Scott Clark took the initiative to arrange for all of those interested to attend a luncheon at Pilot Pete's restaurant at the Schaumburg Regional Airport. There were about 40 of us there for the lunch.
There were also 7 of us who flew at the airport in weather that was clear and cold the temperature was in the range of 10 to 15 degrees fahrenheit. It was cold!
It was way too refreshing! Lance and Jeff G flew too in spite of the cold!!
I think that there were 7 of us who flew. Please correct me if I am wrong. The list includes: Gary Brown, Scott Clark, Mike Mixer, Pete Sachs, Jeff Goin, Lance Marczak and yours truly. [Wes should have flown but didn't.]
There were a good number of regular PPG-ers in the area who were missing. Fred W, Steve R, John S, Scott B & his son, Eric R, Pete [Polish], Paul P, Len S & Kathy, were among those who we would have liked to see also.
The conditions weren't that steady. We were flying in the neighborhood of 10 to past 11 AM. The temperature was in the neighborhood of 15 degrees and it was sunny. There was definitely some thermal activity. The snow was quite crusty and there was ice mixed with it making for rough edges of frozen stuff that grabbed lines [I know this very well]. There was also ice on portions of the tarmac which wasn't fully cleared in the area we were in, making the footing very slick in spots. The wind was a little stronger than we had anticipated. When pulling the wing up on the snow or ice pilots were slipping. Mike and I circled the
airport and the rest of the PPG pilots stayed relatively close to where we were operating. Mike launched first and I launched second. I found that there were some significant bumps and more lift than sink as I circled the entire runway in a left hand pattern [staying low beyond the ends of the runway, well below the GA approach and departure paths]. The cold was the biggest problem. My hands were very cold as I landed. My hands warmed pretty quickly after landing however. I was hoping to take a second flight but time didn't allow for that.
We had quite a few observers and late-comers join us too. It was great to have Steve and Kelly Koerner join us and drive up with Lance, Sally and Wes from Kankakee. Alan Abair made the trip from Syracuse, Indiana. Mike and Stacy Mixer came all or the way from Quincy, IL. There was quite a bit of family participation too. The Gary Brown family, the Pete Sachs family, the Jaro Krupa family. Lance's very significant other, Sally, was there too as well as a number of spouses. It was good to see Alan Abair's fiance. Eugene and Yolanda Hablik
were partying right along with the rest of us. Albert and Jerzy were very welcome participants but didn't fly due to circumstances which had them arriving late. We had some of the hang gliding crew from Enjoy Field south of Kankakee join us too.
It was a good turnout and a great time! Scott Clark did a great job with the lunch arrangements and Gary Brown did a great job clearing the way for us to fly right at Schaumburg Regional Airport. Thanks, guys!
Thanks Wes for the photos. Lance, we are all looking forward to your video.
My best to all of you during this holiday season, in the new year, and always!
Dave
[Most of the above is from a post I put up on our IL powered paraglider Yahoo Group site.]
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Spinning early this morning, flying this afternoon.
It is a good day. It isn't over yet. Still have a good amount of paperwork to do.
This morning did a spinning class with my favorite Lifetime Fitness instructor, Qaiser. The class was filled and some wannabe participants couldn't participate because all of the bikes were taken. There are about 55 bikes. Jerry [my mayor friend] was there and his health seems to be greatly improved.
Paperwork was then done at the office and joined my friend Scott for a light lunch at a new restaurant in my building on the corner. Kabul House has moved from Evanston to fairly close to my old office on Dempster and now is on the corner in the Metropolitan of Skokie which is the same building my office is in. The food is excellent and the service is very good too.
Scott and I were checking out the weather and decided an earlier trip to the field for flying was warranted due to the excellent wind conditions.
Here is a link to my photos from this afternoon:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/FlyingPPG12810#
Here is the text describing my flight which was just written to our Illinois powered paragliding Yahoo group:
"
It was good. I did it.
Scott, Guinness and I went out. It was not too refreshing. The external temp on
my car was reading 30 as I arrived at the field. It was reading 26 as I left.
The wind was just enough for a reverse launch and a little bumpy but not bad at
all. It was out of the wnw.
Scott had just seen his ophtalmologist and had his eyes dilated. Unfortunately
his pupils stayed dilated too long and he wasn't able to fly. Guinness had a
good time wandering around the field.
It is a bit of a challenge to fly in all of the clothing that is needed to stay
warm in this weaather. It was a not real easy to keep the throttle in the right
position with heavy gloves and polypropylene liners. Reaching up after letting
go of the brakes to get the handles again was a bit of a stretch. The throttle
accumulated a little ice and after my second launch was frozen in place on full
but just needed to be spread apart to disengage.
The first flight was rather chilling. If you are a snow skier you have probably
noticed how for the first hour on the slopes you get chilled pretty easily. Then
a warming trip into the lodge allows you to warm up pretty quickly. After
warming up and getting back on the slopes you then stay warm for hours. It seems
our bodies need to get acclimated to the cold and than adapt pretty well. This
is what it was like for me today.
On my first launch attempt the wing came up pretty well but then fell off to the
side and lost pressure. I believe a gust caught it from the side and a little
bit from behind. This left me set up for a reverse which I proceeded to do after
feeling the wind a bit for proper direction and straightening the wing with a
little bit of kiting. The launc went well. I found some pretty significant lift
and got hit by a fairly strong gust at just over 500' AGL and then found myself
quickly at 800+'. The air wasn't too bumpy but I did get whacked on occasion. I
took a few photos but my camera doesn't like the cold. When it is cold it will
register low battery even if it was recently charged. My hands got pretty
chilled so I came in for a landing. Scott and Guinness were fine but Scott still
had trouble with his vision.
I decided to take a second flight and give Scott's eyes a little more time to
clear from his dilation. Another reverse was done after Scott sorted things out
and I brought it up a couple of more times to feel the wind and make sure all
was well. As I launched I notice a police car in the parking lot near our cars.
I was quite comfortable by this time and took a longer flight. There is a soccer
field near where we fly and the snow was untracked in it. I decided it would be
nice to leave some foot drag tracks right in the middle of the field so I did.
The police car was still in the parking lot and the officer was talking to
Scott. I landed near the parking lot and had a nice conversation with officer
Gary who is a GA pilot. Scott and Gary were carrying the conversation while I
packed my gear after Scott decided he was getting chilled and his eyes weren't
improving enough for him to comfortably fly.
The officer made a note of my driver's license information and was very
pleasant. Scott & I now have another local friend of PPG. There were a couple of
gentlemen who walked up as I was preparing for my first launch who said they had
seen us flying there before. There was also a nice young lady, named Bridgette,
who I saw at this site about a month or so earlier when the weather was much
nicer.
It was a good flight. Just cold enough to keep my wing dry. Lance, you were
right it almost wasn't cold enough!
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Sunday [Reed, we will
miss you and envy you too! Jeff, how are you healing after the surgery Monday?],
the 19th, at 11am. John Ille is a north suburban pilot who told me he was
planning to join us for lunch then but has a church choir commitment for later
that Sunday so he won't be able to join us for a flight afterward assuming the
weather is good.
Happy holidays and my best to All of you and all of yours!
Dave
"
Hope that all is well with you too!
Happy holidays!
This morning did a spinning class with my favorite Lifetime Fitness instructor, Qaiser. The class was filled and some wannabe participants couldn't participate because all of the bikes were taken. There are about 55 bikes. Jerry [my mayor friend] was there and his health seems to be greatly improved.
Paperwork was then done at the office and joined my friend Scott for a light lunch at a new restaurant in my building on the corner. Kabul House has moved from Evanston to fairly close to my old office on Dempster and now is on the corner in the Metropolitan of Skokie which is the same building my office is in. The food is excellent and the service is very good too.
Scott and I were checking out the weather and decided an earlier trip to the field for flying was warranted due to the excellent wind conditions.
Here is a link to my photos from this afternoon:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/FlyingPPG12810#
Here is the text describing my flight which was just written to our Illinois powered paragliding Yahoo group:
"
It was good. I did it.
Scott, Guinness and I went out. It was not too refreshing. The external temp on
my car was reading 30 as I arrived at the field. It was reading 26 as I left.
The wind was just enough for a reverse launch and a little bumpy but not bad at
all. It was out of the wnw.
Scott had just seen his ophtalmologist and had his eyes dilated. Unfortunately
his pupils stayed dilated too long and he wasn't able to fly. Guinness had a
good time wandering around the field.
It is a bit of a challenge to fly in all of the clothing that is needed to stay
warm in this weaather. It was a not real easy to keep the throttle in the right
position with heavy gloves and polypropylene liners. Reaching up after letting
go of the brakes to get the handles again was a bit of a stretch. The throttle
accumulated a little ice and after my second launch was frozen in place on full
but just needed to be spread apart to disengage.
The first flight was rather chilling. If you are a snow skier you have probably
noticed how for the first hour on the slopes you get chilled pretty easily. Then
a warming trip into the lodge allows you to warm up pretty quickly. After
warming up and getting back on the slopes you then stay warm for hours. It seems
our bodies need to get acclimated to the cold and than adapt pretty well. This
is what it was like for me today.
