Snowbird

1:2:0 1 potluck Thanksgiving dinner at the dropzone, happily consumed by thankful jumpers after a GORGEOUS day of skydiving. The weather was so nice, I was packing outside in my halter top. 1 coach2 jump; 1 hop'n'pop. I was load filler on a first jump load, and one of the students was my hubby! I just had to be on that load. Very cool to be there and see him go out for his first jump. He did awesome! Low number of jumps was directly related to my hubby doing his FJC. No real firsts today. Followed the landing pattern and sorta did a downwinder, if you can count it when there was barely any wind at all. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Here's a recent one, from my girlfriend's wedding. He is such a supportive hubby, I think I'll keep him!

Hey Wendy, that is a wonderful and special thing that you were able to do. I'm so glad for your ex that he was able to see his dad and be reconciled. My dad died suddenly, at work, with no warning, and I'd give anything for a few last words with him. Hopsice and caring professionals are people who don't get enough recognition. To give people dignity in their last days is a tremendous gift. It sounds as if you have honest and wonderful memories to carry on, and the peace to face them through the hurt. Be well and be strong. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Yeah, fess up! Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

The fifth one came out recently. I was quite disappointed, to the point where I didn't finish it. I guess my expectations were high because I loved the first four. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

ditto. An excellent read. Also check out the 'Mars' series by Kim Stanley Robinson, or anything by Orson Scott Card - especially 'Ender's Game'. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Stephen King is also going blind. Makes it a wee touch difficult to write as quickly as he used to. All this talk about Harry, I think I need to reread the books again. For the third time. Soon as I finish LOTR. Again. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Harry is awesome! I devoured the first 2 books in a day each, the 3rd in two days, and the 4th in three. Then I reread them! I agree that his love interest hasn't appeared yet. I don't think that Rawlings will make it that predictable. Hermione and Ron won't be an item either, at least not long term. They are a good trio of friends, and I hope Rawlings keeps them that way. That woman is such a great writer, and I wish I had her creative vision. She has alot up her sleeve; I watched an interview with her, and she made it very clear that she will write it true to her vision, not as the critics/editors think it should be. No 'Hollywood' predictable plot twists. She also hinted that an important character will be killed. I can't wait for the next book! Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

This is painful! I plan on being there 2 weeks later for the Invasion. Arrrrgggh! No chance on getting down earlier and staying right through, either. But I'm looking at that list and wishing I could be on it... Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Woohoo! Congrats. What a great feeling, eh? So, were you nervous to jump your own pack job? Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Joint accounts, from day one. We got together while I was in college, and then married young, and both our parents kept joint accounts, so neither of us questioned it. As far as income goes, we've always considered it to be more about time than $. So long as we both work the same amount of time, actual income is unimportant. Everything is pooled. On the occasions when I wasn't working much, I didn't expect to have any extras. Even our RRSP's and investments are combined. Although, if one of us takes extra work, we keep that income for ourselves. I do all the banking, but only because I'm WAY more organised than him. The only thing that is MINE and NOT HIS is my rig Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

I know where you're at with that. But it goes with the territory of choosing to do things that don't appeal to most gals. Between martial arts and skydiving, I'm usually one of very few women involved. Even at the gym I usually get to know the guys better than the gals. The local dz - which is so far the only one I've been to! - is wonderfully social, and even makes tandem jumpers and new students feel welcome to stay around and hang out afterward. I just love the atmosphere (dz politics aside, I try to ignore them). Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

So do you stay open through the winter, at least on weekends? The Vernon dz will be closing in November, and I'm thinking that a couple trips to the lower mainland are in order. Between Pitt, Abbotsford and Victoria, someone must stay open... (she says hopefully) We'll have snow towards Christmas, that will last for a few months. A week or two of -20oC in January, then mild until we warm up in March. Rarely anything severe, although ever now and then we are hit with a doozer of a winter. I'll take our winter over Manitoba winter anyday. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Yes, that is a cruel, cruel thing to say. 1:5:1 1 packing endorsement. Seems like just yesterday I was so nervous about packing my own main! 5 jumps, ending with a kick butt coach2 jump. I'm almost ready to go for my 'A'.

