It has been a busy fall season in many ways. There have been quite a few continuing education meetings. At home we have been remodeling a bathroom. Plus the weather has been pretty good for bicycling and flying.
This fall continuing education has been quite active. There have been meetings with the dental society, a Botox meeting, a dermal fillers meeting, and a meeting for a new oral cancer screening device which my office has just acquired.
Biking has been good too. There have been some longer rides and a good many short rides.
The bathroom project is not a fun one for me. Minda wanted to get it done and it is in progress. It can't be completed soon enough for either one of us!
Flying has been good. A number of trips have been made to Batavia. A trip was made to Michigan to a major fly-in. There have been a good number of good days for flying locally that had to be taken advantage of also. There is a good friend of mine in Kankakee so that was a popular destination this fall also.
Thanksgiving was great at my cousin, Linda's house. She always does a fabulous job as a hostess.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Kankakee, Koerner Airport gathering.
It was a nice weekend gathering of 10 PPG pilots and numerous other 'real pilots' at a small local airport. It was a great time.
The weather wasn't conducive for GA [general aviation] pilots in large aircraft to do VFR [Visual Flight Rules] flights to this small airport due to the cloud cover. There isn't any special navigation equipment located at this small, grass runway airport to allow for local, electronic navigation landings there. The airplane traffic was limited to and from this event due to the cloud cover and limited visibility.
The winds were light for us powered paraglider pilots and the cloud ceiling was high enough that it didn't bother us in the afternoon. Then, later, we had clearing skies so it was great flying for us. A short-lived gust front interrupted the flying just before I arrived but 10 of us got airborne in our PPG craft and had a great evening of flying after that. Lance at one point trailed a 1000' streaming ribbon behind his flying PPG which was very cool.
Sunday morning was socked in early with fog. We could see the sun through it a bit later so we assumed that it was clear up higher. As the fog thinned a few of us did some tentative flights. There were some low clouds in the area. We flew around, below and above them until they dissipated. The views were spectacular. I really enjoyed taking the photos. The thin, transparent clouds [or wisps of fog] were from about 200' to about 550' and varied greatly in density. Some were very thin and wispy and some were thicker. Climbing above them and looking down through them was quite a treat.
The wind stayed fairly light but picked up greatly within an hour or so after the clouds cleared. It was getting quite gusty as the winds strengthened throughout the day.
It was a great weekend!
Here is a link to the photos that I took:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090926PPGKoernerPigRoastFlyIn#
The photos can also be accessed by just clicking the title of this post.
The weather wasn't conducive for GA [general aviation] pilots in large aircraft to do VFR [Visual Flight Rules] flights to this small airport due to the cloud cover. There isn't any special navigation equipment located at this small, grass runway airport to allow for local, electronic navigation landings there. The airplane traffic was limited to and from this event due to the cloud cover and limited visibility.
The winds were light for us powered paraglider pilots and the cloud ceiling was high enough that it didn't bother us in the afternoon. Then, later, we had clearing skies so it was great flying for us. A short-lived gust front interrupted the flying just before I arrived but 10 of us got airborne in our PPG craft and had a great evening of flying after that. Lance at one point trailed a 1000' streaming ribbon behind his flying PPG which was very cool.
Sunday morning was socked in early with fog. We could see the sun through it a bit later so we assumed that it was clear up higher. As the fog thinned a few of us did some tentative flights. There were some low clouds in the area. We flew around, below and above them until they dissipated. The views were spectacular. I really enjoyed taking the photos. The thin, transparent clouds [or wisps of fog] were from about 200' to about 550' and varied greatly in density. Some were very thin and wispy and some were thicker. Climbing above them and looking down through them was quite a treat.
The wind stayed fairly light but picked up greatly within an hour or so after the clouds cleared. It was getting quite gusty as the winds strengthened throughout the day.
It was a great weekend!
Here is a link to the photos that I took:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090926PPGKoernerPigRoastFlyIn#
The photos can also be accessed by just clicking the title of this post.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Last weekend was good.
Saturday rode up to Kenosha and back with 3 other guys. It was a great ride.
I was then a lector at 5:30pm Mass.
Sunday morning went flying twice. Took a short flight locally while Minda was exercising. Went home and got the cars washed, did some paperwork, cleaned out the gutters, .... Then in the evening went to Koerner's airport near Kankakee and flew with some friends. Landed next to a restaurant. Had a great dinner with good friends and headed for home.
