December 29, 2020 Alternate Endings

The Liberty Gazette

December 29, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: We’re almost there. We’re nearing the light at the end of the 2020 tunnel that no one, even with 20/20 vision, could have seen coming (well, except Fauci, Gates, China, you know). Good things have continued to happen for many, but we must not forget the deep pain and grief of others. 

Considering the crazy year, we thought we’d offer some ideas for alternate endings and encourage you to think of your own: write it down, post it on social media, share it with a friend, or stick it on the fridge. You deserve it. You deserve to dream of better. Here are ours. 

Christmas break, camping out in Northern Finland. That’s my alternate ending to 2020. Fly to Helsinki, and from there to Ivalo. Several airlines go there: Finnair, Air France, Nordic Regional, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa. I’ll pick either Finnair or Lufthansa. Finnair because it’s the local, and you should (almost) always fly the local. For instance, in Cambodia, we chose Cambodian Air, not because it’s luxurious, but because that airline’s home is where we were going. Lots of unseen benefits in doing that. Usually of the political kind. Lufthansa is a superb airline, so they are never off the list. 

At the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, we have the choice of snow igloo, wood chalet, or an igloo made of thermal glass and steel. I’ll take glass. Think luxury here. Cold outside, but unbelievable views of Northern Lights from a snuggly warm inside. 

The resort boasts celebrity treatment with world-class service, surrounded by nature. It’s in the Saariselkä Fell region of Finnish Lapland. If you’re inclined to tell anyone where you are, there’s free WiFi, but in my alternate ending, I’ll keep that a secret to share later.

The restaurants serve Laplandic specialties such as reindeer and char-grilled salmon, but we’ll request the vegan options in advance. 

There’s a relaxation room with an open fireplace, and a nearby ice hole, in case we need to cool off.

Husky and reindeer safaris can be arranged, and we can go snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, rent Nordic walking sticks and snowshoes.

Mike: Not that I wouldn’t enjoy spending time in an igloo—I’ve built them while snow camping in the Sierra Nevada—but I’m thinking of a warmer climate. Say, the middle of the Indian Ocean. The Maldives. This country has about 1,200 coral islands on which to get lost. And they are all accessible by seaplane. 

Not far from the equator, and surrounded by so much water, the year-round temperatures rarely vary from the mid-eighties. We’d airline into Male, the capital, and from there, take one of the 50 DeHavilland Twin Otters on floats to the Conrad Resort on Rangali Island and stay in one of their underwater villas. 

I’m not sure who would think they were in an aquarium, the fish or us. But it’s a unique year-end destination, a long way from the other parts of this crazy world. 

We’re looking forward to a better year!

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

December 22, 2020 Love is in the Air

The Liberty Gazette

December 22, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Rachel knew as a teen that she would be a pilot. She began flying lessons in Santa Paula, California, and after becoming a private pilot with an instrument rating, she began working toward a commercial certificate. One day, she drove out to the Camarillo airport to fly a different airplane, a Piper Arrow. And this was her lucky day. 

With an instructor, she was flying instrument approaches into Camarillo, followed by a few turns in the traffic pattern for touch-and-go’s. Since this airport has an air traffic control tower, pilots must radio the tower before entering their airspace. That rule put Rachel in direct contact with Tyler, a dashing young controller still in training, just a year out of the U.S. Air Force. 

Being the only single guy working in the tower, Tyler was the target of many attempts to be “fixed up” with lovely ladies. “I was their entertainment,” he laughs about his co-workers.

On that day, while Rachel mastered the Arrow, every time she radioed the tower, they teased Tyler, “She’s flirting with you, you know.” 

But Rachel protests the allegation with a great sense of humor. “Honestly, I was trying to get a clearance to land! I wasn’t even thinking about guys!”

Mike: However, they needled Tyler, urging him to invite her up for a tour. “I told them no, that was too forward,” he explains. That’s when good ol’ Dave took matters into his own hands, determined to help a buddy out. 

As Rachel taxied back to the ramp, Dave pressed the mic button and invited her up. In most circumstances, a controller giving a pilot the phone number to call the tower is an indication that the pilot has done something wrong. But in this case, giving her the number would enable her to call to get through the security gate. 

