Girl Stuff

Steve and I ran my Explorer out to the mechanic this morning, as the "Check Engine" light is on.  It just has something to do with the fuel system, not a big deal, but still, it shouldn't be on just in case something bigger happens that WOULD turn it on that would matter, that we wouldn't then know about in time.  So...it's in the shop.  We currently have three cars, so that helps.

I then had a Discovery Flight.  It was actually more just a ride, a married couple for his 79th birthday.  Their daughter bought them a plane ride to have a fun experience.  She said "What do you buy someone for their 79th birthday?  An experience they haven't had before!"  We actually had a good time, too.  The air was perfectly still, and we circled around where they worked and where they lived.  I let him fly for awhile, and he thought that was great.  She took a lot of pictures, and I took a photo of the two of them together.  Their daughter, grandkids and great-grandkids were there to watch them do it, and they had fun.  It was a good morning.

From there Steve and I ran up to the Dutch Cafe, and had a huge brunch.  It used to be Amish/Mennonite run, but was sold, and has definitely turned more into a typical buffet.  It was still very good, and still very much.  As we were getting ready to leave, our waitress told us that another table had paid for our meal as a pay it forward kind of thing.  So that was sweet!

Back home, it was time to get stuff done you get behind on when you run non-stop.  Paying bills.  Doing laundry.  I wrote out the last six receipts from the BBQ Bash.  Cleaned up my paperwork.  Sent out receipts for MBros.  Responded on emails.  Did dishes.  Updated my scheduling.  Ordered a few things we needed.  Etc.  Smaller stuff that all in all takes all day.

I had someone Facebook Private message me today with this.  I thought it was kind of neat, and I have to say, I guess there is something to that girl thing.  Sometimes it takes seeing one to know you can do it.  It doesn't stop anyone if they want to do something, it didn't stop me, but sometimes people don't think they can do something until they see someone like them doing something they didn't know they could do.  The young lady from the message below is working on her CFI now.

I also got a message from the guy who was here with his T-6 that I was helping do the CFI maneuvers.  At one point he had me taxi his plane to park it while he directed me from the ground.  The tiedowns were tight on spacing for that wingspan.  He is notorious online for being very aggressive about things like what I posted above--making women "special" or making a big deal about "first women to..." type things.   Anyway, so this was the message he sent:

Also, did I mention you taxiing the plane? I meant to if I didn't. It's funny. Through the years, I have only trusted a handful of people with any plane of mine. When I had the ride business with the Stearman the only person I could find who I could trust with it was Tracy - one of the best pilots I ever knew, and also a woman. I turned Ginger loose in the Gullwing after one flight. She flew it so well I was quite honestly amazed. And, when you went to move the plane the other night it hit me you were the third woman, of maybe five people total, I've ever asked to sit in or placed in the seat with zero hesitation. Statistically that is way off the charts. Probably due to the matching of skill to great attitudes. Thanks for your help.

He is a hard man to please, and I do feel good about having done so and being trusted purely as a pilot.  I still shake my head at some stuff he posts now and then, but I understand him a little better after having been around him in person for several days.  This is in part why the internet has had a part in deconstructing relationships and people.  You read something someone writes, without a sense of them as a person, and you get an incomplete picture at best.   He and I have lightly butted heads a couple times online.  At this point after spending several days together, we both have more respect for each other.  It's kind of nice, actually.

And get this.  I opened some mail today that had been sitting on my desk for awhile.  In it was a note from a CAF guy that I flew with at Oshkosh.  I took half my day to get to Fon du Lac, fly in the MN wing T-6 with him, so that he could give rides for them, and I didn't take any money for it.  Well, he sent me a note thanking me for taking time away from my vacation to do that, and said "Please accept this donation to your organization on behalf of my mom who recently passed."  I open the check, and it's for $3,000.00.  I said "Whoa!" out loud.  Steve says "What?"  I hand him the note then the check, and he says "Whoa!"  That's amazing.  That's a lot of money!! I'm a little stunned by that, honestly.  That is an amazing amount of generosity...