Ft. Lauderdale Executive KFXE

A beautiful day in Ft. Lauderdale, which is just north of Miami. We dodged thunderstorms from Orlando, and they took us way east of the city over the ocean to get in because of all the traffic. I like when they tell me "maintain maximum forward speed" for as long as we can. The FBO is nice...Banyan just remodeled everything last year and present a tropical feel inside the lobby. A huge aquarium greets passengers as they enter from the sweltering temperatures outside. When we arrived it wasn't terribly hot. But being from Arizona, we always melt because of the humidity! Ron again had a U-Haul vehicle arranged for us, and I used my Garmin Nuvi to find an awesome, authentic Mexican/Spanish restuarant not too far from our hotel. I have roasted chicken with black beans, white rice, and fired plantains. Pretty yummy, and I am proud of myself for trying something new instead of just settling for Mexican. The Spanish dish I tried was yummy! We stayed at the Hampton Inn through a cheap FBO rate. That evening, I walked about a mile down Cypress Creek road to grab a bite at Moonlite Diner. After I paid the bill, a huge thunderstorm hit and poured some rain down! I waited for it to die down then ran about halfway to an overpass on the freeway. I stayed there for a few minutes again, because the rain was really coming down! At least it got rid of all the gnats I had discovered on my walk TO the diner. It was a wet evening, and I was glad to get back into my hotel room and take a nice, hot shower. Friday's schedule: KFXE-KPBF-KAPA-KPHX. We are stopping in Pine Blugg, Arkansas for fuel on our way to drop off Ron in Denver, Centennial. He became a grandpa again on Monday and will be dropped off there to enjoy the weekend with his new granddaughter. Terry and I will fly the airplane home empty from Denver to Phoenix. I will get about seven hours of flying left seat! Yippee!

Kennesaw Mountain, Civil War Battle Ground

Tuesday meant a day off to explore the beautiful city of Atlanta, and our hotel was just a few miles from the Kennesaw Battleground. Terry and I hopped into the U-Haul Surburban that Ron had arranged for us. The weather was gorgeous and allowed us to check out the visitor's center and then walk the trails of the battlefield. We found trenches where the Confederate and Union soldiers had laid to ambush the opposing side. I closed my eyes and could imagine the sounds of old rifles being fired and orders being shouted from commanding officers. Brothers fighting brothers. Flags being rigorously waved by each army. Each man believed he was fighting for the right victory. The ground felt hallowed, and I was overcome with a sense of reverence for this beautiful area that had hosted such horrific events just 150 years ago. I love history, and I love my job for letting me see these things while I am on the road.

People Pushing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axwMxUBL_ws
This movie proves how lucky we are to have normal public transportation here in the States. It cracks me up to think this is normal to them! I couldn't quit laughing!

Woods Canyon Lake

John and I went fishing at Woods Canyon Lake with his family on June 14th. The lake is in northern Arizona about 25 miles past Payson on Highway 260. It was gorgeous! We left Phoenix at 2:45 AM to get to the lake by 5:00 AM. His dad drove down from Snowflake, about an hour northeast of the lake. We were one of the first groups there, which was nice on Free Fishing Day in Arizona. We fished the lake for just an hour, then started to hike up the river that served as an overflow for Woods Canyon Lake. We don't think it had overflowed for quite some time, but we found a few little deep patches of river that had some fish. As it turns out, John is quite the fisherman. All he had to do was dangle the worm in the water, and the fish would beat each other up to get to his hook. He caught four. I caught one that was so tiny, we had to get out a magnifying glass to confirm it was indeed a fish. I released...and we are pretty sure John's dad happily caught and kept the same fish just a few hours later! The view was so pretty. We were the only people hiking up the river. After climbing about three miles, we turned around and fished our way back. The temperature was a perfect 75 degrees, after warming up from the morning chill. We ate ham sandwiches, and I got some good stories about of John's dad about John. It was a lovely day! I have obviously lost my deep mental connection with fish, as I used to catch so many we couldn't keep up with bait. And apparently, I have a knack for tangling my fishing line. John was so sweet to me and very patient...always just smiling and re-baiting my hook instead of worrying about his line. It was fun to be with my man and watch him work his mastery at yet another skill. What CAN'T this man do? I think I like him...