Feeling Old But Proud

Well Mike has made his way west. It didn't happen when Jen left but I really feel old today. I've been thinking about things like I wish we had gone on more vacations, done more golfing etc. One minute I'm regretting lost chances but then I think that we at least helped him realize his dream. I have to be proud of him and even envy him. He has the best in front of him, will be getting paid to do something he loves in a place that has much to offer. Don't look back Mike, we'll always be here and love you, but your future is there. Besides I always wanted to retire close to some mountains.

Round 2 Predictions

Well I was 5 for 8 in first round predictions so let's see how we do in round 2.
Red Wings vs. San Jose - San Jose in 6, if the Sharks can get under Hasek's skin he will fold.
Ducks vs. Canucks - Canucks get the best goalie and then forget how to score, Ducks in 5
Sabres vs. Rangers - Sabres in 6, the Rangers can't skate with this bunch.
Senators vs. Devils - The Sens should carry the Maple Leaf to round 3 but it will probably take 7 games.

Vegas Here We Come

The winds when I took off at Stove Pipe Wells were gusting to 50 mph but I never really had any trouble until it was time to land. After getting close the the North Vegas airport I circled the downtown and planned a landing on runway 25 but the wind just kept pushing me sideways and I couldn't get the Beav' down on the short runway. I made two more attempts on 12L but no luck. So I decided to head over to Nellis Airforce base and made a fast, shallow approach to the 10,000 foot runway and had no problem getting in smoothly. Lesson learned, you can't float in with flaps down with a crosswind. Now off to the casinos.

Quick Navigation of Drop Down Lists

This is just something I've picked up using the online catalogs at work. If you are using a site or any software that has long dropdown lists you can hit the first letter of the word or item you want and you'll normally be taken to the first word beginning with that letter in the list, but then you still have to go down to the item you want if not first in the list. I've found hitting the letter after the one you want will normally give you a view of all the words or selections you actually want.

Sightseeing in the Bristol

Three of the best freeware publishers come together for this shot. Holger Sandman designs addon scenery for FSX, in this case the Bella Coola area of BC. Robert Bruce has created a super detailed WW I vintage airplane, the Bristol and David Rochs has added animated birds, killer whales and other goodies to Holger's work. I even managed to land the 'Biff' which is no easy task as you can't see over the nose and have to lean over the side of the cockpit.

Another Google Gem

If you don't have a Google account yet what are you waiting for? They just added 'Web History' which is your own page of links or images or searches that you have surfed over, you don't need to bookmark anything, it is all saved for you. They also just announced they will be adding to their online software this summer. A presentation program to rival MS Power Point.

Finally Back in the Air

It has been a long 10 days between flights. But the NHL is put to bed for another season, bills are all paid and it was just time to get going again. I left Bishop CA (KBIH) early in the morning and the wind was gusty in the Owens Valley. Because of a late start I only made Death Valley National Park and landed smoothly at LO9, Stove Pipe Wells CA. This flight required climbing from 4120' in Bishop to about 10,000' to clear the valley and then a quick drop to 25' in Death Valley. I should make Vegas next time up, maybe even tomorrow.

NHL Scheduler on Something

Is there a new drug being passed around the NHL's head office? How can players be expected to play on consecutive nights when sudden death overtime is a very real possibility. Let say that after game 1 of Vancouver vs. Dallas they had to play any time the next day. The game went seven (7) periods. What kind of game would our coddled American fans see then. Come on guys this is not what the real fan wants to see. You are not going to see droves of new viewers tuning in whether it be Saturday afternoon, Sunday or a week from next July. Hockey fans don't want to see two dead tired teams put in an appearance, they want a skilled, gritty, hard fought game and there is no way that will happen with a back to back schedule.

Banquet Blues

Except for being a few seats short and missing some first goals and a shutout the evening came off pretty well. To bad Sandy wasn't there for the Hall of Fame presentation. People were rather rude as they kept talking and I had to stop to get anywhere near quiet. I hope some of the message about bingos and needing more exec help got through. Three parents have come forward so far and hopefully a few more will take the plunge. The standing o was nice but as someone in the line for the buffet asked, would I prefer that or 5 people to come forward. I'd take the 5 people any time but maybe I can get both? Now it's on to baseball and maybe I can even get our taxes done! And I'm tired of Bishop CA, got to get up and out of there, Vegas awaits!

