Hope and Change

Sigh.
If it was your intent to destroy the economy of this nation, how would you do it?
After a stressful time doing "cleanup/fixup" stuff last week, we had planned on going back down to Destin this weekend to relax and recover. We decided yesterday afternoon to cancel the trip. Part of what motivated that decision was the idea of spending another 24 round-trip hours in a car.
But the biggest factor was the cost of fuel, considering we just spent $800+ driving a Box Van down last week.
Is the cost of fuel a major consideration  in  your planning these days?


A very wise classmate opened my eyes a couple years ago...
"To get an idea of what's happening in the economy, notice how many trucks are on the road."
And I have.
You should do the same.

Light My Fire

I think our family called them "Kitchen Matches". 
The box they were sold in even used that term, if I'm not mistaken.
I searched for them last week... no dice.
Are they still available?


Ferdy has a new grandbaby on the way.
Sara Jean and I sold our property in Destin, but the new owner is glad to have us reserve our old condo for the Winter months. (It's gonna feel weird, but enjoying it with no responsibilites will be something I can quickly get used to!)
The Kentucky Derby is just around the corner, followed shortly by another racing event, right?!!
Updated:
For those of you who made the Dastardly Destin Fishing Fiasco-
Sara Jean and I just had red beans and rice with andouille sausage, and grilled shrimp with garlic mashed potatoes at "Kenny D's"!
Eat your hearts out.

To Retire, or NOT!

"When you come to the fork in the road, take it." Yogi Berra

Well, I planned to retire. I really did.
But the closer I got to "out to pasture" date the less it seemed like a good idea.
I've talked with many of you about the subject and appreciate all the advice you've given. But I differ from many of you in that I LOVE MY JOB. If I could just continue doing the job, I'd continue doing it as long as I can pass a Flight Physical.
But staying qualified and current to be able to do the job means having to do lots of things that now seem like a waste of time... computer-driven training, OSHA training, etc.. On top of that you can add stuff I know has to be done-
Annual checkrides. Semi-annual refresher checks. Surprise drug checks.
And then there's the worst of it from my perspective-
Some of my managers care more about the bottom line than they care about our patients and the crews that are transporting them. Whatever happened to working as a TEAM?!!

I was approaching the date I had originally set to retire... 4 April, and it just didn't feel right. During my last few flights I had watched as I approached the city at night... lights of the city laid out before me for miles like a crystal carpet, and thought, "Wow. I will miss this flying LIKE CRAZY!"
And then my immediate boss called:
"I don't know how committed you are to this retirement date, but know that we appreciate your experience and know we cannot replace you. We're now ten pilots short and the guys at your base are gonna have to take up your slack for several months during Spring and Summer. Is there any chance you'd reconsider?"
I have to admit that just being asked was good for my ego. I also felt immediate relief of stress when I realized I really didn't want to retire right now.
"We've scheduled our stay in Destin starting the first day of November. I can stay until then, but we'll be headed South on 1 November, no matter what!"

So my retirement is delayed seven months. With my one-week-on, one-week-off schedule the first of November will be here soon enough.
Then, it's 12-ounce curl time, for sure.

To those of you who have asked after us, thank you.
We love you all.
We'll be fine.