On my first launch attempt the wing came up pretty well but then fell off to the
side and lost pressure. I believe a gust caught it from the side and a little
bit from behind. This left me set up for a reverse which I proceeded to do after
feeling the wind a bit for proper direction and straightening the wing with a
little bit of kiting. The launc went well. I found some pretty significant lift
and got hit by a fairly strong gust at just over 500' AGL and then found myself
quickly at 800+'. The air wasn't too bumpy but I did get whacked on occasion. I
took a few photos but my camera doesn't like the cold. When it is cold it will
register low battery even if it was recently charged. My hands got pretty
chilled so I came in for a landing. Scott and Guinness were fine but Scott still
had trouble with his vision.
I decided to take a second flight and give Scott's eyes a little more time to
clear from his dilation. Another reverse was done after Scott sorted things out
and I brought it up a couple of more times to feel the wind and make sure all
was well. As I launched I notice a police car in the parking lot near our cars.
I was quite comfortable by this time and took a longer flight. There is a soccer
field near where we fly and the snow was untracked in it. I decided it would be
nice to leave some foot drag tracks right in the middle of the field so I did.
The police car was still in the parking lot and the officer was talking to
Scott. I landed near the parking lot and had a nice conversation with officer
Gary who is a GA pilot. Scott and Gary were carrying the conversation while I
packed my gear after Scott decided he was getting chilled and his eyes weren't
improving enough for him to comfortably fly.
The officer made a note of my driver's license information and was very
pleasant. Scott & I now have another local friend of PPG. There were a couple of
gentlemen who walked up as I was preparing for my first launch who said they had
seen us flying there before. There was also a nice young lady, named Bridgette,
who I saw at this site about a month or so earlier when the weather was much
nicer.
It was a good flight. Just cold enough to keep my wing dry. Lance, you were
right it almost wasn't cold enough!
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Sunday [Reed, we will
miss you and envy you too! Jeff, how are you healing after the surgery Monday?],
the 19th, at 11am. John Ille is a north suburban pilot who told me he was
planning to join us for lunch then but has a church choir commitment for later
that Sunday so he won't be able to join us for a flight afterward assuming the
weather is good.
Happy holidays and my best to All of you and all of yours!
Dave
"
Hope that all is well with you too!
Happy holidays!
A FLYING CAR!
http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?bcpid=90015277001&bctid=635469588001
This is very cool.
Please watch the video at the above link [copy & paste] or just click on the title of this post. This is a car/aircraft which gets 25-30 miles per gallon and will drive on highways at 95+ miles per hour. Wow!
This is similar to the flying that I do. It uses a fabric parachute-like 'wing'. This is very similar [probably the same wing] to powered parachuting, which you can do a search for on the internet if you are interested.
Hopefully some friends of mine and I will be flying our powered paragliders this afternoon.
This is very cool.
Please watch the video at the above link [copy & paste] or just click on the title of this post. This is a car/aircraft which gets 25-30 miles per gallon and will drive on highways at 95+ miles per hour. Wow!
This is similar to the flying that I do. It uses a fabric parachute-like 'wing'. This is very similar [probably the same wing] to powered parachuting, which you can do a search for on the internet if you are interested.
Hopefully some friends of mine and I will be flying our powered paragliders this afternoon.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Bike paths in Skokie. Please help!
I have forwarded this to some of my biking friends and would like to request that any of you who can support this plan do so. It will be a wonderful addition to our community.
This is a proposed plan in need of voices to back it.
>>>
Hello Dr. Dave!
Nice speaking with you a few moments ago! I write to request your help with obtaining community letters of support for the Village of Skokie Model Communities grant application. The Model Communities grant program is a federal program providing funds to "Change Policies, Systems and Environments to Promote Healthy Eating and Active Living". The Village is applying for funds to develop engineering and landscape design plans to complete a segment of multi-use (biking, walking, etc) path along the old Union Pacific Right-of-Way between Oakton and Jarvis.
The proposed portion of the path will provide access to the new CTA station at Oakton Street(construction begins in January 2011), and will link north to the new multi-use path between Oakton and Dempster (construction set for 2011), as well as south into Chicago through Lincolnwood. A map showing the proposed route is attached (in green). Clearly, completion of the new path will significantly benefit Skokie residents, and those of neighboring communities, by improving access to alternative forms of transportation, such as the CTA, and providing additional opportunities for recreation.
We are very excited about the opportunity to complete the biking/walking path from Jarvis to Dempster (and beyond). It would be helpful to have a number of letters, including those from residents (perhaps you?), describing the potential benefits of the project. I have attached a draft letter for your review, although it is more applicable to larger entities than regular citizens.
Thank you very much, and please do contact me if you have any questions!
Catherine
Catherine A. Counard, MD, MPH
Director of Health
Village of Skokie
5127 Oakton Street
Skokie, Illinois 60077
Phone: (847) 933-8252
Catherine.Counard@skokie.org
<<<
Link to bike map in Skokie area:
>>>
http://www.egovlink.com/public_documents300/skokie/published_documents/Community%20Development/Bicycling%20in%20Skokie/Bikeway%20System%20Plan%20201000630%207-10.pdf
<<<
[Please copy and paste the above text lines into a browser window.]
Template:
>>>
[Letter of Support Template]
December [___], 2010
Albert J. Rigoni, Village Manager
Village of Skokie
5127 Oakton Street
Skokie, Illinois 60077
Re: Letter of Support – Model Communities Grant Program
[Organization name] is pleased to support the Village of Skokie in its efforts to apply for Model Communities grant funds to connect Downtown Skokie to Lincolnwood, Chicago, and beyond, via the Village’s Community Connections project, a multi-use path corridor from the Oakton Street CTA Station to Lincolnwood’s municipal boundary.
Investing in planning efforts for a multi-use path will not only provide a future connection to Downtown Chicago, but it will benefit [Organization name] as well. Our mission is [mission statement]. This mission benefits the residents, employers, employees, property owners, business owners, and visitors of the area by [list benefit(s)].
[Organization name] will support the Village of Skokie with participating in community planning events and partnering with community leaders to make Skokie an active and healthy community.
[Organization name] has successfully collaborated with the Village of Skokie in the past by [list past collaboration effort(s)], and intends to be a strong partner in this and future opportunities.
We look forward to collaborating with the Village of Skokie on this Community Connections initiative.
Sincerely,
[Organization name]
[Name]
[Title]
<<<
The letter above is a template.
This is a proposed plan in need of voices to back it.
>>>
Hello Dr. Dave!
Nice speaking with you a few moments ago! I write to request your help with obtaining community letters of support for the Village of Skokie Model Communities grant application. The Model Communities grant program is a federal program providing funds to "Change Policies, Systems and Environments to Promote Healthy Eating and Active Living". The Village is applying for funds to develop engineering and landscape design plans to complete a segment of multi-use (biking, walking, etc) path along the old Union Pacific Right-of-Way between Oakton and Jarvis.
The proposed portion of the path will provide access to the new CTA station at Oakton Street(construction begins in January 2011), and will link north to the new multi-use path between Oakton and Dempster (construction set for 2011), as well as south into Chicago through Lincolnwood. A map showing the proposed route is attached (in green). Clearly, completion of the new path will significantly benefit Skokie residents, and those of neighboring communities, by improving access to alternative forms of transportation, such as the CTA, and providing additional opportunities for recreation.
We are very excited about the opportunity to complete the biking/walking path from Jarvis to Dempster (and beyond). It would be helpful to have a number of letters, including those from residents (perhaps you?), describing the potential benefits of the project. I have attached a draft letter for your review, although it is more applicable to larger entities than regular citizens.
Thank you very much, and please do contact me if you have any questions!
Catherine
Catherine A. Counard, MD, MPH
Director of Health
Village of Skokie
5127 Oakton Street
Skokie, Illinois 60077
Phone: (847) 933-8252
Catherine.Counard@skokie.org
<<<
Link to bike map in Skokie area:
>>>
http://www.egovlink.com/public_documents300/skokie/published_documents/Community%20Development/Bicycling%20in%20Skokie/Bikeway%20System%20Plan%20201000630%207-10.pdf
<<<
[Please copy and paste the above text lines into a browser window.]
Template:
>>>
[Letter of Support Template]
December [___], 2010
Albert J. Rigoni, Village Manager
Village of Skokie
5127 Oakton Street
Skokie, Illinois 60077
Re: Letter of Support – Model Communities Grant Program
[Organization name] is pleased to support the Village of Skokie in its efforts to apply for Model Communities grant funds to connect Downtown Skokie to Lincolnwood, Chicago, and beyond, via the Village’s Community Connections project, a multi-use path corridor from the Oakton Street CTA Station to Lincolnwood’s municipal boundary.
Investing in planning efforts for a multi-use path will not only provide a future connection to Downtown Chicago, but it will benefit [Organization name] as well. Our mission is [mission statement]. This mission benefits the residents, employers, employees, property owners, business owners, and visitors of the area by [list benefit(s)].
[Organization name] will support the Village of Skokie with participating in community planning events and partnering with community leaders to make Skokie an active and healthy community.
[Organization name] has successfully collaborated with the Village of Skokie in the past by [list past collaboration effort(s)], and intends to be a strong partner in this and future opportunities.
We look forward to collaborating with the Village of Skokie on this Community Connections initiative.
Sincerely,
[Organization name]
[Name]
[Title]
<<<
The letter above is a template.
Cold morning. Spinning class. Paperwork.
The temperature was in the low 20's this morning. I didn't hear from Mike or George about riding this morning. Frank & Don are out of town. Jerry is not going to be riding until March 1st. It was a good morning to try a spinning class so I did.
