State of Aviation Kickoff; Getting a Cold

One week ago tonight (18 January), I was at Creve Coeur Airport (http://crevecoeurairport.com/) for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/) meeting. This had been postponed by one week due to weather on its scheduled night. A packed house took in a "State of Aviation" event, in which local and regional aviation groups briefly addressed the membership and guests on their plans for 2018.

These groups included: The Aero Experience (http://aeroexperience.blogspot.com/); the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum (http://airandspacemuseum.org/); the St. Louis Section of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (https://info.aiaa.org/Regions/MW/SL/default.aspx); the Gateway Chapter of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation (https://armyav.org/st-louis-missouri/); the Boeing Historical Council (http://www.boeing.com/history/); the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (http://cafmo.org/); Gateway Squadron, Civil Air Patrol (https://www.facebook.com/CivilAirPatrolStLouisMoGatewaySquadron); the Defense Contract Management Agency at Boeing (http://www.dcma.mil/); Fair Saint Louis (https://www.fairsaintlouis.org/); the Greater St. Louis Business Aircraft Association (http://www.gslbaa.org/); the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum (http://www.historicaircraftrestorationmuseum.org/); the Saint Louis Science Center (https://www.slsc.org/); the Space Museum in Bonne Terre (http://www.space-mo.org/); the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show & STEM Expo (http://spirit-airshow.com/); the Association of St. Louis Area Archivists (http://stlarchivists.org/); Saint Louis Regional Historical Societies (https://stlregionalho.org/); the National Museum of Transportation (http://transportmuseumassociation.org/); the TriStar Experience in Kansas City (https://tristarexperience.org/); and, the Transportation Club at the University of Missouri at St. Louis (http://www.umsl.edu/~cts/Transportation%20Club.html).

My friend Linsey Daman (http://cacstlouis.com/index.html) and her mother Anne were there, and it was great seeing them. Linsey is in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and she got a military discount from the Society.

Work at the rental branch has gone very well the past few days. With the weather warming up after the sub-freezing temperatures earlier last week, it was great to be able to wash the vehicles' exteriors without fear of the water freezing up on them.

Saturday night (20 January), I went to the Marcus Arnold Cinema (http://www.marcustheatres.com/theatre-locations/marcus-arnold-14-cine) to see "The Post." Really good movie. I was seven years old when the Pentagon Papers case went down, and this movie brought back my memories of that period.

Over last weekend, I got my entries and supporting materials prepared for submission to the Missouri Professional Communicators (http://www.mpc-nfpw.org/cpsiteframepage.lasso?-token.lpuserref=113815.113118) Communications Contest. The entries--the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) newsletter The Arch Scaler News, press releases for IPMS/Gateway's Invitational and Toys for Tots donation, and my blog--were submitted Monday (22 January). This is one day before the deadline. Results will be known in April. Wish me luck!

Also over that weekend, I got a chest cold. I made it into work, but was slowed down by body aches and a fever I felt that afternoon. Still, I persisted during the day. I rested at home right after work, and fulled a full day Tuesday and the partial day Wednesday.

I rested at home much of the day today, but I also did my laundry and drove out to Mark Twain Hobby Center (http://www.hobby1.com/) to get paint for a car model I'm working on for the IPMS/Gateway contest next month.

Later.

The Heat is (Still) On

This past week saw a heat wave hit the St. Louis area. Daytime highs reached at least 95 degrees F (35 degrees C), with heat indices getting up towards 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). It's not fun to be outside or in the wash bay at work, so I stayed inside the air conditioned lobby as much as possible, drinking as much water or thirst quencher as I can. Fortunately, I am fine, though tired at the end of the work day.

I flexed out Tuesday afternoon (19 July), and came home to chill out (literally). That night, I helped run the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/). We had a good turnout for our beauty contest, plus a nice demo on attaching windshields and other clear parts to models. All of us attending stayed cool inside Calvary's Fellowship Hall.

After taking care of some personal affairs on my off day Thursday (21 July), I drove to Creve Coeur Airport (http://www.crevecoeurairport.com/) for this month's meeting of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/). This meeting featured a tribute to former McDonnell Aircraft lead test pilot Bob Little, including the debut of two new documentaries on him. One was about Little's life and career, which included service in the US Army Air Forces during World War II, and the McDonnell aircraft he piloted on its first flights (F2H Banshee, F3H Demon, F-101 Voodoo, and F4H [later F-4] Phantom II). The documentary climaxed with Little's meeting last May with Col. Ronald "Elvis" King, the last USAF F-4 pilot at the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo. A second video screened for us was an extended version of the interview with Little and King. The Bob Little documentary began airing today on HEC-TV (http://www.hectv.org/watch/hec-tv-live/legendary-wwii-and-test-pilot-bob-little/24325/).

Jacqui Poor, the Society's vice president, produced the Little program for HEC-TV, and she was helping screen the program for our meeting. Because of that, I was asked to man the membership table in her place, and I made sure attendees signed in and also accepted some membership forms (both new and renewal memberships), plus directing members to their name tags on the nearby table. We had a very good turnout at the meeting, despite the heat outside. (Due to that heat, the Society asked Little--who's in his early 90s--to stay home; we'll have him at a later meeting.)

