Wow, what a slacker I've been. It seems that Facebook has (temporarily) taken the place of blogging. Also, I haven't flown much lately, with the exception of the Arizona meet- the Santa Cruz Flats Race, way back in September. I flew my ass off there- and did some really stupid shit in the process. Note to self: find a happy medium between GOING FOR IT, and PLAYING IT TOTALLY SAFE. A mostly lackluster flying year for sure- coming back from an injury, getting totally skunked at Tegelberg on the heels of a so-so Florida comp season. But it seems that competitions are the only way at all for me to get the cobwebs out and fly fly fly. So many things seem to get in the way during regular life.
Anyhow... I had a decent winter flight last week, the day before Thanksgiving, after many weeks of being ground-bound. I had talked myself out of going a few times in the weeks before, and wound up kicking myself for not just GOING. So sitting at work, looking at the sunny, light (but COLD) forecast, I decided to just head out. I wanted to have something to really be thankful for! My son had borrowed my car so Mark had to get me from work and load our gear on. I brought along my freshly charged Thermic heated gloves to try for the first time since buying them in Germany. It seemed to be a mild enough day to try them out without the added hassle of rough air, and I was really anxious to see if all that money I spent on them was a waste or not.
The sun was shining brightly the whole drive down to Bath, NY. And while I set up the glider- still mild and sunny. When my son called to tell me I had to speak with his coach at 2pm (it was 1pm now, I was all set up and conditions were GOOD!), I was pissed to have to wait while Mark and Ed launched. Finally the call came and went and I launched myself into some really easy air and got right up. Launching and transitioning with the gloves was uneventful. Of course, by now, the sun had been pretty obliterated by a thick upper level scuzz, and I usually don't like flying in the cold sunless northeast. But the air was so sweet and easy and lifty and just absolutely effortless. Avoiding Ed was the biggest challenge I had while we climbed in a big boaty thermal just above launch, but once I got on top of him, I could drive around anywhere and take stock of my hands and how they felt with the lowest heat setting. I decided I wanted more warmth and it was simple to increase the setting to the second level in flight. I could zip into my harness easy enough even with a thick coat and a few layers of clothing on, but the dexterity of the gloves is not really good enough to use my push-to-talk easily. A few times I transmitted something to Mark but his volume was so low it was useless to talk. He called out that he was cold and landing on top and shortly thereafter I found myself sinking out. Doug had arrived and launched so Ed, he and I scratched around near the launches until I felt crowded and headed behind the church to land. The rolling narrow LZ there is not exactly my favorite choice of landing spots, and without wheels today I was even less thrilled, but I didn't even have time to stress out about it because I was staying up just fine on that piece of ridge. 10 minutes later a nice cycle got me plenty high enough to top land. I set the gloves to the 3rd and highest setting as the cold was settling in to my whole body and they felt nice and dry and only a little chilled. Nothing like they usually feel when I fly in 35 degree weather for an hour. So I flew around at 600 meters over the hill for a while and listened to Mark whine over the radio while his own hands thawed out. Before I could get too low again, I decided to land on top even though Ed and Doug still commanded the ridge. I didn't think either of them was high enough to land anywhere but behind the church but soon Doug begged to differ and did a landing on the knob behind launch. Nice to have a PG sometimes! My own landing was good and I took stock of my hands and how they felt as I carried over to break the glider down. Still warm, and dry, and ground handling is fine with the grip. Having cold hands is the main reason I dislike flying this time of year. I think I have that all solved now. These gloves were such an impulse buy, and a big expense, but I was nervous about the cold conditions in Germany and didn't want frozen hands to hold me back during the non-existent World Meet. Another pilot had heard I bought these gloves and told me then that they were terrible- she had tried them and found her hands were soaked and sweaty and raisin wrinkled when she landed some hours later. I didn't use then for more than an hour, and I didn't have them on the highest setting the whole flight, but let's see what happens when I test them out some more. For that experiment... I need some decent flying weather. Bring it on.
Flights: 1
Glider: old Litespeed
A2: 606m
Airtime: 56 min
Hammondsport