Qaiser is an excellent instructor. Jerry warned me 6 days ago that Qaiser's class is totally filled by starting time so I made it a point to be there early. The class starts at 5:30 on Monday and Wednesday. I was there at about 5:20 and took what appeared to be the last bike. Dr. Coleman [a friend who is an oral surgeon] arrived just after I did and couldn't find an open bike. Qaiser said that there were 10 more bikes on order but they may not arrive until well after the first of the year. The room won't take many more than 10 more bikes. There are about 55 of them available not.
It was a tough class but a good one. All of us got a very good workout. I met a few new guys. I'm not too sore now.
Snow is predicted for Friday overnight. There may be several inches according to the NOAA forecast. We will see. It might be some time before I ride my newly repaired rear tire.
I am at the office now. There are many charts, x-rays and treatment plans to do. It is nice to be busy but now the schedule is looking a little light for the next few days.
Qaiser is an excellent instructor. Jerry warned me 6 days ago that Qaiser's class is totally filled by starting time so I made it a point to be there early. The class starts at 5:30 on Monday and Wednesday. I was there at about 5:20 and took what appeared to be the last bike. Dr. Coleman [a friend who is an oral surgeon] arrived just after I did and couldn't find an open bike. Qaiser said that there were 10 more bikes on order but they may not arrive until well after the first of the year. The room won't take many more than 10 more bikes. There are about 55 of them available not.
It was a tough class but a good one. All of us got a very good workout. I met a few new guys. I'm not too sore now.
Snow is predicted for Friday overnight. There may be several inches according to the NOAA forecast. We will see. It might be some time before I ride my newly repaired rear tire.
I am at the office now. There are many charts, x-rays and treatment plans to do. It is nice to be busy but now the schedule is looking a little light for the next few days.
Monday, November 29, 2010
What is happening to our country?
This was forwarded to me by a good friend. I believe there is a lot of truth to it.
>>>
Wherever you stand, please take the time to read this; ....it ought to scare the pants off you!
We know Dick Lamm as the former Governor of Colorado. In that context his thoughts are particularly poignant. Last week there was an immigration overpopulation conference in Washington , DC , filled to capacity by many of America 's finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor by the name of Victor Hansen Davis talked about his latest book, "Mexifornia," explaining how immigration - both legal and illegal was destroying the entire state of California . He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream.
Moments later, former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm stood up and gave a stunning speech on how to destroy America . The audience sat spellbound as he described eight methods for the destruction of the United States . He said, "If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America . It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that 'An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.'"
"Here is how they do it," Lamm said: "FIRST, to destroy America , turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country." History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. The historical scholar, Seymour Lipset, put it this way: "The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy." Canada , Belgium , Malaysia , and Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans."
Lamm went on: SECOND, to destroy America , "Invent 'multiculturalism' and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. Make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal. That there are no cultural differences. Make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due solely to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.
THIRD, "We could make the United States an 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: "The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentricity and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together."
Lamm said, "I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America enforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities."
"FOURTH, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high school."
"My FIFTH point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of 'Victimology.' I would get all minorities to think that their lack of success was the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population."
"My SIXTH plan for America 's downfall would include dual citizenship, and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common Language and literature; and they worshipped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic games. A common enemy, Persia , threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were
not strong enough to overcome two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell. "E. Pluribus Unum" --From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the 'pluribus' instead of the 'Unum,' we will balkanize America as surely as Kosovo."
"Next to last, SEVENTH,I would place all subjects off limits; make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like 'racist' or 'xenophobe' halt discussion and debate. Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multi-culturism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of 'Victimology,' I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America , it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them."
In the last minute of his speech, Governor Lamm wiped his brow. Profound silence followed. Finally he said,. "Lastly, EIGHTH, I would censor Victor Hanson Davis's book "Mexifornia." His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America . If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don't read that book."
There was no applause. A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today. Discussion is being suppressed. Over 100 languages are ripping the foundation of our educational system and national cohesiveness. Even barbaric cultures that practice female genital mutilation are growing as we celebrate 'diversity.' American jobs are vanishing into the Third World as corporations create a Third World in America - take note of California and other states - to date, ten million illegal aliens and growing fast. It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book "1984." In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is
strength."
Governor Lamm walked back to his seat. It dawned on everyone at the conference that our nation and the future of this great democracy is deeply in trouble and worsening fast. If we don't get this immigration monster stopped within three years, it will rage like a California wildfire and destroy everything in its path especially The American Dream.
If you care for and love our country as I do, take the time to pass this on just as I did for you. NOTHING is going to happen if you don't.
<<<
What do you think?
>>>
Wherever you stand, please take the time to read this; ....it ought to scare the pants off you!
We know Dick Lamm as the former Governor of Colorado. In that context his thoughts are particularly poignant. Last week there was an immigration overpopulation conference in Washington , DC , filled to capacity by many of America 's finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor by the name of Victor Hansen Davis talked about his latest book, "Mexifornia," explaining how immigration - both legal and illegal was destroying the entire state of California . He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream.
Moments later, former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm stood up and gave a stunning speech on how to destroy America . The audience sat spellbound as he described eight methods for the destruction of the United States . He said, "If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America . It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that 'An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.'"
"Here is how they do it," Lamm said: "FIRST, to destroy America , turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country." History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. The historical scholar, Seymour Lipset, put it this way: "The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy." Canada , Belgium , Malaysia , and Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans."
Lamm went on: SECOND, to destroy America , "Invent 'multiculturalism' and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. Make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal. That there are no cultural differences. Make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due solely to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.
THIRD, "We could make the United States an 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: "The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentricity and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together."
Lamm said, "I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America enforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities."
"FOURTH, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high school."
"My FIFTH point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of 'Victimology.' I would get all minorities to think that their lack of success was the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population."
"My SIXTH plan for America 's downfall would include dual citizenship, and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common Language and literature; and they worshipped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic games. A common enemy, Persia , threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were
not strong enough to overcome two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell. "E. Pluribus Unum" --From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the 'pluribus' instead of the 'Unum,' we will balkanize America as surely as Kosovo."
"Next to last, SEVENTH,I would place all subjects off limits; make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like 'racist' or 'xenophobe' halt discussion and debate. Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multi-culturism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of 'Victimology,' I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America , it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them."
In the last minute of his speech, Governor Lamm wiped his brow. Profound silence followed. Finally he said,. "Lastly, EIGHTH, I would censor Victor Hanson Davis's book "Mexifornia." His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America . If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don't read that book."
There was no applause. A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today. Discussion is being suppressed. Over 100 languages are ripping the foundation of our educational system and national cohesiveness. Even barbaric cultures that practice female genital mutilation are growing as we celebrate 'diversity.' American jobs are vanishing into the Third World as corporations create a Third World in America - take note of California and other states - to date, ten million illegal aliens and growing fast. It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book "1984." In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is
strength."
Governor Lamm walked back to his seat. It dawned on everyone at the conference that our nation and the future of this great democracy is deeply in trouble and worsening fast. If we don't get this immigration monster stopped within three years, it will rage like a California wildfire and destroy everything in its path especially The American Dream.
If you care for and love our country as I do, take the time to pass this on just as I did for you. NOTHING is going to happen if you don't.
<<<
What do you think?
Biking the last 2 days and a flat tire.
It was a nice Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I spent a lot of time with my lovely wife, Minda. We had some guests over for Thanksgiving and went out for a bit on Saturday.
Sunday I rode but started later than usual. It was cold. The temperature on my biking computer varied from 24 to 26 degress fahrenheit. It was a nice ride with light wind. I took a number of photos with my iPhone. They were automatically uploaded to my Facebook pages. There were 3 smaller deer in a residential area of Wilmette and one of them I was able to approach pretty closely.
This morning there were 4 of us riding. Mike and I rode up together. Just short of the intersection of Green Bay Road and Lake Cook Road I ran over something metallic which gashed my rear tire and caused me to have a flat. Mike and I changed the inner tube and he was in a hurry so he headed home and I continued on to Once Upon a Bagel in Highland Park. He was kind enough to lend me an extra spare tube just in case I had another flat. I carry one spare tube, a patch kit and a pretty good bike frame mounted bike pump. The was changed and tire and tube were disposed of when I reached home.
It was a good ride in spite of the difficulty. This was my first flat tire in more than a year. Unfortunately the tire was a new one which was installed in June just before RAGBRAI.
Sunday I rode but started later than usual. It was cold. The temperature on my biking computer varied from 24 to 26 degress fahrenheit. It was a nice ride with light wind. I took a number of photos with my iPhone. They were automatically uploaded to my Facebook pages. There were 3 smaller deer in a residential area of Wilmette and one of them I was able to approach pretty closely.
This morning there were 4 of us riding. Mike and I rode up together. Just short of the intersection of Green Bay Road and Lake Cook Road I ran over something metallic which gashed my rear tire and caused me to have a flat. Mike and I changed the inner tube and he was in a hurry so he headed home and I continued on to Once Upon a Bagel in Highland Park. He was kind enough to lend me an extra spare tube just in case I had another flat. I carry one spare tube, a patch kit and a pretty good bike frame mounted bike pump. The was changed and tire and tube were disposed of when I reached home.
It was a good ride in spite of the difficulty. This was my first flat tire in more than a year. Unfortunately the tire was a new one which was installed in June just before RAGBRAI.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Biked this morning in shorts and a short sleeved jersey!
