What Would Cinderella Do?

Family

Cinderella would join in building the wall.

Cinderella picks up a hammer.

First Duck Call

Opuses

After several unsuccessful tries, B completed his first duck call yesterday. I’m so thankful for the time he got to spend with his Grandpa learning to work the lathe, the band saw, and the drill press. The call works, and it is his own creation. Yes, I’m proud of this young man!

B Shows off His First Duck Call

Friday Lunch – You Never Know Whom You Will Meet

Adventures

Today GB and I zipped up to 68C for lunch and excitement. On days like this I note that the excitement of flying is really only about 50% made up of what you see from the air. The other 50% is the wild world of pilots inside the airport boundaries:

At 68C, we spotted JS, a pilot known by deed, if not name, to most Americans. We attempted to say “hi” but did not want to be rude, so we missed him.
We enjoyed all-you-can eat rolls, salad, beef stroganoff, apple sauce, cake, and ice cream for the bargain price of $8 each.
Back at KOSH, we followed in two Twin Commanders from New Zealand. We could tell by the accents and ZK numbers. We saw them at the gas pump and didn’t miss the chance to say “You’re not from around here, are you?!” and “Welcome to Oshkosh.” As it happens, they were ferrying these aircraft from New Zealand to Germany and stopped at Oshkosh for gas and a hotel room.

So you never know what you will see or whom you will meet when you go to lunch at the airport.

Central County Airport is home to Friday Lunch

Question: Why Do We Like Jackie Chan?

Adventures

Answer: Because he does not make it look easy!

Grandma’s Cookies? Not in Our School!

Observations

First, it is not a surprise to readers of this web log that I enjoy poking fun at the political correctness that results in things like the elimination of the word Christmas. As I was attending our local back to school open house, I observed the sign-up sheets for parental help at the following holiday parties: Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Holiday. It needs no comment.

There are four holiday parties.

Second, more than I enjoy poking fun at political correctness, I enjoy cookies, and there is a tradition that parents will bring cookies to the open house. I noted this, and C reminded me that parents were asked to bring store packaged cookies only. That is to say, leave Grandma’s cookies at home. Today, I learned that the same rule applies to the several holiday parties; bring your store-bought treats, but leave your home-baked goods at home. It seems someone is afraid that not everyone’s kitchen is as clean as his or the school’s or your local grocer’s.

But lo! A few parents brought homemade cookies anyway! This got me to working on an idea. Martin Luther King Jr., in Letter from Birmingham Jail, defends the Biblical idea that “one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” I would not elevate the fight for homemade cookies to the level of the fight for civil rights. The fight for Christmas may someday approach it. I am compelled, however, to note that the perpetual fight for liberty is at the core of all three, and that one cannot dismiss the cookie rules as the harmless regulation of a misguided do-gooder. With apologies to Dr. King, a thoughtful man might conclude that “one has a moral responsibility to scoff at stupid rules and wantonly disobey asinine suggestions…with a smile.”

Lost and Found

Observations

“They” say that the best way to find a lost item is to buy a new one. I lost a lens cover last weekend. I looked everywhere and couldn’t find it, so I stopped at my local big box and bought a new one — $7. In my mind, I predicted that when I got home I would find the old one, and what is more, I would not find it till after I had opened the package of the new one. After I got home I forgot about my prediction and then delayed opening the new package in hopes of finding the old one yet. Finally I opened it. I placed the new cover on the lens, and then picked up a mini tripod to place in the side pocket of my bag, and guess where I found the old lens cover. That’s right, in the side pocket. Within thirty seconds of opening the package, I found the old cover. Spooky…

I Want to Be a Patriarch Someday

Adventures, Photographs

Today, Grandpa H gave K an introductory lesson on a one hundred year old lathe. Is it possible that I could do something like this with my great-grandchildren someday?

Grandpa H gives K his first lathe lesson.

Grandpa and K get started on a ball peen hammer.

Barbecue Two Ways

Adventures

Last week, I had the pleasure of working near Kansas City, so naturally there was a sampling of some excellent barbecue, including Oklahoma Joe’s, recommended by CM and Olathens everywhere. The following Sunday, we had the pleasure of tasting the Waukau Chicken Barbecue. At Waukau, they dig a trench in the ground about 60 feet long and fill it with charcoal and then poultry. I think it draws half the county. The draw for me, however, is not the barbecue but the whole experience, because this is a slice of America that everyone should experience at least once per year.