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090822BicyclingToKenosha#
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090823PPGTechny#
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090823PPGKankakeeKoernerToFranS#
It was a great weekend!
I was then a lector at 5:30pm Mass.
Sunday morning went flying twice. Took a short flight locally while Minda was exercising. Went home and got the cars washed, did some paperwork, cleaned out the gutters, .... Then in the evening went to Koerner's airport near Kankakee and flew with some friends. Landed next to a restaurant. Had a great dinner with good friends and headed for home.
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090822BicyclingToKenosha#
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090823PPGTechny#
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090823PPGKankakeeKoernerToFranS#
It was a great weekend!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Yesterday. Air & Water Show. Wet. Blackberry problem.
There was a lot to do over the weekend. Minda & I were both working. There was shopping, office & home paperwork, social commitments, the Air & Water Show, ....
Saturday a bike ride was taken and then got to the office for a Saturday that was fully booked but unfortunately some patients didn't show. Primarily Heidi, our hygienist, was affected. This is a shame. She was counting on having a productive day but she had a lot of wasted time.
Minda & I attended Mass in the evening, got some things done around the house, went out for a bit and got to bed late. She was working at 6am so she was a bit sleep-compromised but not too badly.
My Blackberry Pearl has been used for playing too many podcasts and been banged around too much. The headset jack in it failed over the weekend. There was an online site that linked to a YouTube video that showed how to disassemble it. A specialized tool was needed that Radio Shack [now wanting to be known as, "The Shack"] didn't have but fortunately Home Depot did. The Pearl was taken apart and the headset jack was found to be broken. There is a plastic part that was shattered so it was removed and now the headset option is disabled but otherwise the phone is fine. It was cutting out when in use prior to this being done and worsening with time. The electronic short that this caused was not good. Now everything but the headset is fine. I am now using a small MP3 player that went into retirement after I acquired the Pearl for my podcast listening.
Some hours were spent at the office on Sunday morning/afternoon. It was threatening to rain but didn't early. Traditionally I like to bicycle to the Air & Water Show. There is a huge crowd but it is fun to watch some of it and have a destination for a bike ride. The rain started just north of Lawrence while I was riding down Lincoln & a spot out of the heavier rain was secured in a bank entrance which had a roof over it. Later, on eastbound Wilson, the deluge started again and a similar entranceway was utilized. The rain was light most of the time but I was still soaked. I was listening to the show as it was broadcasted on Newsradio 78 as I rode. There was more rain coming so I saw some of the show but left as the Thunderbirds started their portion of it due to a forecast of heavy rain anticipated in 20-30 minutes. The Thunderbirds had a nice 'low' version of their show from the description given on the radio. It started raining steadily as I approached home and after I arrived it was a real downpour. It is good that I left early.
How was your weekend?
Saturday a bike ride was taken and then got to the office for a Saturday that was fully booked but unfortunately some patients didn't show. Primarily Heidi, our hygienist, was affected. This is a shame. She was counting on having a productive day but she had a lot of wasted time.
Minda & I attended Mass in the evening, got some things done around the house, went out for a bit and got to bed late. She was working at 6am so she was a bit sleep-compromised but not too badly.
My Blackberry Pearl has been used for playing too many podcasts and been banged around too much. The headset jack in it failed over the weekend. There was an online site that linked to a YouTube video that showed how to disassemble it. A specialized tool was needed that Radio Shack [now wanting to be known as, "The Shack"] didn't have but fortunately Home Depot did. The Pearl was taken apart and the headset jack was found to be broken. There is a plastic part that was shattered so it was removed and now the headset option is disabled but otherwise the phone is fine. It was cutting out when in use prior to this being done and worsening with time. The electronic short that this caused was not good. Now everything but the headset is fine. I am now using a small MP3 player that went into retirement after I acquired the Pearl for my podcast listening.
