Busy September

It was a busy September with not a lot of flying. So, while I intended to blog before my October schedule began, it just didn't happen. I thought I do it during some down-time on the trip, but, there wasn't much down time. A monday departure at 1PM and an extreme headwind gave us an arrival time about 6 hours later. (7PM body time-4 PM local) . Drive to the hotel, change clothes, drive to dinner, a couple of beers to overcome the flight dehydration, back to the hotel (11PM body-time-8PM local) bed. Tues-back to the airport at 8AM-flight prep, refuel, 10AM departure for Reno, NV. - lunch-flight planning and takeoff at 4:30 PM for 2 hour flight to Tucson. No hangar in Tucson so it takes a little more time to secure the aircraft for overnight. The hotel is about 10 miles from the airport across town during a busy travel time. Arrive at the Hilton east at 8:30PM, change clothes-out to dinner(Mexican, of course- La Parrilla Suiza 0n Speedway) about 9:30 PM. 11PM Back to the hotel-bed. Up at 5:30 for a 6 Am drive to the airport-no time for breakfast. light plan prep for 8AM takeoff to Houston. Houston is Central time and we're leaving Pacific time. A two hour flight puts us on the ground at noon. Lunch and a short break and prep for a planned 4 PM departure back to Tucson. Passengers are late because no one set their time to local and they lost track of the time zone changes. 4 PM Flight became a 5:30PM takeoff-2 hour flight puts on the ground back in Tucson at the same time as takeoff(Central to Pacific time). We taxi in and pick up a couple of passengers who we left behind in the morning. Taxi back out and take off at 6:30 for Scottsdale-thankfully only a 20 min flight. Hotel and dinner in Old Town (Tucson is great this time of year) Temps in the high 60's and locals wearing jackets wishing it would warm up. Last overnight and going home tomorrow. A 1PM departure allows a relaxing start to the day(breakfast at the GoodEgg, a drive through Old Town and a 10 AM drive to the airport.
So I hope that explains the failure to update during my trip.
( This blog site is not the easiest to manipulate and I put pictures on it prior to this trip but it's very time consuming to move those pictures to the top, so I'll start with the present and work back. The above pictures are from yesterday. The first one show the 157 knot tailwind that helped me make my fastest trip:Scottsdale, AZ to Trenton, NJ in 3 :45. Of course I faced those same wind as a headwinds on my way to Vegas on Monday and the trip took 6:05.
Below are a few of the sights from the trip. The first is a conference table at the airport in Houston-Million Air FBO. It's made from the wings of a light single-eng airplane.
The middle picture is my view of the camel back mountains from my hotel room in Scottsdale.

The third picture shows the early snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains. Talk is of an early ski season this year.
Just prior to this trip, I attended a New Jersey State Police awards party at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City. One of the honorees was my nephew (Ronnie's oldest brother's son) Craig Costello. He was selected as the Trooper of the year for 2009. A very career enhancing award.
Craig and his wife Rhianna
A stroll on the Atlantic City Boardwalk : Ronnie and I with Rich (Craig's dad) and his wife Pat
I had lots of time in September to enjoy the treasures in my life. Here, Cate is showing me her new fall parka. When I asked to take a picture, she crossed her arms and said OK.

I had the opportunity to witness Finnian's first steps. He is very proud of his new ability.

If you haven't heard, Trader Joe's has come to the Princeton area. Just in time for newly immigrated Australian to land a job.
Kat started work about a week before opening day and is enjoying everything about it.

And did I mention how much I'm enjoying being with my grandchildren. Cate-angel in training

We had a final family beach weekend the third w/e of Sept. and it was rather chilly. We were all sorry we asked for outdoor seating.
It just happened to be a weekend for loosing teeth. Patrick lost his first, and Tiernan lost another one.(I don't what # it was)

And did I mention how much fun my grandchildren are! Here, Cate is trying on Aunt Kat's glasses and riding our neighbor's jumbo pumpkin.

Welcome Home Kat!

Left for Vegas on the 30th of August and stayed at the Marriott Grande Chateau. http://www.marriott-vacations.com/travel/resorts/marriott-grand-chateau/overview.html. The Marriott is across the side street-Harmon Av- from Planet Hollywood. It's a vaction club that rents out rooms for stays of 3 days or more. I find it better than the Casino hotels for comfort and convenience, yet it's in the center of the Vegas strip.
This is what remains of the Echelon Development in Las Vegas. If you enlarge the picture you will see the power plant built by DCO Energy, a JJS Company. It is just about complete. But, the hotel, shopping center and casino which was to use the power plant has been scrapped. This link will show what was to have been. http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8612667 The good news for JJS employees in Las Vegas is the 2 new contracts signed for Vegas projects.

This is another Las Vegas monstrosity continuing in spite of the dire prospect of success. It is the City Center Complex on Las Vegas Blvd, across from Planet Hollywood and north of New York, New York Hotel. It will have condos, shopping, casino, etc.
This picture show the NY,NY roller coaster on the hotel roof. The ride dips down through the hotel and casino.