Yesterday, my high school and church friend Susan Shrum appeared on KHOU TV's program "Good Day Houston." She has lived in Houston for some years now and helps run a casual dining restaurant there, Happy Fatz (http://happyfatz.com/). Today is National Hot Dog Day and Susan and her colleague Rebecca Hernandez Sanders showed off their hot dogs and desserts to the host. The segment video is here: http://www.khou.com/entertainment/television/programs/great-day-houston/celebrate-national-hot-dog-today-07222016/279768573

I worked at the rental branch this morning. It was a busy one, but we got our customers taken care of with our usual dispatch. Our manager Liz will be leaving after this Tuesday, as she has been promoted to manager our Cape Girardeau branch. Best wishes to you, Liz, and thank you for your service at Ellisville.

Chilling out at home, then brazing the heat to attend tonight's Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) match against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. More on that in my next post.

Later.

The Heat is (Still) On

This past week saw a heat wave hit the St. Louis area. Daytime highs reached at least 95 degrees F (35 degrees C), with heat indices getting up towards 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). It's not fun to be outside or in the wash bay at work, so I stayed inside the air conditioned lobby as much as possible, drinking as much water or thirst quencher as I can. Fortunately, I am fine, though tired at the end of the work day.

I flexed out Tuesday afternoon (19 July), and came home to chill out (literally). That night, I helped run the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/). We had a good turnout for our beauty contest, plus a nice demo on attaching windshields and other clear parts to models. All of us attending stayed cool inside Calvary's Fellowship Hall.

After taking care of some personal affairs on my off day Thursday (21 July), I drove to Creve Coeur Airport (http://www.crevecoeurairport.com/) for this month's meeting of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/). This meeting featured a tribute to former McDonnell Aircraft lead test pilot Bob Little, including the debut of two new documentaries on him. One was about Little's life and career, which included service in the US Army Air Forces during World War II, and the McDonnell aircraft he piloted on its first flights (F2H Banshee, F3H Demon, F-101 Voodoo, and F4H [later F-4] Phantom II). The documentary climaxed with Little's meeting last May with Col. Ronald "Elvis" King, the last USAF F-4 pilot at the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo. A second video screened for us was an extended version of the interview with Little and King. The Bob Little documentary began airing today on HEC-TV (http://www.hectv.org/watch/hec-tv-live/legendary-wwii-and-test-pilot-bob-little/24325/).

Jacqui Poor, the Society's vice president, produced the Little program for HEC-TV, and she was helping screen the program for our meeting. Because of that, I was asked to man the membership table in her place, and I made sure attendees signed in and also accepted some membership forms (both new and renewal memberships), plus directing members to their name tags on the nearby table. We had a very good turnout at the meeting, despite the heat outside. (Due to that heat, the Society asked Little--who's in his early 90s--to stay home; we'll have him at a later meeting.)

Yesterday, my high school and church friend Susan Shrum appeared on KHOU TV's program "Good Day Houston." She has lived in Houston for some years now and helps run a casual dining restaurant there, Happy Fatz (http://happyfatz.com/). Today is National Hot Dog Day and Susan and her colleague Rebecca Hernandez Sanders showed off their hot dogs and desserts to the host. The segment video is here: http://www.khou.com/entertainment/television/programs/great-day-houston/celebrate-national-hot-dog-today-07222016/279768573

I worked at the rental branch this morning. It was a busy one, but we got our customers taken care of with our usual dispatch. Our manager Liz will be leaving after this Tuesday, as she has been promoted to manager our Cape Girardeau branch. Best wishes to you, Liz, and thank you for your service at Ellisville.

Chilling out at home, then brazing the heat to attend tonight's Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) match against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. More on that in my next post.

Later.

In Print; In the Dark

I worked at the rental car branch a week ago yesterday (9 July), and it went well. Not real busy. I grabbed some lunch after work, and washed my car at Martian Car Wash (http://www.martiancarwash.com/) in Ellisville. The place opened up a few weeks ago. They did a great job cleaning my Corolla, and was a good value for the money.

Resting at home last Sunday afternoon, I got a pleasant surprise in my email. The long-delayed, long-awaited latest issue of Middle Marker, journal of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/) arrived. It was the first issue put out in two years, and included my story I wrote then about Charles Morley, a Missouri airman killed during the Vietnam War. My article told of Morley's story, including how his F-4 was shot down over Laos one night in 1970 and he and his crewmate were listed as Missing in Action. The remains were found in Laos 25 years later and Morley was buried with full military honors. The story also included some photos of Morley and of an F-4 displayed at Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Station that is painted like Morley's plane. (Two of my photos are included in the article.) I am very happy to see this issue of Middle Marker out at last, and for my work to appear in print. I am hoping to write more articles for this journal in the coming years.

Work went well this past week, although it got very interesting on Wednesday afternoon (13 July). A thunderstorm with high winds blew through the Metropolitan St. Louis area. Power went out at our branch for about three hours, so we had to resort to using tablet computers to process rental transactions (thank goodness for tablets!), cell phones for communications, and flashlights for seeing in darkened areas of the lobby. The power was restored just as we were closing for the day.

