There are those who will think this is a stupid post, but I find the things that float by on the river to be simply fascinating. I think this is a sofa chair, but won’t swear to it.

I’ve seen barrels, paper, gobs of unidentifiable stuff, jugs, pop cans…there is always something floating by. Usually, the incoming tide brings the most unusual stuff. My apologies if this one was weird, but hey, it’s Jamie’s blog and she let me borrow it ~ Greg

That doesn’t make me old, does it? Nah, I didn’t think so…I don’t feel old!

For Stewb’s 13th birthday, we went off to Biringer Farm’s Corn Maze. This one was great – it had an actual assignment (several stations scattered throughout the maze with different shaped hole punches with which you mark a card they give you). Really good for those of us who thrive on a mission. I slipped right into Lieutenant Colonel mode (as my Dad calls it when I get a trifle bossy) and off we adults went, maps firmly in hand, dragging our post-op patient along behind (my step-father had surgery a few days before, but was up for a little adventure anyway).

The kids, on the other hand, decided that the fun of a corn maze is getting lost. Stewbie and Nity raced off on their own, ran around until they were lost, then proceeded to find their way out. I think it was sheer luck that we ever saw them again… Apparently, all of my stern Search & Rescue Mom lectures have been lost on them (compasses, maps, they’ve got all the training, I swear…).

My viewpoint from the hellhole of our Search and Rescue UH-1H during some training last week. My fellow crewchiefs and I were recertifying for low hover ops, cargo lowers, and shorthauls. We train at least every 90 days and usually more frequently than that, although I admit with this move onto the boat, I haven’t been flying as much as I’d like.

One of my cohorts monitoring a live load underneath the helicopter.

Tucking SnoHawk 10 into the hangar for the night.

One of my pastimes has been taking photos of partially sunken or grounded boats in the rivers around here. This one is actually just down the slough a short distance; we pass it whenever we take the boat in or out. I always wonder what the story is behind them; Greg takes it a little further in his fantasy ~ he’s always thinking of what it would take to make them seaworthy again. I’ll post some more of these when I get the desktop computer all synchronized with the laptop; most of my photos are still on the other machine.

On the plus side, we seem to have solved our connectivity issue with Clearwire, a new wireless Internet provider in the area. You literally just bring home their modem and plug it in ~ no software, no phone line, no cable connection, no satellite ~ and you’re connected. Which is cool, because we don’t have any of those other things. It’s pretty fast too. The question will be whether we still have a connection at low tide (it’s high now, which means we sit higher in comparison to the surrounding towers). Cross my fingers!

Lovely evening we had the other night ~ in perfect contrast to the rain pouring down tonight. Found a place we need to caulk by one of the portholes today. I think my level of Water Awareness will be acutely high from here forward in my life. I used to tease people who lay awake at night worrying about sump pumps and the like, but my perspective has broadened considerably on that sort of issue! The rain on the roof is very cozy, though, and as long as we’re mostly dry, I’m blissfully content.