Some hours were spent at the office on Sunday morning/afternoon. It was threatening to rain but didn't early. Traditionally I like to bicycle to the Air & Water Show. There is a huge crowd but it is fun to watch some of it and have a destination for a bike ride. The rain started just north of Lawrence while I was riding down Lincoln & a spot out of the heavier rain was secured in a bank entrance which had a roof over it. Later, on eastbound Wilson, the deluge started again and a similar entranceway was utilized. The rain was light most of the time but I was still soaked. I was listening to the show as it was broadcasted on Newsradio 78 as I rode. There was more rain coming so I saw some of the show but left as the Thunderbirds started their portion of it due to a forecast of heavy rain anticipated in 20-30 minutes. The Thunderbirds had a nice 'low' version of their show from the description given on the radio. It started raining steadily as I approached home and after I arrived it was a real downpour. It is good that I left early.
How was your weekend?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
PPG last evening: Polo field in Batavia
The weather forecast was about as good as it gets. The flying was too!
It was a great time. There were at least 6 of us flying, including: Pete, Gary Brown, Scott Baxter, Steve, Andy, and me. Scott Clark made the drive from up north with me and his right ankle fracture is healing well. [His hard cast was removed on Tuesday and he is now using a soft boot which he can walk on.] Scott C used my camera most of the time so there are photos of me for a change.
Here is a link to the photos from my camera from that evening:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090812PPGPoloField#
We are hoping for more good weather like this for sure!
It was a great time. There were at least 6 of us flying, including: Pete, Gary Brown, Scott Baxter, Steve, Andy, and me. Scott Clark made the drive from up north with me and his right ankle fracture is healing well. [His hard cast was removed on Tuesday and he is now using a soft boot which he can walk on.] Scott C used my camera most of the time so there are photos of me for a change.
Here is a link to the photos from my camera from that evening:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090812PPGPoloField#
We are hoping for more good weather like this for sure!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Flying near Minooka 8/5, video by Wes Woo.
This was a lot of fun. There were about 11 pilots that flew and quite a few others. Many compared watching us fly with watching a herd of cats. We are all doing our 'own thing', playing with each other in the air, helping each other, ... and just generally having fun. It is a great escape!
Please click on the title of this post to go to the video or cut and paste this:
>> http://www.vimeo.com/6015419 <<
Wes did a great job of capturing the essence of the flying evening in this video.
Enjoy! ... We did!!
Please click on the title of this post to go to the video or cut and paste this:
>> http://www.vimeo.com/6015419 <<
Wes did a great job of capturing the essence of the flying evening in this video.
Enjoy! ... We did!!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Biking across Iowa in 2009.
It was a great trip! My daughter, Erika, made the trip with me and the rest of our group of the RAGBRAI CUBS team. The acronyms are: "RAGBRAI" = "Register's [as in Des Moines Register newspaper] Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa" and "CUBS" = "Chicago Urban Bicycling Society". [She is now an official CUBS team member!] It was a pleasure to have her along.
Our trip across Iowa was good in many ways. The people of Iowa are always a joy. Our group of riders and crew were fantastic. My bicycle held up well [no flat tires over the 450+ miles ridden during that week]. However the shifting from the small chain ring in the front on my drive train to the larger one required some bike shop repair.
The weather was cooler than it usually is during this time of the year. That was very welcome. We had a quite hilly route this year. The winds weren't too cooperative but we had a couple of days that were primarily tailwind conditions. It rained on Monday afternoon and a good part of the day on Tuesday but there weren't any strong storms for most of us. We also had some rain on Friday night. All of the CUBS seemed to enjoy the adventure of crossing Iowa on rural roads this year. We had no significant injuries.
The flying could have been better. I flew on Saturday evening and Sunday evening. Saturday evening we were about 6.4 miles from the primary Omaha airport of Eppley Airfield but the jets were flying directly over our overnight site of the Iowa School for the Deaf. The planes were a little too close for comfort for me. The flight was started late due to an 18 mile round trip to the river which was a bonus ride for some of us.
Sunday evening I had my best flight of the trip when I circled the town of Red Oak. They have a very nice airport and I later learned from Larry [one of our local hosts] that the industry and city fathers of the area have a good relationship with the federal government and the FAA which allows them to have and maintain their paved runway and taxiway airport. It is very well maintained and has 2 long intersecting runways which are long enough to handle some larger jet aircraft.
The rain on Monday evening stopped me from flying that night. My spark plug cap broke down on Tuesday evening in Indianola and I couldn't get a replacement until the next day. There were a number of children at our host's homes who were disappointed that the air show was canceled.
