Hump Day

It's only 10 pm but Kaylee and Steve are both off to bed.  She just got back from marching band practice that ended at 9 pm, and we just got back from dinner in Kempton with some pilot friends.  Actually, she just got back up to practice the piano.  She is now taking piano lessons, and her teacher expected her to practice 5 days this week (she just told me) and she hasn't practiced at all, and her lesson is tomorrow.  So she's up working on her pieces now.  She's still annoyingly fast on picking it up.  She's had one official lesson and she's doing chords and such.  She's playing the song "I'll Stand By You" right now, and it's totally recognizable and getting good.  It's better than some of the kids play at the rehearsal.  That's so annoying.  I should get the timer out and make her practice an hour a day like MY mom and dad did.  ;)  I can already tell she could be good at piano too.  Some kids are finger picking one note at a time and she's getting chords and rhythm down.  *sigh*

I only had one flight today, and it was one of those where you feel like you're banging your head into a wall the whole time.  Nothing went right.  He's behind the plane.  The aerobatic guys are out so we go to Marion, where two other guys break into the pattern awkwardly making us extend out.  He is 16 and a student pilot pre-solo and I have no push to talk switch so I have to tell him everything to say on the radio, too.  He's overwhelmed and not doing well at any of it.  I'm trying to be upbeat but face it, it was just not going well.  By the end of that lesson we both agreed we were tired and aggravated.

When I was done, I was rumpled and sweaty, but Steve and I decided to go to Kempton for dinner.  Ate too much as usual, and it was good as usual.  It's nice to get together with folks now and then.

We learned on figures that we gave 467 airplane rides at the BBQ Bash this weekend.  The last several years we've only gotten one nice day out of the weekend, and we've done well less than half those rides.  So far we're looking at $11,941.00, but I know of three checks we're still waiting on.  So we'll break $12,000 this year, which is close to a record.  :)  I'm so grateful for the beautiful weather, the planes that all flew in this year for the first time in awhile, and the good ground turn-out.  The expenses go up with it.  More food, more ice, more advertising, the big tent and bouncy houses, port-o-pots, hundreds of shirts, all of it adds up to a lot.  It's hard to break past that point.  But without the direct donations of some local businesses and friends, we'd not be making nearly as much as people think.  So I'm grateful for the good weather, and the people, friends, who make the whole weekend possible.

Lots of good pictures that Justin and Jon got.  I'll need to work on posting those.  Another day.  It's already 11:15 pm and I have a full day tomorrow...