ZigZagMarquis

Memories... Like the corners of my mind Misty water-colored memories Of the way we were Scattered pictures, Of the smiles we left behind Smiles we gave to one another For the way we were Can it be that it was all so simple then? Or has time re-written every line? If we had the chance to do it all again Tell me, would we? could we? Memries, may be beautiful and yet Whats too painful to remember We simply choose to forget So its the laughter We will remember Whenever we remember... The way we were... The way we were...

I've heard Will's name, Lancaster & Fox Field thrown around together, but I'm not sure if its really anything more than just that... folks yapin'. As for Apple Valley... the Drop Zone there and the Airport never really got along. Now I am wanting even more than ever a high speed rail that goes from Ridgecrest to Perris... okay, with stops in Cal City, Rosamond & Lancaster for my buds there... ... and a bar on the train too!

Wow. Crap. I just realized no more "demo" jumps onto the golf course on the 4th of July. I'll never forget my first briefing to be on the demo into the Cal City golf course on the 4th July... it went something like... Philly (pointing): That's where we're landing. Me: Where? Philly (pointing): There! On the fairway just west of the big lake / water hazard with the island and bridge going to it... near the softball fields. Me: Which fairway west of the water hazard? Philly: Awh, fuck it, just follow me... CUT!

Heeeeeyyyy... Junior... any possibilty of "Bandit Jumps" back into Cal City (we could land at Philly's house... their will be beer there) when y'all fly the Otter and 206 off in December? Just Kidding!

Yeah... and in Cal City Fashion... it will probably be blowin' like a mother fuc...

Well... you got about 3 weeks... you still could. Yeah, ask him about the time his wife was explaining to the Cal City Police Dept how a bunch of drunk skydivers got a rental car "upside-down" on the landing area one Saturday night.

You're right Cary, its a bummer to see "Van-Land" go in, but, everyone, like Junior said, we should be grateful for the good times we had there and respectful of the work Van & Alberta put into the place. IMO, they didn't just sell the place for scrap. I'm somewhat surprised to see it go so fast, but when you think about it... skydiving all over SoCal slowing down, fuel prices going up... what's the likelyhood of someone being able to come in and pick-up the operation lock-stock-and-barrel... I guess I had a wish in the back of my head that Junior and Emiko would come back and take the place over, but I guess that's not meant to be and it sounds like their doing well back east... add to that, although Alberta is much younger (I swear the woman doesn't look a day older than when I first meet her 14ish years ago), but Van is what 64?... the hand-writting was on the wall. I'll miss the place a lot. Its not every DZ, in fact I don't know of another, that you could pull up to at 1a.m. Friday Night / Sat morning, get into the hangar, unroll your sleeping bag on the stage (or in the Otter itself if it was a cold winter night and not otherwise in use) and crash until early-bird. Sure, it had its share of DZ Politics and Under-the-Windsock churn, but what place doesn't? I meet a lot of friends there. Friendships that I hope continue, but we'll be jumping at different DZs. Seen a lot of folks come through jumping there or working there, be around for awhile and then move on to bigger and better things. Meet a lot of different folks that I would have never encountered otherwise. Heck, I think its the last DZ around where you get to spot an Otter the "old fashioned" way... at least for a few more weeks. I'll be currious to see what the city does with the place. I hope it doesn't turn into another Matrix Motors (aka "The Ruins"). Trying to be upbeat... but I guess the "good ol days" of having an Otter DZ 40min from my door are about over. Guess I'll be spending more time on the road Saturdays and Sundays driving to Perris, Elsinore or Taft... or I'll have to finally "grow up", "settle down", "buy a house" and spend my weekends mowin' the lawn, trimin' rose bushes and yellin' at the neighborhood kids to "Git off my lawn!"

Blue Skies Eric. We never met and we didn't always see eye to eye here, but what you said was always well stated and thought through. Although I didn't always agree, I did have respect for what you said even if it may not have shown. If you or others who knew you didn't think so, I regret that. My best to your family and friends. I hope they give you a good send off. It would seem well deserved.

Yeah, wasn't meaning to say it was a bad rig... was just musing over the "additional complexities".