It was a good ride and we beat the rain home.
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/960777
Hope all is well with you and yours.
Outdoor holiday lights were put up yesterday.
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/960777
Hope all is well with you and yours.
Outdoor holiday lights were put up yesterday.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Flights last week.
My flight yesterday afternoon was sweet but short. The wind was a little better than Wednesday afternoon but not much. There wasn't much time. I worked and ran a couple of errands prior to flying. It was a last minute decision. John & Scott were called but couldn't make it so Guinness was my only companion.
I thought that it would be better from the forecast and current condition reports but could tell by the gustiness prior to launch that conditions weren't that great. It was a fun flight anyway.
The wind was out of the northeast and swirling a bit. My forward launch attempt resulted in the wing being blown off center. A reverse launch was then done and the climb wasn't that good so a cross-wind turn was made to maintain a good LZ in the event of a motor problem. Altitude was gradually gained with some rocking of the wing from moderate turbulence. It was smoother than Wednesday but not a lot smoother. It was overcast with a ceiling that wasn't too high, so there were a lot of headlights and other lights on the ground which were very visible making the flight a little out of the ordinary. My strobe was activated prior to launch but it was well before sunset when I landed. The wind was stronger at 500-600 feet AGL which was to be expected. Progress upwind was pretty slow.
Guinness came along and enjoyed pre-launch and after-landing romps in the field. Getting him out was one of the big reasons for this solo trip. There were a couple of observers arriving after my flight. One large gentleman came by the field just prior to my landing and had chased me on the ground after seeing me from a major road near my flight area. He enjoyed seeing me fly and complimented me on my good landing in the somewhat challenging conditions. We then discussed the availability of a larger motor and paraglider for him. He left with a smile on his face as he considered the possibility of flying like a number of us do in the area himself. He will probably not follow through with his flying dream. At least those of us who fly powered paragliders are living the dream and have the privilege of inspiring others.
Then as I was packing up a Department of Conservation 'police' officer drove up. He had similar questions and was very pleasant. We had a nice conversation and he left with visions of our wonderful type of flight dancing in his head also.
Wednesday afternoon's flight was a little rougher. My good friend Scott Clark [a 'real pilot' who is a registered FAA Captain, certified to fly passengers for hire, the chief pilot for Blue Sky Taxi, and a great guy] told me as I headed to the field for a flight told me that it was turbulent air in spite of what was showing on the various aviation weather web sites. He returned my call too late for me to conveniently change my plans due to his flying earlier while giving flight lessons to a student. We had talked earlier about flying in the afternoon and the forecast looked good. With the early sunset this time of the year, flying time comes early and is short it seems. Scott was right. It wasn't very good. The air was pretty turbulent.
The wind was coming and going a bit. The wind speed was in doubt which means that a forward launch is best for me. The wind picked up just before I launched and it pulled me back pretty hard. The wing was dropped and I turned around and then did a reverse launch.
The wind was a little strange. It would be steady for a bit and then a gust would come through at about 30 second intervals that was pretty strong. It could have collapsed a tip of my paraglider I am sure but I was fortunate to be flying either with the wind or into it when the gusts hit. I didn't like it very much so only took about a 10 minute flight.
When landing some pretty significant sink was encountered about 60 feet up but it dissipated about 20 feet above the ground and the landing was uneventful and smooth.
Then drizzle started. It just wasn't meant to be very flyable. Again, Scott was
right.
However, my flight did recharge my soul and attitued. What a great sport! I love it!
I thought that it would be better from the forecast and current condition reports but could tell by the gustiness prior to launch that conditions weren't that great. It was a fun flight anyway.
The wind was out of the northeast and swirling a bit. My forward launch attempt resulted in the wing being blown off center. A reverse launch was then done and the climb wasn't that good so a cross-wind turn was made to maintain a good LZ in the event of a motor problem. Altitude was gradually gained with some rocking of the wing from moderate turbulence. It was smoother than Wednesday but not a lot smoother. It was overcast with a ceiling that wasn't too high, so there were a lot of headlights and other lights on the ground which were very visible making the flight a little out of the ordinary. My strobe was activated prior to launch but it was well before sunset when I landed. The wind was stronger at 500-600 feet AGL which was to be expected. Progress upwind was pretty slow.
Guinness came along and enjoyed pre-launch and after-landing romps in the field. Getting him out was one of the big reasons for this solo trip. There were a couple of observers arriving after my flight. One large gentleman came by the field just prior to my landing and had chased me on the ground after seeing me from a major road near my flight area. He enjoyed seeing me fly and complimented me on my good landing in the somewhat challenging conditions. We then discussed the availability of a larger motor and paraglider for him. He left with a smile on his face as he considered the possibility of flying like a number of us do in the area himself. He will probably not follow through with his flying dream. At least those of us who fly powered paragliders are living the dream and have the privilege of inspiring others.
Then as I was packing up a Department of Conservation 'police' officer drove up. He had similar questions and was very pleasant. We had a nice conversation and he left with visions of our wonderful type of flight dancing in his head also.
Wednesday afternoon's flight was a little rougher. My good friend Scott Clark [a 'real pilot' who is a registered FAA Captain, certified to fly passengers for hire, the chief pilot for Blue Sky Taxi, and a great guy] told me as I headed to the field for a flight told me that it was turbulent air in spite of what was showing on the various aviation weather web sites. He returned my call too late for me to conveniently change my plans due to his flying earlier while giving flight lessons to a student. We had talked earlier about flying in the afternoon and the forecast looked good. With the early sunset this time of the year, flying time comes early and is short it seems. Scott was right. It wasn't very good. The air was pretty turbulent.
The wind was coming and going a bit. The wind speed was in doubt which means that a forward launch is best for me. The wind picked up just before I launched and it pulled me back pretty hard. The wing was dropped and I turned around and then did a reverse launch.
The wind was a little strange. It would be steady for a bit and then a gust would come through at about 30 second intervals that was pretty strong. It could have collapsed a tip of my paraglider I am sure but I was fortunate to be flying either with the wind or into it when the gusts hit. I didn't like it very much so only took about a 10 minute flight.
When landing some pretty significant sink was encountered about 60 feet up but it dissipated about 20 feet above the ground and the landing was uneventful and smooth.
Then drizzle started. It just wasn't meant to be very flyable. Again, Scott was
right.
However, my flight did recharge my soul and attitued. What a great sport! I love it!
Thanksgiving is a special time of the year. [Wednesday evening]
We are all fortunate to have wonderful friends and family. This is a special time of the year to take our blessings into consideration. I am thankful for all of you.
This Wednesday evening in my local area there will be a multi-religiious gathering at a local Jewish 'Synagogue'. It is sponsored and organized by the Niles Township Clergy Association. My Roman Catholic parish of Saint Joan of Arc and pastor Father Kehoe are active in this group. This year it will be held at the Ezra Habonim Jewish Congregation at 4500 Dempster Street at 7:30pm in Skokie. This gathering will include: Catholics, Baptists, Bahai, Sikhs, Buddhists, Methodists, Jews, Muslims, Lutherans, .... It is a general prayer gathering with music and short thoughtful sermons/speeches which is inspirational and thought provoking. There are snacks served afterward and a mingling of those in attendance. I just found the details for this particular event via Google.
There are similar gatherings in many areas and you probably have one like this close to your home if you are not in the Skokie area. I highly recommend this type of service and usullay attend this particular gathering annually. This type of event is traditionally done on the evening before Thanksgiving and it will be the 40th annual gathering of this type by the Niles Township Clergy Association.
I wish all of you and all of yours the best at this time of the year and always!
This Wednesday evening in my local area there will be a multi-religiious gathering at a local Jewish 'Synagogue'. It is sponsored and organized by the Niles Township Clergy Association. My Roman Catholic parish of Saint Joan of Arc and pastor Father Kehoe are active in this group. This year it will be held at the Ezra Habonim Jewish Congregation at 4500 Dempster Street at 7:30pm in Skokie. This gathering will include: Catholics, Baptists, Bahai, Sikhs, Buddhists, Methodists, Jews, Muslims, Lutherans, .... It is a general prayer gathering with music and short thoughtful sermons/speeches which is inspirational and thought provoking. There are snacks served afterward and a mingling of those in attendance. I just found the details for this particular event via Google.
There are similar gatherings in many areas and you probably have one like this close to your home if you are not in the Skokie area. I highly recommend this type of service and usullay attend this particular gathering annually. This type of event is traditionally done on the evening before Thanksgiving and it will be the 40th annual gathering of this type by the Niles Township Clergy Association.
I wish all of you and all of yours the best at this time of the year and always!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Last week was busy. Seeing patients, dental meetings, biking and flying.
It was good and busy. A busy week of work with patients a couple of dental meetings, flew and biked too! And, ... it started with Halloween.
We had a good week in the office. It is great to be helping patients with their dental problems. Our team at the office is excellent. We helped a number of patients with a variety of problems. We dealt with a number of implant restorations, denture patients, patients with gum problems and helped a number of children. It was satisfying to be able to help and make a difference for all of these members of our dental family. We could be a bit busier. We are still trying to help Michelle work on Thursdays too.