After parking the plane, she drove over to the tower and called. It was Tyler who picked up the phone and graciously let her in. 

“They gave me a tour, and everyone was professional and courteous,” Rachel says. “I thanked Tyler for his service to our country, and I thanked all the controllers for showing me the inside of the tower.”

That would have been all there was, but after the tour, Rachel hopped in the fuel truck with her friend Brittany, whose job was to drive it and fuel airplanes. Through the airport’s private frequency, the guys invited them back after quitting time to play basketball at the base of tower. 

Whether Rachel offered her phone number or Tyler asked for it depends on who you ask. But they ended up on a date that night. “We went to Universal Studios,” she says, “and our date lasted twelve hours. I never laughed so much for so long, and that’s what won me over about him.”

Today, Rachel is a first officer with a regional airline, Tyler is keeping flights in order from Houston’s approach control facilities, and there is a beautiful wedding on the horizon. 

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

December 15, 2020 Astronomical Corned Beef

The Liberty Gazette

December 15, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: When astronaut Wally Schirra walked into Wolfie’s Restaurant and Sandwich Shop in Cocoa Beach, Florida and bought an extra corned beef on rye, he probably never thought it would be famous. Or infamous. Or that a replica would be made for a museum. After all, it was just a practical joke. He saved the savory meal for two days and then handed it to fellow spaceman John Young just in time for Young’s first launch later that day. 

That was March 23, 1965, when Young, his smuggled sandwich hidden in his spacesuit, blasted off aboard Gemini 3 with his Command Pilot, Gus Grissom. Once they reached cruise altitude, which is way up there, Young pulled out the sandwich. The conversation went like this: 

Astronaut John Young

Grissom: “What is it?”

Young: “Corn beef sandwich.”

Grissom: “Where did that come from?”

Young: “I brought it with me. Let’s see how it tastes. Smells, doesn’t it?”

Grissom: “Yes, it’s breaking up. I’m going to stick it in my pocket.”

Young: “Is it?”

Young: “It was a thought, anyways.”

Grissom: “Yep.”

Young: “Not a very good one.”

Grissom: “Pretty good, though, if it would just hold together.”

Young: “Want some chicken leg?”

Unfortunately for the crew, the audio recording of that exchange eventually made its way to Congress, where critters live, and a couple of them nearly blew their head gaskets because they had arranged for the astronauts to test certain foods. It seems there was some heated speech about wasting taxpayer money because the critters assumed after hearing that recording that the two astronauts ate none of the compact and “safe” food assigned to them for testing. 

There’s a valid point that great care must be taken when considering food in a space capsule in zero gravity. You wouldn’t want crumbs getting into the equipment or instruments, and there could be some concern about tiny floating particles being inhaled. Sandwiches aren’t the best candidate for a launched lunch. But the space travelers didn’t actually skip their duty to reconstitute dehydrated test food with a water gun. I’m sure that was loads of fun. 

You know how things can go when politicians see a chance for media attention. The encapsulated incident was blown out of proportion when the House Appropriations Committee met to discuss the threat of “costing the country millions of dollars,” and one member whined that it was “disgusting.” Okay, two-day-old corned beef, I might agree. But I don’t think I’d have gone to such extremes. I suppose NASA admins felt political pressure to make Young the first space crew member to receive a reprimand. 

The rest of the story is better, though. John Young turned out to be NASA’s longest-serving astronaut, logging 865 hours in space and a walk on the Moon. And Commander Grissom wasn’t mad. For him, the great sandwich caper was the highlight of the flight. So great, in fact, that at the Grissom Memorial Museum in Mitchell, Indiana, you’ll find a replica of the sandwich preserved and encased.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com  

Replica of the famous corned beef sandwich

December 8, 2020 Hangar Time

The Liberty Gazette

December 8, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: Here we are, that time of year again when the Elyminator must go to Dr. Mechanic for an annual check-up. It’s not that different from a human one, really. Our mechanic happens to be male, but not all are. He will check the “heart,” being the compression in the cylinders, like a blood pressure check. He’ll check all the “internal organs,” too, and even the hind-end, although probably not to the extent of a colonoscopy, thank goodness.

