Two Pilots & an LSW: Warmth

Tuesday, June 02, 2020

Warmth

So, 89 degrees today, and muggy, but I like the sunshine and I like having a trip. I left this morning around 8 am, there were three of them going down to a meeting in Madisonville, Kentucky. Other than being hotter than blue blazes (so to speak), it was a really pretty day, and a super easy flight of just over one hour.

A woman came over to park me. When I mentioned that I'd need the mains topped off, she let me know it was self-serve only for 100LL, they just had a Jet A truck. So after the guys left, I taxied the plane over to the self-serve pumps, and she came out to help. Just by her demeanor, I could tell, but I asked, "are you a pilot?" She is a private pilot working on her instrument rating, but the more interesting things are 1) she's the airport manager, and 2) she flies her Dad's Cub, something that's been in the family for generations. I thought that was awesome, I lit up and told her how much I enjoyed tailwheel flying too.

I took the courtesy car, a gold colored Crown Vic, and went into town to a greasy spoon diner, and got butter pecan pancakes, eggs and bacon. YUM. My bill was just under $10, and as I said, the few times we've been eating out, we over-tip, to make up for the fact that they can't even have full tables right now, and they aren't getting unemployment because they're working, and they're not working enough to make what they used to nor what unemployment covers. I had several waiters and waitresses tell us that after we double-tipped them in the past. So in this case I left her a $5 tip on a $10 bill, because she was working really hard in there, on half the tables, at a place where your typical bill is $7 and people would leave a buck if you're lucky. (I got the expensive breakfast.) When she saw it, she said thank you, and her voice wobbled and she got teary, and that just made me feel bad, that a $5 bill would...I don't know, mean anything.

When I got back, I went for a walk around the airport, to exercise some of those pancakes off, and to just enjoy the view a little. Then it got too hot and I started sweating so I gave up and went inside. I was hanging out in the pilot room when I heard a guy come in and start spouting about politics, loudly. The airport manager lady was handling him nicely and kindly. I came out, and then she and I ended up talking until my guys came back and it was time for me to head out. She has SO much in common with Kaylee. She grew up around Cubs and grass strips and airports, and her dad was locally well known for being a good pilot, and she felt a little weird about taking lessons, thought everyone would expect her to be perfect, she hated being watched by everyone, and took 13 years to get her license...waited until years later when she wasn't busy being social with friends and was mature enough to not worry so much about other people. I hope Kaylee comes back to it too before it's too late. :) She just friended me on Facebook so I hid my last status from her, hopefully before she saw it, since I make fun of the car. It's all in good fun, but I wouldn't want to insult her for real. I am always grateful to have a way to get food and I always get a kick out of courtesy cars in a benign way, not a mean one. :)

Kaylee, Steve and I met at Ivy Tech to vote in the Indiana Primaries today. It was her first time officially voting. The lady at the voting place said "Are you a first time voter?" and when Kaylee said yes, the lady got super excited, and said congratulations, and told other people in there who all said how great it was. They said she was their 2nd first time voter of the day and they loved it.

I stopped at DQ on the way home, Steve wanted some chicken strips, and I wanted a mini blizzard because it was hot out there. I was in line and at DQ for almost 20 minutes. I texted Steve "They had to go catch your chickens, because I'm still waiting for them to bring it out to me." But then when I got the chicken, it wasn't even that hot. So I'm like...you guys had to go fry this up but it's not hot now? What's the deal?" Fortunately I only had one thing of ice cream. If anyone else had wanted a blizzard, it would have melted way before I got it home. I just ate my mini blizzard before my food even got out there, and even it was melting as I was eating it, in an air conditioned car. Hot out there.