After a (not) frustrating Friday at Indian Cliffs in Elmira New York, I finally hit the right site at the right time for the 4th of July break. Saturday, July 3, we arrived at Bristol to a doubting Doug Stoner, but Katrin on top said it was beginning to blow in some. There were more pilots than I have ever seen on top of the hill there, and so many PGs!!! Lots of help carrying in (big hike!) and the clogged launch was a sign of many hopeful pilots. Even Joel dragged his Exxtacy in....
Florian was the only pilot to stay up for very long- a few PGs did so-so. Then Mark launched later and had a low save over the parking lot to break launch height by 85 feet or so. Bob and Rick went... sledded. Then I got in front of Joel in the slot and headed left after waiting forever to launch. It must have been after 5pm and I was at least hoping for a few 360s. I sank along the ridge to the south and saw a few vultures. Mark called on the radio and said there were a bunch of them back at launch but I had my eye on what looked like a hawk even further south. Sure enough I got some beeps and it was just big enough to crank a 360 in. I stuck with it until I was drifted back over launch and going up fast and smooth. Oh yeah... that felt so good!!! Joel launched when I was pretty high and then a lot of PGs went off. I was bouncing off the inversion some 800 meters over take off and Doug joined me. I don't know who all the others were but we could just drive all over the sky a couple thousand feet over with impunity. After an hour and a half I decided to land- still had pool issues to deal with at home. A confidence inspiring landing just on the edge of the tall grass was a perfect ending to a really sweet flight. My kind of air!



The next day we headed to Hyner View- for their unique brand of partying. Adam was being a pretty good sport to come along and we- Joe S, Mark, Adam and I floated on the river for a bit as no one was soaring when we arrived. Later we went up when Dennis Pagen was scratching around- by the time we got up top, he was the only one really high. He got flushed before we finished setting up, and I waited for Bob Beck to suit up before even THINKING about launching. Joe and Bob and a few others were soaring a bit when I launched, and I got up quickly. Again, sweet, smooth air. No bumps or surprises, just light solid lift. Pretty soon I was up around 700 meters over and boating around on glass. After two hours and a nice tour around the valleys, I headed to land. My approach could have been better- I was too high, but I put it down okay, with only a slightly late flare, but no forward momentum to freak me out. A quick swim in the river to wash up, a maddening dinner in town, and then the evening's festivities....
Mark had handed a huge amount of fireworks to Adam, who was more than happy to start setting shit on fire, and pretty soon, 'Middle Aged Man' was getting ready to do his final showing as the Statue of Liberty. I got recruited as a Foil Virgin and we plastered him head to tow with aluminum foil, handed him a bunch of fireworks, and let him do his thing....




Adam and the dog after the lights and noise.

Spoons has a unique way of making a lot of noise... In the morning, Adam reported some naked fire jumping had occured after I went to bed. And Spoons said that Middle Aged Man would be back again next year and not retire... I think due, in part, to the extra special foiling job I did of his nether regions....

On the way back through Dansville on Monday, Mark treated Adam to a sailplane flight for his decent behavior. Here's the tow plane.

Getting ready to take off.

Final approach.

Nice touchdown!
No one got more than short flights at Harris Monday, so we were glad we didn't try. It was 95 degrees and humid and feeling like summer in New York. Thank God the pool is back in action!

I wrote this more than a week ago:

Here we are waiting on top of the mountain. This is the last official day - unless we get a 500pt task, then we’ll add tomorrow as a world championship competition day. But the cloud we are engulfed in at 1:30pm is reluctant to lift. Solid white outside the café for hours now. Gliders are all set up but we can’t see them unless we are standing right next to them. Seems unreal that this is almost over and it ended up so unlike my expectations. I stopped writing when it felt as though the rain and fog and sleet would emote from my blog. Like an elephant in the room- we really don’t talk about this situation for more than one second in case in engulfs us and we lose all hope. We joke about it, we get our gliders ready, we speak enthusiastically every day and every night. But the weather just doesn’t let up. The organizers, the press, the volunteers, the support crews, and the pilots have this strange bond of silence. Because really there aren’t a whole lot of things you can say about it. I‘ll quote a friend: “Credo che questo sia l’evento piu’ sfortunato della storia”. Truly. But we party, we make plans- the ‘alternate program’ we call it. And it’s usually a blast and a half. Making new connections and seeing old friends is absolutely awesome. But we don’t get to fly in this beautiful place. Each day is like Groundhog Day- even the food I am served by my wonderful landlady is the same day after day. Like the sky, the rain, the mountain in the very near distance whose peak we cant even see every morning. This morning even the castle was enshrouded in cloud. So, here we are waiting on top of the mountain. One. More. Time…..