However, power also went out at my house, and my mom and I were left in the dark until late Friday afternoon. We had to resort to candles, flashlights, battery operated devices (radios, cell phones, and tablets), and not moving around much at home due to the heat. Ameren (https://www.ameren.com/) reported that over 100,000 metro area residents were without power, and the last were not restored until today.

Fortunately, power was restored at my doctor's office on Thursday morning, when I went for my annual examination. I am in very good health overall, with no problems apart from lingering tendonitis in my one heel. I should get some blood work done in the coming week or two.

Friday morning (15 July), I brought in some doughnuts from Krispy Kreme (https://www.krispykreme.com/) for my colleagues, and they greatly appreciated the gesture. My branch mates look forward to my bringing in doughnuts on every other Friday morning, which coincides with pay day.

Yesterday starting with catching up on my laundry, then I was at Caleco's Bar & Grill (http://www.calecos.com/Calecos%20Downtown.htm) in Downtown St. Louis for lunch with the St. Louis Historic Sites Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/St-L-Historic-Buildings-Meetup/). About 19 of us got together for a fine lunch. It was my first time at Caleco's in Downtown, and enjoyed meeting with the group, which had come off touring some Downtown landmarks.

On the way home from that lunch, I stopped by Crown Vision Center (http://www.crownvisioncenter.com/) in Tesson Ferry to pick up my new glasses. They fit great and I can see great with them on.

After time at home including dinner, I drove to Stone Spiral Coffee and Curios (http://www.stonespiralcoffee.com/) in Maplewood for the StL Tea Club Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/StL-Tea-Club-Meetup/). About ten of us attended and we enjoyed sampling several teas while we conversed about tea and other things. It was a most pleasant outing.

Home today, I attended service at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) this morning, then rested at home this afternoon.

Later.

Really Hot Time

A week ago tonight (16 June) found me at Creve Coeur Airport (http://www.crevecoeurairport.com/) for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/) meeting. This month's program was airborne law enforcement, as guest Kurt Frisz--a former St. Louis County Police Air Support Unit pilot--talked about the history of airborne law enforcement in the US, and in Missouri and the St. Louis area in particular. After Frisz' talk, a Metro Air Support Unit (http://www.metroairsupport.org/) MD 500E helicopter landed at Creve Coeur Airport, and we would look up close at the helicopter and chat with the two crewmen. It was very nice, coming right at dusk. A most fascinating program.

After a hot Friday at the car rental branch, I was back at Creve Coeur Airport on Saturday (18 June) for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society's first annual member barbecue. Chris Merseal from CRM Hobbies (http://www.crmhobbies.com/) cooked the meat and those in attendance had a wonderful time socializing. Two big cakes decorated with US flags climaxed the meal.

After this event, I drove to Mark Twain Hobby Center (http://www.hobby1.com/) in St. Charles to drop off some flyers for IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/)--promoting the club and the Invitational on 10 September--and buying a kit to put together at the club's meeting in three days. (More on that later).

Fulfilling a promise, I put some photos from the Missouri Aviation Historical Society meeting and barbecue on a thumb drive and got them to Linsey Daman on Sunday. I also helped her out regarding some aircraft and markings she saw at a recent radio controlled aircraft meet in the St. Louis area.

Back at work on Monday morning (20 June), we kept busy making sure we exceeded customer expectations. A bit of a challenge on this day, due to so many cars to get ready and many customers to take care of in the morning, but we got through it. Generally, things have been well. Hannah, who was at our branch last fall before going to the Airport, came back to our branch last Friday. She's a superb addition to where ever she is based. However, our assistant manager Cayla is out due to an injury sustained in a car accident the previous weekend. Wish her a speedy recovery!

After flexing out on Tuesday, I got home and prepared for that night's IPMS/Gateway meeting, which featured our annual Slam Fest. Members had two hours to assemble and finish a model kit. In my case, it was a B-70 Valkyrie kit that I bought at Mark Twain the previous Saturday. I got it done with minutes to spare, one of eight models completed. It did not win in the popular vote, but that's OK. It was fun to try. Also, my photos from last month's Invitational in Louisville were screened, and I displayed my five award winning models from that show. Additionally, I renewed my club membership for another year.

Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far, with the temperature reaching 100 degrees F (38 degrees C), with the heat index reaching 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). I hit the water and thirst quencher early and often, and stayed inside the air-conditioned office as much as possible. Fortunately, it was not too busy.

Off to help at Circus Flora (http://circusflora.org/) again tonight.

Later.

Rain, Work, Soccer, and Aviation History

We had quite a bit of rain fall here so far this week. That included a thunderstorm on Tuesday (24 May), but no damage around here, fortunately. All that rain will surely help grass and plants to grow.

I flexed out of work on Tuesday, as I'm working this Saturday morning. That night, I was at Brad and Julie Vaughn's house in House Springs for the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) business meeting. We planned the June general and business meetings, plus discussed some other club business.

After working yesterday, I dashed over to World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton for the match between Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) and Vancouver Whitecaps 2. This was the match postponed on 30 April due to lightning. The teams played to a 1-1 draw this night. i joined with the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) in cheering on the home side. I was most disappointed as the Blues (http://blues.nhl.com/) lost to the Sharks, ending their season. Like many Blues fans, I wished to get into the Stanley Cup Final, but it was a good season nevertheless.