We had a number of new patients recently too. One lady is a native South American from Guyana. We have had a large family of patients whose heritage is from India but their parents and grandparents were raised in the South American country of Guyana in the capital of Georgetown. Apparently there is a fairly large contingent of the Guyana population originally from India. It is very interesting how our country is a magnet for such a large variety of people all adding to our diversity and enriching our culture.
The meeting on Tuesday evening was given by Dr.s Marty Rogers and Matt Davis. It addressed the most recent thoughts on cracked teeth and root canal treatment. They did an excellent job.
Wednesday was a meeting of the Northern Illinois Dental Specialists at which I was a guest. Dr. Burgess formerly of New Orleans [before hurricane Katrina] and now of the University of Alabama dental school is a well know restorative dentistry expert. His presentation was outstanding. It is good to keep up on the latest technology in order to be able to serve my 'dental family' as well as possible.
I biked a few mornings last week and was able to fly last evening. The flight with 5 of my powered paragliding friends near Kankakee was a great way to end the week.
This is how a good friend of mine trains powered paraglider pilots near Christmas, Florida:
http://vimeo.com/16502027
The above is an excellent video showing the training process in summary. Bob is an excellent student and Eric Dufour is an excellent instructor [perhaps the best in the country]. It doesn't always go as smoothly as depicted here. There are some good instructors in the midwest too.
My photos from last evening's flying:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/PPG101106Koerner#
It was a bit late when we launched and the light wasn't as good as I would have liked for photography. My camera regularly let me know that the battery was dying in spite of it being fully charged just before leaving home. Apparently the camera didn't like the cold. It was about 40 degrees or a little less as we flew. Colder weather is definitely making its way into our too near future.
My best to all of you and all of yours always!
We had a good week in the office. It is great to be helping patients with their dental problems. Our team at the office is excellent. We helped a number of patients with a variety of problems. We dealt with a number of implant restorations, denture patients, patients with gum problems and helped a number of children. It was satisfying to be able to help and make a difference for all of these members of our dental family. We could be a bit busier. We are still trying to help Michelle work on Thursdays too.
We had a number of new patients recently too. One lady is a native South American from Guyana. We have had a large family of patients whose heritage is from India but their parents and grandparents were raised in the South American country of Guyana in the capital of Georgetown. Apparently there is a fairly large contingent of the Guyana population originally from India. It is very interesting how our country is a magnet for such a large variety of people all adding to our diversity and enriching our culture.
The meeting on Tuesday evening was given by Dr.s Marty Rogers and Matt Davis. It addressed the most recent thoughts on cracked teeth and root canal treatment. They did an excellent job.
Wednesday was a meeting of the Northern Illinois Dental Specialists at which I was a guest. Dr. Burgess formerly of New Orleans [before hurricane Katrina] and now of the University of Alabama dental school is a well know restorative dentistry expert. His presentation was outstanding. It is good to keep up on the latest technology in order to be able to serve my 'dental family' as well as possible.
I biked a few mornings last week and was able to fly last evening. The flight with 5 of my powered paragliding friends near Kankakee was a great way to end the week.
This is how a good friend of mine trains powered paraglider pilots near Christmas, Florida:
http://vimeo.com/16502027
The above is an excellent video showing the training process in summary. Bob is an excellent student and Eric Dufour is an excellent instructor [perhaps the best in the country]. It doesn't always go as smoothly as depicted here. There are some good instructors in the midwest too.
My photos from last evening's flying:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/PPG101106Koerner#
It was a bit late when we launched and the light wasn't as good as I would have liked for photography. My camera regularly let me know that the battery was dying in spite of it being fully charged just before leaving home. Apparently the camera didn't like the cold. It was about 40 degrees or a little less as we flew. Colder weather is definitely making its way into our too near future.
My best to all of you and all of yours always!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Mrs. Camie Nord wins our new patient referral contest.
Over the summer we ran a new patient referral contest. Many of you entered. Thanks for your participation and for helping your dental office stay healthy!
Camie won a 42" LCD, flat screen television. She mentioned to me when I called her that her television set had just died and needed replacement. She is a young mother with three sons and a wonderful husband. Camie has been a patient of ours for almost 10 years and has referred many new patients to our office. It seemed very appropriate that she won this contest.
Congratulations, Camie!
Camie won a 42" LCD, flat screen television. She mentioned to me when I called her that her television set had just died and needed replacement. She is a young mother with three sons and a wonderful husband. Camie has been a patient of ours for almost 10 years and has referred many new patients to our office. It seemed very appropriate that she won this contest.
Congratulations, Camie!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
My real pilot friend on Fox News.
I fly a powered paraglider and ride a bicycle. I now have a number of friends met through these two activities who are great people and wonderful friends. Scott Clark is one of these people. We have traveled to a number of local and not so local sites to fly paragliders with and without power. We have had many great times together.
We flew Sunday evening and he mentioned to me that Fox News Chicago was going to interview him for his Blue Sky Taxi service for which he is the chief pilot.
Here is the link:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/good_day/blue-sky-taxi-new-flight-way-planes-scott-clark-pilot-20101011
He did a great job! Check it out.
We flew Sunday evening and he mentioned to me that Fox News Chicago was going to interview him for his Blue Sky Taxi service for which he is the chief pilot.
Here is the link:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/good_day/blue-sky-taxi-new-flight-way-planes-scott-clark-pilot-20101011
He did a great job! Check it out.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Our good friend, Sampaguita Dizon died this morning.
Please say a prayer for a wonderful friend who died this morning. Sampaguita Dizon was a friend of my wife's before we were married. Minda was living at her home when we met. She always had a friendly, glowing smile for everyone. Her husband and children are all wonderful, good people. She passed on this morning just after 5am I understand.
She and her husband, Manny, have treated us like family for all of these years. Our hearts go out to all of them now.
She and her husband, Manny, have treated us like family for all of these years. Our hearts go out to all of them now.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Guinness, my furry buddy.
My dog, Guinness, is quite the character. This evening we went on about a 1/2 mile walk. It was close to dinner time and he knows the word, "dinner" quite well. About a city block from home I was getting tired of him stopping relentlessly to sniff or mark this bush, that spot in a lawn or on a tree, .... Finally I asked him if he wanted "dinner". He literally stopped in the middle of raising his leg near a small tree and headed for home as directly as possible. There wasn't a single pause for the rest of the walk home. He took me straight home and then kept a steady stare on me until his dinner was served. Guinness is no dummy.
Last night I flew my powered paraglider & Guinness came along. After flying, some beers were shared. I put out a bowl of water for Guinness just after starting my beer. He sniffed it, and let us know that he would rather have some beer too. A good portion of his water was poured out to make room for a healthy amount of beer. He promptly drank all of it. A little later I learned that while I was packing my aircraft after my flight that one of my friends had shared quite a bit of beer with him too. Guinness is quite the begging lush it seems. What a great dog he is!
He goes with me quite regularly when I fly my powered paraglider. I refer to him as my, "ground crew."
Last night I flew my powered paraglider & Guinness came along. After flying, some beers were shared. I put out a bowl of water for Guinness just after starting my beer. He sniffed it, and let us know that he would rather have some beer too. A good portion of his water was poured out to make room for a healthy amount of beer. He promptly drank all of it. A little later I learned that while I was packing my aircraft after my flight that one of my friends had shared quite a bit of beer with him too. Guinness is quite the begging lush it seems. What a great dog he is!
He goes with me quite regularly when I fly my powered paraglider. I refer to him as my, "ground crew."
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Photos from RAGBRAI. All is well.
These links allow you to view photos take on the RAGBRAI biking/flying trip across Iowa.
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/2010RAGBRAIFromTheAirSiouxCityStormLake#
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/2010RAGBRAIFromTheAirSiouxCityStormLake#
[Please copy and paste the above links into your browser to view my photos.]
Dave Mote [my long time friend powered paraglider pilot] and I met 2 other PPG pilots while flying on Friday evening and they landed with us. We had never met before so it was nice to meet a couple of other pilots. One of them came back on Saturday morning to fly with us again.
We had heavy rain on Friday morning as we left Waterloo on our way to Manchester. The rain let up after 40 miles and the last 25 were dry and allowed us to dry out. It was good to wear a jacket because it was not too hot that day at all. That evening we were fortunate to have the winds die down and the rain to pretty much dissipate.
We had a relatively cool ride while traveling across Iowa this year, camping and riding our bicycles. The nights in our tents were comfortable for sleeping thanks to being cooler than in past years.
It was a great trip!
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/2010RAGBRAIFromTheAirSiouxCityStormLake#
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/2010RAGBRAIFromTheAirSiouxCityStormLake#
[Please copy and paste the above links into your browser to view my photos.]
Dave Mote [my long time friend powered paraglider pilot] and I met 2 other PPG pilots while flying on Friday evening and they landed with us. We had never met before so it was nice to meet a couple of other pilots. One of them came back on Saturday morning to fly with us again.
We had heavy rain on Friday morning as we left Waterloo on our way to Manchester. The rain let up after 40 miles and the last 25 were dry and allowed us to dry out. It was good to wear a jacket because it was not too hot that day at all. That evening we were fortunate to have the winds die down and the rain to pretty much dissipate.
We had a relatively cool ride while traveling across Iowa this year, camping and riding our bicycles. The nights in our tents were comfortable for sleeping thanks to being cooler than in past years.
It was a great trip!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Busy morning. Biked. Flew. Getting things done.