And I add this today- on my way back home after the strange and wonderful and frustrating time I had….:

We had our gliders set up until the last cable car was due to leave. I thought I had made the correct decision to pack up and ride down as it stayed socked in until 5pm and beyond. I didn’t want to risk walking down the mountain in the slush. But at the headquarters I saw that just before 6pm the sky opened enough and gliders launched and were staying up low over the castle. Oh well, another opportunity missed. We might get another chance to have a fun task Saturday, but the meet was officially over now. Not one single task flown. Another party in the tent, some time in the local bar until closing time, and Saturday morning the sun is huge and bright for the first time since I arrived. This place, I swear, is cursed for competitions. A slap in the face to be squinting out my window at the bright sunny and warm day!!! We head up the mountain and set up in the sunshine and have a task set so the organizers can have an excuse to give away all the daily prizes that never got awarded.
I launch off the east ramp because the wind is very cross. Ollie tells me just before that there is a ton of wind on the ground but it is not windy up here. I don’t find much lift except a bubble in front of the launch and when a rigid joins me too close, I leave. Sinking all the way out towards the first turn point, finally I get some beepings. I try to core this thermal and it turns into a monster. I get a few good turns, then I am headed over the falls and banking hard to keep from going over. I cant hang onto this thing for very long and at some point I realize it’s no use. I decide then that this is not worth ir- I see 37kph on my vario for windspeed and a sock on the valley below me sticking straight out. It is a paragliding school and a glider is kiting but the wind is obviously howling. After 25 minutes in the air, I put it down in this PG school and two minutes later Jamie joins me. At least she concurs that this air is shit, and later we figure it is rotor from a SE wind blowing over the back some, mixing with the strong valley winds below. I never even made the first waypoint which was only a few Ks out. Oh well, I live to tell about it!!! And nothing is broken.
The party/ceremony in the evening Saturday was strange- only a few made part of the course and one made it around. Natalia will take first in our meet - Corinna and Kathleen round out the top 3. But it is not a world title, just for fun, and the Adidas goodies and such become door prizes and pretty much everyone goes home with something cool. I got a backpack which is pretty fitting because I seem to have accumulated a whole ton of stuff to put in it. Heather Mull sings a song that Claudia, Hadewych, me and the Spanish team butchered the week before. Its “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” and we added a bunch of our own words. Claudia printed up a bunch of copies after we banged it out on my laptop a few nights prior, so everyone had a copy and sang along. Heather was awesome and it got a lot of laughs and applause. That song continues to run through my head….
Later we closed the local bar down again, dancing our asses off and saying goodbyes and making plans for travel. I was headed to Bassano del Grappa the next day- I couldn’t wait to get to Italy where the sun shines all the time, the flying is great, and my friend Mirella waits. I packed up my room and got ready to head out when Stephan convinced me to have a fly off the Tegelberg again. Riding up the cable car one last time- it’s sunny and warm today (of course- the world meet is over!) and there is no snow on launch. In fact, it’s dry and even hot up there. Tons of PGs are waiting more than an hour to launch. We set up and I take off after Stephan. The HG ramp is not so crowded and there is no real wait. He heads back behind a piece of the mountain, I don’t dare go there- I am still so intimidated by the rock faces of the Alps. They look like they could eat you up. But I get a screamer of a climb out front and get right up to base where it’s a bit cloud sucky. When I pull out away from the cloud, I am still climbing for a while and wind up above most of the bases in the blue. Very cool. I watch Stephan thermalling much lower…and still behind the damn ridge! I lose him and fly around and visit the area when I had my ass handed to me the day before. And it was STILL shitty there. So I find where the air was softer and more friendly and just took it all in for a while. I really had to get going to Italy so after an hour or so I ditched all that abundant lift and headed to tour the castles. They are so impressive from above and I could see all the tourist streaming into the Neuschwanstein. I came into the huge field to land and Timethy was there to take some photos. I have a fairly decent no step landing- but dropped it at the last second straight down to save the shock on my arm. My arm was sore as is customary now, even after a short flight, but only for two minutes which is also the norm. We have dinner at the Italian place to say good bye to Giovanni the proprietor, and take a few more pictures of my landladies in “our” backyard. I was so glad to have had a really sweet flight finally over the Tegelberg- so grateful Stephan talked me into it.
Off to Italy….The drive through the Alps was breathtaking.
