What is an ALBATROSS?

I have several hobbies. One of my hobbies is flying. Another is boating. My friend, Scott Lehman, got me into flying several years ago. I received my glider pilot's license 2 years ago and have always enjoyed being in the air. That is why when Scott called me yesterday to ask if I would be willing to go fly with him today, I said "of course." He has a friend from Alaska named Jason who came down with a group of people with some Albatrosses. They are enormous planes that can land on the ground or water. COOL...A PLANE THAT IS A BOAT!

They can carry several passengers. This plane had seats for 12, including the pilot.

We took off at about 4pm tonight and headed over to Lake Mead. The beauty of flying above the lake, then going in between the mountains and even below the mountain tops was absolutly thrilling.

Once we got to the lake we did several Touch and Goes. This is landing the plane then immediatly going to full power and taking off again without stopping. We did 4-5 touch and goes on the Echo Bay side of the lake. The water on this side was so smooth, it looked like glass. I wanted to grab a rope and hook it to the wing pontoon and go waterskiing. Scott says that they do it sometimes. I told him to let me know when they do it in the summer and I AM THERE!

The best part about this was the window in the back of the plane was open so we could get the entire thrill of the noise, cold, and the water.

We headed through the Narrows and over the the Callville Bay side to do several more touch and goes.

The water on this side was not so smooth. It made for rougher landings, but still the spray off the water was incredible.

When the sun began to go down, the colors off the rocks, mountains, and lake was breathtaking.

We ended by flying over the Hoover Dam project and back to Boulder City Airport.

What a wonderful experience. One I will never forget. Thanks Scott and Jason.

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby

We had 2 firsts tonight.

The first first was Brendan's first time in a Cub Scout pinewood derby. He has spent several hours working on his car to make sure it is exactly how he wanted it. Dad helped cut the wood, but Brendan did all of the sanding and designing of the car. He didn't win 1st or 2nd, or even 3rd overall, but he did have fun and we are proud of him. He actually won 1 race, and took 2nd in 2 others. He wasn't that far behind either.

The second first was Eric finally won a pinewood derby. They had an outlaw's division for the Dad's/parents who have boys in the derby. The idea is to allow the boys to build and do their own cars and leave the dads out of the picture...so they created an outlaw's division to allow the dad's to make their own cars. The rules are...BE CREATIVE. So...without weight restrictions and other rules, Eric proceeded to make a TRAIN...yes a train. The block of wood was cut about half way down. The gold part is a lead pipe. The back of the train is a transformer, with some steel rods as the rails of the train on the sides. A few bolts were added for the smoke stacks.
The rules for the boys are that they have to be under 5oz. and the size cannot be altered very much. Eric's car weighed 41oz. It was the talk of the derby. Eric brought a train whistle to blow when his car was on the track. Everyone loved it. The best part...Eric took 1st place in the Outlaw's Division.

When they raced the 2 cars together...you guessed it...DAD WON!

THAT'S MY BOYS!

Gordon B. Hinckley has passed on

We are saddened to hear of the passing of our beloved Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. My, how we loved to hear him speak and looked forward to General Conference every year.

One of the best things we really liked about him is his down to earth sense of humor. We know he was called of God and bore testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer.

We also admire his dedication for temple and family history work.

What a great man. He will be missed.

Here we go!

We have finally decided to do a blog. We see so many family and friends that have them...we almost felt left out. So...let's BLOG!