Wednesday evening it was learned that the replacement wasn't right so another perfect evening for flight was lost. This was very frustrating. Before I was aware of the problem, I made a trip to the airport in Chariton. There was a hot air balloon coming in to land and a biplane giving sight-seeing rides. The biplane was being piloted by Chris Price. His wife Heather was running the business end of things. She was nice enough to keep an eye on my paramotor while I made a trip to the motorcycle shop to try to replace the wrong spark plug cap for my machine. Unfortunately I got to the shop at 7:15 and they had closed at 6pm and wouldn't open until 9am the next morning. The next morning I waited until they opened and exchanged the part for one that finally worked. Unfortunately I didn't get to test it until I returned home to Illinois due to weather and time constraints.
At&t phone & mobile internet service was horrible. We had almost no service during the entire event. The overnight towns were the worst. Verizon & Sprint did much better. 10,000+ people coming into rural towns for one night clogs up the mobile phone and mobile internet services pretty effectively for at&t at least.
Thursday evening we had our fund raising banquet and invited some state troopers helping with the ride to join us for dinner. It rained a bit that evening also and it was windy so the flying probably wouldn't have been good. Friday morning the weather didn't look good in the forecast but actually wasn't bad. However, I waited too long to assess the conditions and by the time I decided it was good for a flight there wasn't enough time to take to the air. Bummer!
Friday was a long ride to Mount Pleasant. I spent a good part of Friday riding with the head of our group and my good friend, Jerry. In Mount Pleasant we had a storm that was producing wind that stayed north of us in the evening but finally produced some rain and more wind during the night. It wasn't bad in my tent at all and I slept OK. By Saturday morning the sky was clearing but everything was wet. Bikers were encourage to leave early to be at the group photo site by 11:30.
Saturday was a ride of about 42 miles which was the shortest one of the event. We were starting from the other end of town which added a couple of miles to those of us with the CUBS. Our group gathers for a group photo on the last day in our new jerseys which are provided by our fees and are part of the total cost to ride with the CUBS. This year the photo site was about 4 miles from the end of the ride. I rode the 4 miles down to the river to check out the route and then rode back before it was time to get together for the photo. My total mileage for that day was about 57miles. It was quite hilly from the photo site to the Mississippi River which is the end of the ride.
Our group forms up in a double line and appropriately sings, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", on our ride down to the river. In spite of the hills it seems that this was one of the best results that we have had in keeping the group together over a longer than usual final leg to the river. We were all quite proud of ourselves.
We then rode a few miles to a local hotel. There we showered, packed up our bikes and other gear, and eventually hit the road for the trip from Belvidere, IA, to Lincolnwood, IL.
It was a great ride!
To see photos that I took during the week please go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/RAGBRAICUBSFlyingcub2009?feat=directlink
Our trip across Iowa was good in many ways. The people of Iowa are always a joy. Our group of riders and crew were fantastic. My bicycle held up well [no flat tires over the 450+ miles ridden during that week]. However the shifting from the small chain ring in the front on my drive train to the larger one required some bike shop repair.
The weather was cooler than it usually is during this time of the year. That was very welcome. We had a quite hilly route this year. The winds weren't too cooperative but we had a couple of days that were primarily tailwind conditions. It rained on Monday afternoon and a good part of the day on Tuesday but there weren't any strong storms for most of us. We also had some rain on Friday night. All of the CUBS seemed to enjoy the adventure of crossing Iowa on rural roads this year. We had no significant injuries.
The flying could have been better. I flew on Saturday evening and Sunday evening. Saturday evening we were about 6.4 miles from the primary Omaha airport of Eppley Airfield but the jets were flying directly over our overnight site of the Iowa School for the Deaf. The planes were a little too close for comfort for me. The flight was started late due to an 18 mile round trip to the river which was a bonus ride for some of us.
Sunday evening I had my best flight of the trip when I circled the town of Red Oak. They have a very nice airport and I later learned from Larry [one of our local hosts] that the industry and city fathers of the area have a good relationship with the federal government and the FAA which allows them to have and maintain their paved runway and taxiway airport. It is very well maintained and has 2 long intersecting runways which are long enough to handle some larger jet aircraft.
The rain on Monday evening stopped me from flying that night. My spark plug cap broke down on Tuesday evening in Indianola and I couldn't get a replacement until the next day. There were a number of children at our host's homes who were disappointed that the air show was canceled.
