Day of Many Colors

This is how I started my day. Not bad, huh? It did start a little early, but it was Kaylee's first day of swim lessons, Level Four. She had fun and did well with the maneuvers they had her do today.

From swim lessons I took her shopping. She is need of several things for her upcoming camp experience. One thing she needs is her own luggage, or at least one suitcase or bag that isn't a Princess bag (or MY bag). So I looked at those while we were at the store, only to find a price tag of $179 for the smaller bag. Yeah, looking elsewhere and mooooving on. The hard part for me is being faced with a wall of clothing choices, all separate stuff, and you try to find the right shirt to go with the right pants in the right size and the right style. While we were in the changing area, a mom came in with her two daughters, both older than Kaylee. The one daughter, about 12, was whining non-stop, and the mom just started yelling at her over strange things like not liking how she had her hair and insisting she wear a scrunchy. About five minutes of non-stop unpleasantness and Kaylee opened the door to her changing room, leaned out and looked at me, and whispered "SERIOUSLY??" with this look on her face that, well, reminded me of me. I started laughing, couldn't help it, and she whispered "I am SO glad you don't talk to me like that." We got out of there as fast as we could, in the middle of the girl saying "I like them BOTH" and her mom saying "You can't HAVE both" for the 3rd time each. Whew, shopping is tough! That was harder work than what came next.

I had over 2.5 hours in the Cub this afternoon, and we went up and did all the usual tailwheel stuff. 3-point and wheel landings on grass, then over to Kokomo to do them on concrete, along with some crosswind from both the left and right, too. I looked around at some of the little grass strips, but the winds weren't right to do a couple of them and the ground was wet on a couple others, so I left them for another day. We left the doors wide open and after the workout in the pattern we did some flying around at 500' or so and enjoyed for a few minutes. Tailwheel endorsement isn't much about flying the plane, it's all about the ground. Taxi, takeoff roll and landing roll. So once in awhile it's nice to relax and get out and just fly, too. I've said it before and I'll say it again though, the front seat of that Cub is the most uncomfortable airplane seat I have ever been in. Ever. No leg room, I can use the rudders or the brakes but not both, can't get full aileron travel and use a rudder or a brake at the same time, can only hold your feet in a very limited couple of positions, all your weight is on your tailbone because of how you have to sit, and whomever is flying has their feet rubbing around on your thighs/butt the entire time. It's nice enough for the fellow in the back seat, with enough room, but to instruct in, well, it sort of stinks. It's a trick watching Ty fold up into that front seat at 6'4" or so. For me, it's not height, it's width. ;) (And long enough legs to have to fold up a little too.)

I landed just in time to run home and change out of my sweaty clothes and try to clean up enough to be respectable for a school board meeting that lasted until 8 p.m.

That was a couple of different hats to wear for one day. :)