Fifty years ago today . . .

. . . on Thursday, January 30, 1964, Mike and several of his flight school comrades flew out over the Gulf of Mexico in T-28C airplanes like the one in this picture and somehow managed to find that same ship, the USS Lexington:

One-by-one, they landed on its flight deck and took off again. Then to make sure it wasn't beginner's luck, they did it seven more times.

To commemorate the event, M planned to go flying today in another old training plane called an AT-6. He booked an hour-long "Ultimate Barnstormer" package offered by History Flight, a warplane restoration group at the DeLand Airport. The flight includes something called aerobatics, which requires clear skies and good visibility. But as a dead Scottish poet wrote, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley . . ." That basically means don't count your chickens before they're hatched. Or as a New Jersey governor might say, we'll close that bridge when we get to it! Our airport and surrounding area have been overcast and rainy for the past couple of days, thanks to a winter storm named Leon:

M took these pictures yesterday morning and hoped things would look a lot better today, but they didn't. So he'll have to try again later. Stay tuned . . .

I've got mail!

I hardly ever get email, but today I received a really nice message from a couple of pet friends in Colorado, a dog named Emmie Lee and a kitty named Milo. As it happens, Emmie and Milo's peeps are good friends of Mike and Jeannie. They attached several great photos of themselves, and I thought I'd share them with you.

Here's one of Emmie. Whussup, good lookin'?

And here's Milo relaxing under the Christmas tree:

M and J can't put up Christmas trees anymore, with five cats in the house. Four of them are definite climbers.

Finally, one of Milo sporting an Elizabethan collar to keep him from scratching an owie on his nose. I have an E-collar from one of my visits to the vet last year, but I didn't have to wear it after all. So I guess it ended up being just a souvenir.

Milo doesn't look too thrilled with his. I hope he feels better soon!

Thanks, guys, for being in touch!

Updated  Monday, January 20, 2014:

You can find some nifty ideas in the comics. If Milo likes watching TV, maybe he could get this upgrade kit:

Chief Thundershirt sez . . .

Hot dog costumes--they're not just for Halloween anymore. They also make you feel better when the sky is crashing down outside!

What's the word I'm looking for?

Oh, yeah--that's it!