Let's talk for free

This weekend, over Easter brunch, the subject came up about how expensive out of country calls cost ( USA to Mexico). Dawn mentioned she had heard of a service called Skype which is an Internet company that provides long distance calling through your Internet connection. I'm not to interested in calling foreign countries on a daily basis, but the idea of calling friends and relatives for free got my attention. When I checked into Skype it looked very interesting and the web cam feature really got my attention. I'm not so interested in looking at all my ugly friend's faces but the thought of being able to talk to my grandchild and soon to be grandchildren really seemed cool. I signed up for the free service and I was amazed how easy it is to use. Most of us use our cell phones to call long distance and the quality really sucks at times. I was amazed with the quality of the sound with the little mic I found in the bottom of my junk drawer. I can't wait to buy a couple of web cams so I can get Ryder set up so we can communicate on a different level. (I'll be calling you Mindy). The calls are free if you are talking Skype to Skype and a long distance charge of 2cents a minute apply to regular land lines. This is a service everyone should look into and the web cam feature is exciting. ( can't wait until they can make it fit on my wrist)

Sign up for Skype Here and give me a call.

Snow+OldMusic+OldFarts=Sockhop

You often wonder what mountain people do when its been a long, cold, snowy winter.

The neighborhood just puts their boots on and head out in the dead of night for action.

Looks a little cold!!!!

You must be crazy or just have cabin fever.

The girls lined up on one side! The guys on the other. ( I think the guys were talking about deer hunting)

I can't remember who made the first move.........

The Beer made me do it.

Then things started to happen..

Matt and Denise look pretty serious here.

Carl (our DD) and Mary

Peter and Fonda

So, this is what old farts do in the snowy hills of the Sierra Nevada's in the dead of winter.

Mush Mush Mush

One of the high points of the weekend at the cabin (besides the great dinner at Matt and Denise's) was a trip to watch dog sled racing. The Sierra Nevada Dog Drivers put on their annual Chester Winter fest at Lake Almanor. Dog sled racing is not, in my opinion, a great spectator sport but we still had a great time watching the starts and finishes of several races. The races were typically a four mile race and after the start there was a lot of standing around waiting for the 20 second finish. The lag time between races seemed a little long, but the dogs seemed to really enjoy it and their owners were very willing to show off their beautiful dogs. The AKC registered dogs were down right gorgeous but it appeared to me that the cross mixed dogs performed a little better. The show dogs seemed to be in a different class than the skinny, rock hard muscled cross breeds. But what do I know about dogs? Enjoy

F-15 Eagle Maiden Flight

As promised, you will find a video below of the maiden flight of my new F15-Eagle Pusher Jet. I built this plane from a set of plans I downloaded off the internet. I started over Christmas vacation and finished it about three weeks ago and have been waiting for good weather for the maiden flight. As you can see by the ribbon on my antenna in the video it was a bit windy and wind isn't your friend when you are flying a plane for the first time. As it turned out the wind did make for an easier launch and landing and I am pleased with the flight characteristics and look forward for another flight soon. I flew it twice that day and both times it ended up with stress fractures in the foam, just in front of the motor compartment. I will strengthen the fuselage and it will be ready for another day at the field. The guy that designed the jet said that 85 mph is possible but I doubt that I got much more than 6o mph. If I ever play the lottery and win I might just get a radar gun, or maybe a real jet. (As long as I am just dreaming) Friday I am shooting Sporting Clays and then we are off to the cabin for the weekend. Enjoy

Time to Fly

After weeks of wind and rain the sun came out and the wind stopped blowing. Terry and I both have new planes waiting for their maiden flights so it was time to get back to the hobby part of my life. On Tuesday the wind was marginal for a maiden, so after a few minutes of humming and hawing, I decided to take the F-15 eagle up for a spin. I didn't finish the video tonight so watch for it tomorrow night. On Wednesday the wind was better so Terry took to the skies and flew five batteries threw his new 55" 300 Extra. The first flight was a little touchy since we set the exponential in the wrong direction and the plane was a little twitchy. Once that was corrected the plane flew beautifully and Terry brought her home without a scratch. Enjoy the video and look for the F-15 tomorrow.

It's cold at the cabin

Just a short note about the snow we are getting at the cabin. My neighbor Matt had to climb on his roof and remove the snow around his heater and stove vents. They have received about two feet in the last 24 hours. Burrrrrr. The lights went out here twice tonight, but for just a short time. I have been busy working on a new project so I haven't had much time for hobbies. I helped Terry build his new 55" Extra 300 and we plan on Tuesday for the maiden. I'll post a video if all goes well. See ya soon.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone. Michele and I have been at the cabin since the day after Christmas and have been kicking back a little. The snow started falling yesterday and it is now time to try to get home. The weather in Northern California has been insane the last couple of days although we will finally get the needed precipitation. It looks like there will be a break in the weather tomorrow so we will make a dash for the valley before the next storm arrives.
We just had to check out the new Cabelas Store in Reno so we packed our bags Wednesday morning and for the Atlantis Casino. The Cabelas store was somewhat of a disappointment after seeing the Bass Pro Shops in Dallas last January. The Reno Cabelas is about half the size of BPS but seemed to still have more than what one could afford on a fixed income. We found a couple of small items and then got it in gear and headed to the casino. The bells and whistles entertained us until 2:00am and those one armed bandits finally sucked all the money out of my wallet. Later that morning, after breakfast, I found a dollar hiding in my wallet and then my luck changed. I actually came home with $30 in my pocket. I changed my mind and decided I might actually go back some day. We left for the cabin about 11:00am and made it home just as it started snowing.
Well, Michele has to go back to work on Monday and I am stuck at home with all these outdoor hobbies and it looks like it is going to storm all week. I built a new plane last week and started a new one (check out the photos), so I guess I can finish build the F-15 and watch the rain. Stay tuned and I will post photos of my new F-15 Eagle after it gets a paint job. I haven't decided what paint scheme to use, so I guess I can spend a little time on the Internet searching F-15's next week. Happy New Year and don't break that New Year's resolution...