My off day today included doing laundry, washing and adding fuel to my car, and a pleasant trip to Portage Des Sioux, Missouri. I drove to St. Charles County Smartt Airport (http://www.sccmo.org/237/Airport---Smartt-Field) to visit the museum of the Missouri Wing, Commemorative Air Force (https://www.cafmo.org/). I went through the small, but nice museum with many artifacts, guided by CAF Colonel Gerry Spavale. (Full CAF members are designated Colonels.) Spavale then lead me to two hangars on the field, one of which had the Wing's B-25J Mitchell "Show Me." I got to look around the bomber, which was being prepared for appearing at an airshow out of town this weekend. (Two other Wing aircraft--a TBM Avenger and a L-3--were away when we visited.)

Spavale also guided me to the other hangar, where some aircraft were being worked on, and to the Officer's Club. I posed for some pictures, and received some CAF literature. All in all, a pleasant times. Back home, I got some late lunch and mowed the front lawn. I even briefly wore a red nose, in honor of Red Nose Day (http://rednoseday.org/), a fundraiser for childrens' charities.

Back working tomorrow and Saturday morning, and then enjoy the Memorial Day Weekend.

Later.

Happy Day in Louisville

This past week has been quite interesting: Mostly in a good way. Work at the car rental branch was very busy early in this week, but things went well. I did my best to keep our customers satisfied through clean and fueled vehicles and through great customer treatment driving them to and from our branch.

After work Tuesday night (17 May), I was at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for this month's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting. I helped judge the quarterly Modeler of the Year contest. We had a nice turnout of entries for the contest, including several for the Big Cats special category. I also brought in a model kit to donate to the raffle at our Invitational on 10 September.

Following a full day of work Wednesday, I headed straight for World Wide Technology Soccer Park for Saint Louis FC's (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) Second Round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (http://www.ussoccer.com/lamar-hunt-us-open-cup) tie against AFC Cleveland of the National Premier Soccer League. I joined with the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) and a nice crowd overall in cheering on Saint Louis FC. (Bill Wagner, a mate from IPMS/Gateway, was there with his cousin, a season ticket member.) The home side won 2-0 to advance to the third round, where Saint Louis FC hosts Minnesota United of the North American Soccer League on Wed., 1 June. More immediately, Saint Louis FC hosts United Soccer League (http://www.uslsoccer.com/) matches against Vancouver Whitecaps 2 this Wednesday (makeup of the match postponed on 30 April) and Rio Grande Valley FC this Sunday.

I got my hair cut Thursday morning (19 May) and got preparations done for my road trip this weekend. I also put in my volunteer availability for Circus Flora (http://circusflora.org/),whose show "Pastime" runs 2 June through 3 July in St. Louis' Grand Center. I will be volunteering on the performances on Thursday 2, 9, 23, and 30 June. Hope to see you there.

That night found me at Creve Coeur Airport (http://www.crevecoeurairport.com/) for this month's Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/) meeting. It featured a wrap up of the previous weekend's Spirit of St. Louis Airshow and STEM Expo (http://spirit-airshow.com/), including still images and video. We also previewed next month's meeting on 16 June and the Society's barbecue two days later. My friend Linsey Daman (http://singlesuccessfulceo.com/3601.html) (http://cacstlouis.com/) and her mom were there and I narrated the airshow photos and video for Linsey.

After work Friday, I was walked around my rental car for the weekend, a Chevrolet Cruze, loaded my models and baggage for the weekend, and headed towards Louisville, Kentucky. I stopped for the night in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Early Saturday morning (21 May), I checked out the motel in Mount Vernon and drove into Louisville, arriving at the KYANA Antique Automobile Club, the show venue and meeting place of the Military Modelers Club of Louisville (http://www.mmcl.org/). I entered six models in the contest, which drew 252 total entries. I also browsed the vendor room, whose vendors included St. Louis' CRM Hobbies (http://www.crmhobbies.com/). I volunteered as a judge in two contest categories I was not entered in. When the judging was over, I was pleasantly surprised to see that five of my entries won awards. I had the only two entries in Space: Real Space, Missiles and Vehicles, taking first place for my USA/USSR Missile Set and second for my Jupiter C. In Ships: Powered Surface Ships 1/401 and Smaller, my Yamato was second and my Prinz Eugen took third. (The only other entry was the winner.) In Figures: Dismounted, 71mm and Larger, my Black Knight of Nurnberg placed third. I have never won this many awards at any one show ever. I had a great time there and told the hosts--including my acquaintance David Knights, the head judge--that before leaving the venue. (I also won a kit in the show's raffle.)

Before heading back to St. Louis, I shopped at Scale Reproductions Hobby Shop (http://www.srihobbies.com/index.html), taking advantage of a coupon I got at the show. Then, I did stop by downtown Louisville and stood outside Louisville Slugger Park, home ground of Louisville City FC wearing my Saint Louis FC cap and St. Louligans scarf. I took a selfie there to show my friends back home that I didn't like Louisville city FC and its supporters, rivals in the King's Cup derby with Saint Louis FC.

The drive home went well, especially as I listened on the radio to the Blues' Game 4 win at San Jose. I took the Cruze home to unload my gear and rest up.

