Tennessee Tree Toppers - Team Challenge

Day one of the Team Challenge and I'm loving the relaxed attitude/learning environment the club has created here.  What's really nice for me is that I'm totally off the hook for doing anything and I get to be 100% tourist - it's really heaven.  The Tennessee Tree Toppers (hang gliding club) own the land where the launch and landing fields are situated.  There's a huge campground on launch with a clubhouse and anything and everything a pilot could need - including nice fast wifi for me ;-).  There are nearly 50 in the competition here, plus heaps more free fliers - most are camping at launch.

Today wasn't taskable.  Rain was forecast to come in around 3pm.  So far that hasn't happened, but the sky has been completely overcast all day, so there's been nothing in the way of lift.  But I love the attitude here.  The purpose of this competition is to raise up new competition pilots, so even if it isn't taskable, there is still so much that can be done.  Many pilots (me included) opted to have a sled ride to the bottom landing field - good launch and landing practice.  Mitch had ET set up in the landing field doing a bit of electra-towing.  Tonight as I type, Mike Barber and Dennis Pagen are giving a talk on cross country flying.  What a great way to get more guys (and gals) into our competition scene!

Sweetest meet director on the planet - Ollie Gregory.

What makes me happy

A Bit of Begging

The 2013 worlds are being held in Forbes, Australia this coming January.  I have a rare opportunity, along with my teammate Linda Salamone, to participate in this competition along side the men (woo hoo!! ;-).  Because there is no separate women's world championship this year, the organizers of the Forbes worlds are allowing teams of five men, plus two women.  So, Linda and I are going to Forbes along with the US men's team!!

As you can imagine, the expense of traveling to Australia with all of our hang gliding equipment is huge.  Linda and I are working on several fund raisers for the team, the first of which is the sale of these cool commemorative t-shirts.  We've had great support from Flytec USA (as always!) and expect some help from the Freeflight Foundation as well.  But we're hoping to offset some of the expense by selling these great shirts designed by Rick Brown (thanks Rick!!).  They're high quality shirts in two colors and styles (men's and women's) and they make the perfect gift for pilots, soon-to-be pilots, drivers, wives, girlfriends, mistresses, etc.  

So, please support your US girls team and click on the link below to order a shirt or two (or three).  Order early and often because when they run out....well....when they run out, I guess will just print up more ;-)  In exchange for your order, I promise to continue blogging and tweeting and Facebooking all the juicy gossip and details about the hang gliding world and specifically the world championships in Forbes.  

Thanks in advance for your support!  Click HERE to order.  

Peaceful Easy Feeling

I love waking up in a place where I'm a bit of an outsider.  I've always loved it and I can't really explain why.  Maybe it's because I feel like it's something of an adventure...I don't know.

For the first time in nearly ten years, it's summer in the northern hemisphere and I'm not in Europe.  It feels kind of odd sometimes when I hear about all the flying my friends are doing in the heart of the summer.  But, I'm not at home, I'm waking up each morning to winter in Australia, spending the short days riding the cool new bike Glen bought me, watching him catch lobsters then cooking them up for dinner, doing a bit of winter flying in the Hunter Valley, a lot of running along the hilly paths and just having a generally quiet and cozy time.

The last few days have particularly warm, so Glen had a little surf the other afternoon.  The waves are only slight bigger here than at home ;-)

Exeter

Yesterday I drove to the little central San Joaquin Valley town of Exeter for my niece's baptism.  The central valley of California reminds me so much of the landscape around Forbes, Australia.  It's primarily agricultural and pretty darn open and flat.  I've just always thought the Australian version was cooler though because the small towns tend to have some character.  By and large so many American small towns have lost their centers and consist of a spread of one strip mall after the next and of course, a giant Walmart.

Exeter was a brilliant throwback to the time when towns had a square in the enter - usually the town hall - with shops and restaurants on the surrounding streets....think Hill Vally in Back to the Future.  Exeter was Hill Valley, with a twist. Nearly every broadside (and some narrow sides) of a building had an agricultural or historical mural painted on it.  Matt and I cruised the streets in amazement.  Matt (being the amazing artist that he is) complained that some were slightly off perspective, but I generally just loved the color of everything and the fact that there wasn't a Walmart to be seen anywhere.  

Wondering how there came to be so many murals, I read up online a little about the town.  I didn't find the answer to the "why" question, but I did read that many of the murals have hidden objects in them - like the bear's face in the Gateway mural.  I also learned that there are many, many more paintings that we missed.  I think this might call for a trip back to Exeter next time I'm in California.  

Matt and I loved the sunglasses on this modern day cowboy. And NO, it's not a cougar!! ;-) It's a mountain lion!

I read that the little face peeking out of the orange tree is actually the artist's daughter.

Mucho Gusto

Spending a bit of time with my west coast family on a little stopover on my way to Oz.  It's been so cool to finally meeting the newest addition, my little niece Allison.  She and her big brother Mathias are gorgeous little angels that nearly (not quite, but almost) make me want to have another one.

Santa Cruz Flats Race 2012

Registration is officially open as of about 20 minutes ago.  This year's event will be the US Hang Gliding Nationals and we have a limit of 70 pilots, so hurry up and register - we expect to fill up fairly quickly.

Registration is at www.santacruzflatsrace.blogspot.com

Don't forget to book yourself a room at the Francisco Grande.  They have a block of tower rooms for us and a special rate.  To get the rate, just call and mention that you're coming for the competition.  The reservations number is 520.836.6444.  There are a limited number of courtyard rooms as well, but as of last year, we have moved most of the operations, glider setup and daily pilot briefings to the area just outside the main lobby facing the golf course, so you'll probably want to be in the tower (it's nicer anyway).

 

Feeling so at home

Nefarious Ne'erdowell

You gotta watch out for the coppers in Skibereen.  Mom and I had to take this one on after he stopped us at a roadside checkpoint.  She managed to get him cuffed, I read him his rights and we stormed the castle!!

More pictures of Cork and Blarney

Finally the sun has started to shine - a full week into our trip.  It was worth the wait.  County Cork is gorgeous!

Blarney

Beautiful castle, heaps of history and culture and all I can think is what an ideal landing field the king had in his back garden ;-)

When in Dublin...

I may have found my real calling.  I completed my training at the official Guinness school and I can now pour the perfect pint.  Fortunately, I can't really drink the stuff.  

The Troubles

Day one in Northern Ireland and I’m already feeling quite ignorant.  Aside from a Daniel Day Lewis movie and a vague recollection of stuff on the news over the years, I had no idea the extent of the “troubles” here in Belfast.  After a long walk around the city, we heard about a Peace Wall and decided we ought to check it out.  Expecting a sort of memorial with murals and the like, we were really surprised to find a 25ft wall separating the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods built to quite literally keep them from killing each other.  While there were murals and graffiti and political statements all over the Protestant side of the wall, it wasn’t a memorial of any kind, it was a barrier, still used to this day to keep the peace.  Every night at sunset, the giant metal gates close off the one main road from the Catholic side into the council estates on the Protestant side.  So there is effectively a curfew….today!  Although these walls were originally meant to be temporary, the first ones were built in the late 60’s and they’ve multiplied over the years.  In the 90’s there were less than 20 and apparently now there are 40. 

These aren’t Muslims and Christians killing each other.  They’re Christians….both sides.  I think most Americans would find it as strange as we did that two Christian groups whose beliefs are very very similar would actually want to kill each other.  I suppose it shouldn’t be all that surprising – most, if not all of the killing going on throughout history has been in the name of religion.  But, having grown up very Christian, it still amazed me that two Christian groups were fighting this way.  To me, it would be like the Baptists going after the Presbyterians….an idea that we would laugh about.

On the Catholic side, the houses are built right up next to the wall, so close that they have chain link enclosures protecting the homes from objects being lobbed over the wall.  

Shine Sweet Freedom

As much as love spending 24/7 looking after 65 pilots and another 15 crew members during the Rally each year, when it all ends I have to admit that it feels a bit like being released from prison.  My life was at last my own again last week and it was heaven.  Glen and I set out to be regular Florida tourists enjoying the trendy life in Miami Beach, the gators and airboats of the Everglades and the islands of the Keys.  What a beautiful way to rest up and be reminded that I have a life outside of hang gliding.