Wednesday evening it was learned that the replacement wasn't right so another perfect evening for flight was lost. This was very frustrating. Before I was aware of the problem, I made a trip to the airport in Chariton. There was a hot air balloon coming in to land and a biplane giving sight-seeing rides. The biplane was being piloted by Chris Price. His wife Heather was running the business end of things. She was nice enough to keep an eye on my paramotor while I made a trip to the motorcycle shop to try to replace the wrong spark plug cap for my machine. Unfortunately I got to the shop at 7:15 and they had closed at 6pm and wouldn't open until 9am the next morning. The next morning I waited until they opened and exchanged the part for one that finally worked. Unfortunately I didn't get to test it until I returned home to Illinois due to weather and time constraints.
At&t phone & mobile internet service was horrible. We had almost no service during the entire event. The overnight towns were the worst. Verizon & Sprint did much better. 10,000+ people coming into rural towns for one night clogs up the mobile phone and mobile internet services pretty effectively for at&t at least.
Thursday evening we had our fund raising banquet and invited some state troopers helping with the ride to join us for dinner. It rained a bit that evening also and it was windy so the flying probably wouldn't have been good. Friday morning the weather didn't look good in the forecast but actually wasn't bad. However, I waited too long to assess the conditions and by the time I decided it was good for a flight there wasn't enough time to take to the air. Bummer!
Friday was a long ride to Mount Pleasant. I spent a good part of Friday riding with the head of our group and my good friend, Jerry. In Mount Pleasant we had a storm that was producing wind that stayed north of us in the evening but finally produced some rain and more wind during the night. It wasn't bad in my tent at all and I slept OK. By Saturday morning the sky was clearing but everything was wet. Bikers were encourage to leave early to be at the group photo site by 11:30.
Saturday was a ride of about 42 miles which was the shortest one of the event. We were starting from the other end of town which added a couple of miles to those of us with the CUBS. Our group gathers for a group photo on the last day in our new jerseys which are provided by our fees and are part of the total cost to ride with the CUBS. This year the photo site was about 4 miles from the end of the ride. I rode the 4 miles down to the river to check out the route and then rode back before it was time to get together for the photo. My total mileage for that day was about 57miles. It was quite hilly from the photo site to the Mississippi River which is the end of the ride.
Our group forms up in a double line and appropriately sings, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", on our ride down to the river. In spite of the hills it seems that this was one of the best results that we have had in keeping the group together over a longer than usual final leg to the river. We were all quite proud of ourselves.
We then rode a few miles to a local hotel. There we showered, packed up our bikes and other gear, and eventually hit the road for the trip from Belvidere, IA, to Lincolnwood, IL.
It was a great ride!
To see photos that I took during the week please go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/RAGBRAICUBSFlyingcub2009?feat=directlink
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
RAGBRAI bicycling and flying all of next week.
It is time for the www.ragbraicubs.org and yours truly to make our annual trek across Iowa on our bicycles. There are about 10,000 riders taking part in the www.ragbrai.com event sponsored by the Des Moines Register newspaper. This year my daughter, Erika, is joining our group as a crew member. I am greatly looking forward to RAGBRAI this year!
My powered paragliding equipment will be making the trip with me and will be used as much as possible during the week also.
There was a 'rider profile' in the Des Moines register featuring yours truly. It can be found at http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090713/LIFE/907130301/1039 if you are interested.
My office will be closed for patient treatment but Lori will be in from time to time to check for messages and return calls.
My powered paragliding equipment will be making the trip with me and will be used as much as possible during the week also.
There was a 'rider profile' in the Des Moines register featuring yours truly. It can be found at http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090713/LIFE/907130301/1039 if you are interested.
My office will be closed for patient treatment but Lori will be in from time to time to check for messages and return calls.
Flying last weekend
The weather was great for flying last weekend. The only problem was that one of my best friends in paragliding couldn't make it. He was sorely missed.
It was at the Kankakee Regional Airport for an ultralight flying event. Photos that I took during this event can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/PPG090711KIKKFlyIn?authkey=Gv1sRgCLfXjoeJ6Yz7BQ# at your leisure.