Up later than usual this morning, I made sure things around the house were good before Mom returns from Los Angeles early this week. This included mowing the back lawn (the front lawn was done on Thursday), and getting the mail one of our neighbors held for us for those two days I was away.

Back to work early tomorrow morning and a new week begins.

Later.

Evading Fake Bullets and Real Rain

One week ago tonight (21 April) found me at Creve Coeur Airport (http://www.crevecoeurairport.com/) for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/) meeting. The late Missouri aviator Gene Talbott was remembered, with his movies taken while serving as a McDonnell Douglas engineer during the Vietnam War were screened. They were silent films, but most interesting in showing carrier operations off Vietnam and the shore bases in South Vietnam and the Philippines. We also got an update on the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo (http://spirit-airshow.com/) on 14-15 May. I am looking forward to that show.

Saturday morning (23 April) found me at Jefferson Barracks County Park (http://www.stlouisco.com/ParksandRecreation/ParkPages/JeffersonBarracks) in south St. Louis County for the annual World War II Weekend (http://2ndrangers.org/wwii_weekend.php). Hundreds of reinactors played American, German, British, Canadian, Australian, and Soviet troops. I came in time for a battle where these reinactors battled--shooting blanks, of course--in demonstrating how soldiers fought in World War II. After the battle, I toured the various encampments where the reinactors talked with visitors and displayed their uniforms, equipment, and weapons. It is always a most interesting time for this history buff.

That night, I was at Worldwide Technology Soccer Park (http://saintlouisfc.com/soccerpark) for the St. Louligans Trivia Night. I joined with others to answer various trivia questions while raising money for the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) tailgate fund and the Soccer Park refurbishment. My team did very well, finishing second. After the trivia, we watched the Saint Louis FC away match at Sacramento Republic. (Saint Louis won, 1-0.) A very good night overall.

Back to work on Monday after a relaxing Sunday at home. Monday night, I was at home watching the St. Louis Blues (http://blues.nhl.com/) defeat the Chicago Blackhawks and advance in the NHL (https://www.nhl.com/) Stanley Cup Playoffs. Go Blues!

Around midday Tuesday (26 April), we got some stormy weather. Thunderstorms, a touch of hail, and winds battered our area. Fortunately, the worst passed Ellisville. After work, I drove to Rick Keasey's house in Edwardsville for the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) business meeting, where we planned next month's meeting and discussed club business. A lot of driving that day.

This morning on my day off, workers came to the house to replace the mattresses on my and my mom's beds. The old mattress was badly in need of replacement, and the new one should work out very well for years to come.

I have a busy weekend ahead, starting with volunteering Saturday afternoon at the Greater St. Louis Book Fair (http://stlouisbookfair.org/) at West County Center. I'm also volunteering at Sunday morning's Roller Coaster Race at Six Flags St. Louis (http://rollercoasterrace.com/races/st-louis-mo-10k-5k-six-flags/). More on all that in my next post.

Later

A Night at the Science Center

Had more productive times the past few days at work. Working hard along with my colleagues, including two new management trainees who just joined the Ellisville branch. They will be strong additions to our location.

Got some scale modeling done the past few days, including work on two aircraft kits. I hope to have one of them done by the IPMS/Gateway (http://ipms-gateway.com) meeting next month, when a contest will be held.

After work last night, I headed to the Saint Louis Science Center (http://www.slsc.org/) for Missouri Aviation Historical Society (https://moavhist.org/) Night. I arrived at about 6:50 pm, so I missed the lecture that started the program, but I did join with others in visiting the Center's current exhibit "Above and behind," which I toured two weeks ago. After some time there, we went to the Omnimax Theater to watch the film "Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag" (http://www.fighterpilotfilm.com/), which came out 12 years ago. It was a thrilling look at a US Air Force fighter pilot taking part in a Red Flag training exercise in Nevada. I--and other viewers--felt we were flying along on these missions. A very nice night.

Off work today, I had my semi-annual visit with my dentist. Good news: All is well with my teeth. Got lunch and did a bit of shopping before coming home, where I finished doing my laundry and rested.

Looking forward to the Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) home opener this Saturday night. I will let you know how that goes in my next post here.

Later.

The Lion of 2016 Enters

It was a pleasant end of February, weather-wise, and work has been great. Our crew has been settling in very well and we're doing very well with our customers, which is what matters most.

Saturday afternoon (27 February), I restored the headlights on my 10 year old Toyota Corolla. The headlights has became cloudy and yellowed over time, which degrades my headlight performance at night. About an hour of work using the Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit from Meguiar's (http://www.meguiars.com) cleared up the headlights and made them like new. I noticed right away the better effectiveness with the clearer headlights. Plus, it looks much better.

Much of last weekend I spent trying to get more work done on the new issue of Middle Marker, journal of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (http://moavhist.org). I was trying to get text on a story to flow from one column to the next, but I was having trouble getting that to happen. Maybe I'm missing a step somewhere. Anyway, I want to get some more done on that this weekend.

With my mom, I watched the Academy Awards (http://www.oscars.com) on television. Not having seen the nominated movies, I didn't have any dog in this fight, but I just wanted to see how this would go. It was rather interesting.