This is great! I love reading these stories. This is an abreviated version of what I wrote after my first freefall. Sorry it's kinda long. May 18, 2002 I’m sitting in an airplane. A Cessna 182. There are five of us aboard; Tyler the pilot, Andrew, Don, Brian and myself. I look out the window. The sun is nearly down, and the clouds are turning to gold. The same gold touches the ground below me, but it is the presence of balsam root flowers that gilds the hillsides. We are nearly 3000 feet in the air, and the game-board world below me is far less real than the noisy metal bird in whose gullet I sit, and wait. We are kneeling on the padded floor, a bit cramped, but not badly. The air is warm, a touch stale, with hints of sweat, anticipation, excitement and fear. The drone of the plane makes speech difficult, but we talk anyway to calm our nerves. Thank you, Bob; his friendly talk keeps my mind away from what I’ll be doing in just a few minutes. Now we are at 3500 feet, approaching the airport on our first jump run. Brian is going first; we all give him a thumbs up for encouragement. Andrew, our jumpmaster, yells, “DOOR!” The blast of wind from the open door is less than you’d expect, but definitely not comfortable. It is loud, whistling through the plane and sweeping away extraneous thoughts. Andrew nods at Brian and tells him, “Climb Out!” Brian doesn’t hesitate. Right hand on the right doorframe, left on the other. His right leg is out on the step, now his left. Andrew is holding him; when Brian lets go of the plane, it is Andrew who will throw the pilot chute to open his canopy. But not for me. I tune out that thought and peer out the door to watch Brian. Andrew yells, “Look up!” Brian looks up. “GO!” Brian lets go of the strut, still looking up, and falls away from us while Andrew tosses the pilot chute. Immediately it catches air and begins to open the canopy. Brian loses his arch, but it’s okay because his canopy is already open. Mine won’t be. With Brian away, we pull back into the plane, Tyler banks just a bit and the door swings shut, cutting off the noise of wind and prop. Andrew looks at me, nodding and grinning, and I shuffle up until I am kneeling beside the door. I’m no longer noticing the smells, or the noise, or the pretty view. Instead, I close my eyes to visualise exactly what I’m about to do. Exactly. No mistakes, no oops, this is it. This is the first time that I will save my own life and toss my own pilot chute. My brain begins to consider what will happen if I mess up; Get lost, brain! I tell myself. You will go out there, you will look up and arch, you will let go, you will hold the arch, you WILL pull that pilot chute! There is plenty of time, you will not rush or have a brain malfunction. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. My arch will be a thing of beauty. Okay, I’ve told myself what will happen, and I actually believe myself. Tyler has come all the way around; again we approach the airport for jump run, my jump run. My heart speeds up, as it always does. I tell the butterflies in my stomach to fly in formation, and they do. Until Andrew yells, “DOOR!” The door opens upward, to let us out easily. Wind welcomes itself in again, an old friend eager to greet us with its howl. While Andrew checks the spot, I put my hand out to say ‘hi’ in return, the wind curls around my hand in happy recognition. I’m kneeling on the padded floor, with the door wide open to see the world 3500 feet below. Andrew does not have my pilot chute, his hand is not gripping my rig. I reach for the handle for the pilot chute, and then my two emergency handles. It is comforting and reassuring to touch them. They are solid, the wind is not. I want Andrew to hold my shoulder as he always has before, but he won’t. I’m being weaned off of his supportive touch, all at once, and like an unhappy kitten I want that security back. “Climb Out!” Damn it’s too soon, I don’t want to do this, just get out there and do it! My brain sends me a dozen mixed messages all at once. But the training overrides all the voices, and I put my right hand on the door frame, then my left on the other side. My right foot pushes out into the wind and feels the step. Hey, Andrew isn’t leaning out with me! Please lean out! But he doesn’t and won’t. My hands are on the strut now, and I shuffle to the end of the step. Here we go, will I step off will I will I yes I will and my arch will be a thing of beauty and I have so much time to make this work and GO Tina Go! It seems that I’m going to do it, because now I’m dangling beneath the strut. My hips push forward to greet the wind. It is whistling around me, a greeting not a threat. Now Andrew has leaned out, and I look at him. “Look up!” he yells, and I do. There is a happy blue smiley face sticker grinning from the wing above me, and I grin back at it. “GO!” No way in hell I’ll let go! But then it’s too late, because I have. I’m looking