There were people from Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and of course our local Illinois group. There weren't any significant incidents. There were 2 engine failures that I found out about though. John Stovall from Indiana had a throttle bracket break that caused him to land in a bean field just across the road from the airport. Cindy Adkinson had a major engine failure about 5 miles from the field and had to be retrieved.
It was a great weekend!
It was at the Kankakee Regional Airport for an ultralight flying event. Photos that I took during this event can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/PPG090711KIKKFlyIn?authkey=Gv1sRgCLfXjoeJ6Yz7BQ# at your leisure.
There were people from Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and of course our local Illinois group. There weren't any significant incidents. There were 2 engine failures that I found out about though. John Stovall from Indiana had a throttle bracket break that caused him to land in a bean field just across the road from the airport. Cindy Adkinson had a major engine failure about 5 miles from the field and had to be retrieved.
It was a great weekend!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Interesting 'day off'
This morning I woke up and biked 20 miles. Then at 9am there was an excellent meeting concerning implants and esthetic dentistry in general which I attended. Dr. Rob Ritter from Florida was the presenter. This evening one of my buddies [who is a paraglider pilot and a general aviation flight instructor] and I are meeting with a sergeant of the Glenview police department to discuss with him air space restrictions and to verify that we are within FAA guidelines when flying one of our favorite local sites.
2 of my sisters in law and a 3 of their cousins arrived from New York to spend a few days in the Chicago area. Minda & I will be getting together with them and other Chicago area relatives somewhat regularly through Sunday.
This evening, Scott Clark and I are hoping to fly locally.
2 of my sisters in law and a 3 of their cousins arrived from New York to spend a few days in the Chicago area. Minda & I will be getting together with them and other Chicago area relatives somewhat regularly through Sunday.
This evening, Scott Clark and I are hoping to fly locally.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Weekend activities.
Worked on web site quite a bit yesterday. It is coming along.
Worked out at Lifetime Fitness yesterday then tried to fly locally but the wind didn't cooperate.
Biked this morning about 25 miles [my odometer isn't working on the bike]. Was a reader at Mass this morning. We had a visiting priest who was excellent this morning. The them of emulating a priest who was a chaplain on an aircraft carrier that was under attack during WWII was quite good.
Going to do some shopping and get Guinness out again shortly.
Worked out at Lifetime Fitness yesterday then tried to fly locally but the wind didn't cooperate.
Biked this morning about 25 miles [my odometer isn't working on the bike]. Was a reader at Mass this morning. We had a visiting priest who was excellent this morning. The them of emulating a priest who was a chaplain on an aircraft carrier that was under attack during WWII was quite good.
Going to do some shopping and get Guinness out again shortly.
Father's Day Weekend. Reflections.
It is great to have a family and wonderful children. It is hard to be so far away from them. They are all in the Denver area as I write this.
Patrick, Jason & Erika mean more to me than they will ever know. It is great to have a wonderful daughter-in-law, Suzie, too! The hardest thing is not being able to make all of their dreams come true. They are living their own lives and I pray constantly that they are making the right choices in life. Fortunately, they are all healthy, wonderful young adults. Their father is extremely proud of each of them.
Patrick is on a good path. Suzie, his wife, is great and a wonderful addition to the family. Patrick is working with one of his brother-in-laws at www.agilutions.com which is doing well in spite of the current economic situation. He loves the mountains and getting out in them on his skis or snowboard. Unfortunately one of his knees is not in good shape thanks primarily to a couple of mishaps in the mountains. He is the most ambitious, and practical of my children in my mind.
Jason is doing well with life and career too. He has a solid job but is a bit stuck now due to the economy. He is the most social of my 3 children and has a great group of friends. He will do well regardless of what happens around him. He is pretty flexible it seems. He is almost always in a good mood and supportive of those around him. He gets along well with everyone and has a huge variety of friends. He has good moral sense also.
Erika is a wonderful, caring and artistic person. She is opinionated and always striving to do what is right. She doesn't tend to shy away from what she believes in. She has solid personal integrity. She is unfortunately not working in her chosen career at the moment. She loves life and travel. Hopefully she will be happy with her situation soon and be able to work toward achieving her goals. She is highly motivated personally and career-wise. It will be fun to have her on the bike trip across Iowa in July. She has just been accepted as a member of the www.ragbraicubs.org crew.
The above are my thoughts and subject to different opinions and views. I love my children and miss being able to see them more often!