It was most pleasant over the weekend, with temperatures approaching 70 degrees F (21.1 degrees C) and sunny skies. That changed early this week, as it got cloudy, with a bit of rain early in the week and temperatures dropping to 32 degrees F (0 degrees C). It will pick up again this weekend. Got to love St. Louis weather!

After work last night (2 March), I walked to the nearby St. Louis Taco and Pita Grill for the Ethnic Restaurant Fans Meetup group (http://www.meetup.com/Ethnic-Restaurant-Fans/). Seven of us had a nice dinner at the restaurant, which has a mix of Mexican, Greek, and American fare. I had a taco and enchilada dinner, which was most tasty. I have dined there twice before and, like last night, enjoyed generous portions at a reasonable price.

Later.

Warm, Then Snowy

Last Thursday night (18 February), I attended the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (MOAHS) (http://moavhist.org/) meeting at Creve Coeur Airport (http://www.crevecoeurairport.com/). The featured speaker was Paul Segura of Boeing, who spoke about the company's 100th anniversary this year, which included info on the founders of Boeing's Legacy Companies (Boeing, Douglas, North American, and McDonnell). He also spoke about the 50th anniversary this month of the aircraft crash at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport that killed the Gemini IX prime crew. A fascinating program. (Boeing's 100th anniversary website is: http://www.boeing.com/boeing100/.) I also gave an update to the MOAHS president and vice president on the journal, Middle Marker, which I'm editing and should come out in a couple of weeks.

Work has been going great of late. Our branch has been doing a great job exceeding customer expectations, as reflected in our high customer satisfaction score. We were going to have a happy hour after work yesterday to celebrate this feat, but weather postponed it until next week. Speaking of weather, it got very nice on Saturday (20 February), reaching 70 degrees F (21 degrees C).

Sunday, my mom assisted me in straightened out my scale modeling workbench area, removing trash and reorganizing tools and supplies. I also was able to find a missing part on my ship model and finished the cruiser Prinz Eugen, which I then placed in my display case.

Back at work on Monday morning (22 February), the work week started off strong. The weather was another story, as we got some wet snow--up to 3 inches (7.6 cm) in Ellisville--early yesterday morning. It was a rough commute (about 45 minutes in my case, instead of the standard 30 minutes), but I got there safely and so did my colleagues. We got the snow cleaned off the cars and the sidewalk in front of our branch. Although a few reservations were cancelled, we got our customers taken care of and things proceeded well. The drive home was better, in that much of the snow melted off the roads, thanks to warmer weather that afternoon.

The night before (23 February), I grabbed some dinner at Jack in the Box (http://www.jackinthebox.com/) in Mehlville before driving to Bill Wagner's house in Oakville for the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) business meeting. It went well and we planned our March general and business meetings.

Today, I took my Corolla to Firestone Complete Auto Care (http://www.firestonecompleteautocare.com/) in Mehlville. There, the car's transmission fluid was changed, and a heat shield on the under body was bolted back into place. (It was jolted out of place a week ago.) So far, the car's running well. I also had coffee and cake at Starbucks (http://www.starbucks.com/), did my laundry, and worked some more on Middle Marker.

Later.

Presenting to a Friend; Keeping Hopping at Work

Last Thursday night (21 January), I was at the first 2016 meeting of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (MoAHS) (http://moavhist.org/), which was held at Creve Coeur Airport (http://crevecoeurairport.com/) in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The meeting featured a look ahead to 2016, with several organizations MoAHS is affiliated with making presentations. These included: the St. Louis Science Center (http://slsc.org/), The Aero Experience (http://aeroexperience.blogspot.com/), the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum (http://www.airandspacemuseum.org/), Creve Coeur Airport and the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum (http://www.historicaircraftrestorationmuseum.org/), the Space Museum in Bonne Terre (http://www.space-mo.org/), and the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo (http://spirit-airshow.com/). That airshow will be at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri on 14-15 May 2016.

The next MoAHS meeting is Thu., 18 February at 7:00 pm at Creve Coeur Airport.

Work has been going well at the car rental branch in the past few days. I was in the branch on Saturday morning (23 January) and it was a very busy 4+ hours there for myself and the two management people on duty. We all pitched in and got it all done. Our parking lot was jammed with vehicles on Monday morning, but we got through the day just fine and our lot thinned out a lot by the end of business Tuesday.

After work that Tuesday night (26 January), I made it to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) in Mehlville for the IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) meeting, which was postponed by one week due to inclement weather. It was the club's annual Swap & Sell and Kit Auction. The former allowed members to sell or trade model kits and related items (decals, tools, publications, etc.) The latter was an auction of kits donated by club members, with proceeds going to the club for selected activities over the coming year. There was a large crowd (over 50 people) there, including three first-time attendees.

On my off day from work today, I brought my Corolla to the nearest Jiffy Lube (https://www.jiffylube.com/) for its annual state safety and emissions inspections. It passed both, so I have a document to submit for my car's license renewal due next month. I also got the car washed and fueled today.

Later.

Nice First Week of October So Far

The weather has been nice--not too cold and not too hot. That's fine with me.

The week has been good at the branch this week. Enough to keep us busy. Yesterday, I said goodbye to Katie, one of our management assistants, who's leaving the firm this week. She's moving to Chicago and pursuing opportunities there. I certainly wish her all the best. We hope to touch base soon after she settles into her new place.

