Two Pilots & an LSW: Packing up

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Packing up

It’s Sunday morning. Yesterday afternoon, AE and the guys rolled up our fake grass carpet so they could get that put away while it was still dry. Someone had clipped their toenails and left them on the fake grass. Three or four thick toenail clippings right on the ground under our picnic tables where people eat. Why would you do that.

I started the fire around 8 pm to burn off as much wood as possible, and ran it until about 10:30, when I gave it back over to Brennan, for whom I wrote out an actual “Fire handling endorsement” on paper and put in his tent, as it was his first time learning how to build and manage a pit fire. ;)

We watched the night airshow from the campsite, with the fire going, and the music of it playing on an ipad and through a speaker nearby. Not as spectacular from afar in many regards, but you do get a better overview of some of the acts. Just not of the fireworks, fireball, and drones. But you also don’t have a huge walk and a herd of people. So… once there, once back at the site makes for a nice compromise.

Last night was leftover night, and we had all the food out. Whatever people didn’t eat was going to get tossed. I had chicken and corn and baked potato and cake and melon and was too full to do anything more.

Most of our people are gone. A lot of them packed up and headed out yesterday. The boys are breaking down camp now. I tried to help and so did Morgan, but they have a very specific way of doing things and we just got in the way. So I came in here instead to clean up the trailer, get my stuff ready, plan my flight back home, etc. Chuck and Allen made it back, Opie and his aunt Delores, etc.

Speaking of Delores, she’s like Annie before Dementia, add some spiciness. Never met a stranger, talks, funny, engaged, but also feisty. She told me that she talked to all the young people that were here, and they all said the same things, nothing but nice things about me and Steve, about how we’ve helped them, about how great it is to work with/for us, and she was really impressed with our group and with us and our mentorship. She also said Zak said that he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without us and that I was one of his biggest mentors. That’s nice because he ghosted us three years ago and I would have expected him to have negative things to say, as that was his M.O. years ago, towards others. But we did have quite the crew of kids here. Let’s see. Did I spell this out already? Probably. But Cameron, Spencer, Brennan, Ben, Morgan, Shelbe, Isaac…I feel like I’m missing someone. Zak doesn’t really count as he’s like 32 now and not really one of ours any more. But I thought it was sweet of Delores to talk to all of them and ask them questions and find out about their lives. She’s a super neat lady and I can only hope to have her energy at 88. It took like 5 people to keep up with her and keep her occupied this week!

I’ll probably post at the end of this when I get home. Just a “close out the chapter” kind of thing. For now, it’s wait and see when we leave and get brunch. ;)

And I'm home. Morgan and I took off in the Aerostar after Greg O, AE and Steve dropped us off at the airport after we all had brunch. Most things are packed up today, and they just stay until tomorrow to ride the trams, have a cigar alone, finish picking up the stuff, get trailers ready for delivery, and slowly drive home.

I've done two loads of laundry and put it all away, done all my photos, caught up on my emails from the last week, including taking care of everything in there, paid bills, and gotten everything ready for tomorrow's 3 legs of flights. Dropping two families off at Mackinac Island, MI.

Oh, and I burnt the shit out of my feet and lower legs, so when I got home, I put some aloe stuff on them. They hurt like a mother, hurt to bend, hurt to touch, hurt to take a shower with, hurt to walk, just hurt. I really, really burnt them. Whoops.

Photo dump is next. Fair warning. The last two photos are of my feet/legs. They're ugly on multiple levels. If you don't like feet, or gross feet, don't go all the way to the bottom.