Mirella was waiting up late- we were a little lost but her amazingly loud whistle in the night put us in her driveway. Bassano was totally ON the next day and we headed there, just 40K away. I just kept saying to Mirella- siamo qui, a Bassano- insieme finalamente…and it was all I could do not to cry. Seeing her again, finally being at Bassano in the warm sun and the familiar Italian language all around….I could read the road signs and menus and speak with her finally in both English and Italian…We met Jesus and he gave Timethy a glider, helmet, harness and vario, and though he hasn’t flown a hang glider in 5 years, he handled the topless Laminar like he never left the sport. I almost sank out right after launch trying to get into a climb under Mirella. She’s going up like a bat out of hell, and I am finding NOTHING below her. I headed out to land but got a climb down low- I would repeat that a few times- never making cloudbase but having a great time flying in the really friendly air. I found Timethy at some point way up high and we climbed in a big boaty thermal for a while. He was my very first footlaunch instructor some 14 years ago and now we fly together for the first time ever- him in Jesus’ glider!!! So yeah, I met Jesus in Italy, and he is a really cool dude… He set up the glider, and then was there to break it down after we landed some 90 minutes later. He even took my rental car off launch to the LZ. Life is GOOD! My landing was identical to the one I had at Tegelberg the day before so I’m really happy. We had dinner with a bunch of PG pilots up on the mountain. I can still hear the cowbells on the mountaintop with their melancholy ringing. It was surreal. I was so happy to be there- like coming home after weeks in the cold rain amidst the harsh-sounding German language.
Tuesday was going to be a repeat of the great soaring conditions but Timethy having no glider today made us decide to go to Venice. We got a bit lost on the trains on the way but finally made it there. We just wandered around the streets and canals and it was so hot and sunny, just like I had imagined it would be. I was still thawing out from my weeks in Germany. Mirella made a fantastic dinner and took me to her salon very late at night to cut my hair- something I had asked her to do weeks before. To go home with something she gave me- and see it every day… my hair. Only two people besides my mother have ever cut it and it was such a cool thing that she did for me.
In the morning we left- heading back to the German Open competition in Grainbach, which I had considered entering but decided against after seeing the same shitty forecast as Tegelberg’s. I was taking pictures of the sunny ruins and castles in Italy, when as soon as we crossed the border into Austria- BAM! Huge thunderstorm and torrential rain and Oh My God… Here we are back in Bavaria… and of course… it is raining- and 20 degrees colder!!!! Bernd and Stephan and Julia and Regina and Rebekka are all here trying to have yet another comp in the Bavarian Alps. The entertainment was improvised and so great that night- lots of guitars and a sitar and our voices- singing every thing and playing spoons and harmonicas and- shit- really great. My time here is limited and even the constant rain can’t invade my good mood. I got shortpacked in the drizzle the next day and finished packing for New York… Of course the sun was bright and shining the day I leave….
So now I sit, on a plane back home. The last 6+ weeks seem like half a lifetime. It began by driving with my daughter down to Florida- her flying lessons, the Rob Kells comp, falling back in love with flying after some scary events in the air, the Flytec Race and Rally, facing the “Linda Arn” field in Moultrie, Georgia, getting stuck at Quest with no ID or money, frying my laptop, seeing my mother in Naples and then heading to Germany, getting settled in for the ‘Big Meet that Never Was”, seeing the whole Italian team again and finding ways to stay busy, the castles, the salt pools, Claudia and Daphne, Timethy, huge disappointments and frustratingly great surprises, Italy, Mirella, Jesus, more frustration, then goodbyes- definitely too many goodbyes.
So many people supported my attendance at these meets. Buying shirts, just sending money in support, sending really great messages. I feel like I didn’t my part with the blogging and keeping the information flowing. I have such a difficult time hiding negative emotions I might be feeling and sometimes writing actually makes it worse. It was so hard to keep positive during the Worlds and I knew writing anything would probably bring me to my knees. After I left for Italy I had no more internet except through my Blackberry. So this is my apology for not keeping up. I have so many pictures and I’ll get them up on Facebook soon. I have a ton of work to catch up on- I am late getting back to my job and I acquired a new boss somehow while I was gone. But I’ll get them up soon and in the meantime- Daphne did a killer job capturing on a daily basis what was happening in real time at Tegelberg. Her video editing was amazing and I’ll be reliving it myself when I get a fast connection to view it all. I met some of the most dynamic women during this trip- and reconnected with some old friends. Overall- great experience. I would have liked to have had a competition, but maybe there’s a reason why that didn’t happen which isn’t apparent at this time. pictures soon...