After work Tuesday night (6 October), I was at Mark Twain Hobby Center (http://www.hobby1.com/home.php) in St. Charles for the IPMS/St. Louis (http://www.ipms-stlouis.com/) meeting. We had six members and guests present and we talked for a bit about our latest projects, news from around the hobby, and admiring two figures one member brought in. I also browsed for a bit in the store before the meeting.

Off work today, I typed up a short article for Middle Marker, the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (http://moavhist.org/) newsletter. It was a summation of our most recent meetings. Still feel good about editing this newsletter, after my initial anxieties subsided. Still wish I had it all ready for us to put it out by our next meeting (Thursday, 15 October), but it should be ready by the beginning of November.

Also, found my backup thumb drive that has my resumes and related materials on it. I was able to call those files up and print out several of them, and save the files to my computer's hard drive and external hard drive. I plan to update these materials in the coming weeks, and let some of my trusted connections have a look over. I'm looking to get myself out there and see about opportunities in publishing or public relations. (Not that I hate what I'm doing now; it's just I want to do something more in my career wheelhouse.) You can check out my LinkedIn profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsdelaney

Later.

Articles Edited as October Begins

It's been some good, productive days at work lately. We're having plenty of business and we're working hard keeping the customers satisfied. This past Friday (2 October) marked our manager David's last day with the firm. He's left to take a sales position outside our firm. Sad to see him go, as he's done very good work since beginning to manage our branch last spring, but happy that he's found a good position going forward.

After flexing out this past Tuesday (29 September), I stopped by the Kirkwood branch to say hi to a colleague, Melissa, who used to work with me at Ellisville. We briefly got caught up on things and I asked her to say hello to her boyfriend and her mother for me.

I made much of my day off last Thursday (1 October), getting the oil changed on my Corolla in the morning. Then, I spent some time editing articles for Middle Marker, the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (http://moavhist.org/) member newsletter. I worked on four articles, including my feature for the cover story and a smaller photo feature. Scheduled for publication in mid-October, it has now been pushed to beginning of November, due to some late items we need from our society's president. Still, it was a productive time.

After working yesterday at the branch, I headed to Coffee Cartel (http://thecoffeecartel.com/) in St. Louis' Central West End for the Saint Louis Area Sippers Meetup. Three of us were there most of the time, before a fourth arrived late in the event. We enjoyed drinks there and chatted about this and that. Plus, we observed many people walking by our corner. A nice time we all had. On the way home, I stopped at CRM Hobbies (http://www.crmhobbies.com/) in south St. Louis to browse for awhile.

Later.

Meetings and a Dentist Visit

Last Thursday night (17 September) saw me at Creve Coeur Airport for the monthly meeting of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (http://moavhist.org/). A presentation on aviation photography was made by four of the society's members, which I found most interesting. I also touched base with others regarding the member newsletter, Middle Marker, which I am now editing. The society's board is meeting this Saturday morning, so I can get them up to date on things from my perspective.

Work at the car rental branch has been going well. I was working last Saturday morning (19 September), and we got through the shift very well. This week has been fine so far.

Saturday night found me at Worldwide Technology Soccer Park for Saint Louis FC's final match of the season. Saint Louis came from behind to defeat Louisville City, FC, 2-1, before a packed house. I briefly joined the celebration on the pitch after the match. Although Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) missed out on the playoffs, I feel they have a great start on next season, on the pitch and in the stands.

After work Tuesday night (22 September), I got dinner at a Jack in the Box, then drove to Bill Wagner's house in Oakville for the IPMS/Gateway business meeting (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/). The board members discussed the very successful recent Regional we hosted, and planned our next general meeting for Tuesday, 20 October, plus some other club business.

Today, on my off day from work, I went to my dentist for my semi-annual cleaning and checkup. It's going pretty good, although the dentist's assistant recommended I modify my brushing technique a bit to reduce plaque buildup. The dentist also wants me in next month for a minor tooth repair, so I will.

Later.

Back to Warm Weather, and the IPMS/Gateway Meeting

Back to work this past Monday (14 September), after quite a good weekend. Plenty busy in the morning, as usual, and leveling off as the day went on. Work has been going well. Warm weather has returned after a mild stretch, with temperatures approaching 90 degrees F (33 degrees C).

Flexing out Tuesday afternoon (as I am working this Saturday morning), I relaxed at home, then opened up Calvary Presbyterian Church's fellowship hall for the IPMS/Gateway (http://ipms-gateway.com) meeting. We had a nice turnout of entries in the quarterly contest, including two of mine. I entered my Jupiter C model--the one that took second in its category at the Regional last Saturday--in the Made in America special category. Neither model won, but at least I got some points for entering this contest. We also had a wrap up of our very successful Regional.

Off work today, I did my laundry and going tonight to the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (http://moavhist.org) meeting, with a presentation on airshow photography. Should be interesting. Also, I hope to get materials together to put together the Society's member newsletter, Middle Marker. It will be quite a challenge, but I believe I am up for it.

Later.

