bim’s flying machine is as close to the original “light” ultra-light aircraft as still exist nowadays, so he needed to gas up that two-stroke engine, aka “flying lawnmower” a couple of times on the way to lake pillsbury in northern california. patti’s job was driving the support vehicle that was loaded up with spare gasoline, and finding the pilot every 50 miles, so he could fill up the five gallon gas tank on the ultra-light. the pilot and the driver successfully met up at small municipal airports in cloverdale and ukiah; the ultra-light, arriving before the van every time!
we joined six other pilots and their assorted magnificent flying machines at the ukiah airport, where everybody gassed up for the last leg of the flight, heading east over the coastal range. the “boys” flew over rugged, mountain terrain, flying over 5,000 feet to top the mountains, and then dropping down into lake pillsbury, and landing at “Gravelly Airstrip”, which was built by pg+e and the u.s. army corps of engineers after ww2. yes indeed, it was gravel! it took the boys between 30 and 50 minutes to fly from ukiah to their bumpy landing site at lake pillsbury “ oh, did i mention the stunning beauty of the landscape they flew over”! on the other hand, it took patti an hour and a half to drive over very rough, rutted gravel/dirt roads, switch-backing up the steep mountain pass and down the other side, in the heat, breathing gas fumes and dust the whole way!
we were all quite happy to arrive safely, so we drank a beer to celebrate while soaking up the natural beauty of the area. the highlight of our overnight stay was waking up at dawn to the trumpeting of a large herd of tule elk, the morning sun glinting off their magnificent antlers as they wandered down to the lake for breakfast.
the return trip found bim with a broken throttle cable in ukiah. fortunately, ultra-light pilots are as ingenious as motorcycle riders, and bim was able to fly home with a vise grip holding that cable in place!
a safe landing was had by all, and everybody slept well that night!
otherwise, it’s been a quiet year. we spent a few long weekends at the coast, one time collecting sea glass at a beach north of mendocino. a few weeks later we celebrated patti’s 55th birthday at sea ranch, watching the huge waves with wonder and awe.
more pictures here: http://bim.smugmug.com/gallery/5006609_f4KHb#300290007_hz9f6
the big change arrived in october when i was laid off from my job after working ten years for a mortgage broker. it was no surprise given the state of the economy and the daily news headlines. it was however quite a big change in my daily life. structure, where is the daily structure” one day i went to get a blouse from the closet, and realized that i won’t be needing half the clothes in the closet anymore” i don’t have to squeeze in a few minutes at the gym, i just add it the schedule and go every day! and, where exactly did i leave my glasses, this time” the weather in mid-november was absolutely gorgeous, warm and sunny with clear skies, and the thought of walking on the beach arose, along with the realization that we didn’t have to go to the beach on sunday with the million other folks that had the same thought “ so we waited one day and went to the beach on monday!
the day following my last day at work, we drove to yosemite for a long planned weekend in the mountains. the highlight of our excursion up to glacier point at 7,200 feet was watching the full moon rise over half dome as the sun was setting behind el capitan.
more pix from the yosemite trip at :
http://bim.smugmug.com/gallery/6806944_ryudu#435033576_ayJcB
luckily it wasn”t too dark for us to see “mama” bear and her two cubs as we were walking back to the car! since i didn”t have to return to work, we extended our trip, driving over tioga pass, heading south through the eastern sierras. we huffed and puffed over the mile long trail through the bristle cone pine forest at 10,000 feet in the white mountains. bristle cone pines are oldest living organisms, some of the pines dating back over 4,000 years!
more pix from that trip at :
http://bim.smugmug.com/gallery/6488589_dd4V4#411987139_pxLYB
bim has become involved in a community effort called the “ceres project”. http://www.ceresproject.org/
he had been experimenting with volunteering for the past few years, and his interest in becoming involved with a local project was satisfied when he started working with ceres. the project was launched to involve teens in the kitchen and to teach them about healthy foods and cooking skills while providing organic meals to individuals and families facing serious illness that could use a helping hand. he started with delivering meals to families and helping with the cooking. he is now coordinating food delivery to 30-35 families per week, which is keeping him very busy! it is a wonderful organization which fulfills a great need in the community; all the volunteers are dedicated to a worthy cause, and it is an incredibly satisfying joy to be able to give something that is so needed and to be involved with such a generous, caring group of people!
in this second week of december, as i sit here struggling to write tidbits of news, after a day of working in the garden and harvesting tomatoes, yes tomatoes!, yummy tomatoes that we ate for dinner tonight” (that will be my only comment on climate change”.) my thoughts turn to friends, new and old, and those that are no longer with us, and how truly fortunate we are to have shared joy and sorrow, adventures and hard work, travels and quiet evenings around the fire, books and music and dance and taiji, sunsets and picnics and walks at the beach, cooking and sharing meals together, laughter and friendship, and memories” with the hope of creating many more moments to share in the upcoming year.
we wish you health, peace, happiness - and change! - in the upcoming year!!!
“life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass
it’s about learning to dance in the rain”
it’s about learning to dance in the rain”
view photos at the travel gallery : www.bimpix.com