Woke up early. Joined some friends for a bike ride and then went off on my own and got in about 34 miles. Visited with another biking friend on the way home but wanted to get home to get my flying gear together for a flight. The wind was light early this morning.
The powered paragliding flight was interesting this morning. It was interesting from theperspective that the forecast was good but the kiting and the flight were quite different from what the forecast led me to believe. It was very bumpy, active air. This isn't what would have been expected from the forecasts that I checked.
The flight was really not a surprise at all. It was expected to be trashy from what was happening on the ground. WindAlert from WeatherFlow was checked and didn't show any significant gusting in Waukegan, Highland Park, Winnetka or Northbrook. Weather Brief was almost called but it wasn't. Kiting with the motor on idle was problematic. The wind was coming and going with some significant gusts but not too strong. The direction seemed to vary about 30 degrees or so also. My motor was on idle and it was run as little as possible on the ground so as to not disturb the people in the local area. The wing was brought up a few times and a cravat due to a line over had to be undone with the wing on the ground at one point. It was not flying in a steady breeze at all.
Eventually the wind stayed steady enough to launch. The launch was into sink. The climb out was quite slow. 400' AGL was obtained as quickly as possible and then I settled in at 500' a short time later. Again, some altitude was needed so as to not disturb the groundlings [a 'Jeff-Goin-ism' which I like] in the area. The wind was primarily out of the north. Very little forward speed was made at 500'. It was about a 4-5 on the 'bump scale'. Gusts would change the flight direction and the wing was tipping from side to side pretty suddenly from time to time. It wasn't too much fun. It was somewhat exhilarating. The decision to work my way back and land was made after a relatively short flight.
The trip to just downwind of my landing zone was fast. There are some tall trees downwind of my lz which is of a fair size. There are also some smaller trees upwind close to the parking area. The wind was gusting a bit out of the east as the descent was made to clear the taller downwind trees comfortably but leave as much of the field as possible for maneuvering to land. The idea was to feel out the air down low and fly low with power closer to the car depending on what the wind was doing down low. It worked out well. I was still getting bounced around a bit but there was not nearly as much rotor as I thought there might be. A nice landing was made not far from the car. It was a good flightby and a bit more interesting than anticipated.
Immediately after landing a black van pulled up and a man got out and approached me in the field. He was in a store parking lot in the area and was watching me fly. There was a huge number of grasshoppers in the field so I told him that my wing had to be moved out of the field asap to avoid them spewing acid into it and possibly making holes in my wing. He was very supportive of my flying and mentioned his interest in kiting and talked a bit about a 3 lobed blimp that the air force is developing. We talked about my flying gear and I mentioned www.cartercopters.com to him. He seemed in a bit of a hurry. He mentioned some plumbing job that he had to get back to and left a few minutes later.
If you haven't heard about Carter Copters I would strongly urge you to look it up. It is very cool. They are developing a modern, stable, jump, 4 place gyrocopter like, 'slowed rotor compound aircraft'. This aircraft uses rotor for vertical takeoff and landing, and can cruise at up to 500mph. It is simply awesome. Their 'Personal Air Vehicle' is designed for road use and then flight from a heliport. Let me know what you think after you have learned more about it.
Heading to the office to do some paperwork. It has piled up on me due to a busy schedule!
Minda and I went to 5pm Mass last evening at St. Mary's in Evanston. Both of us worked yesterday. Minda is working today so I can't 'play' all day!
My best to All of you always!
Dave
The powered paragliding flight was interesting this morning. It was interesting from theperspective that the forecast was good but the kiting and the flight were quite different from what the forecast led me to believe. It was very bumpy, active air. This isn't what would have been expected from the forecasts that I checked.
The flight was really not a surprise at all. It was expected to be trashy from what was happening on the ground. WindAlert from WeatherFlow was checked and didn't show any significant gusting in Waukegan, Highland Park, Winnetka or Northbrook. Weather Brief was almost called but it wasn't. Kiting with the motor on idle was problematic. The wind was coming and going with some significant gusts but not too strong. The direction seemed to vary about 30 degrees or so also. My motor was on idle and it was run as little as possible on the ground so as to not disturb the people in the local area. The wing was brought up a few times and a cravat due to a line over had to be undone with the wing on the ground at one point. It was not flying in a steady breeze at all.
Eventually the wind stayed steady enough to launch. The launch was into sink. The climb out was quite slow. 400' AGL was obtained as quickly as possible and then I settled in at 500' a short time later. Again, some altitude was needed so as to not disturb the groundlings [a 'Jeff-Goin-ism' which I like] in the area. The wind was primarily out of the north. Very little forward speed was made at 500'. It was about a 4-5 on the 'bump scale'. Gusts would change the flight direction and the wing was tipping from side to side pretty suddenly from time to time. It wasn't too much fun. It was somewhat exhilarating. The decision to work my way back and land was made after a relatively short flight.
The trip to just downwind of my landing zone was fast. There are some tall trees downwind of my lz which is of a fair size. There are also some smaller trees upwind close to the parking area. The wind was gusting a bit out of the east as the descent was made to clear the taller downwind trees comfortably but leave as much of the field as possible for maneuvering to land. The idea was to feel out the air down low and fly low with power closer to the car depending on what the wind was doing down low. It worked out well. I was still getting bounced around a bit but there was not nearly as much rotor as I thought there might be. A nice landing was made not far from the car. It was a good flightby and a bit more interesting than anticipated.
Immediately after landing a black van pulled up and a man got out and approached me in the field. He was in a store parking lot in the area and was watching me fly. There was a huge number of grasshoppers in the field so I told him that my wing had to be moved out of the field asap to avoid them spewing acid into it and possibly making holes in my wing. He was very supportive of my flying and mentioned his interest in kiting and talked a bit about a 3 lobed blimp that the air force is developing. We talked about my flying gear and I mentioned www.cartercopters.com to him. He seemed in a bit of a hurry. He mentioned some plumbing job that he had to get back to and left a few minutes later.
If you haven't heard about Carter Copters I would strongly urge you to look it up. It is very cool. They are developing a modern, stable, jump, 4 place gyrocopter like, 'slowed rotor compound aircraft'. This aircraft uses rotor for vertical takeoff and landing, and can cruise at up to 500mph. It is simply awesome. Their 'Personal Air Vehicle' is designed for road use and then flight from a heliport. Let me know what you think after you have learned more about it.
Heading to the office to do some paperwork. It has piled up on me due to a busy schedule!
Minda and I went to 5pm Mass last evening at St. Mary's in Evanston. Both of us worked yesterday. Minda is working today so I can't 'play' all day!
My best to All of you always!
Dave
Sunday, August 15, 2010
My son, Jason, was in town and it was a busy weekend.
It was great to see him. He was in town for a wedding of a friend of his. His friend is Indian [his family immigrated here from India] and the wedding was somewhat traditional. The celebration went on for 5 days. It was nice because this meant that Jason spent more time with us and was here for an extended weekend.
We had several meals together with he and our daughter, Erika. We also visited relatives.
I biked Saturday morning 22 miles and this morning 25 miles. Saturday evening my powered paraglider saw action at the Batavia polo field with a total of about 6 of us flying. It was a hot, humid, light wind, beautiful evening. I personally had 3 good flights.
Hope that all of you had a nice weekend also.
We had several meals together with he and our daughter, Erika. We also visited relatives.
I biked Saturday morning 22 miles and this morning 25 miles. Saturday evening my powered paraglider saw action at the Batavia polo field with a total of about 6 of us flying. It was a hot, humid, light wind, beautiful evening. I personally had 3 good flights.
Hope that all of you had a nice weekend also.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Bicycling across Iowa & powered paragliding!
I rode in the RAGBRAI event last week. There were over 10,000 bicyclists riding this event. We rode about 500 miles over 7 days.
Dave Mote is another powered paraglider pilot. He and I flew some mornings and evenings when possible. He is an excellent cyclist and we rode our bicycles together for a good part of the week too.
We arrived in Sioux City in the afternoon on the 24th. It was sunny and a bit gusty. The group of 63 bicyclists and 7 crew members known as the CUBS settled in to about 5 yards on the north side of Sioux City. This is in the northwest corner of the state very near South Dakota. We left Lincolnwood, IL, at 5:30-6am after packing the truck, vans and touring bus in the dark and the rain.
Dave & I decided to check out PPG launch sites in the area with one of our hosts. I went up a hill from our host's home [a very nice guy named Chris who is a chiropractor]. We met a couple of very nice guys with larger properties, one of which was pretty appropriate for our needs. Unfortunately the one with the best property was the least enthusiastic about letting us use his land. He made noise about his wife may not approve. We heard of a field adjacent to a school on the road away from downtown and explored this. It was not too large and surrounded by tall trees and many homes. We opted to go out a little further from town. We took a country road to the west and found some higher ground near the top of a hill with a freshly mowed hay field and what appeared to be a wide right of way alongside the road. Dave was a little concerned about the wind conditions and the fact that it was still a bit early in the day. Sunset was about 9pm and we were getting ready to fly about 6pm. I took the first flight. It was a bit choppy but not too bad. Just after I launched we noticed a girl come out of the house closest to our launching area. She was followed by a man who was her father. She was enthusiatic about seeing us fly and wanted to see someone launch. Her father was a bit concerned and told Dave that we should have asked for permission to use his property. His daughter's enthusiasm overcame his reluctance so we stayed and talke to both of them for awhile. There was what seemed to be a very minor gust front that came through after I had been flying for about 20 minutes, so I landed. This is when we had what turned out to be a nice conversation with this man who was also a physician oncologist. We waited for awhile and then both of us took flight. It was a beautiful evening. We then went to dinner in town.