It is great to be a father with wonderful children whom I love deeply!
Patrick, Jason & Erika mean more to me than they will ever know. It is great to have a wonderful daughter-in-law, Suzie, too! The hardest thing is not being able to make all of their dreams come true. They are living their own lives and I pray constantly that they are making the right choices in life. Fortunately, they are all healthy, wonderful young adults. Their father is extremely proud of each of them.
Patrick is on a good path. Suzie, his wife, is great and a wonderful addition to the family. Patrick is working with one of his brother-in-laws at www.agilutions.com which is doing well in spite of the current economic situation. He loves the mountains and getting out in them on his skis or snowboard. Unfortunately one of his knees is not in good shape thanks primarily to a couple of mishaps in the mountains. He is the most ambitious, and practical of my children in my mind.
Jason is doing well with life and career too. He has a solid job but is a bit stuck now due to the economy. He is the most social of my 3 children and has a great group of friends. He will do well regardless of what happens around him. He is pretty flexible it seems. He is almost always in a good mood and supportive of those around him. He gets along well with everyone and has a huge variety of friends. He has good moral sense also.
Erika is a wonderful, caring and artistic person. She is opinionated and always striving to do what is right. She doesn't tend to shy away from what she believes in. She has solid personal integrity. She is unfortunately not working in her chosen career at the moment. She loves life and travel. Hopefully she will be happy with her situation soon and be able to work toward achieving her goals. She is highly motivated personally and career-wise. It will be fun to have her on the bike trip across Iowa in July. She has just been accepted as a member of the www.ragbraicubs.org crew.
The above are my thoughts and subject to different opinions and views. I love my children and miss being able to see them more often!
It is great to be a father with wonderful children whom I love deeply!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Biking to Promontory Point, 55th Street.
It was a good and needed bit of exercise. The total ride was just under 50 miles.
TrimbleOutdoors ride track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=441340
Click the corresponding photo to the right for more photos from the ride.
TrimbleOutdoors ride track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=441340
Click the corresponding photo to the right for more photos from the ride.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Biked this morning, 50 miles.
It was a cool but beautiful morning. Jerry, Frank, Pam, Brad, and Tim were riding north on Keeler. We rode an alternate route up to Once Upon a Bagel [OUAB] in Highland Park. We went west and eventually to the bike trail just west of 41 and then up Park Avenue east to downtown.
George arrived at about the same time we did at the restaurant from the south. George was riding to Kenosha and back. He needed to be home by about 11:30. I decided to join him for part of the ride. We left OUAB at about 6:30. We rode up to North Chicago and the end of the bike trail together. He continued north and I turned around.
Coming home I took a westerly route to Waukegan Road then back to Dundee & Skokie Road. From there the bike path, then Hibbard to Illinois Road, through the park west of High Crest and then Crawford south to near home.
It was a good ride!
George arrived at about the same time we did at the restaurant from the south. George was riding to Kenosha and back. He needed to be home by about 11:30. I decided to join him for part of the ride. We left OUAB at about 6:30. We rode up to North Chicago and the end of the bike trail together. He continued north and I turned around.
Coming home I took a westerly route to Waukegan Road then back to Dundee & Skokie Road. From there the bike path, then Hibbard to Illinois Road, through the park west of High Crest and then Crawford south to near home.
It was a good ride!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Powered paragliding Saturday, June 13th, Techny Basin
There have been some frustrating times lately for powered paragliding. The last 2 Fridays I went out to Techny Basin and flooded my motor. It then wouldn't start while I was there. The motor that I have been flying lately floods very easily.
This evening everything went well. The motor started fairly easily. I launched on the first attempt in no wind conditions. It was great to cruise around the area. There were a number of people walking the Techny Basin area, most of them with their dogs. There are also a couple of playgrounds/parks adjacent to the Basin and many people were exchanging friendly waves with me.
There was a group by the Loyola athletic field. They were motioning me to land but I elected not to land but did a number of low passes which they seemed to enjoy. A short cross country flight to the Willow Hill Golf Course was next on the agenda.
There were a number of golfers still on the course as the sun was getting low. There were a few golfers using the driving range too. I circled the course without flying directly over it. The access road was fun for a low pass too.
The trip back to the launch/landing field was a nice smooth run and the landing was totally controlled too. It was a great flight that recharged my spirit.