I left for Germany one week ago. It seems there is a curse on the weather at this place but only when a competition is scheduled.
Friday I unshorted my glider with much needed help from friends and was told to set up to have my sprogs measured. Never having messed with my sprogs I figured- no problem. I was told they were way too low, the glider was completely asymmetrical, and Gerolf would have a look the next day since just raising them might make the glider have a turn or something. I met up with pilots; some old, some new, and had a nice dinner at a local pizza place. My B&B is great- right near to everything- and the proprietors are awesome and speak english.
Saturday we all registered and the glider measuring thing began anew. Some six hours later, after Gerolf had a turn with it including making new shorter nose wires and my glider was deemed certifiable (no pun intended). Another dinner at the local pizza place (really good cheap food- not just pizza)and the Sunday forecast promised fairly decent weather for test flying my "new" glider.
Sunday was looking threatening as far as storms go, but everyone was keen to get a flight in so I joined my glider at the top of the mountain (I had stowed it up there the noght before like we're supposed to). Set up space is at a premium and you just can't believe how creative people were being to get gliders assembled. Then there was the problem of maneuvering the glider up to actually launch. The ramp is great, good slope, nice drop off. But I was a nervous mess by the time I wrangled my glider into the queue. It felt so different- with just the nose wires un-slack, and my hang check prior to launch revealed me hanging a bit higher than I was before. But no problem! Randee took a BUNCH of great photos on launch so if you are on Facebook, you can see most of them there (well if I ever finish uploading them- Facebook is being as buggy as everything else electronc in my life right now!). This site is like nothing I have ever seen- I mean- I have never seen the Alps. Amazing!
My launch felt pretty good, but my glider felt different- stiffer, a bit tighter. But it's flying straight and true, even at my 3/4 VG (all I can get right now)so I thermalled a bit in either direction, raced across the valley, then realized how cold my hands were and decided to land and ponder this whole experience for a while. My landing was okay even though there were no wind socks in the primary (they had fallen down), and I just guessed the correct direction. Jamie was coming in for a landing and I watched as she climbed out from pretty low to fly another 20 minutes. I got a ride for my glider to the cable car, to stow the glider for Monday, the first day of competition.
Back to the pizza place again (I'm getting lazy about finding food and I don't care much for the German stuff) and then to bed to rest up for tomorrow.
Monday- I am on the safety committee (how does that keep happening???) so I have to keep an eye on the task committee meeting and keep Heather posted about any issues I have or hear before flying or while in the air. None of the rigids set up at all because base is lower than launch and there is a lot of general milling about on top. Finally I decide to set up after Daphne starts to. Before I have my tip wands in, however, Heather cancels the day. The wind was blowing up the back and some huge development was just behind us. I was confused though when my phone texted me a 'welcome to Austria' message when I hadn't even really moved much. I hadn't realized just how close we are to the border. I broke down the glider, stowed it, then headed to a sports outlet store with Jamie, Claudia, Timothy, Daphne and Rosie. And just guess where I had dinner....
Tuesday... yeah well, the fohn has set up so they didn't make us go up the mountain. But it was such a beautiful and warm sunny day, Daphne, Timothy and I decided to hike to the castle for some excercize.
A strange sighting on the way- I'll let the pictures do the talking...