This is also the time of year when ceilings often are low, as cold fronts move in, and we wait on the ground for low visibility or high winds, or both, to pass on. Just before the weather hit over Thanksgiving, we landed the Elyminator at the Pearland Regional Airport and handed the keys over to the doc. He and his assistants remove the cowling to unveil the engine and poke around at all the vital parts. Sometimes things like o-rings and other seals need to be replaced. Sometimes there are surprises, like when you take your car to the dealer for scheduled maintenance and they find another problem to address. Except this airplane stuff isn’t like the reputation the auto repair or dealership businesses have. Generally, most aircraft mechanics are straight-up honest and are happy to let their customers work alongside them. This allows the customer to learn more about his or her airplane, and it also reduces the bill. We’ve been fortunate to have the best mechanics around. 

Linda: Meanwhile, here we are with an empty hangar. No time like this for cleaning and reorganizing. We went to work pulling cartons of things from the east wall. Out came the brooms, buckets, sponges, and mops. I especially like operating the five-horsepower shop vac, so the floor is once again clean enough to eat off. After picking up a couple of gallons of paint for the walls, we trapsed to a hardware store and put in the order for industrial shelving. Once delivered, all those items went into new bins, and viola! Organization began! Tools back there where the long workbench is. Cleaning supplies over here. Aviation reading material and DVDs in that spot. Extra parts in the west wing.  

Then, once we have the airplane back, we’ll anxiously await enjoyable winter flying weather, although, governments’ ridiculous reactions to this global flu virus ruined our travel plans this year (not to mention devastating businesses and economies). From our springtime trip to Rome and Sicily via airline, to a summer flight to Alaska in our own plane, to igloo camping in Northern Finland, every trip we scheduled has been displaced. But in a couple of weeks we will be able to claim victory in this hangar overhaul project, and the Elyminator will be sitting pretty—when it isn’t zooming us off somewhere. Someday, we hope the world will find its right mind again. Meanwhile, our fly-and-bike trips have given us fantastic new adventures, and we’ll keep finding ways to deal with irrationalities until the world gets a grip. 

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com 

December 1, 2020 Let's Go There

The Liberty Gazette

December 1, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Sometimes flying isn’t about seeing the most celebrated sight or the excitement in planning for specific experiences. Sometimes it’s best when we’re open to unknown adventure that lies ahead and in finding joy in simple things–just getting away from everyday life. 

We’ve especially looked forward to weekends this past month as breaks in Mike’s grueling work schedule. It seems we’ve developed a kind of mantra: In the air, doesn’t matter where, let’s go there. With that in mind, we’ve been keeping the bikes in the back of the airplane so that wherever we end up, we can extend the feeling of freedom cycling around, exploring a new town. Such was the case when we picked Texarkana. 

Mike: Wisps of clouds dotting the sky seemed to sweep by, and multiple shades of green landscape slipped under our wings as the Elyminator mightily trekked northward. The airwaves filled with the chatter of pilots announcing their position in the traffic patterns of many airports that share the same frequency. One pilot was taking off from Livingston’s airport while another was landing at Palestine. Each moment was a breath of fresh air that distanced me from the weariness of intensely focused work. 

Linda: Texarkana’s airport is conveniently close to town, on the Arkansas side. The friendly staff at TAC Air filled our tanks and offered to help us unload, but we’ve got this routine down pat. 

As Nick finished fueling the plane, I asked him about parks. What was the closest? Which was the best? While Spring Lake Park received a unanimous vote for best park, echoed by Michael and Kristina at the front desk, the Ed Worrell Memorial Park would be much closer, only about a ten-minute ride. We opted for the latter, only because of shortened daylight time. 

Mike: Some cities lack bike lanes or wide shoulders, so we study the routes from airport to town as part of our preflight exercises. Texarkana has a few busy streets, but after passing the best campaign sign ever (“Jesus–2020”), it didn’t take long to get to Worrell Memorial Park, which has a paved bike trail. It isn’t the most picturesque area, but the park served the purpose, and there were a couple lovely stretches. The autumn colors were mostly shades of brown. Piles of leaves surrounded bare trees, but the grass was green, and there were some pine trees, too. 

The trail followed a drainage ditch that meandered between neighborhoods. As we sat to eat, we laughed at the thought of traveling two hundred and twenty miles to sit on a rickety old wood bench with no table–because the park’s two picnic tables were already taken. But the munchies we brought still tasted great, we like each other’s company, and the journey itself is what draws us. 