straight at Andrew, his blue eyes sparkling above a huge grin and both thumbs up in encouragement. My arms spread wide, my hips thrust forward, I look up, and my arch is stable. Arch Thousand! Keeping my back motionless and my head up, my arms move. The left one extends above my head, the right one reaches for the handle of the pilot chute. Reach thousand! I pop it out, tossing it hard, and spread my arms again. Toss thousand! Right then, I realise that I am flying, and I want to sing. Arch thousand! Two thousand! I feel the canopy springing to life above me. But it still isn’t open, and I’m flying. Three thousand! Four thousand! And now the canopy begins to catch air, slowing me down and swinging me around so my feet are below me. Five thousand! My canopy is open, a beautiful blue and black wing above my head, whistling it’s own tune as it works. But as quickly as I notice that, I’m distracted. Andrew has followed me out, and is freefalling in front of me. He is flying headdown, a streak of red reaching for the earth and leaving me behind. Recalling myself to the moment, I reach for my controls, yellow handles stowed on the risers above me. A few small pulls confirm that the canopy is responding and functioning, so I turn around to find the airport. Then I look around. Yes, I’ve been here before, hovering 3000 feet up. I’ve seen this view a dozen times now, and it is always spectacular. Only, I can’t stop to enjoy it right now. A voice pipes up, via the radio attached to my rig. “Looking good Tina, but the wind has picked up a lot. Turn towards town and stay on that heading. No playing.” I do as I’m told; with little else to do now I look around again. And then I realise I did it I did it I arched and pulled and I flew and I did it and I’m alive and this is what it means to be alive! I want to sing. My song will be about the snow-capped mountains that stretch away in almost every direction, about the undulating landscape of green hills and valleys, about the ponderosa pine trees standing rigidly along the slopes beside tiny lakes nestled into the earth’s curves. And I can sing about the wind, how it laughs at the world. It is the only truly free thing, having never known the bondage of gravity. Looking straight down, I see that I’m no longer moving forward into the wind. I’m going backward. This is not good; it’s very windy and my canopy is bumping its way through the turbulence. On my radio I can hear ground control helping Brian land; he has missed the dropzone, missed the airport, and is landing in the nearby golf course. It’s very very windy! I’m almost down. Now I’m not moving backward, but neither am I going forward. I’m slowly coming straight down, completely vertical. Only at the last moment do I drift forward a bit, and then I’m pulling down on the toggles and flaring, and I step from the air onto the ground. At the clubhouse, there is cheering and clapping and hugs all around, for they all knew what this jump was. It was the defining moment, when I met the sky as more than a silly human jumping from a metal bird. This time, and from now on, when I reach the sky I am home. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Walking into MEC is a holy moment... so many toys, so little money. Kinda like I imagine it would be to go into someplace like SquareOne (sigh). Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Thank you Dave, I needed a good laugh. What a visual... Still laughing Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Yeah, suuure Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

My hubby was paintballing on Sunday, and came home a-limpin. He did continue the game, though! Spent the evening applying ice. Have a blast! I've only gone once, and it was huge fun. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Hey, I drive my hubby nuts for that exact reason! I only turn ours on if I'm expecting a call, or need to make one. If someone wants to speak with me and I don't have the cell phone on, it's not the end of the world! Leave a message and I'll call back. I like being out of contact while I'm doing my thing. Like at the dz... no way am I baby sitting my phone while I'm there, so off it goes. Drives hubby up the wall Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

::0 Helped a friend move yesterday morning, then spent the afternoon cleaning for an open house today. Today is pissing rain, so it's a good day to not have time to jump! So while I wait for people to come see the house, I'm surfing pilotdaves ftp site.

The chain I was working at went under. It was still viable and profitable, so I tried to open my own similar science store. Couldn't raise the capital, so I changed 'careers'. I do really miss the astronomy though. And the telescopes Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

Whoa! Glad to hear your okay. Now just take it easy, heal, and do the therapy! Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein