Gone west...

At my urging, Deb arranged to pick up the rental car a day early. I wanted to head west as quickly as possible. While she went to get the car, Grandson Eldest and I took to getting on our way in earnest. Even though we had been doing prep work since the boat went on the hard, the “last minute” stuff would take hours to accomplish. It was hot and I'm sure my eagerness to get on the road was a bit of an irritation to my crew mates. But by early afternoon we were on our way. The first family stop was just a four hour drive. There we settled in for a couple of days of pure joy. After spending time in the company of PA based family we headed west once again.

The Zen House so named because we always come amid chaos and leave with total Zen

Along the way we stopped in the town of Washington, PA, swinging by one of the many houses we have lived in to show Grandson Eldest where his Mom had grown up.

The house the kids grew up in. We planted that maple tree in 1987.

Then, on a complete lark, we stopped by the airport were Deb and I had worked for nearly two decades. It turns out one of my friends from those days long past had become a major player on the airport. He was sitting in his office when Deb and I popped up at his door, a blast from the distant past.  After heartfelt greetings we jumped in a golf cart and got a tour of all that he had built or bought over the years. That included most of the hangars on the airport, along with the one Deb and I had worked in. He had completely rebuilt it, and I have to say it was perfect. His interests also included the Fixed Base Operation (FBO) that provides fuel and services to transient aircraft and a fleet of aircraft used for charter work, with medical trips being a good part of that operation. The medical angle had led him to start a foundation that raised money for kids who couldn't afford the care they needed. He was too modest to give me a $$ number, but a description of the kids helped and the procedures they needed suggested it was substantial.

The old hangar we used to work in all completely rebuilt now.

Along the way he caught us up on many of the people we had known back then. Since we were pretty young in those days, it wasn't much of a surprise to learn that many of the actors have shuffled off this mortal stage. The ones still around all seem to have done really well for themselves. It was a unique visit, totally unscripted, and one that will never be forgotten. I intend to stay in touch; the visit was just shy of being magical. 

Driving off, I couldn't help but wonder how our lives would have been different had we stayed rather than heading off when that job went away. My friend dug in and built something special. There is a good chance Deb and I would have gone along for the ride. But we headed west instead, me taking a job flying air ambulance King Airs in the AZ desert. After that were jobs with an airshow team, various charter and corporate flight departments, and with a stint at an airline stuck in there somewhere. I did air photo work, taught acrobatics and tail wheel flying, and ended up flying more than 200 different types of airplanes. The best I can come up with to balance the two possibilities is that the gypsy in me would not have been as content had we stayed in Washington for the ensuing decades. But the paths not taken will always be a mystery.   

After an additional 8 hours or so on the go we pulled up to an enthusiastic and joyous greeting from the crew of our St. Louis Home. It was a good sized crowd as most of our FL based family is here as well. Two grandparents, three parents, and ten grandkids all in the same place at the same time. Delightful chaos now reigns. Walks in the park to check up on my favorite trees look like a parade. There are always games and music being played. Multiple ukuleles, a piano, a couple of guitars, drums...all are available and most get used on a daily basis, though with me being the only active drummer in the group the drums are actually the quietest of the collection. Games are played, stories exchanged...it is hard to imagine that anyone is as pleased with their world as I am at the moment. 

This summer didn't go anywhere near like we thought (hoped) it would. Nor did we get the boat to its semi-permanent Alton, IL home port. We did what we could with what was handed to us, survived, and are moving along. That is about all anyone can ask of themselves. For the next many months we will regroup, catch up, and be a bit overwhelmed with being back living with family on a day to day basis while adjusting to city life once again. Any long term plans are as vague as they can possibly be. We will just take each day as it comes.

Grampy and eldest grandson enjoying some dirt bike and quad time.

I will be very sad when this tree at Oak Harbor Marina finally succumbs to some hurricane

Grandson eldest filming the rapids at Ohiopyle

The rapids at Ohiopyle in PA

Sunset at Oak Harbor Marina