Why fly two hours in the shortest daylight season of the year, just to bike for half an hour, find a picnic spot, and bike back for another two-hour flight? Adventure! Freedom, we say!

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com 

November 24, 2020 To The Stars

The Liberty Gazette

November 24, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: The young Indian girl, Mary Ross, was good at math. Really good. In the early part of the 20th century. Before calculators. Born of smart stock, her great-grandfather the longest serving Cherokee Chief ever, Mary was never given a list of things “girls can’t do.” Instead, she was sent to school. Teaching other Indian children math and science was one way she spread her encouragement and determination.

She became the first Native American female engineer, and in 1942, the first female engineer in the history of the Lockheed Corporation. I don’t think they had to fill any predetermined minority headcounts back then. She was the star they needed. Not just any engineer. An aerospace engineer, one of the 40 founding engineers hired to work at the renowned and highly secretive Skunk Works. 

A few years after helping design the P-38 “Lightning” jet fighter, she designed rockets and created concepts for interplanetary space travel. Decades ago, she was figuring out how to make Earth-orbiting flights in a variety of vehicles for crew and satellites. Imagine the work it took to get a rocket outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Her contributions benefit both the defense and civilian space industries and laid the groundwork for missions that haven’t happened yet.

And so how fitting when last year she was featured on the Sacagawea gold dollar. Since much of her work is still classified, the team designing the coin chose one of the known equations she would have used. To figure the velocity needed to break free from the Earth’s atmosphere and beyond, she had to calculate the requirements for that distance of interplanetary space travel, determine plane orbit and transfer orbit energy. The formula on the coin is this: 

V2∞ = V2- 2μ / r where V is the speed of an orbiting body.

V∞ is the orbit velocity when the orbit distance tends to infinity.

μ = GM, the standard gravitational parameter of the primary body with mass M.

r is the distance of the orbiting body center. 

Got it? That’s a simple one.

Also on the coin is an image of an astronaut closely resembling American Indian (Chickasaw) astronaut John Herrington. We happened to meet him in Houston in September last year when he joined the Apollo Chamber Orchestra for a night of fantastic space-themed storytelling and music. We had a blast talking airplanes with him after the concert. And to think that so much of his story unfolded because of the work of Mary Golda Ross. It’s satisfying to know she lived to almost 100 and got to see some of the fruits of her labors.

Mary never had a desire to go into space herself. She loved conquering the challenges of figuring out how to get it done. She did, however, believe that women would make wonderful astronauts. She’d just stay down here and analyze all the data.

Was she “one of the guys”? No. She was “one of the engineers.” A darn good one. A stellar one.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

November 17, 2020 Wintersmith Park

The Liberty Gazette

November 17, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Saturday morning the weather looked promising for the day, short as they are this time of year. A return trip to Mustang Beach with our bikes was a contender, but not the one that won this time. We skimmed the aeronautical map to find airports depicted very close to their host cities, and no more than three hours flight time to get to. Pauls Valley and Ada, Oklahoma competed with Mustang Beach for airport-to-city proximity. Ada won the coin toss, so we loaded up our picnic lunches and bikes and departed to the northwest with a tailwind and clear skies at 6,500’. 

The FBO at the Ada Municipal Airport is Heartland Aviation. There’s a young line boy there who will drive the fuel truck over if you call. I think he lives in an RV there on the airport. We were second in line for fuel (we like to fuel when we arrive, rather than wait until it’s time to depart), so while we waited, we re-assembled our bikes for the ride into town. Usually, all that means is putting the wheels on and connecting the brakes. But we had bought new, more cushy seats. Mike’s had gone on last week with no problem, but we needed a different tool for mine. Final action before hopping on and riding off: attach and adjust my new seat. 

One would think that shouldn’t be such a problem. However, as Mike adjusted the bracket, it cracked in two, leaving me seat-less. No worries, they have a courtesy car. A nice Ford Expedition. And the tank was full. We threw the bikes back in the Elyminator and our backpacks in the Expedition, and off we went to Wintersmith Park. And what a beautiful setting it is!