We were able to fly Sunday evening from a small municipal airport near Storm Lake. Then Monday evening I flew while Dave had shuttle driving duties for our group about 4 miles out of Algona. Tuesday morning the wind picked up and conditions were not good for flying. Tuesday night thunderstorms came through the Clear Lake area where we were staying and it was too windy Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to fly. Wednesday evening we spent the night near Charles City at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course. We flew Wednesday evening and Thursday morning from the driving range and had a great time. Thursday we had a long riding day and rain was threatening again. We stayed in a Ramada Inn in Waterloo. The weather wasn't good and we didn't have a convenient site to fly from. Friday morning we rode for about 40 miles in pouring rain. It finally let up later in the day and Weather Brief told us of calming winds but still a chance of rain developing throughout the area around Manchester where we were staying. We flew about 7pm and saw 2 other PPGs sw of us who came over to join us. The following morning, Saturday which was yesterday, one of those other pilots, Mike, came up from the Cedar Rapids to join us for an early morning flight before we had to ride 50 miles on the last day of our adventure. It was a nice flight. The air
was a little bumpy but not bad.
There will be photos eventually of our trip posted and I will provide links on this site.
My best to all of you always!
Dave
Dave Mote is another powered paraglider pilot. He and I flew some mornings and evenings when possible. He is an excellent cyclist and we rode our bicycles together for a good part of the week too.
We arrived in Sioux City in the afternoon on the 24th. It was sunny and a bit gusty. The group of 63 bicyclists and 7 crew members known as the CUBS settled in to about 5 yards on the north side of Sioux City. This is in the northwest corner of the state very near South Dakota. We left Lincolnwood, IL, at 5:30-6am after packing the truck, vans and touring bus in the dark and the rain.
Dave & I decided to check out PPG launch sites in the area with one of our hosts. I went up a hill from our host's home [a very nice guy named Chris who is a chiropractor]. We met a couple of very nice guys with larger properties, one of which was pretty appropriate for our needs. Unfortunately the one with the best property was the least enthusiastic about letting us use his land. He made noise about his wife may not approve. We heard of a field adjacent to a school on the road away from downtown and explored this. It was not too large and surrounded by tall trees and many homes. We opted to go out a little further from town. We took a country road to the west and found some higher ground near the top of a hill with a freshly mowed hay field and what appeared to be a wide right of way alongside the road. Dave was a little concerned about the wind conditions and the fact that it was still a bit early in the day. Sunset was about 9pm and we were getting ready to fly about 6pm. I took the first flight. It was a bit choppy but not too bad. Just after I launched we noticed a girl come out of the house closest to our launching area. She was followed by a man who was her father. She was enthusiatic about seeing us fly and wanted to see someone launch. Her father was a bit concerned and told Dave that we should have asked for permission to use his property. His daughter's enthusiasm overcame his reluctance so we stayed and talke to both of them for awhile. There was what seemed to be a very minor gust front that came through after I had been flying for about 20 minutes, so I landed. This is when we had what turned out to be a nice conversation with this man who was also a physician oncologist. We waited for awhile and then both of us took flight. It was a beautiful evening. We then went to dinner in town.
We were able to fly Sunday evening from a small municipal airport near Storm Lake. Then Monday evening I flew while Dave had shuttle driving duties for our group about 4 miles out of Algona. Tuesday morning the wind picked up and conditions were not good for flying. Tuesday night thunderstorms came through the Clear Lake area where we were staying and it was too windy Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to fly. Wednesday evening we spent the night near Charles City at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course. We flew Wednesday evening and Thursday morning from the driving range and had a great time. Thursday we had a long riding day and rain was threatening again. We stayed in a Ramada Inn in Waterloo. The weather wasn't good and we didn't have a convenient site to fly from. Friday morning we rode for about 40 miles in pouring rain. It finally let up later in the day and Weather Brief told us of calming winds but still a chance of rain developing throughout the area around Manchester where we were staying. We flew about 7pm and saw 2 other PPGs sw of us who came over to join us. The following morning, Saturday which was yesterday, one of those other pilots, Mike, came up from the Cedar Rapids to join us for an early morning flight before we had to ride 50 miles on the last day of our adventure. It was a nice flight. The air
was a little bumpy but not bad.
There will be photos eventually of our trip posted and I will provide links on this site.
My best to all of you always!
Dave
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Volunteer/travel opportunity for a great cause.
We had an interesting speaker this week at our Skokie Valley Rotary Club meeting. Patti Vile is a very interesting and caring lady. She has been organizing trips to New Orleans to help hurricane Katrina victims by bringing groups there. She organizes all of the logistics.
Please visit her web site at www.volunteerexpeditions.org for more information.
Please visit her web site at www.volunteerexpeditions.org for more information.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Had a nice bike ride this morning.
18 miles and saw 6 deer. 3 of them were skittish fawns near the Skokie Lagoons.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Busy, good weekend.
Patients were scheduled on Friday. We had a graduation party to attend for Minda's cousin's son. More patients were seen on Saturday. Saturday afternoon Guinness & I went to www.theultralightplace.com for a local "Fly-In" which was great. We camped out there Saturday night and then came home through very heavy traffic in downtown Chicago. A little shopping. Minda and I went to Mass. Came home and got organized a bit and then watched a movie.
It was good!
On a not so good note, my brother, Jim, told me of an infection in his left elbow. It is serious enough that he is in the hospital on IV antibiotics and may not be released until Wednesday.
A friend sent me the following link which is pretty cool:
http://www.woehr.de/en/projekte/budapest_m730/index.htm
Another good link from Stephanie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZBTyTWOZCM&feature=related
My best to you and yours always!
It was good!
On a not so good note, my brother, Jim, told me of an infection in his left elbow. It is serious enough that he is in the hospital on IV antibiotics and may not be released until Wednesday.
A friend sent me the following link which is pretty cool:
http://www.woehr.de/en/projekte/budapest_m730/index.htm
Another good link from Stephanie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZBTyTWOZCM&feature=related
My best to you and yours always!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Independence Day Weekend.
I hope that you had a nice Independence Day weekend too.
My weekend:
Friday night- stayed up with Minda and watched "Green Zone" w/ Matt Damon. It was good but not great.
Saturday morning- slept in later than usual, met up w/ Jerry, Brad, Adam, Dave Goodman, & ? on the bikes. Then and rode down to Navy Pier w/ Brad 47 miles total.
Saturday afternoon- paperwork for home & office, Mass w/ Minda, up to Bristol, WI, w/ Scott to fly PPG. We flew with 3 powered parachutes. The air was pretty rough early but calmed as the time got closer to sunset.
Sunday morning- dropped off dental equipment for repair near Dundee & Wheeling rode in Wheeling via bike for 34 miles total biking. Took some roads that weren't great for biking and even some sidewalks.
Sunday afternoon- Cubs game [lost 14-3]. Had a great time in spite of that with Mike [my former neighbor] and a couple of other great guys. Made it to the Cubby Bear bar and Murphy's too.
Monday morning- Rode w/ Mike and the Plaza del Lago riders to Waukegan w/ a stop at McDonald's for 57.25 miles total. It was a slower day for them but fast enough for me.
Back to the office on Tuesday. Looking forward to seeing the team at the office and taking care of my dental family.
My weekend:
Friday night- stayed up with Minda and watched "Green Zone" w/ Matt Damon. It was good but not great.
Saturday morning- slept in later than usual, met up w/ Jerry, Brad, Adam, Dave Goodman, & ? on the bikes. Then and rode down to Navy Pier w/ Brad 47 miles total.
Saturday afternoon- paperwork for home & office, Mass w/ Minda, up to Bristol, WI, w/ Scott to fly PPG. We flew with 3 powered parachutes. The air was pretty rough early but calmed as the time got closer to sunset.
Sunday morning- dropped off dental equipment for repair near Dundee & Wheeling rode in Wheeling via bike for 34 miles total biking. Took some roads that weren't great for biking and even some sidewalks.
Sunday afternoon- Cubs game [lost 14-3]. Had a great time in spite of that with Mike [my former neighbor] and a couple of other great guys. Made it to the Cubby Bear bar and Murphy's too.
Monday morning- Rode w/ Mike and the Plaza del Lago riders to Waukegan w/ a stop at McDonald's for 57.25 miles total. It was a slower day for them but fast enough for me.
Back to the office on Tuesday. Looking forward to seeing the team at the office and taking care of my dental family.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Beach Bash powered paragliding trip was great!
The trip was excellent. Scott Clark and I drove down to Panama City Beach, FL, with our flying gear. The trip was a wonderful way to spend more time with midwest local friends and get reacquainted with many friends from all over the country who haven't been seen for some time. Among those that are not so local were John Fetz, Chad Bastian, Don Jordan [somewhat local], Eric Dufour and his wife Elizabeth, Check DeSantis, ....
We had some excellent weather the first couple of days and most of us got a good bit of air time. The first day saw many of us getting in a good number of launches and landings too. The beach was crowded with many pilots in the launching and landing area. There were many sting rays in the water primarily in groups of 2 to as many as about 15. The beaches were crowded all of the days that we were there. We were all careful to stay clear of the beach goers. There was a competition scheduled but unfortunately the local authorities thought that it was not appropriate for their beach and the observers on hand. Some of us had problems and our Kankakee friend, Lance, was wonderful in helping many of us, including Scott & myself.