seriously... there are just no words....

We wound up right at the (Neuschwanstein)castle- after going way uphill for a good sweat, and decided to go in. But the tickets are only available at the bottom- we had come up the back way. So Tim left and Daphne and I walked all the way down, purchased tickets, and hiked all the way back up again. The Italians ran into us and we showed them the back way down past the waterfalls after our respective tours. The castle is pretty wild. Ludwig II was a nutcase! But you can't take pics of the inside- sorry.
Lunch with Daphne (we were somehow really really HUNGRY) and then a quiet afternoon complete with nap. I finally ate at a German restaurant for dinner- it reaffirmed my desire to be at 'my' pizza place...Plus the waitress is super cute there. Alba is making me speak more Italian and I think she is getting better with her English. Hopefully, if Mirella visits, we'll be able to have a real conversation....
Wednesday- rain rain rain. I have had every conceivable electronic related problem, and the latest was that I simultaneously fried my converter and took all the lights out in my hotel. So I ran some errands this morning with Alex, Carlo and Gorio and with Alex translating, got exactly the converter I needed. So no more leaving my car half on and running outside to charge all my various shit.
Later in the afternoon we headed to the pools/baths/spa right here in Schwangau. A variety of salt pools indoor and out. Jacuzzis, vortexes, saunas, steam rooms- clothing not allowed in some areas. I was pretty waterlogged when we left and thankfully Alba had thought to bring her shampoo and stuff because it was just about time for dinner. It was nice to float in the super salty warm water in the cold rain with the Alps as a backdrop.
Pizza place again- at least I am ordering different stuff off the menu- and this time it was the owner who was the late nite entertainment. A party was going on at the HQ tent but we arrived too late and headed to a sort of disco/bar for a bit. I met a German pilot, Stephan, who had a mission to complete: sending word from my dear friend, Mirella, who may or may not arrive Sunday. Seriously good laughing until the wee hours at this place.
Thursday, today: RAIN RAIN RAIN. Are we ever going to have a competition? It is easy to forget what we are assembled here to do, and filling the days with beloved friends - is so sweet- yet we really need to get flying. I love the fact that I am tied for first place, but also... I am tied for last...

