Last week was pretty hectic around Rancho Juvat in a good, if sad, kind of way. The great transfer of family members to Honk, Honk! is now 2/3's complete. Granddog, Tex, departed around lunch on Tuesday. Checked in to the Facility at Houston International where he went swimming, chatted with a few females in the facility, had dinner and then took a nap prior to his flight. The Houston to Amsterdam flight was uneventful and he checked in to the facility there with no issues. Being a little too chilly for a swim, he opted for dinner (Length of flight and time change made it a dinner to dinner day, Beans) then took another nap. Departure was on time and a short crew change stop in Bangkok led to a short walk and a chance to mark the local flora. Then, back on board for the remainder of the flight. He and his travel compartment arrived at Little J's apartment complex as scheduled. However, the travel compartment was a tad too large to ride in the elevator. Little J, and the escorts disassembled it and Little J and Tex arrived at the apartment in style.
Just in time for a nap.
With Tex successfully on the other side of the world (not a figure of speech), DIL is now free to begin her version of the journey. Departure will be this Tuesday. We'll leave for the Austin Airport around 11AM for a 6PM flight. Her route of flight will be Austin to Houston to Frankfurt, where she'll spend the night. Then Frankfurt to Honk Honk! the next day.
And it only cost 20,000 miles to upgrade to First Class. Miles well spent. (Even if she does have to wear an F'in mask!) I gotta say, Mrs J and I will miss them both. Having them around for the last 6 months has been a lot of fun.
In the final episode of hecticity, I'm actually writing this on Saturday, as Mrs J and DIL are in College Station for MBD's baby shower. She's one month away. Given that this will be a very estrogen rich event and full of "There I was" birthing stories, I opted to stay home and take care of the animals.
Hey! Beans, they could starve in two days! Besides, otherwise, I would have gone......crazy.
On a saner note, I was headed to my truck on Friday and heard the sound of Freedom (that would be Jet Noise, Beans), so me, being me, started looking around and saw this.
Now who would be up there turning multiple circles in the "Cons" (Contrail level, Beans)?
Well shortly after I snapped the picture, right where the 3 lines come together, the aircraft emerged. My ancient eyes had more resolution than my cell camera, and I could easily tell that it was a KC-46A Tanker. Given that that airspace is directly in the path of flights from Houston, Atlanta and a few other large Southern Airports and LA, San Francisco, Phoenix and a few other Western Airports, the FAA isn't going to block off that airspace just to do circles in the sky, so they had to have refueled somebody. Since I could only see, barely, the tanker, I suspect they were fighters. What or which service, I have no idea.
But, as easily entertained as I am, it made my day.
Speaking of my day, what a difference a week makes. Last week, walking with Mrs J and the dogs in the morning required a shower after the walk, as I was not presentable to either the dogs or Mrs J. Temps at 8:30 were in the low 90's and humidity was in the top 1/3'rd. This week, 55o feels mah-vel-us!
Even the cows were enjoying it.
Annie (as in "Little Orphan Annie") even made a new friend.
So, lots of moving parts this past couple of weeks. Like much of you, I read the reports in the news about "Aliens" on the border. Who knew they're really coming from a galaxy far, far away..
Gotta keep a sense of humor....Always!
Peace out, y'all! Have a relaxing week.
I think it's the weekend warrior weekend. I saw two Ospreys fly over Saturday evening from the west to the east. The different deep drone caught my attention, so I went outside to see what type of helicopter was flying over.
ReplyDeleteI watched the first one disappear in the distance, only to hear another coming. Like the other, it was over 5000 feet and traveling much faster than a typical helicopter. It too soon disappeared toward the horizon.
I've seen many types of aircraft fly over, but this was my first Osprey. I was a little amazed.
Yeah, we've got a low level route that the centerline is about a mile west of our place. We regularly get flybys of T-38's out of Laughlin. Couple of weeks ago we had a C-130 fly it. Since that was on a weekend, I suspected it was a Guard airplane.
DeleteHaven't seen an Osprey though. Yet!
They make a skull-rattling noise. And you can hear them from quite a ways away. Stealthy, they are not. Still wondering about their real efficacy in a combat situation. But ya gotta fight with what you have. Which, well, the LCSessess would make dandy bomb ships as long as they didn't break down...
DeleteYep, it'll be interesting to see how they do. And yes, you do.
DeleteI watched them when I was down around Yuma, pretty different....
DeleteWho knew life could go on even during a pandemic? (cue MSM & medical induced mass hsyteria) Looks like Annie reached detente with the other side(heh heh) After a couple days late last week the summer heat is gone, one town Up North hit 29 one morning.....
ReplyDeleteNylon,
DeleteNot quite ready for freezing yet. Although if it would kill off the grasshopper infestation, I'd do it. Bastiges! Got a regularly scheduled Dr visit this morning, so I'll have to mask up, but the silly thing comes off as soon as I hit the exit. Pah!
