Boys and Their Toys

Extra credit to anyone who knows what this is. You can tell it's something a man would like, right? Give up? Ok, I'll tell you; it's a cyclic! But what is a cyclic you ask. Well, it's like the
joystick
on
a
HELICOPTER!

The Lord of the Manor has a friend who just bought this 1967 Hughes OH-6A. It's a Viet Nam veteran; shot down twice, but patched up and sent back into battle. Apparently these Hughes were tough old birds.
LOM's friend wants LOM to teach him to fly it. Can you imagine buying something you don't know how to fly? And these things aren't cheap either!

Anyway, this is the really cool thing about helicopters; they have awesome visibility. And of course they are so cool to fly. You can land virtually anywhere you can get away with it.

It's painted olive drab with military markings...

and has all the original equipment including gun buttons on the cyclics and a machine gun for the guy in the back.

But all this old equipment isn't exactly legal, so there is a debate going on about how to maintain the original equipment (which looks cool and increases the value of the craft) yet comply with modern FAA regulations. For instance, the transponder is totally illegal, and they ferried the helicopter home Saturday using no transponder at all. Under the radar so to speak. The owner is a clever guy and we've made some aircraft parts before, so I'm sure they will find a creative way to install modern avionics yet cover them with the old face plates once on the ground. If we go for a ride soon, y'all will be some of the first to know about it.

I Spy

When my girls were little we spent a fair amount of time looking at the I Spy books by Walter Wick. We loved those things and still have a few of them. Yesterday when I was trying to get all those windows washed I was reminded of the I Spy books. You might ask why...

It's because when I tried to wash the windows in Teen2's bedroom, I was confronted by this mess on her desk. So let's play the I Spy game, shall we?

I spy a penny, a light bulb, a bit of hot glue,

some sandpaper, a chain, and two felt pens of blue,

some green handled shears, a little green heart,

a purple controller, headphones, and a car called "Smart".

And that is just a tiny portion of the stuff in the way of washing Teen2's windows. Every surface and the extra bed in her room looks just like another I Spy game. There are miscellaneous electronic parts, a soldering iron, a hot glue gun, scissors, screwdrivers, pliers, colored pencils, books, games, an I Pod, papers, stuffed animals, toys, you name it, it's probably there. I guess that's what happens when you teach a kid to be creative.

Old Family Photo

I found another old family photo in a long forgotten box the other day. I wonder how I'm related to these folks. Why are they posing near what appears to be a tombstone? And what is with that young woman's dress? It looks like it's all tattered. And why does the old man look so grouchy? Strange, strange ancestors....

Reviving the Mystery Game

A while back I did a few mystery photos for you and when I saw this thing today I just knew I had to revive the Mystery Game. What do you think this is?

Mystery Photo and an Award

I found this interesting thing in my garden yesterday. I'll bet some of you will instantly shout out what it is. So post a comment with your ideas.

Tara, at Days Missed on a Hammock, has graciously given me this award. Thanks Tara, I love your blog too. I know the rules say to award it to seven blogs, but I'm just lazy, so I'm giving it to Have Paints Will Travel. Her blog is gorgeous and inspirational and makes me jealous to the bone! I soooo want to travel and paint.....Check it out - I think you'll love it too.

Third Mystery Photo

Here's another Mystery Photo for you to guess. What do you think this is?

Now that the Back-To-School hubbub has died down, I think I'll have more time to blog. Sorry for the gaps lately, and thanks for your patience.

Second Monday Mystery Photo

Ok folks, another Monday Mystery Photo. Can you guess what this is?

Monday Mystery Photo

Here's another mystery photo for you. Isn't it a pretty color? Can you guess what it is?

A Brilliante Award

Dear Tara over at Days Missed on a Hammock has given me an award. Tara and I are working together on physical and fiscal fitness, but I'm not going to tell her the latest condition of my Visa card. Let's just say, whew, the Tahoe vacation has dented it up a bit. But the good news is; I got in lots of walking!

I don't know that I deserve a "brilliant" award. I know my last Sparkly Pink Saturday post was brilliant because of the sparkles, but I doubt I'm brilliant. But thanks anyway Tara. I'm honored and I'll try to be more brilliant.

The rules say to award it to seven blogs, but I always have trouble with nominating so many bloggers, so I'm just going to award it to three and they can choose however many they want too. Now here are the rules:

1. Please put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. You must nominate 7 fellow bloggers for this award.
4. Add links to the recipients.
5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.

And here are my nominees:

Mary's new blog In A Soft Light. Her photographic is beautiful and ethereal.

Barbara at Ramblings From An English Garden. She consistantly shows wonderful English Gardens, villages, and historic sites.

And Dana at The Stone Rabbit. She just looks like she is having such a good time at everything she does. And the things she gets her friends to do for Pink Saturday! What fun!

Lastly, here is another mystery photo. What do you think this is?

P.S. I walked this morning; 55 minutes. It felt good to get back to my normal routine.

Mystery Photo

Being a graphic artist, I like to take photos of signs and letters wherever they appear. So where did I find this, and what is it? Let me know what you think.

P.S. Walked after work; 40 minutes/5543 steps.