Awake in the middle of the night after a good early sleep due to jet lag in Germany, it's time to update some Flytec Race and Rally stuff.
The first day of the Rally was looking pretty unflyable- dark overcast, low cloudbase, and strong-ish winds. We were still at the Florida Ridge and all packed up now. I launched late after hearing reports of 50 to 100fpm climbs. I knew it was a 'drift with the light climb you have' kind of a day, so I prepared to just keep turning as goal was almost directly downwind at Okeechobee. My tow was really ratty but I just hung on so as not to have to do it all over again, and I got let off in broken lift. Thinking I'd only get a few k's away, imagine my surprise when after struggling just to stay up for a while, I floated over lots and lots of gliders all over the ground. I figured the gig was up when a huge swamp at the edge of the lake made landing options undesirable since my hightest alt. was only around 2000'. I was going to deck it with a Kavu glider just at the edge of the swamp but got a sweet climb over that field instead. It drifted me in an ugly direction but like the few climbs before it, it wasn't going to quit any time soon. Larry Bunner and I worked it for a while and it eventually drifted us over perfectly landable fields to the west of the big lake. There was a seabreeze off that lake and a convergence that I managed to ride for a while after scraping Larry off. I wound up landing just 15k short or so and tying for 11th place. Lots of pilots ended up right in the same area. But it gave me priority staging as the scores at first had me tied for 10th.
Monday found me on the safety committee. We had driven from landing on the way to Okeechobee (from the Ridge) to Quest. As awesome as it was to be at the Ridge for a week, it felt like a homecoming to be back at Quest. Lauren and Paul have the whole place looking good. We got completely dumped on by an electrical storm as we arrived, so setting up the camper was a delayed project. No one thought we'd fly Monday but the day showed promise early and we all set up. A strong west wind (bad direction for Quest) and no clouds had me giving a thumbs down when asked for my vote on the day. We had delayed it but things were deteriorating so we just cancelled.
Tuesday, a bit less wind, but still strong and west. I was on the task committee and still haven't figured out what my purpose was there. We called a straight crosswind task and only a few gliders launched. It was looking pretty dismal to have a task so after the tugs decided to stay grounded, the day was worth like 3 points to those who flew. So I lost my priority staging! Ah well, it was nice to be in the top ten for a bit.
Wednesday, we had a task to the south to Avon Park. After two tows and sinking out in the strong wind, I finally stuck in one and got out of the park. Way last again, but the lead gaggle wasn't doing that great. I flew with some sailplanes and had a few decent climbs but didnt get much further than 27 or 28K. After a long delay getting retrieved, I decided to not even watch the scores and fly as best as I could every day. I am at this point beginning to get more VG on- sometimes 3/4 pretty regularly, so that's an improvement. But still, my gliding kind of sucks.
Thursday turned out to be a great day for me- not because I got faster- but because I got to goal at all! This day was the only one that really felt like a flying day to me- one that I would actually look forward to and plan around. Light SE wind, decent climbs, nice day. The start gaggle was crazy and scary at times, but I am getting that VG pulled pretty well and gliding just a bit better. Mitch and Mark and I were on radio and of course mark was ahead. Mitch and I flew together a bit until I went over him after seeing him coming up fast. But he climbed through me in a few seconds and my vario never even beeped. I lost him after that and got slow and alone, until Christian in the millenium and Brian Foster hung out with me a while. Christian saved my butt with a climb from really low, and I was unable to return the favor when we had this death glide that he failed to find anything in, yet I got my biggest gain since the start. It was such a sweet low save- unzipped and on final. I had a huge field to bail in but this thermal was solid all the way to 5 grand. Finally... later I got low again but had a 10:1 to goal and took it. I floated low for a long time and made it in with time to set up a decent approach. So good to be there in Williston. But everyone else was already there and I took 30th!!!! Oh well- it was a really fun flight.
Being back in Williston was begining to freak me out. I knew the next day we would head to Moultrie Georgia- a town I had never heard of before last year but that I now associate with pain and loss and fear. We had other issues in Williston first- like losing the crank to the pop-up and the tonneau cover for my Baja... but when the next day started out rainy and gloomy, I figured the worst had to be behind us. I towed up out of Williston last. It had rained briefly so I backed out, then the gaggle couldnt leave in their light climbs so they took a lot of relights. Knowing it would be a turn til you cant anymore kind of a day, I thought I might do okay. I flew some with Jack Simmons and Derreck, but landed with Derrick on the edge of some pretty unlandable stuff. Time to get to Moultrie by car...
Mitch splurged for a room in town so we spent time in luxury this night. In the morning I realized Mark would be driving north and I would have to head south- this being Saturday and the last Rally day. I had to get ready to fly and sort out my crap for Germany and try to not chew on the whole Moultrie/broken arm thing. It was a good distraction until I saw on the Nuvi a place called "Linda Arn" (sic). Since the week before I had been driving by places like "Linda Tuesday" and "Linda Sunday", I knew that Bill Schell had marked my accident site. Of course we detoured on the way to the airstrip to see it. Mitch and I walked out to the field where I spent some really scary time last year (and in fact it happened exactly one year ago today as I write this) and I was surprised how much was preserved perfectly in my memory and then the few things that were not as I had remembered. What I did see was that I had landed downhill in addition to downwind. Pretty good slope too. The house nearby that I could see when I was stuck there was so clearly abandoned. If I had not been able to finally make a phone call, no one was going to come home from work that night and find me out there. Yikes.
So at the airfield after paying homage to my field, no one was looking anxious to fly or even to set up. I took the time then to pack and repack and it looked as though we were having a garage sale out there. Jeez, I had a lot of stuff. It was getting very windy and base was low but eventually we all set up. After some screwing around and a few rowdy tows, the day got cancelled. The closing ceremony was in town at a buffet restaurant then Dana and I headed south and Mark took the dog north.
Dana had a job interview in Orlando Sunday morning and a flight back to Rochester on Monday. We had ridden back to Quest with Derrick and a large crew in the big RV but Derreck left for Ft Myers te=he same night. I had to short pack my glider at Quest, and I left my purse in the RV after losing my iPod in there somewhere. So Sunday morning, getting ready for Germany and hoping to rent a car to go to Naples firstto see my mom.... not really looking good with no money, credit card, driver's licence or passport..... hmmmm. So Alex Cuddy helped me short pack and did a really great job from what I could tell in Munich today. And then I got Quest-suck. No car or way to get to Naples. But at least derreck called and said he had my purse. Then Dana rented a car with Marks points when I borrowed Mitch's car to take her to the airport and later I took Dave Shields and his glider there as well. So Monday I didn't fly even though it looked great finally - instead I spent almost 7 hours of drive time between the two airport runs.
Tuesday I finally busted out of Quest to get to Naples. But not before my laptop completely shit the bed. It was the one thing I had been charging my phone with and so now my phone would die on the way to Naples. But I made it there and got my purse from Derreck and even my iPod was in it. Mom made dinner and I got a chance to give myself a pedicure and float in an overwarm pool, do my laundry (well mom did it) and just CHILL. Wednesday I brought my laptop to the Geeksquad but wound up buying an HP mini and shipping the big paperweight hime so not to have to schlep it all over Germany.
So... along in the laptop case was my car rental voucher for Avis in Munich. That caused a huge delay on arrival here this afternoon but eventually I got it and made my way to Tegelberg. A friend of Jamie's took my glider so I wouldn't have to deal with that and as of right now I have no idea where my glider is. But hey- I am blogging away in my very nice little room and I am quite comfortable. It was 40 degrees in Florida when I left and 40 degrees in Germany when I arrived. Too bad Florida was in celsius and Germany a fehrenheit measurement.... I haven't seen a soul yet from the meet but that will happen tomorrow at a meeting. I promise to bring a camera and do all that. I am a little lost without my regular PC but I'll ge tused to this. Sure is tiny. Wait til you see the castle! I'm going to attempt some more sleep even though it says 9pm in NY and it must be like 3am here.

