Hey! No hanging on the pitot tube!

Orion is attempting to break the SR-71A at Blackbird Airpark with Uncle Kenny assisting. Meri is borrowing my coat - she didn't like her's and it was a bit chilly with the wind blowing (the day after Thanksgiving).

our Thanksgiving spread

Happy Thanksgiving 

On the rim of the Devil's Punchbowl

We recently visited the nearby Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area to see some rock formation. Jessica spent time walking around the house saying "rock formations" though she would not say it when actually confronted with the said formations. We hiked some and enjoyed the view.

Halloween triumphs

A successful Halloween has come and gone. Nobody got upset this year - a first. Last year Brayton left the wand that went to his Harry Potter costume at school and was not able to bring it to the church "Trunk or Treat" activity. One year Orion ate so much candy that he threw up (so kids - that's not just an idle parental warning). One year my red Christopher Robin balloon (everyone else was some Pooh Bear character) got popped several times in a row - I was inconsolable. This year was great all around. 

This is the place

This is the site of our new home in Tehachapi, CA. Should be done in the summer. 

Soccer is in full swing

Here we see the intrepid coach of AYSO Region 91 U6 soocer team, the Romulans, giving sage advice as to how to defeat team Ewok. Ylfelynn and I are both coaching a soccer team this season. I will get a picture of her up here too. Orion is on the Romulans. None of the kids know what a Romulan is and only a few of the parents do. Ylfelynn is coaching Meri's team - the CatDogs. 

Possible budding civil engineer? Orion.

This reminds of a joke I like (WARNING - engineer humor to follow - may not be funny to normal people) What is the difference between a civil and a mechanical engineer? Mechanical engineer design weapons and civil engineers design targets.

Another camping candid

 

The morning after

Another camping picture. Apparently the night in the tent was successful. 

Camping makes me smile

Meri and Jessica squatting together near the tent during our recent camping trip in Tehachapi. This was the first time we have all gone camping together. 

Another zoo picture

Here is another picture from our trip to the San Diego Zoo. This is Brayton, Ethan, and Jessica en route to the panda exhibit. 

The favorite animal at the zoo

When asked which animal they liked the most during our recent trip to the San Diego Zoo, the kids replied, "the lizard!" The lizard can be seen just to the right of Ethan's head (middle, front). It is actually a lizard running free in the zoo and not part of any exhibit. We got close enough to touch it, which Brayton did and it scurried away. Maybe next time we should just go down the street, out into the desert, and catch lizards locally. It looks like an anole to me but I do not think anoles are native to SW California so perhaps it escaped. It was a big hit.

I don't think we'll give him a real one.

 

I daresay she's ready for a real one

 

The Spruce Goose is not made from spruce?

Here is it. Well, part of it, anyway. The back end of the Spruce Goose. It is actually made mostly of birch with just a little spruce. The most striking part, I thought, was the vertical tail. That is a massive structure. It was not possible to capture the entire plane from inside the Evergreen Aviation Museum which we visited when we were in Oregon in May. It is a really nice facility with some interesting airplanes like to Beechcraft Starship you can see in the foreground. 

Ethan's friends from out of town

In May, Ethan turned seven. He wanted an alien-themed birthday. He got it. There are two big aliens because of an eBay mixup. We thought the first we ordered was not coming so a second order was placed. Now we have two. 

Goodbye Dragon Lady, hello Lightning

Today I accepted a job to work on the F-35 Lightning II. This brings to a close my time working on the landing gear of the U-2 Dragon Lady. It has been a good experience. She is an amazing plane. This will be the first time in my engineering career that I will be working on a new product. Most, if not all, of my past projects had been around about at least as long as I have. Examples: Boeing 757 (1982), S5W reactor (1959), and the afore-mentioned U-2 (1955). 

A tapir of San Diego

Brayton and Ethan contemplate the beauty of an odd-toed ungulate, the Malayan tapir. This one lives in the San Diego Zoo. That's one interesting beastie.

A stop during our trip to San Diego

It's more impressive in person. This is the kids in front of the San Diego Temple. 

Swimming with the rays

We visted San Ramon in March to meet Josh's fiance. While there, we visited Monterey Bay Aquarium. Here, Brayton and I are looking out from a sting ray exhibit.