Lance Marczak was awesome with his motor expertise and extremely generous sharing of his skills by helping many pilots with minor and not so minor motor problems. He tuned and replaced parts in carburetors. He changed out a motor or two on different frames. He repaired stuck rings on a cylinder and buffed down a cylinder to get one motor running quite well that had a minor seizure.
The resort was very nice. The vendors were helpful and informative. The beach babes were very impressive. The camaraderie of all of the powered paragliding community was superb as always. The best reason to attend a fly-in is to spend time with the awesome members of this great community.
My photos turned out pretty well. Below is a link to them or you can click the title of this post to go to the Picasa link to view them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/100505PPGBeachBash#
Please let me know what you think of them at your convenience.
We had some excellent weather the first couple of days and most of us got a good bit of air time. The first day saw many of us getting in a good number of launches and landings too. The beach was crowded with many pilots in the launching and landing area. There were many sting rays in the water primarily in groups of 2 to as many as about 15. The beaches were crowded all of the days that we were there. We were all careful to stay clear of the beach goers. There was a competition scheduled but unfortunately the local authorities thought that it was not appropriate for their beach and the observers on hand. Some of us had problems and our Kankakee friend, Lance, was wonderful in helping many of us, including Scott & myself.
Lance Marczak was awesome with his motor expertise and extremely generous sharing of his skills by helping many pilots with minor and not so minor motor problems. He tuned and replaced parts in carburetors. He changed out a motor or two on different frames. He repaired stuck rings on a cylinder and buffed down a cylinder to get one motor running quite well that had a minor seizure.
The resort was very nice. The vendors were helpful and informative. The beach babes were very impressive. The camaraderie of all of the powered paragliding community was superb as always. The best reason to attend a fly-in is to spend time with the awesome members of this great community.
My photos turned out pretty well. Below is a link to them or you can click the title of this post to go to the Picasa link to view them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/100505PPGBeachBash#
Please let me know what you think of them at your convenience.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Losing weight without starving.
There is a new approach to losing weight by eating foods that control craving. Dr. Leslie Van Romer has done a lot of research into this subject. She has many years of experience. The only ones that won't like what she has found are the large corporate interests that have a vested interest in hooking you on their products!
Please visit www.gettingintoyourpants.com for more information.
This is common sense, non-hype information!
Please visit www.gettingintoyourpants.com for more information.
This is common sense, non-hype information!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
It has been a good spring season so far.
The weather has been pretty good. The family is doing pretty well.
Patrick & Suz are doing well in Denver and so is Jason. My sons are both doing well with their careers. Patrick's company is doing well and adding help. Jason just let us know that he is getting a raise. Suz is happy with her students. Their weather is quite variable in spring and today they are supposed to be getting wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Minda has been doing pretty well. She has been getting her exercise in over at Fitness First. She has been spending more time with her sister since our niece has become engaged and has relocated to Indiana.
I have been biking and flying lately thanks to the good weather. The biking and flying have both been pretty good. There are always spring days when the weather isn't good for either but lately there have been a good number of days when outside activities are very doable.
Sunday was the first Lifetime Fitness Cycling Club ride. The weather was to determine if there would be an indoor spinning class or an outdoor ride. There was a lot of rain showing on the radar but we rode outdoors in spite of this. We got out about 14 miles and it started to rain. We came back in the rain. One of my Speedplay X series spring cleats for my clipless pedals broke when it started to rain. It has since been replaced. It was a good ride anyway.
This winter & spring I have been able to fly at least once a month. Last night the forecast was good but the weather wasn't as good as we had hoped it would be. Four of us flew. There was some 'chop' in the air and the wind was coming and going. All of us did well.
Hopefully the weather will continue to be good until next winter. Last summer wasn't good for outdoor activities on too many of the weekends.
Patrick & Suz are doing well in Denver and so is Jason. My sons are both doing well with their careers. Patrick's company is doing well and adding help. Jason just let us know that he is getting a raise. Suz is happy with her students. Their weather is quite variable in spring and today they are supposed to be getting wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Minda has been doing pretty well. She has been getting her exercise in over at Fitness First. She has been spending more time with her sister since our niece has become engaged and has relocated to Indiana.
I have been biking and flying lately thanks to the good weather. The biking and flying have both been pretty good. There are always spring days when the weather isn't good for either but lately there have been a good number of days when outside activities are very doable.
Sunday was the first Lifetime Fitness Cycling Club ride. The weather was to determine if there would be an indoor spinning class or an outdoor ride. There was a lot of rain showing on the radar but we rode outdoors in spite of this. We got out about 14 miles and it started to rain. We came back in the rain. One of my Speedplay X series spring cleats for my clipless pedals broke when it started to rain. It has since been replaced. It was a good ride anyway.
This winter & spring I have been able to fly at least once a month. Last night the forecast was good but the weather wasn't as good as we had hoped it would be. Four of us flew. There was some 'chop' in the air and the wind was coming and going. All of us did well.
Hopefully the weather will continue to be good until next winter. Last summer wasn't good for outdoor activities on too many of the weekends.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Biking lately.
The weather has finally improved. I have been out for some shorter rides and it is great to be out in the fresh air again. Indoor spinning classes are good but not nearly as much fun as biking outdoors.
Not long ago, I spotted 6.5 deer on a ride. Then more recently 7 deer were spotted on the way home. On another ride that was mid-day 4 deer were counted. I purposely like to ride down Forestway north of home to view wildlife. It is also nice to ride the forest preserve trails. We see many rabbits and squirrels of course and an occasional raccoon.
The rides have all been 25 miles or less recently. January and February were bad for biking in the morning which is when I prefer to ride. The mornings were too wet and the temperatures were below or around freezing. The danger of ice or the dreaded, invisible "black ice" was too great to risk riding and falling. I have fallen 2 times on black ice and don't want to do that again.
Let's all hope that the weather this spring & summer will be great for outdoor activities.
Not long ago, I spotted 6.5 deer on a ride. Then more recently 7 deer were spotted on the way home. On another ride that was mid-day 4 deer were counted. I purposely like to ride down Forestway north of home to view wildlife. It is also nice to ride the forest preserve trails. We see many rabbits and squirrels of course and an occasional raccoon.
The rides have all been 25 miles or less recently. January and February were bad for biking in the morning which is when I prefer to ride. The mornings were too wet and the temperatures were below or around freezing. The danger of ice or the dreaded, invisible "black ice" was too great to risk riding and falling. I have fallen 2 times on black ice and don't want to do that again.
Let's all hope that the weather this spring & summer will be great for outdoor activities.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Tough winter for biking. Good winter for flying.
Just the other day, a patient mentioned to me that she was happy with the lack of windy days that we have had this winter. My immediate comment was that I had to agree. The primary factor that keeps powered paragliders grounded is wind. If it is blowing more than about 12mph on the ground, chances are that it wiil be blowing much harder a few hundred feet AGL [Above Ground Level]. There is a ground effect as a result of the 'friction' that trees, buildings, ... which slows the wind speed close to the ground. If the wind is blowing at higher speeds this generally means that trees, buildings, ... also have swirling air downwind from them which we call 'rotor'. In other words, low winds are best for us to fly powered paragliders.
This winter it hasn't been too cold but there has been a lot of moisture. The temperatures have tended to be below freezing overnight and above freezing during the day. This means that we can have ice or 'black ice' in the mornings on the roads. This is not good for bicycling. I rode my bike in the cold on New Year's Day and didn't ride again until last Saturday and Sunday. I have been keeping in shape by doing spinning classes pretty regularly at the local Lifetime Fitness clue that I belong to.
It is nice to have a taste of spring in the air. Let's all hope for a wonderful sping season.
This winter it hasn't been too cold but there has been a lot of moisture. The temperatures have tended to be below freezing overnight and above freezing during the day. This means that we can have ice or 'black ice' in the mornings on the roads. This is not good for bicycling. I rode my bike in the cold on New Year's Day and didn't ride again until last Saturday and Sunday. I have been keeping in shape by doing spinning classes pretty regularly at the local Lifetime Fitness clue that I belong to.
It is nice to have a taste of spring in the air. Let's all hope for a wonderful sping season.
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Year's Day bicycling in the cold.
I went for a 30+ mile bike ride on New Year Day. It was cold but good. My friend, Scott, gave me a cup of hot chocolate up in Lake Forest at his house. That was all that I needed.
The ride north was tough due to the wind being primarily out of the north. The temperature was ranging from 17 to 22 degrees fahrenheit. The ride home was a bit easier but the wind was dying because I didn't get home until just after sunset. Fortunately I have a tail light which is always attached to my bike and ready to be turned on. The ride home was easier but the temperature on my bike computer ranged from 9 to 17 degrees.
Please click the title above to go to my GPS track of this ride.
Happy New Year!
The ride north was tough due to the wind being primarily out of the north. The temperature was ranging from 17 to 22 degrees fahrenheit. The ride home was a bit easier but the wind was dying because I didn't get home until just after sunset. Fortunately I have a tail light which is always attached to my bike and ready to be turned on. The ride home was easier but the temperature on my bike computer ranged from 9 to 17 degrees.
Please click the title above to go to my GPS track of this ride.
Happy New Year!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)