Then Comes July...Why Aren't they Mousing?

This is the last day of June. It is closing in on regular 100 degree temperatures soon...we have already been there. Glad to finally have some half decent A/C this year. What a difference! If one were to study the great achievements in the history of mankind, it has been said that the invention of air conditioning may well have had the most influentional effect on the economy ever seen. No, I don't mean electric bills...I am talking about office space in the desert. I am talking about meat packing plants in the inner city. I am talking about hospitals. On it goes...I know there have been great publications about this subject, but one would have to Google them, I have no links at this time. One related subject alone: Hoover Dam. Arizona would not be the same without it.

Anyway...

...a picture of the Sr-71 Blackbird in flight at Edwards AFB, CA, around 1997 or so. Notice the P-51 Mustangs at lower right. The Mustangs flew in a formation (there were more than two), with Chuck Yeager flying one of them. He flew those planes many years ago in combat. Yeager also opened the air show with a sonic boom (breaking the sound barrier) while flying an F-15. He has done that opening for years, but no longer does it anymore (he is in his 80's now). He is of course famous for breaking the sound barrier in 1947 with a rocket plane at Muroc (Muroc, the earlier name of the base before Edwards). Yes, I took this photo. The "triple-sonic-plus" SR-71 Blackbirds no longer fly, but boy what a sight they were!

--Dan

We got the Space Shuttle again!

I watch and wait for every space flight. This is my nature, I love the sky, I love life, I love flight incredibly. Back in the early 1980's, I took my future wife to see the return to space of Space shuttle Flight no. 9. I wanted so bad to go there, and we did, now it seems so long ago.

Today, I was very aware that Atlantis was soon to arrive back on earth, most likely at my favorite aircraft stomping ground of Edwards Air Force Base in California (I was not sure exactly when they would really "pull the trigger" on Edwards, but I knew those guys out there would be "lit"). As I was getting ready to park my car while preparing to spend lunch with my wife here, near our home, we experienced a sudden thumping sound...purcussion. I thought maybe we had been struck, or maybe a failure in the car itself...but I could not locate any such thing. I then stepped out of the car and asked my sweet wife, "The shuttle is coming to Edwards today, you said... right?" My wife had just listened to the news, and she seemed to know the current status, but said, "I am not sure".

... I said, "I hear a car alarm, and I know the shuttle sound...that was the space shuttle". We then stepped immediately into the restaurant, and lo and behold...on the TV screen inside...a SPACE SHUTTLE landing in progress on the news!

Home and safe! YAY!

We felt the wings of spaceflight coming home. I understand from my kids that the house shook, and the doors were thumping. That is great, great news! What a day it was!

When I was much younger, the breaking of the sound barrier (as was the shuttle noise today) was much more common around here, with so many aircraft and air bases happening. We had the great, great X-15, secret Blackbirds, etc. It was marvelous, but very unnerving when the windows almost shattered.

I cherish, I truly love and enjoy every second. there is much more to this story, but I must stop for now.

--Dan L.

New stuff with my Dad, 82 on June 10th

Marion (left), and Rachel with my Dad, their Grandfather.

Me, and my Dad, June 10th, 2007. See my blog archives to know my Dad, he is my hero.

Me and my own Grandson, "The little boy"!

--Dan

Father's Day this Sunday

Saint Joseph with Jesus. I really like this painting.

Me, long before I was a Dad.

Happy Father's Day!

--Dan

Gumby and Gumby and Gumby...

Aliens seeking to take DNA from Gumby.

Gumby's band looking mighty familiar. Who is the real Gumby, anyway?

ref.

http://www.premavision.com/studio/aliens.htm

My sister lives near the creator of Gumby. She likes to talk to him.

--Dan

You are forgiven

--Dan

Hiking about 30 years ago

1977-ish

At left, my lifelong friend, Dan, born just 3 days after me. At right, me, the Dan of this blog.

We are on the ridge that leads to Telescope Peak in the Panamint Mountains, west of Death Valley. If the photo was clearer, you would see the Sierra Nevada mountains behind in the distance, around 100 miles or so away (barely visible and very light gray, way in the back to the right, but actually 500 miles long). The round trip overnight stay was about 14 miles, and up to over 11,000ft.

I grew up always knowing Dan. I truly have no memory of ever meeting him. We have literally known each other for nearly 50 years.

Telescope Peak...I have been to the summit on three different occasions. Though located right at Death Valley (it forms part of the Valley), it is usually snow covered in winter and then some, with ice and cold weather. It is a very remote location, and allows a view that lets you see both the lowest point in the whole Western Hemisphere (Badwater), and still see Mt. Whitney at the same time. That, my friends, is an elevation change of close to 15,000 vertical feet. That can even be hard to do in the greatest mountain ranges on earth.

Think of that...If I can see over 100 miles behind me, 100 miles ahead, and almost three miles straight up and down JUST LOOKING AT THE GROUND...then I can really know what it is to "See for miles and miles"

--Dan

Planes and things

This is me, sitting in an F-4 Phantom II jet fighter at a museum several years ago.

The "mountain" photo is an internet picture I found at Wikipedia that is of Mt. San Antonio. I used to get "buzzed" by F-4 fighters while hiking to the top of that peak (10,064 ft.). They would really "sneak up" on ya, and WOW!

I just love airplanes.

See that mountain? I have been up there a great many times. Do you see my footprints?

Last of all, with yet more airplane stuff...a quote from CNN.com:

"In 1997, a BA Concorde flight to New York suffered an "engine surge" which caused a bang and lights to go out. The aircraft also dropped suddenly. Pete Townsend, guitarist with The Who pop group, was a passenger and said afterwards he would never fly on Concorde again. He said: "I was just glad to land in one piece."

The Concorde and some guy from a blog...which is which?

--Dan