Stupid masks. Forgot mine when I escorted Mrs. Andrew to her appointment. Everyone's masked up except me. County called again for mandatory masking. No one said anything to me about not masking up. If they did, I was contemplating either wrapping the tshirt around my face or going to the car and getting the emergency underwear. (what? you don't have an emergency set of shorts? i do, after, well, emergencies. has helped just in case i had to take a hose shower after fixing a car or something.)
DeleteGiven that I'm usually easily the youngest person in the waiting room and most of the folks there are ailing, I just shut up and endure. Getting into an argument there would only make my blood pressure test results worse than usual. However, that's the only place I do. Aaron has an interesting post up this morning on the subject.
DeleteTMI, Beans, TMI!
It's nice having a secure clean set of clothes under the front seat just in case of having to do repair work on the side of the road. What in the heck do you think I was talking about? Yeesh... buncha poopy brains around here. Though, well, they're there for that, too, just in case, but so far it's only due to roadside repair work and not wanting funky clothes to sit in for the rest of the long distance drive.
DeleteAll part of the emergency kit I have in the car. Couple blankets, some water and food packs, extra clothes, old shoes and socks and a rain jacket and and and. All conveniently stuffed under the seats and the floor board sections of my weird little van.
If ya don't prep, you'll need the preps. If you do prep, Murphy will laugh at you and the preps will not be needed.
Subtle hint. Big ziplock, clothes go in, bar of your favorite soap goes in (Dial gold for me) and the soap keeps potential mustiness away and makes the clothes smell good along with you (small toiletry kit with piece of old soap in a small ziplock, some travel toof-bruffes and a small toothpaste, one of those mini-deoderant containers and a spare regular razor are good things also and take up minimal room.)
Much like a weapon, you don't need a prep kit, until you need a prep kit...Then you need it BAD!
DeleteMy first thought was "Wait... They made a tanker version of the C-47 Commando?!" I guess technically the over the hump missions were tankers. Then I returned to the 21st century and said, "Oh, yeah..."
ReplyDeleteOpps, should be C-46 Commando. More coffee
DeleteI had a similar thought Pogue, when I was writing the post. I put down KC-46 then thought "That's not right, that's w WWII airplane". Searched for USAF new tanker and found that link, interesting configuration with the boomer not being in the tail, but I guess it works. Ain't technology grand?
DeleteI knew what you meant, Pogue, but More Coffee....Always!
DeleteGlad Tex made it to Honk Honk okay and hopefully MBD's experience will be just as uneventful. If Nighean Gheal's experience in the Spring was typical of now, things were pretty much "back to normal" except with restrictions on hours.
ReplyDeleteWe have gone the other way with Nighean Gheal essentially home for the year after graduating until her job starts next summer (darn delayed internships and all). She is making a rather healthy living doing online tutoring for non-native English speakers and in math. It is nice to have her here, but with the realization it is likely all too short.
And I, for one, admire your willingness to sacrifice a public event in order to make sure the animals are fed and not abandoned. I, too, often make the same sacrifices.
Thanks TB. The Facetime conversation with Mrs J afterword was HIGHLY entertaining. I don't regret my decision.
DeleteIt has been nice having another voice at the dinner table. I'll miss that. I'm doing a bit of tutoring myself. My Hay Guy is working on his Bachelors (He's 58, not that there's anything wrong with that). One of his requirements is a computer class, essentially MS Office. He asked for my help, I didn't think he'd need it. I was wrong. I guess there's not much need for computer skills to bale hay. But He gets help and I get a fence installed. Win Win.
That is a win-win indeed, and the way things should work.
DeleteGetting a BA in your 50's is a very admirable model. Nighean Bhean (Middle Child) related this weekend that at her job at the gym, a woman in her seventies came in to look around. Turns out she just started school this fall. You're never too old.
You JUST can't trust Google Translate. I asked it what Nighean Bhean meant and it said "White Girl" in 12 Century Scots Gaelic, which differs from your translation. So I asked Duck, Duck, Go to translate. It came back with "Beautiful Girl". I'll go with that one when I see it in any of your future posts.
DeleteGheal for "White" (as in hair, originally), Bhean for "Fair" (also hair), and Dhonn for "Dark or Brown" (also hair). Pretty much, I am an unoriginal father and easily identify my children by their hair color (before, that is, they started coloring it)...
DeleteThose skill trades are the best. I ran into a Kludge-O-Matic 6000 that I get to work on. It's a plasma arc cutting table, 5' x 10' water bed, with a 1.625" cut capability. The computer is just the motherboard on a shelf, no case. Wiring is messy, but functional. The welder wants it cleaned up and wired like an industrial device, not a sci-fi prop. My mini-lungs seem to be able to handle that kind of work... well, with breaks....
ReplyDeleteI get a nuclear-capable welding instructor and a shop to practice in. Oh baby!
That Boeing tanker reminded me that senators seem to be married to lobbyists... Wasn't Dick Durbin's wife a Boeing lobbyist?
I seem to remember some sparks about that in the past....
I'm loving the cool, too. Feel free to leave the gate open so a little more makes it south!
