I'm a lazy lout......

Things have been a wee bit busy lately, but that may just be an excuse. Looks like it's been two weeks since I've written, so here goes.... and I see Peg has beaten me to the 'publish' key today!

Early in May I went to Merrill to replace the fuel pump that I had mentioned earlier. I got the work done and decided that I should maybe test the thing in flight. Weather was great so I took off and did a touch and go, and then headed West to do some maneuvers. I noticed the oil temp gauge was reading a little high, so I returned to the airport to remove the last of the "winterizing duct tape" that was on the oil cooler. I was just ready to go again when Steve pulled in , we talked a bit and he said John "red and white Challenger" was on his way, would I like to go with Steve in his 152 Cessna to meet John?

By the way isn't that first picture of one sweet little plane? It's an Ercoupe, from the mid-40's. Anyway, we headed East, found John and we all headed West again to land at Merrill. John needed to go over some things with Steve as John was going the next day to do the oral part of his practical flight test. Just as I was getting ready to go again, five planes landed and taxied to Steve's hangar. All friends and members of a local EAA chapter. So I listened and looked at the planes and took a few pictures. The blue bi-plane above was built by the guy in the picture. Not a kit, he bought plans and just built it!!!

This yellow job is a Luscombe, and also from the 40's. In the background of the first pic is the Kitfox amphibious float plane that a Wausau guy put together, so that night there were three planes from the 40's, a kit built and a built from scratch. Interesting crew. So I finally got up into the air at 7:45 and did some touch and go's until 8:30. Long night for such short flight time.

I got the last of my stuff from U.S. Ultralight Assoc. The training records will allow me to count my hours in Steve's plane toward my Sport Pilot certificate. Isn't that a nice Certificate that they sent me???


Took this shot one evening as I was on my way to Phillips. The golden streaks from the sun throught the clouds were much brighter in person, but I thought I would include it here anyway. It was one awesome evening, with rainclouds approaching and the sun blasting through where ever it could.


Spring is trying to make an entrance here in the Northwoods. The first item to show itself is this blue thing-a-ma-jig. Could it be primrose? I don't remember.


Only two tulips showed up. Lucy said there were several clumps of them in this bed last year. Where did they go??>?

The silver maple in the south yard appears to have the start of a bumper crop of seeds this year. Early in the season they look like some sort of fruit starting to grow. Looks really cool for a few days.



Nice color contrasts in the yard, with the flowering crab just starting and the hard maple next to it putting out it's pollen things (whatever they're called.) Such an appealing pale green!

Here's a close up of the maple do-dads.

We had a little snow/slush storm on Thurdsday afternoon and throught the night. Here is what was left of the snow on Saturday noon. The only place it remained was under the "source apple tree". Hoping the apple does well again this year.
That's about it from up here. I spent the day doing laundry and bedding, put the batteries in the lawn mowers and did the initial cutting. Rain showers on and off all day today, but I mowed anyway. Weather is not supposed to improve much in the coming week. I'll have to pick up the windrows of cut grass after they dry out a little, probably early in the week. It's supposed to be sunny on Tuesday, but I wouldn't bet on it... By the way, Mag, thanks for donating the Husky to the homestead. I tried it out for the first time today and it works well, especially that hydrostatic drive!!
I gotta go, Carlo