Mike: We stopped first at a picnic table and unpacked our vegan lunch as we surveyed the scene spread out before us. Brilliant fall colors set in stark contrast to the cool blue waters of the small lake and its grassy green banks. Above, a bright blue cloudless sky, and around us, a cool breeze. T-shirt weather without sweating.

A path meanders around the lake, and we sauntered along it, eking the most out of our getaway, crossing bridges that traversed fingers of the lake and one that spanned the brief dam. The rolling hills around the city park added depth and texture, and crunchy-looking leaves flittered across our path. And then there were the ducks and geese, dense flocks of them frolicking. The moments here so lovely, they gave us a brief respite from worldly concerns. 

 

On the way home, we’d cross back over the Red River, with a headwind to slow us, and the sun setting behind us. It would be dark by the time we landed. But an airport beacon and runway lights helped us find the spot where the music of our wheels chirped as we touched down at our home airport.

Autumn offers great flying weather, and we should have Linda’s bike seat ready for adventure next weekend.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com 

November 10, 2020 Local Sky Touring

The Liberty Gazette

November 10, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: With a beautiful weekend, we had plenty of choices where we could go, what we could do. We could fly somewhere we haven’t been yet with the bikes. We could practice approaches (legal requirements to maintain instrument currency require a minimum of six approaches every six months, plus holding, intercepting, and tracking). Or, we could go sight-seeing. That was the winning decision a couple of Saturdays ago when it was Mike’s turn in the left seat. “Let’s just fly around,” he said (some call it, ‘JFA’). “I think I’ll give you an air tour.” Sounded good to me. No pressure to be anywhere, just up in the sky, looking around with a different perspective.

Mike: I had just finished a mind-numbing and intense two-week, six-day-a-week work schedule. I needed to relax, and the Elyminator beckoned. I wanted to soar above the countryside and enjoy whatever scenes floated into view, my eyes like a camera lens, my mind storing the film I can replay whenever I want. 

Linda: We stayed local, no more than 60 miles around. Over Liberty, we peered down on the high school, with a great view of the baseball diamond, the track, and the tennis courts. Over Dayton, one of the most obvious eye-catchers is the ginormous train parking area.

The construction of 99 in progress was also an attraction worthy of our examination. Lots of it is carved out in the dirt, some bridges already poured, and you can easily see its footprint from the air. 

Mike: Lazily flying along the shore, we were spotting and telling tales of historical landmarks along the ship channels and intercoastal waterway. I made a couple slow turns over Fort Travis Park, checking out the circular foundations where the gun turrets were mounted, and the bunkers. A great place for a picnic. Viewing historical places from aloft adds depth to stories—like having a living, breathing map laid out in front of us. 

Linda: Probably one of my favorite sights on Mike’s tour was the Navy’s WWII blimp facility south of Hitchcock. Brought back memories growing up in Indianapolis where every May, the Goodyear blimp would arrive and hover over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was near our house. Because the blimp would appear before opening day, it was always a beautiful sign of the fun days to come. There’s nothing like Indy in May. And flying a blimp would be cool. So would sailing. Believe it or not, I have never been sailing. 

Here and there, lovely sails dotted Galveston Bay, seemingly gently meandering, although I know there is work involved. Others gathered in tight groups, clearly students of a sailing school. I suppose if I’m drawn to flying something as slow as a blimp, maybe I would enjoy sailing, too. That’s actually a new thought for me, the one from Indy who loves high speed. 

Mike: This is kind of a gypsy trip in microcosm, going no place, with no need to get there fast, just enjoying the ride.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com 

November 3, 2020 Birthday Trips, Part 2

The Liberty Gazette

November 3, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Picking up where I left off last week, our birthday trip, a fly-bike jaunt to Lafayette, Louisiana, there were some clouds along the route, so we filed an IFR flight plan. This requires we talk with air traffic controllers, as opposed to flying VFR, where it can be optional.

Anyway, this story is about what it’s like when you come across someone who really stands out. As we scooted east, the first controller handed us off with a frequency change to the one handling the next patch of airspace. It was that moment when I heard the most vivacious, friendly, welcoming voice I have ever heard on the radio. So upbeat, charming, and engaging. And all she did was say the usual things a controller says to a pilot. But after I answered, which gave away that I’m a female pilot, she gave the “secret” handshake we have, we women in aviation. “…And happy Saturday!” 

