Monday, October 12, 2009

The Weekend and Air Show

I’m loving the cool temps here in OK. While Jesse went off to an air show at Sheppard Air Force Base (more on that below), Toby and I did some work around the Lazy B. I switched out the summer clothes for the winter clothes, which were needed. I know we will still have some warm days – this Oklahoma and the weather does change often – so I kept out the favorite T-shirts. Toby worked out in the barn – mostly on the tractor, which waited until it was out in the cold before it died and would not start back up. Toby said that we might have to drag it back into the barn so he can work on it. Yep, the dread of such a task hit me like it always does, but I said, "Sure thang, honey." This task requires a cleaning out of the barn so that I can drive through the barn in the truck pulling his tractor. He will be in the tractor, while I’m in the truck. He will use hand signals that are confusing to women (other than the one that says "you did it wrong") and I will have that dumb blonde look on my face. You would think after 32 years of marriage that I would know his signals, and maybe I am better than I was earlier in our marriage. Still, I dread the task. Sometimes it is not the missed signals; it is his lack of signals – times when I am suppose to be able to read his mind. You would think that after 32 years of marriage I could read his mind. And maybe I am better at reading his mind. After 32 years of marriage, he does know that if I am in the truck and he is in the dead tractor, I am the one in power. He also knows that my help (as poor as it is) is better (and cheaper) than anyone else’s help. I’m still praying that miraculously the tractor will start, and he can drive it back into the barn.

Saturday evening we went to Painted Lady, Glenna’s house, for supper. Although it was cool, we spent a large part of the evening out on her patio overlooking Waurika Lake. Her husband had a fire going in the chim-whatever pot. It was very nice. We ate steaks and stuffed-onions cooked on the grill. I took a pear pie and a peach pie for dessert. All was good. It was fun getting together with our men-folk along. Glenna’s house is just so beautiful, and she is a great hostess.

In the meantime, Jesse and her friends went to the air show. As good a time as we had at Glenna’s, I was jealous that Jesse got to go to the air show. The F-15E Strike Eagle, which was featured at the show, was probably her favorite plane. The Canadian Snowbirds did a demo and showed off their planes. She said that it was a very good time at Sheppard.

Her friend, Jan (Yon) who is from the Netherlands via Canada, enjoyed the planes, too. He visited with the Canadian Snowbirds. When Jesse offered to take his photo with one of the Canadian pilots and planes, Jan declined, but said that he would take a pic of Jesse and the Canadian pilot. The Canadian was more than willing to have his photograph made with Jesse. In fact, he pulled his camera out so that he could get a photo of her – "to show the boys back home what they missed." Then he put his arm around her pulling her in for the photo. Jesse said that he was fun, but was not impressed and said that he was a big goof. She had the thought, "If this guy is a pilot, I could have been a pilot." Jesse and her friend, Emily, did meet a "handsome" pilot from NY who is stationed at Sheppard. Although he visited with the girls, he did not seem impressed, but talked about how he did not like being in Texas – yadda, yadda - at Sheppard – yadda, yadda. I can see Jesse’s eyebrow raised while she visited with this young man – wanting to say to him, "Only boring people get bored." Instead, she just moved on, proving once again that you don’t have to be all that smart to be a pilot or that Canadian pilots are smarter than American pilots.

12 comments:

Buck said...

The Canadian Snowbirds did a demo and showed off their planes.

Years ago I won $25.00 from the National Lampoon for submitting a photo of the Snowbirds "performing" in long underwear and toques at a USAF officers club. The photo showed six of them dancing in a circle with their arms extended to form an ersatz "formation." I found the photo in an Air Force publication and it was pretty funny, indeed. All that said, they do put on a great show... except for the fact they fly small trainers. Bigger is better when it comes to airplanes and airshows.

I'm sure Jesse would have made a helluva pilot... she's athletic and has the right attitude.

re: reading Toby's mind. Ain't it usually the OTHER way 'round? I thought it was us males who were responsible for reding YOUR minds... :p

Bag Blog said...

Buck,
Women will talk something to death. We give orders, point to, draw a picture or anything we have to do to get our idea across. But men don't talk much when they are working - it must be that inability to multi-task.

Mike said...

The SNOWBIRDS were at Sheppard?!? Just a couple of weeks after I left?!?

@*#$&#*$!!!!!!!

I've only seen them perform once, but damn...gotta disagree with Buck on this one. Bigger can be better, but the Blues and T-Birds are primarily about noise and speed, with precision a distant second. Flying the Tudors allows them to get in real precise, made only more impressive with the increase in aircraft (9 v 6). Hopefully they'll come through Elmendorf, because I'd kill to see them perform again.

Beagles are pretty sweet aircraft...wish they still had them up here.

"proving once again that you don’t have to be all that smart to be a pilot or that Canadian pilots are smarter than American pilots. "

...and also, that all pilots are borderline retarded, at best. :-p Seriously, that guy from NY sounds like The Fighter Pilot (tm) stereotype that gives all the zipper suited sun gods a bad name...which they wholeheartedly deserve. Little bit of background that might shed some light onto why Mr. NY was being a d-bag...all of the pilots at Sheppard are in a program called ENJJPT (Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training), either as students or instructors. The program is for the best pilots among several NATO countries. That means that both the students and instructors are the cream of the crop...and I imagine that some of them are of the personality that they never really needed to be told how special they are. Mr. NY kinda sounds like one of those.

Bag Blog said...

Mike, the Euro-NATO training always made for some great soccer games back in my day. But I never met any of the pilots personally. I did have a friend marry one, but she was the snob compared to him.

Jesse Baggett said...

Well, I was going to thank Buck for paying me such a nice compliment "helluva pilot", but after what Mike said...

Buck said...

Jess: It's STILL a compliment. Mike is right in that most fighter pilots are too full of themselves... but not ALL.

And Mike: I'll stick with my opinion that "bigger is better" when it comes to airframes and airshows. Coz I remember the 'Birds in T-38s. And I've seen the Red Arrows, too. Same diff. :p

Mike said...

Haha, yeah...I'm just being stereotypical. The asshole to decent guy ratio among bag wearers (flightsuit = bag) isn't really as bad as I make it out to sound (although stereotypes do exist for a reason). I've run into a few of those (think the worst was one who just couldn't believe that anyone would go the officer route in the AF and NOT try to fly...guess he figured us unrated peons were all wash outs or something) but the majority I've encountered are decent people.

I think my problem with the demo teams is that they both fly lightweight fighters...they're too in between. If they were flying some huge honking pig of a jet (the F-4 or F-105 comes to mind) nothing but hot nasty speed would be okay...but since they aren't, I'd prefer to go to the other extreme.

Mike said...

Oh, should add that the example above wasn't so much a pilot as a student pilot select...he hadn't gone to IFS yet, much less UPT.

Buck said...

heh. I've seen the 'Birds in F-4s (several times) but I missed 'em in the "short" season they flew 105s (yeah: I'm OLD!) and the airframe DOES make a diff. QED, and all that. :D

Buck said...

PS: Sorry for the thread-jack, Lou! :D

But I figger it's all about "education." LOL!

Bag Blog said...

I know I speak English, but sometimes I feel like I don't.

Jo Castillo said...

Great post, I have been missing you and your writing! And because you have nothing much to do, I'm awarding you the Kreativ Blogger Award, you can pop over to my blog and pick it up. :)