... better take TWO memory pills with each Viagra... so you can remember what the fuck you're doing... I'm sorry, that one was too good to pass up. Anyway... I was looking at Howardwhite's "TopSecret1" photo he posted up-thread. I took me a few seconds to realize that I was looking at the back of the rig with the shoulder straps / main lift webs bent around so you could see their "fronts" from the back... then the following ran through my mind... be kind... early 21st century rigger here... 1) Rip cord for main deployment on the r/h main lift web... and am I correct in guessing there's more than one pin on that rip cord? ... plus some gromets and cones involved too?? Okay, if a main mal happnes... 2) Shot-n-a-halfs / Capewells to cut-away... ... and finally... 3) A Blast handle to deploy the reserve!!? Okay, I realize all this stuff was TSO'd, works and is all still legal to go jump if airworthy and all that... but I'm REALLY glad y'all that have gone before us jumped this stuff "back in the day" and have since come up with the many newer things we see today.

SP, Good on you for fessing up to your mistake and sharing this informaiton. Et all... this is not the first time I've seen this failure mode during my time in the sport; where an apparently "properly" hooked up toggle really is not. My 2 cents / what I do even with a brand new canopy ... is hang it up and insepct it... look in every cell... look at each and every attach point on the cnaopy... look at each and every casscade and make sure ALL the bar-tacks that should be there are there. Personally, if the brake lines aren't factory set, I tie them in a knot & finger trap the excess rather then just finger trapping them and stitcing them... in case you ever want to retie them for what ever reason.

What? You like getting Pennicillina shots, Pops??

So? At what point are folks gonna start blaming skyride for Anna Nichole's death, Brittany loosing her kids (and undies), global warning, 9/11, etc... BITCH LESS! JUMP MORE!!

??? Original Bionic Woman or the New Bionic Woman?

What I'd like to know is how well received (or not) your interruption of a military 1st jump briefing went. ... or did you talk to the instructor afterwards?

Over the years, I've seen some various "removable bootie" ideas tried out... Velcro on ones like you describe & "chaps" w/ booties that you put on over your bootie-less jumpsuit are two ideas I've seen come to mind, but for the most part, like folks have said, if you want booties, you wind up buying a jumpsuit with them and if you don't want them sometimes, you wind up with another jumpsuit without them. So, other then it ending up being an interesting sewing project... which I'm not saying is a bad thing... it usually just winds up being only that. Try this... http://www.cordura.com/suppliers.html ... click on "List of Cordura Fabric Suppliers in North America"

So there really is no tool crip that goes around handing out hot tools to little boys and girls on Halloween? Next you'll be telling us there is no Santa Clause!??

The tool crip?? I'm picturing some gang-banger looking dude with a blue bandanna selling tools from the trunk of his car to you in the parking lot that he jacked someplace.

I had a SPAM and Velveeta on wheat bread sandwich for dinner... on Halloween... does that count?

The change of clothes for a 1 week backpacking trip was more of a incase it rains and what you have on gets wet and you then can put something dry on while the wet stuff dries out kinda thing... Anyway... you're going for a month long backpacking trip. That's cool. I wanted to do that back in the day, but never got around to it. Now a days... I like my beer, couch, remote and T.V. too much at the end of the day... You're not going to carry a month's worth of food are you? Folks I knew that did the Appilachian Trail had family or friends mail them stuff c/o "General Delivery" at certain towns / post offices along the way at designated times is the way I recall it done... of coure if you're in the Congo or some place like that... no worky... then you need sherpas or pack animals... both of which you can eat if the real food runs out...

Bah! Enough oatmeal, some dried fruit, GORP, Bolton Biscuits and this pattie' (sp?) we used to call "cat food", mabye some hot chocolate and/or Tang and as long as you could get potable water and start a fire... plus pack, tent, mess kit, couple of cantiens, sleeping bag (or just a blanket in the summer), boots, several pair of dry socks, a change of clothes, poncho/ground cloth, first aid kit and a knife & we were good for a week backpacking!

... that ain't camping that's moving!

... so much for "roughing it"... I suppose you had an air-matress and pillow too?

What do you call a 100 lawyers skydiving without rigs? A good start.