After too many days of not blogging – I will try to catch this comp up now that it has ended. Sitting in a Laundromat in La Belle with not much else to do anyhow.
Tuesday’s task was a dogleg to the west and then NW, and I flew with the big boys for just a little bit at the beginning. I can only get my VG on around halfway on this day, and only a few times before my arm just can’t pull it anymore. So I lose a lot on the glides, but I can climb pretty well. Mark decked it pretty early and I watched him land not too far from my sugar cane field from Monday and I was flying alone into an ever darkening sky. I saw rain to the south and got low when everything shaded over. I had a beautiful no wind landing in a huge flat field (everything is flat here) and had a horse really interested and excited by my landing. I thought the landowner was pissed about that when he walked over but he was super cool and laughing about his crazy horse. He and his daughter kept me company and helped me get my glider to his front yard to break it down while I waited for Dana to come get me. Really nice people and really nice dogs and a few mini goats to boot.
I worked on my VG with Ben’s help and got it to go a little more easily, but Wednesday’s flight I was able to get only a little more pull- just over half- and got it done a few more times. The task was to the east, and the sky looked like shit, so Jamie and I waited around to see what would happen. I was last to launch besides a few re-lights and I got on the cart and waited for the tugs to refuel. Almost every glider had left the flight park to start the task so I was impatient now. My tow started off great, until about ten feet off the cart. Then the tug landed and the line went slack. My first thought was- surely he’ll take off again and fix this- but no… I was too low and late to get upright so I just figured I’d roll it in. But no again… the wheels dug in and didn’t roll and face first I hit the dirt. In seconds there was a bunch of people pulling the glider upright for me and since I whacked near the road, I had a strange moment when I saw a slew of emergency vehicles enter the field. What the hell were they doing here so fast??? Later I found out that someone had called earlier thinking a diving tug was in trouble. But the whole thing really freaked me out and I had a ‘girl moment’. The tug pilot was so apologetic- he hadn’t put the fuel line back in after filling up so he had run out of gas- then he waited just for me until I got back on the cart. I had a great tow behind him this time and bobbled on out of the start gate. I made the first WP and had a couple more decent climbs but got low just before a stretch of unlandable stuff. I went to where a bunch of other gliders had landed and a huge thermal was just breaking off. I was below 175meters so I didn’t dare push it. I am always reminded of my bad decisions with too-low saves and I realize now it’s just not worth the risk. This meet is just my ‘warm up’ and I gotta stay in one piece for Germany. I landed way way way across the field as I was lifter pretty much all the way across. It was really wet and I carried my glider through calf-deep water for what seemed like forever while the others watched and wondered what the f*ck I was doing landing like a 747….But hey, it was a really sweet splashdown anyhow. I found out later that no one made goal and I actually had a sort of decent finish.
Thursday- long task to the west and then doubling back over the same points. 7 WPs all together including the start. Julia only put 6 in her instrument and missed the last one even though she made it back to goal at the Ridge. I was struggling for along time low and alone (as usual) after I got ditched early. My gliding sucks at less than ¾ VG. After 4 hours, I was in pain. My arm was hurting for the first time in the air and I couldn’t get my camelback. I kept grabbing behind my neck and just coming up with my braid. The camelback remained elusive and I was dry as a bone. I made the way far out turnpoint and got stupid low again, but Steve Larsen was climbing nearby and I found something to get high and cold in. I picked my way back and hit two more WPs and had just goal to make, but I had nothing left and the day was over- it was close to 7pm when I set up my 747 approach over a HUGE field (with a dead cow in the middle) and had a great landing. I had a pretty good carry and when I got it to the road, I was covered in mosquitoes. A couple kids pulled over wide-eyed and happily drove me to the store for bug spray. Mark picked me up before I was completely broke down because I seem to have lost my driver…. To FLYING. Because she told me she was busy taking tandems and couldn’t be bothered!!!! I had landed 18K short…
Friday morning Dana took another tandem and while I wasn’t watching- soloed!!! I saw her landing and her second solo flight. She got towed to the moon and boated on down. Perfectly.
The task was an even longer one Friday, and it got changed 3 times so we all got started late. Mark and I flew together for a while at the start but then we separated and got low in different areas. I counted him as out, but he rallied back, and when I decked it with 25K to go to goal, I watched him fly over my head totally specked out. That sucked! But I had a great flight with some screaming 1500fpm climbs and another great 747 landing.
Dana continues to do solos and landed on her feet this morning to Davis’ amazement. Two parties later and we’re ready to begin the Race and Rally. Too bad the weather is not cooperating at the moment.

The rain cleared up after the soaking we got Sunday. Monday's task we feared was undercalled as the sky filled with nice cu's. The was the obvious lake effect hole over us and to the SSW but the task we called took us to La Belle (west) and then south to Imokolee to get around it. I towed (too) early, got drifted downwind in the broken clims- right into the blue hole. I landed after only a few Ks in sugar cane. My tow was grreat, my glider is flying fine, and I landed pretty good in the stiff breeze. I watched a huge gaggle to the north of me go by as I navigated my retrieve out of acres and acres of crops and canals with few bridges. Th farmhands watched me break down like I was an animal a the zoo, and one gave me a rideto where Dana was waiting. During the ride out to her, I got the greatest eco tour- 30 or more gators in and out of the water, turtles, birds... Pretty cool. But for sure I blew my flight this day and itstill stings. First task in almost a year- damn, thought it would go better. Well, let's see where I get to tomorrow....