat faster as I smiled, beaming with pride for a young man I did not know, for his great service to our country. My throat began to ache and tears formed in my eyes, but I stood fast and smiled just the same. His wife and father could no longer stand back and ran to him as his foot stepped out of the secure area. They cried and smiled, and hugged, and kissed. My ears burned and my face felt the hot tears swelling in my eyes.

I just stood there. My feet were implanted firmly and my body could not move. I realized my 7 year old daughter was pulling on my shirt. I looked down at her to see she a concerned little face.The boys were ready to go on. "Mommy, why are you crying?" she asked me in her sweet caring voice.

I smiled and hugged her tight and whispered in her ear, "Because he just came home to his family." She hugged me back and said, "Are you sad because your daddy didn't come home?"

Her small and tender voice hit me like a bolt of lightening. My heart raced, my blood rushed into my head, reality flooded my insides. The tears became bigger, now streaming down my cheek pushing against my eyes from behind. In a barely audible voice, I managed to whisper, "...I am, honey...but I am just happy for these people."

My heart ached for something that could never be... If only my Mom could have been so blessed to have had the experience of a homecoming like this. Unfortunately, hers was tragic and painful, in the form of a telegram delivered and left alone with her grief and three small kids. My heart ached for her in a way that hurt beyond words.

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind within mere seconds. I thought of my sister and brother. I thought of Veterans I have met who knew my father, the great men that I see as Heros from the Ia Drang Battle in Vietnam... wondering how they must feel about this war. I thought of my Dad's sisters and close family friends. I closed my eyes and saw images of the War clips where the Walter Cronkite bulletin aired my young mother reading my Dad's letter, her sad face missing him. A lifetime of thoughts and memories raced through my head....Almost like what you may feel before you die.......

As if a flash came over me, I whispered "My God....." and sensed an overwhelming presence with me that eased my yearning and racing mind. I opened my eyes and was suddenly comforted, and thankful for so much. God was there. God is always there. I wiped my eyes and regrouped.

I took my daughters hand and gathered my bags, glancing at the family who swarmed so close to this very fortunate hero. Tears and smiles were hard at work! The marines eyes briefly met mine as he lifted his neck from one of his welcomers. A fleeting glimpse of concern and wonder came across his face. He surely wondered who I was and why I was there, with tears in my eyes. He glanced around as if to see that I may be waiting too? That still instant of my life was surreal. I put my arm around my son, and walked away, refocusing on the direction of meeting my party at baggage claim. I did not look back, but the image was engraved in my head. I explained to my kids how great it was for us to have seen such a joyous event. They listened, but I am certain they are to young to grasp the emotions in their deserving form.

I wonder today what that young Marine thought about me, there with his family and friends, standing with my own children. Perhaps he didn't think twice about it. Perhaps he just knows that one more person appreciates his service. Whatever it is, I feel like there is a reason that I was there at that very moment. I am all the more reminded to appreciate life, Freedom, Veterans who have served, and those who now serve and protect the greatest Nation on earth. I am the proud daughter of a Vet who died for us all. His memory and honor is with me always.

I am continually disappointed to see so called "Americans" who do not respect or appreciate these sacrifices and try to rob us of freedoms and rights that our very Country was founded on. Shame on them.... To that I end: Let us not tolerate those who disrespect the red, white, and blue... and AS ALWAYS..."GOD BLESS AMERICA"

A Remembrance.....
For many months in 2001 I had been looking forward to attending the annual reunion of the survivors of the battles of the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam, which were recounted in my good friend Joe Galloway's book We Were Soldiers Once and Young, co-written with Gen. Hal Moore and the basis for the film We Were Soldiers. I had been friends with many of the participants for years and knew stories of the others, but one name kept coming up. "You've got to meet Rick Rescorla", I was told....."he's one hell of a guy". I didn't take this lightly, the recommendation coming from some of the people I respect most in the world, and one hell of a group of guys themselves. Rick was the keeper of the 1/7th Cavalry regimental bugle, captured in Vietnam, and which played a role in the film, kniting the beginning and the end together. I was anxious to meet Rick.

I didn't get that chance. The reunion was in November, on Veteran's Day, 2001 and Rick died September 11th at the World Trade Center. Internet blog pal, Greyhawk has written a magnificent piece on Rick, his life and it's meaning and why we should remember his contribution to our freedom. A great read as we remember 9/11/01.

911 Remembered, Rick Rescorla was a soldier

Raindrops......
Raindrops, heck, it was a deluge. From one lone thunderstorm sprouted 70 mph winds, hail, and one boatload of rain. Close to an inch and a half by my measured eye. The winds and hail weren't too bad, as wind and hail go out here, and Lord knows we need the rain. Needing rain is a constant condition in West Texas and this downpour actually put us over the "average" mark for the year. Something in this drought ridden decade that hasn't happened often.

The rain cleansed my soul.....yeah right, but it sure cleansed my street and it's curbside gutters that had many months worth of decaying detrial material from the pecan trees. So much decayed pecan matter that the street had been stained brown in front of the estate. But, hopefully, this is history.....floated off down The Draw on it's way to the Colorado River. For out of towners, our Draw is what you would call a dry creekbed. The Draw wends it's way through town becoming the main mechanism for carrying off our excess water since we don't really have a storm drain system. A dry, sullen, weed choked gulley except when it rains hard like this when it quickly becomes a raging torrent sweeping away unattended children, pets, and Yugos.

The downside of the storm which blew hard first from the East, then the West, was that the one foot high accumulation of pine needles on the roof of the estate came wafting down on the patio [have you ever tried sweeping pine needles...it's hell]. Additionally I discovered that my recent roofing repairs need a tad more work. One of my chimneys still has a minor leak somewhere, directing it's disgorge down through the canned recessed lighting in the den. *Memo to self: don't turn on the den lights in a heavy downpour* But none-the-less the rain was appreciated.

And in ongoing news, I've made real progress on my website project, the $25 interior designer is coming back tommorow with fabric samples and ideas, and we've gotten into action on the redo of the estate. Well actually Julie has gotten into action, purchasing a new desk/bookcase piece for Jack's new room......some assembly required.

Que Paso....?
Blogging, both reading and writing, has been at a bare minimum this week due to a flurry of mundane workday activity and of course, trying to get started on the nuptials. Actually, our biggest tribulation seems to be our quandry as to how to fit two households into one house. We agree that a few redecorating items are in order at the Pancho Estate, soon to be the Pancho/Julie/Jack estate. We are starting with the thought of repainting walls, ditching furniture, re-covering furniture and redoing some floors to make some semblence of decorating taste. Luckily, I have the services of a professional interior designer at our beck and call, having bid on and won this service at an auction benifitting Jack's previous school. He was supposed to come today, but alas, he was stuck at another clients home. I hope he gets here soon!

Other busyness includes the upcoming Air Show, for which I am a commitee chairperson, starting a new venture in the oil and gas business, trying to organize an October college reunion and a rush Internet project for a friend. The friend is paying very good hard U.S. currency, so this seems to be taking priority. I hope to be back to the normal earth shattering stories that this space is famous for in the near future. But in the meantime, hopefully the comments are back in working order.....or amuse yourself with international weather reports at Weather Talk.