Some photos were taken. They are at http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/PPG090613Tcny?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzZ_tenstuNNw# if you would like to view all of them.
This evening everything went well. The motor started fairly easily. I launched on the first attempt in no wind conditions. It was great to cruise around the area. There were a number of people walking the Techny Basin area, most of them with their dogs. There are also a couple of playgrounds/parks adjacent to the Basin and many people were exchanging friendly waves with me.
There was a group by the Loyola athletic field. They were motioning me to land but I elected not to land but did a number of low passes which they seemed to enjoy. A short cross country flight to the Willow Hill Golf Course was next on the agenda.
There were a number of golfers still on the course as the sun was getting low. There were a few golfers using the driving range too. I circled the course without flying directly over it. The access road was fun for a low pass too.
The trip back to the launch/landing field was a nice smooth run and the landing was totally controlled too. It was a great flight that recharged my spirit.
Some photos were taken. They are at http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/PPG090613Tcny?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzZ_tenstuNNw# if you would like to view all of them.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
This morning, wet but no rain, rode 26.5 miles.
I rode up to Once Upon a Bagel in Highland Park via Hibbard to Willow to Forest Way, etc. It was cool but good. There was virtually no wind. Mike didn't show and neither did Jerry, Frank, or Tim. They weren't at Bob's but George & Don were at OUAB. I stopped and joined them. We rode home down Forest Way and saw one deer. On the way up I saw 4 deer, a skunk and a number of rabbits & squirrels. 3 of the deer were very young. It was a good ride.
Hawaii: Congratulations Shannon!
Minda & I made a trip to Kailua, Hawaii, to help celebrate my niece/goddaughter's graduation from high school. We left early on Friday, 5/29 and returned the following Tuesday afternoon. One of our sons, our daughter, and daughter-in-law went also. My sister's son, Joey, was there visiting friends of his by coincidence and it was a pleasure to be able to spend time with him too.
Jim and his family are doing well. Shannon will be attending UNLV for college. He recently did some remodeling of his home and was gracious enough to host a party for his daughter and put most of us up in his home for the long weekend.
Here is a link to photos from Shannon's graduation:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/0905ShannonSGrad#
Saturday afternoon I was able to break away from the group for awhile and check out the paragliding at Makapuu. Unfortunately the trade winds had died for the time period that we were in Hawaii. The flying wasn't that good. It was good that I didn't bring my paragliding gear for this trip.
Here is a link to photos of the Makapuu flying site including Cactus launch and the landing zone:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/PGMakapuu#
Monday some of us went to the Kailua beach and other to Ala Moana shopping. Those of us at the beach for the most part got a little too much sun.
It was a great trip.
Jim and his family are doing well. Shannon will be attending UNLV for college. He recently did some remodeling of his home and was gracious enough to host a party for his daughter and put most of us up in his home for the long weekend.
Here is a link to photos from Shannon's graduation:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/0905ShannonSGrad#
Saturday afternoon I was able to break away from the group for awhile and check out the paragliding at Makapuu. Unfortunately the trade winds had died for the time period that we were in Hawaii. The flying wasn't that good. It was good that I didn't bring my paragliding gear for this trip.
Here is a link to photos of the Makapuu flying site including Cactus launch and the landing zone:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/PGMakapuu#
Monday some of us went to the Kailua beach and other to Ala Moana shopping. Those of us at the beach for the most part got a little too much sun.
It was a great trip.
Spain in March of 2009.
Minda & I had a great trip to Spain in early March. We had a condo time share at Dona Lola near Fuengirola which is not far from Malaga. We did side trips to Madrid, Barcelona and Gibraltar. Fortunately we had 2 Garmin GPS devices. We had a European city maps chip that worked in both of these GPS units. The car unit allowed us to get to and from the airport and Gibraltar with ease. The hand held unit allowed us to not get lost while wandering Madrid. Madrid is a maze of streets. Barcelona was more enjoyable than Madrid. In Madrid we had a pass for one day of scenic bus tour. This was enough. The bus tour in Madrid was pretty efficient. In Barcelona we had 2 days of bus tours and this was too much. The buses in Barcelona were very slow. We would have preferred to just wander on our own through Barcelona the second day.
Please view my photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090314Spain#
Please view my photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/090314Spain#
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