Tricks and Treats

We got the news yesterday that the Indy Airshow, which was scheduled for June 2014, has been canceled not just for this year, but for good.  Maybe in a couple of years another group will step up and start it up again, but for now, it's done.  I've got some good memories of that show.  It was also like the second airshow I ever attended.  I was at Vincennes when my boyfriend took me to the Mt. Comfort Airshow, and I LOVED it.  I even won a cruise there, on a drawing they held, but you had to pay a certain amount of money too, and I couldn't afford it back then.  It's weird to me to think that back then, wandering around as a starry eyed 19-20 year old looking at the airplanes I wished I could fly, the Ramp Rats were probably some people I know today, as were some of the airshow pilots.  Many years later I have good memories of camping out there with friends and helping host a big steak dinner for the warbird folks, of having "Gunny" there, of flying in there in the T-6 with Kaylee and having a bunch of photographers waving at her, of flying in my first airshow there (as hey, the first female pilot to fly in their warbird show), and wondering if I'd be able to ignore a few tens of thousands of people when it came time to land, along with hoping I didn't do something stupid or lose sight of the plane I was supposed to be following up there.  That was my first airshow briefing, and that first one was a little overwhelming, because there was SO much info, and I thought I was supposed to know it all. All the different patterns and altitudes and lingo was all foreign to me. It was a great show to "cut your teeth" on; big enough to be the real deal, small enough to be friendly about it and let newbies in without any hassle.  Sitting under the Mustang wing and hanging out answering questions all day, listening to all the bombers and fighters firing up from under the T-6 wing during the show, causing a little trouble because we had too many people on the "hot" ramp.  Kaylee's been going there since she was pretty little.  It started changing and having a little trouble the last few years, but I'm still going to miss having it there.

Trick or treating was postponed until tonight, so Kaylee's friend A came over around 4:30 p.m., they got dressed up and ready to go, and then I left Steve behind to fend for himself as I left to go to the airport and fly to Missouri to pick up two MBros guys.  It was a windy, scuddy day down low, clear and sunny above 7000', so I enjoyed the nice flight in the clear.  When I got to Hannibal, right at sunset again, I buzzed the runway, and saw some deer off to the side.  They didn't seem that excited about me going by.  I landed fine, and then as I was taxiing to take off, I saw at least two, probably three clusters of deer right next to the runway grazing, two to three deer in each cluster.  That's nuts.  I ignored what I think was the third way down at the other end of the runway, as I'd better be off before I get there anyway, but I back-taxied down the runway instead of using the taxiway, and I aimed right at those deer with my landing lights on, and they barely moved until I got very close.  I chased them all off, finished my back-taxi, and hoped I could take off without any of them running into me.  It was fine, they stayed away, but man.  I need a deer horn thing like you can put on your car to chase them off.  We flew home in the dark, everybody napped (well, except me of course), and I was back home by 9-ish pm., in time to take Kaylee's friend back home.

So we were a little nervous about this trick or treat adventure.  We didn't know how many people would be out tonight since yesterday was Halloween and they had TorT hours yesterday too.  We didn't know if her friend was all that into doing it, which would kind of pee on her fun.  We just weren't sure if this was going to be fun or a cluster.  Steve was SUPER excited to be the one taking the girls out, too.  ;)  Fortunately, it worked out.  The friend came ready to "party", the public was out and about, the candy was plentiful, and the girls made the rounds with no trouble, and had a good time while doing it.  Afterwards they went to Steak-n-Shake and had dinner, then came home to hang out until I got home to take A back.  I'm glad, because this is probably one of the last years she'll be trick or treating, so I'm glad it was a fun one.

Well, that poor little fish is still alive somehow.  The last time I saw it, it had been lying on its side on the bottom of the tank every time I went in there, fins barely moving.  Today Kaylee said it was up swimming around at the top, but then would sink back down to the bottom of the tank (where it is currently residing again).  I kinda wish if it's going to die it would just get it over with, but I was glad it was swimming around today.

I've spent the evening printing out CAF stuff, organizing my logbook, printing off the quiz, trying to make sure I have what I need to be able to at least study a little bit, and it's already almost 1 a.m. and I'm not quite ready for bed yet, still have a few things to do.  I got some photos of Kaylee and her friend, and some of flying too, but that'll definitely have to wait...no, no it won't, at least not the important ones.  ;)  Here is Kaylee the Cat and her friend A the Gypsy.  :)