When I got home, I asked around, who was working that sector that day? My description elicited only one possibility—Anna Mitchell. I had to know more about this lady who outshines the rest. 

Anna takes her job seriously and loves what she does. She’s been doing it 32 years, since graduating with a degree in biology.

“Communications can seem like the hardest part of flying,” she says. “Some pilots are terrified of talking to controllers, afraid they might say something wrong. I want to do everything I can to put them at ease.”

She grew up around airplanes. Getting in one was as normal as getting in a car. Her father had flown B-52s and flew several small airplanes, in which Anna often rode along. She and I have that in common; I call it “Daddy’s little shadow.” Her father and mine had something in common, too. He always told her, “There’s nothing you can’t do that a man can. Do what you want and do it well.” 

Anna’s first job directing pilots was in the tower at a small airport in Columbia, Missouri. Not everyone starts like that, and Anna values that experience because it allowed her to see things, such as the effect of wake turbulence on small aircraft. “I saw a Cessna 172 following a C130, and flip in the air from its wake turbulence. I know how important my warnings are!”

While some may think of her as a nameless, faceless voice, she can never forget how critical her job is. “There may be hundreds of people on an airliner, and what I say to their pilots matters.” 

For some, her voice has been the one that comforted them when they lost their way and became disoriented late at night. “You know, doctors make a difference. Researchers who fight cancer make a difference. I wanted to make a difference, too. When I get off work and head home from Houston Intercontinental, and I look up and see the lines of airliners funneling in from the east, I think to myself, I did that! It’s so satisfying to see it in action, knowing people are coming home safely.”

And happy. Thank you, Anna.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com 

October 27, 2020 Birthday Trips

The Liberty Gazette

October 27, 2020

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Happy birthday to us! We have so much in common, even our birthdays are one right after the other. Since we celebrated early with fly-hike-bike trips, venturing west a few times, we figured it was time to point the nose east. 

With the back seats folded down in the Elyminator, we have plenty of room to stack two bike frames, topped by four wheels, with flight bag and backpacks filling the nooks and crannies. Since it’s just us, and the bikes don’t weigh much, we can take on full fuel, which gives us over five hours before we’d use it all up. That’s longer than our sitters can sit anyway. 

The flight to Lafayette, Louisiana in our Grumman Cheetah is slightly over an hour, above the I-10 traffic all the way. I often wonder if the people down there in their cars scowl at us for the sign across the bottom of our plane: “STUCK IN TRAFFIC?” 

Speaking of slower vehicles, we got a chuckle out of the Citation jet that Lafayette’s tower controller sequenced to land ahead of us. Maybe they were on a maintenance flight, as the controller directed me to fly an extended downwind leg while this jet took so long to reach the airport on final. When I finally turned final, the controller gave the obligatory, “Caution: wake turbulence,” and followed up by advising me that the Citation was only traveling at 100 knots. Laughter burst forth from my co-pilot, who blurted, “Can you imagine what that Citation pilot is thinking right now? Thanks for broadcasting my slower-than-a-single-engine-piston-aircraft-speed.” 

Yes, we throttled back for a jet. That’s a first. 

On the ramp, we quickly snapped the wheels on our bikes and pedaled toward historic downtown Lafayette. We considered patronizing a restaurant, but we had brought a picnic lunch, so we rolled on, enjoying the sights through downtown, and ending up on the University of Louisiana Lafayette campus. Girard Park was the perfect place to find a picnic table in the shade and be entertained by frisbee throwers, children, and dogs. 

After swallowing the last morsels, I texted our dear friends who had recently moved to Lafayette from Houston so they could be close to grandchildren when the husband retired from his dental practice. His wife, Rebecca, is a fellow author and has written several excellent children’s books. “The Dry” is one of them. 

They’d weathered Hurricanes Laura and Delta much better than the poor folks in Lake Charles. From the air, Lake Charles is a quilt of blue squares. But our friends didn’t have any damage, and Rebecca picked us up at Girard Park and took us to their new home for coffee and conversation. She has built an enviable hanging fence garden, and they have a puppy named George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart’s character in “It’s a Wonderful Life”). But I’ve run out of space, so I’ll finish this story next week. Till then, blue skies.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com