Phantom Canyon

For today's outing, we headed down to Phantom Canyon.  We hiked along the creek on the rocks.  It was definitely an opportunity to work on our balance.

It was in the mid 40's today and while hiking through the canyon we tried to stay in the sun where we could.  Even though it was nice out, it cooled down when you got into the shade.

Pebbles didn't have any issue managing the rocks, ice, and water.  She had a blast and was all over the place.

Candy took the picture above as we were making our way through.  It was a fun journey and would like to do it again.  In the picture below, we are just out front of the first tunnel you have to drive through.

Earring Conversion

Last weekend I had picked up some women's clip-on earrings.  You will find them all over if you are looking for them.  Most of the time in a basket on a counter or shelf, each pair bagged and you can get them from 2 to 5 dollars. 

I take the clip off the back and then hit it with the dremmel to smooth the are that the clip was attached to.  Then just glue on the cuff stud and let it dry.  I made the four set's below and it took me less than 20 minutes, then let the glue dry overnight.

The set below is my first attempt at making a wrapped cufflink.  They came out great and looking forward to wearing them soon.

Pics from my India trip

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to India for work.  I met a lot of great people and had some awesome food.  It was an exciting adventure but all the people I work with made me feel right at home.   Below are some pictures I captured from my trip.

Each morning when I was leaving the hotel, there was a new design made from flower petals.  

These kids riding these camels down a busy street was a surprise.  Guessing they were no more than 10 to 12.   

Up and away

Pinterest is a great source for paper models.   I have found several available for download.  Another good source is fiddlersgreen.net, they have a large variety of plans available.  Not just planes, but much more.  

Over the last couple of months, I have built the models shown below. 

This first plane is a 1933 Cessna Racer (CR-3).  The CR3 was built for John Livingston who won first place in several races.  He set the world speed record for 500 cu inch engines at 204.35 mph at the 1933 Chicago Air Races. 

The Wedell-Williams Model 44 is a racing aircraft, four examples of which were built in the United States in the early 1930s by the Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation. It began as a rebuilding of the partnership's successful We-Will 1929 racer, but soon turned into a completely new racing monoplane aircraft, powered by a large radial engine. Model 44s became the dominant racers of the 1930s, setting innumerable records including setting a new world speed record in 1933.

Piper PA-22 TRI Pacer - The Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer was introduced in 1952 and remained in production through 1960.  Early Tri-Pacers were powered by the 124-hp O-290-D Lycoming engine.  By 1959, the Caribbean model had the 150-hp O-32O-B rated at 160 hp.  Prices ranged from $8,395 to $10,770, depending upon engine installation and the usual extra-cost options.  A total of 7,668 Tri-Pacers were built.

Beechcraft Staggerwing - Once in a while something is created that establishes a concept and all other things that follow merely attempt to capture the quality and capability of the original.  Walter Beech began the Beech Aircraft Company in Wichita Kansas in the pit of the depression, 1932.  His first aircraft was a non-retractable version.  From then on general aviation would measure all aircraft against this machine as the standard.  Besides speed, the Staggerwing offers stylish lines, a roomy cockpit, and great flying characteristics, which rank it as an "ultra classic".

The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed tricycle gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use. It was based on the earlier Cessna 150, including a number of minor design changes and a slightly more powerful engine running on 100LL aviation gasoline.

The Cessna 152 has been out of production for more than thirty years, but there are still a large number of aircraft in flying condition. Due to the aircraft's durability, many examples have flown more than 15,000 hours and over 60,000 landings and are still in regular use for flight training.

Orlando

We drove up to Orlando from Sanibel.  I am getting pretty good at navigating the back roads of FL.  We checked into the Hotel and dropped our bags.  Then we were out the door and headed over to Eric's.

We headed out for lunch and then the four of us did an escape room.  I had a great time, but it was nice to be with someone who has done one before.  Now that you see how the clues work and what to look for it would be easier.  If it was my first time by myself, I would have been stuck for a while.

The next day we hung out at Universal Studios.   We had a great time and were able to ride everything we wanted to ride.  Having some fast passes helped.

Love the Island

We got lucky and were able to spend a day on Sanibel Island just before Christmas.  I had to travel for work and then added a couple of days of PTO and hit the Island and then up to Orlando to hang with Big Boy.

Even though we only had one full day to shell, we made off with a pretty decent haul.   We stayed at a Hotel instead of a Condo and it was perfect since it was a quick visit. 

Catching up to do....

Wow, been a while, sorry folks.   So much going on, getting through the Holidays and already back to work and the month is almost over.  Wow, time is flying and we are all running to keep up.

Not even sure where to start until I go back to my pictures and see what we have been up to.

Look for a few updates coming.  Most likely in the form of photos with minimal descriptions, but will do my best.