Okay...

Well, this is the last night I'll be posting from home.  I'm packed, other than what I need for the morning, I've taken my melatonin, and I'm hoping I get some sleep sometime within the next 10 days, when this is in the past.  lol  I'm part nervous and part excited. At first I was just nervous. Now I'm both.  The things that make me nervous aren't all probably what a person would expect.  1) I'm rusty at formation so I won't go in there already smooth and on game.  But I know they're doing training, so I won't be the newest person there and I won't be the rustiest person there either, pretty sure.  So...I'll just do my best and knock the rust off and it shouldn't be too bad.  2) The socialization.  This is harder for me than the flying.  I do know a couple people which helps, but I can't attach to them and hang on like a sticky bugger (you're welcome Mom).  There are 53 people going, and I know four of them, three of them well, one of them is the wife of a pilot, and one of them is the guy who got offended and unfriended me on Facebook when I didn't recognize him at the TBM Gathering.  So...that's fun.  We're going to have a dinner, and hang out times, and I'm feeling awkward and uncomfortable just thinking about it.  3) What I don't know.  Last time we called ahead and asked what we needed to do for me to fly at Oshkosh, they told me, I did it, and rules nobody thought to mention stopped it along with their lack of willingness to fly with someone they didn't know.  So after all this time and money and effort, what am I going to run into that is going to cause me a problem that I don't know about yet? Nothing I can do about that one but wait and see what happens, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about it a little.

Ann is doing well down in Tennessee, enjoying the time with the family.  Steve and I have some sort of alarms that go off in our heads multiple times a day still telling us we should be going over to take care of her, only to realize we don't have to after all.  Kaylee is home for now, out tonight with a friend at a bonfire.  She's probably leaving tomorrow too, because she has to be back Friday and it's a 5 hour drive for her.  I of course am leaving tomorrow, probably after lunch.  Steve will have the day to himself to finish getting ready before he heads out with Nathan in the car, Friday, and everyone will be there and established at camp for days before I get there.

I flew BOB today, packed it with me, Steve, Spencer, Cameron, Isabel and Morgan.  I didn't do anything fancy, just flew around.  I did fly over Glenndale, but I kept it high and calm.  Cameron said "Are you landing at Glenndale??" kind of concerned sounding. I said no, and that I was staying high, just going by up at pattern altitude.  If anyone has the right to be concerned about it, it's Cameron, and I wouldn't put him in that position without any prep.  He probably needs to fly back into Glenndale at some point, but not in the back of an airplane as a surprise, considering the last time he landed at Glenndale in the back of an airplane was...traumatic.  So we flew around, and I hoped people weren't too bored back there, but they didn't seem to be.  It was a checkout flight on a few things, that ended up looking good.  And it was good for me to take it up and fly it around, too.  I can always use the practice.  I bobbled the landing a little bit, but not too bad.  

I re-read through the formation manual, to refamiliarize myself and get my mind back in the game. Most of it seems pretty familiar, and I'm going to attend the ground school on Thursday too. It's mandatory for trainees, which I'm technically not, because I already have a formation card, but I'm going to go anyway. The refresher won't hurt, plus it'll give them one less reason to have a problem.  

I think I have most everything.  Except more than one flightsuit.  It's going to be hot and muggy, and I'll be forced to wear that all day every day at DBQ, and any time I'm flying up at OSH.  It'll probably walk on its own by the time I'm done.

Well, I think I've gotten done everything I can for today.  I need to update my logbook with BOB's flight, and then...try to get some sleep.  I'm not bringing my laptop, but my iPad keyboard is pretty good, so when I can update, I'll try.  Wish me luck.  Send a prayer or two.  Cross your fingers. Whatever you do that you think works.  I'll take it. ;)a

These are from a guy who took a ride in the T6.  There was no horizon that day, the quality of the air and thus the video is pretty low, but hey...

And this is the one that won't be published anywhere public.  ;)