I get to use his shop and equipment if I want, even after hours.
Hey blogger! Thanks for the interesting formatting! Weird....
DeleteI agree! His teacher posts the assignments online with specific instructions on how the MS Office product should be put together. I build the product myself before My Hay Guy shows up for tutoring on the weekend. The teacher is pretty tricky and I thought I was pretty much an expert on Office. Some of the assignments took me a while to figure out how to make it work the way she wanted. So, not a waste of my time either.
DeleteBut, having a new section of fence installed on the property gives me a lot of options on how to use the land. So, as I said, Win, Win!
Gate's open, hope it helps. ;-)
Yeah, I've given up on trying to figure out blogger's version of HTML.
DeleteTo be clear...I build the office products by myself, so I have figured out all the little tricks she's got up her sleeve. I help Tony HayGuy build his own version, but he does all the clicken, dragon, and enterin.
DeleteIf it's a jet noise, especially a noisy jet noise, or turboprops, or a heavy bank of cylinders, or, heck, any plane or aerial object (being nearish a hospital, the interstate and a college stadium means all sorts of things show up, like blimps, helos, osprey(the choppa things) and other various assorted aerial works of art.) It's all the sound of freedom. I miss, though, the sound of space freedom I grew up with. Love the sound of launches, miss them. Maybe once Starship starts flying I'll be able to hear them, too. Probably not.
ReplyDeleteAs to Estrogen-Fest 2021, yeah, glad to never have had to be around one of those. Seen them in the movies and they look stupid, seriously stupid. How guys would throw a baby shower. Steaks, alcohol, sodas, potatoes, maybe BBQ instead, hand the gifts over, sit and shoot the breeze, leave. Maybe 2-3 hours tops unless the stories get too outrageous or too true. And nobody had to dress up, nobody had to do anything other than show up and eat and shoot the breeze and lie out their anal orifices.
I am surprised doggo went without MBD. On the other hand, less stress for her.
As to masks. Recent studies show that cloth does about 1% filtering. Cheezy paper masks do about 30-40% filtering. The KN-95 does about 60% filtering. And all take away 100% of personal freedom if 'required by the authorities.' So, well, like Phil over at Bustedknuckles, BFYTW. Ain't masking up. They can put a mask on my cold dead face. Pbtptptbpttttt.
Been cooler here too. Highs in the 85ish range, lows in the low 60's, sun's coming down earlier so the front of the building (conveniently sheathed in brown brick) cools off before midnight so we're not getting baked from that. Ahhh... Soon may have to break out the sweat pants. Already wearing a sweat shirt as armor against the mosquitoes.
Re: separate trip. Kinda needed to be planned that way. Given the multiple stops on the way, there was much room for the plan to go awry. Believe it or not, the government in Honk Honk! is quite strict on who comes in and even stricter on who goes out. Should Tex have been delayed enroute for any reason, the possibility for non-admission would be very high. So DIL was standing in reserve to go and recover him if needed. Fortunately the plan went off without a hitch, so...She's on her way tomorrow. As an Example of gummint in Honk Honk! non-flexibility, She had to get a Negative Covid Test no later than 48 hours HH Time from arrival. TO THE MINUTE! and the flight time is 44 hours and most doctors offices close at 4 leaving a 2 hour window for testing. Fortunately, even though not as smoothly as planned, she's got the correct answer to the test with an acceptable time stamp. Prayers will be being offered for no delays until we receive a call from Honk Honk! sometime Thursday PM our time.
DeleteSounds like an eventful week, love the pics.
ReplyDeleteNow I vaguely remember the KC-46A, one of those new-fangled tankers the kids get to play with these days.
I'm so old that many of the aircraft of my youth are now in museums...
Sigh.
MBD's Baby Shower went well and Mrs J and DIL are mid-RTB as we speak. Leaving for the Doc in a couple. Got a contractor coming this afternoon to look at the second guest house for reno this afternoon. A drive to Austin tomorrow. So...It ain't over til it's over.
DeleteYeah on the Museum, It was nice to find that "MY" F-15 is still flying, if only as a chase plane at Edwards.
Thanks
Tankers schmankers.....turn the engines off, burn zero fuel, can wait around all day.
ReplyDeleteRIIIIIGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHTTTTT. The glide ratio of most fighters engine(s) out very closely resembles that of a brick. Or, put another way, the only time you can have too much fuel when flying a fighter...is when you're on fire! Or, put another nother way, "What are the three most useless things to a fighter pilot?" "Altitude above you, fuel in the truck, and two seconds ago!"
DeleteThank you, thank you very much! You've been a wonderful audience, you are all fully qualified and may pick up your Naval Aviator wings as you exit the room
Glad the pupper made a safe trip! Yep, FL280 laps around the 'pattern'... Years ago we had fun on an X-C, saw a tanker and asked him if he could pass gas to us... They were okay with it until they saw the P-3, and were 'less' than complimentary... LOL
ReplyDelete@juvat
ReplyDeleteUseless things? Might want to add: "And the runway behind you.."