LMHA Meeting Fun

Well it cost $1300 to make a point but I think it might have gotten through, all of the members are equal whether big or small. Westfort can't be too happy having to pay their share of the legal bill to fight Westfort's legal action. The AGM will be very interesting, I'm going to spruce up and submit my point system for determining the bubble teams. I came up with the loser is it scheme that JK presented a long time ago but I think the AA benches are shortened enough and this will only reward a coach for doing it. The point system will be tough to administer but the pressure would then be on the presidents to keep their coaches and in turn their players and parents in line. We've come too far to let it slip away now.

Lake Tahoe CA to Bishop CA

After 4 days without a flight I was anxious to get up again. I left Lake Tahoe CA and headed for the promised land, Vegas. Weather predicted 20 mph gusts and I noticed nothing until over a valley when the whole Beaver started dancing in the air. Everything checked out so I gained some altitude and swung to the south and flew out of it. I was past the valley where bishop is located but decided to circle back and enter the valley from the friendly end and put down. This leaves me about half way to Las Vegas and a tour of the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and eventually the Grand Canyon. I'm just north of Kings Canyon Nat'l Park and will pass over Death Valley next time out.

Mink Mountain

A restful 3 days in BlueJay Haven. We got upgraded to the 3 bedroom/hot tub spot when the water heater let go in Chickadee Perch. I was up at 5am every morning to watch the moon travel across the 4 south facing windows followed by sunrise. Everyday but Saturday when I couldn't even see the lake for the fog/snow. Brandyn had fun hunting for eggs, shovelling the deck, playing Ginko backgammon and tracking the fox that passed through. The hot tub was invigorating especially with the snow falling. It was great to have all the kids together to enjoy another of their mother's enormous meals, which we'll be enjoying for a few days yet.

NHL Playoff Predictions, Round 1

West
Calgary- Detroit, Flames were my early season pick so I'll take them to upset the Wings.
Anaheim - Minnesota, Ducks will ride Selanne through this round
Vancouver - Dallas, Canucks as long as Luongo is between the pipes
Nashville - San Jose, Preds will take it if Forsberg is in the lineup

East
Buffalo - NYIslanders, Isles played their Stanley cup in the last reg season game, Sabres in 4
New Jersey - Tampa Bay, Lightning have too much offence for the Devils to handle.
Atlanta - NYRangers, Jagr will get a booboo and Thrashers will make the 2nd round.
Ottawa - Pittsburgh, Sens will get someone on the Kids nerves and let experience take over.

Yosemite Valley and Beyond

I finally got the time to leave Mariposa and head for Yosemite. I got there a bit early so I circled around behind Half Dome and then came back west over the valley breaking about 5 FAA rules. Minimum altitude over the park is 2000' over the highest point within a few miles. I tried out the new 'My Maps' feature on Google Maps to show the main points and flight path.
My Maps Yosemite

The New Throne

After a few days of dealing with water dripping from the old unit and not enough time to fix it we
managed to get to the Home Depot and pickup a new throne. The Kohler Santa Rosa one piece unit is a dream as compared to the 20+ year old unit it replaced. About an hour fighting with the old bolts but everything else was smooth, no leaks (XXXXX as he crosses his fingers and toes).

Disappointment

The AGM went as feared, 6 coaches, Cindy and myself. It turned out to be more of a coaches meeting than an AGM. The Atom Knights coaches want to see the 'all stars' put together earlier and picked by tryout. To devote more time and $ to the selected few is not what we're about. I'll admit that getting the first tournament win back in AJ's day was a goal, not just for him but for the league, we needed to get put on the map. They did that and more. We lose too many kids to AA now to be competitive with teams that are together all season. Tryouts are not going to happen for 8 and 9 year olds. coaches just won't take responsibility for the kids that are cut.
Some coaches complained about the 'rec' attitude of the parents. Our parents may not be perfect in the coaches eyes but they are calm and positive, maybe to a fault. More devoted parents are also more interested in winning not whether the kids are having fun or loving the game.
One more shot at getting help at the banquet and then maybe just face the facts and get used to it, people do not want to get involved in running the league.