Looking for a Tailwind

We decided to play hookey today and fly to Port Aransas for lunch. The weather wasn't great and we could see a few showers on radar, but we took off hoping the weather would be better on the coast. The flight down was kind of bumpy and hot, even though we flew out over the water, good old South Texas summer weather. We landed just as the trolley arrived, so we walked down to the intersection and got on the trolley. We got off at the San Juan Restaurant hungry for some good Mexican Food. I had a fried stuffed avocado and Dale had fried redfish and shrimp. After lunch we caught the trolley to the beach and got off again at Horace Caldwell Pier. We walked along the beach, the skies were clear, the sun was hot and the water was very warm. Dale found a picnic table and decided to take a brief nap, I walked the beach taking photos with my new camera.
After a hour, the trolley returned and we got back on for a short ride to Mustang Beach Airport. We took off headed for home, climbing higher, and finding a good tailwind.

The Rains Came

Well we have finally gotten some much needed rain in South Texas and the temperatures have been below the 100 degree mark. With the rain, our grass decided to grow and we mowed the yard today before, finishing right before a heavy shower.
I got a new camera this week, a Canon G9 Powershot and I am looking forward to using it, as soon as I can figure out all the buttons. I also purchased the underwater housing for upcoming dive trips.
Yesterday we went to a party at the Pierce Ranch and got in late last night. This coming weekend we have two parties to go to on the same night, we're going to be busy.

It's Official ....I"m The "Navigator"

Dale had a big surprise for me when I returned from Houston this weekend. We ran into town to eat supper and on the way home he stopped at the airport to check on the plane. When we stopped at the hangar he told me that we had two bags of mints in the back and we should combine them. I opened the door on the plane and combined the two bags and handed the empty bag to Dale.
He had a silly smile on his face and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Finally................dumb me noticed he had put my name on the door on the plane. What a great surprise.....................I was officially the "Navigator" on Miss Ice Tea Too. He said the "Navigator" is a very important position.......they get to tell the pilot where to go!!! I loved it, and immediately grabbed my camera for a picture. It was the BEST surprise!!!!

Kenny Chesney Poets and Pirates Tour

I picked Pam up at Hobby airport on Saturday morning and we headed to Harwin Street for some heavy duty shopping. We hit all our favorite spots and got some good deals............I'm sure.
We enjoyed a late lunch at Carrabba's Italian Grill and then checked into our room at the Marriott.
We quickly changed clothes and got ready to go the concert at Reliant Stadium. We had decided to ride the MetroRail to the stadium to avoid all the traffic congestion. We arrived at Reliant and had a pretty long walk to our gate, but soon we were inside. The early acts were already playing, so we looked around and decided to get a couple shirts before we found our seats.
LeAnn Rimes was the first healiner to hit the stage, she was good..................I'm just not a big fan of hers. Pam and I decided to get a couple of margarittas before Keith Urban came on. Keith put on quite a show, he's more Rock than Country and a real musician. Finally it was Kenny's turn to take the stage, he put on an amazing show. It is easy to see why he has been Country's Entertainer of the Year....................a great show!!! Kenny and Keith took the stage together to end the show.
We hiked back to the MetroRail, but had a loooooooooooooooooong wait for a train because of the crowds. We got back to our room and got to bed around midnight.
Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast at the Marriott and headed to the nearest mall for some more shopping at a Chico's outlet. We found some bargains and had fun trying on clothes.
We ate a late light lunch before it was time to take Pam to the airport for her flight home.
I dropped Pam off and hit the highway home..................................another great girl's weekend trip in the books!

La Grange Fly In

Dale and I decided to make a trip to La Grange for their monthly fly-in. We drove out to the airport, uncovered Miss Ice Tea Too, warmed her engine up and took off. We climbed to find cooler air and a smoother ride, the thermals were starting early. We landed in La Grange, parked the plane and found some chairs in the shade. We were early, so we watched the skies as other planes came in to land. We ate lunch, visited with friends and looked at the other planes.
We took off headed for home with the temperature in La Grange hitting 103 degrees. It was hot and bumpy until we climbed up to about 4,000 feet. We landed, pushed the plane into the hangar and headed to the house to cool off. These hot summer days in Texas sure don't make good flying days!