An interesting cloud formation on the way home.(taken from 41,000 feet.)

Arrived home from Vegas on Wednesday the 2nd of Sept. My daughter Kathleen (Kat) was returning home from a 4 year stay in New Zealand and Australia.
Here are my girls-Meghan, Kat, and Erinn

We all headed to the Belmar beach house for the Labor Day weekend and welcome home-family get together. Meg and Joe, I guess had their daughter Cate drive.

I try to make the sunrise when I'm at the beach. I was pleasantly accompanied by my daughter Erinn and her oldest son Tiernan to see this sunrise on the 5th of Sept. We also had the setting full moon in the west on that morning. And I promised Tiernan I'd show a picture of him up and at the beach at 6:15AM on a Saturday morning. He questioned his sanity several times that morning.

We had the opportunity to take a family picture, thanks to the resolve and persistence of the senior family female.

I'm sure these aren't the best of the batch but you get the picture.

It was a great weekend and a good opportunity for Kat to rebond with her family and nieces and nephews-the two youngest she met for the first time.

Welcome Home

PS. We're going job hunting this afternoon.

Back to the grindstone!

A one day trip to Toronto last week on the 20th, firmed up our company position on a geothermal project in California. Quote from my boss on the flight back to Trenton, "Looks like a busy year coming up. Plan on a trip a month to Santo Rosa, CA and a trip a month to Vegas." We'll squeeze in the other business ( Canada, Miami, Phoenix etc) around these.

I got back to Belmar after the Thursday trip and spent a great day with Meghan and Cate. The first hurricane of the season (Bill)was northbound in the Atlantic and the beaches were closed to swimming (except surfers)because of rip tide fears and strong surf.

So Friday morning, Meg and Cate, Ronnie and I set out for the boardwalk in Point Pleasant. Of course, I forgot my camera and no one else had one, so Cates first amusement rides are only recorded in our memories. They are fun memories.

If you open this photo, you will see a kayaker trying to get the courage to exit the Shark River Inlet against the incoming swells.

Saturday, was a very pleasant overcast but rainfree day in Belmar. In Pennington, it was a diffferent story. Continuous rain all day with a burst of downpour in the early evening (5 inches in 30 min-according to the Bourough officials). Storm drains backed up all over Pennington and some streets were under water. Guess what that does to your basement when your sump gravity feeds to the storm drain?

Left for Vegas Monday morning after spending 12-14 hours in the basement on Sunday. I had a B-17 (Aluminum Overcast) parked next to me on the ramp. Had an opportunity to speak with the pilots prior to departure. This particular B17 came off the line in 1945 and never saw action in WW2. It has served in numerous missions since it was sold as surplus in 1946 for $750.

Vegas is just hot and dry -100 plus every day and no humidity. Not something an east coast guy will ever be able to deal with. So I did spend a few hours at the hotel pool.
This is an East coast sunrise and a Las Vegas sunset.

I leave Thurs am for the trip home-about 4hrs 15min. 2 days home and back to Vegas on Sunday-by way of Toronto, for 3 more days. More later.

I love My Job

It has been almost a month, I was recently reminded, since I last entered a word in my blog. Work has not been the reason. This has-Belmar!
I've been enjoying the Jersey Shore too much to spend the time on the computer.
I hope my boss doesn't read this, but I only worked 7 days in July.
He recently commented that he figures they pay me six figures to work about six minutes a month. That's how frequently they see my hands on the controls. He did go on to say that it's a comforting six minutes when I do work, because all the landings are great.

During the past four weeks. My grandsons did the Belmar Kids Fun Run- and received medals!(as did all the kids).Water temp has gotten to a pleasant 70 degrees or better.

They jumped and dove through waves for their first time. My Boat, which last saw water the summer 2005, was serviced and put back in service inthe Shark River, where it has almost daily use as a fishing vessel, sightseeing boat, grandson swimming platform and general have fun vehicle.




Meghan's in-laws (Joe's brother and his wife and 2 children)visited from Japan -shown here with Cate.


Cate's is becoming very comfortable at the beach. She's still a little leary of the waves and prefers still water. I have no doubt with the influence of her cousins Tiernan and Patrick, she'll be riding waves soon.

Cate loves Hannah and loves to give her treats

Another big event during the month was Cate's ( Catherine Trang Zambrano) Christening.

Here she is with her parents and Godparents-Erinn and Dom,

her cake, her Pop and her proud parents.

The Godmother and her family.

The month of July ended with the birthday celebration of Finnian Michael Stover who celebrated his First on the same day his dad celebrated a later one.

So, I've been busy.
I did find time during the month to squeeze in a 4 day trip to Calgary, Canada; a day trip to Chicago for a 13 inning Cubs game, and an overnight to Cincinnati.

I hope to relax a little during the month of August.