The Festival of Nations, and a Hospital Visit

After much work at the auto rental branch last Friday (28 August) and Saturday morning, I was off to Tower Grove Park in St. Louis. There, I pulled the first of two volunteer shifts with the International Institute's Festival of Nations, a large multi-cultural fair. That Saturday, I staffed a drinks booth and was busy getting water, sodas, and beer to our customers, as well as taking customers' money (and getting them change as needed), and restocking the drinks at our booth. It was a rather busy stint of about three hours, but we got it done. I got some dinner from a Senegalese food booth, and toured the grounds before going to my car and going home.

The next morning, I was back at the Festival, where this time I helped staff a souvenir booth for some three hours. I helped with various Festival items--T-shirts, water cups, carry bags, cookbooks, and pins--that customers asked for. This also went well and I treated myself to lunch from Brazilian and Thai food booths. Overall, the Festival of Nations went very well as far as I was concerned. More info here: http://www.festivalofnationsstl.org/.

Also over the weekend, I accepted the position as editor of Middle Marker, the member newsletter of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society. I will be in charge of getting our newsletter back on track (not having published since early this year). It's quite a bit to do, but I believe I can do it. More on this group here: http://moavhist.org/.

Back to work on Monday morning (31 August), we had plenty of business--and plenty of vehicles to prep. Plus, the temperatures and the humidity had both risen over the week before, so it was a bit of a challenge to stay hydrated and cool. Still, I got through the work week just fine, and so did our branch.

After work Tuesday, I was at Mark Twain Hobby Center (http://www.hobby1.com/home.php) for the IPMS/St. Louis meeting. We had a fascinating demo on using pigments in armor modeling, as Brent Avants showed the products and techniques used for realistic weathered finishes. There were five others (including myself) at the meeting, and we all learned something useful from Avants' demo. More on the club here: http://www.ipms-stlouis.com/. By the way, the next club meeting will be Tue., 6 October at 7:00 pm at Mark Twain Hobby Center's meeting room.

The next morning (2 September), I began test preps in earnest for the colonoscopy I was scheduled to undergo today. (I began some early preps one week ago.) This was a procedure my primary care physician requested a few weeks ago. Yesterday, I went with a liquid diet all day, plus later in the day and night drinking a mix of laxative powder and sports drink. This did have the desired effect of loosening my bowels. Fortunately, my colleagues at work were most understanding and let me off early that day. (Besides, things were well in hand at my end of the business.)

I finished the prep early this morning and my Mom drove me to St. Anthony's Medical Center in south St. Louis County (http://stanthonysmedcenter.com/). After admission, I stripped down to the gown and I was prepared for the procedure before doing into the room. The doctor and his assistants had me put under anesthesia and I was soon asleep, before the procedure was performed. I woke up about one hour later, a bit groggy but fine. The doctor gave me most welcome news, in that he did not find any polyps associated with possible cancer in my colon. After a few minutes, I dressed and was taken to my Mom's car, where she drove me to a nearby Saint Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html/) for lunch. I rested at home much of today (it was my off day from work, anyway), and feel better now. I'll be back to work bright and early tomorrow.

This Saturday, I co-host Writer's Block, the monthly online radio show from ANCA Radio Shows, which is returning after a summer break. Host Tim Pylypiuk and I will discuss using a different language in writing, such as in the works "A Clockwork Orange" and "Dune." The show airs live this Saturday at Noon, Central Time 910:00 am, Pacific Time; 1800 hours GMT), and will be immediately archived for download. You can get more info here: http://www.naturallyautistic.com/radiotv-oline/, and http://my.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-lat. Hope you can tune in.

A couple of reminders before I go. First, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) will bring its CAF AirPower History Tour to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield next week (9-13 September). This tour will include "Fifi," the world's only flying B-29 Superfortress, and other aircraft. Details here: http://www.airpowersquadron.org/#!st-louis-mo-/caf. More on this in my next post.

Second, next Saturday (12 September) is the IPMS Region 5 Contest, hosted by IPMS/Gateway at the Holiday Inn St. Louis SW--Route66 in Sunset Hills. It opens at 9:00 am, with contest entries accepted until 1:00 pm, and awards announced around 3:00 pm. Admission is $3 for touring the show, and $10 to also enter the model contest. Children 14 and under are free with an adult. More info here: http://www.ipms-gateway.com/2015-Region5/IPMS-region5-2015contest.html.

Later.

Work, Meetings, and A Thrilling Match

Work continues to go well, and keeping me busy. A week ago Saturday (15 August), I stayed nearly an hour over our closing time to help our assistant manager get some last minute customers into vehicles. It was a lot of effort with only two of us in the branch that day, but we got the customers taken care of, and that's the important part.

After that, I grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to Creve Coeur Airport for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society's meeting, held on a special day. This was to accommodate the guest speaker, John Roper, co-author of the book "Kansas City B-25 Factory." It tells of the factory in Kansas City that produced B-25 Mitchell medium bombers during World War II. I missed Roper's presentation, due to being held over at work, but I did catch the screening of the movie "Catch-22" that followed the talk. I had never seen that movie before in its entirety and thought it was pretty good. More on that meeting and the group here: http://moavhist.org/.

After work Tuesday (18 August), I headed right for Calvary Presbyterian Church in Mehlville for the IPMS/Gateway meeting. I opened the fellowship hall up and helped get it set up for the meeting, which featured a demo on judging ships and figures. We also had another very nice turnout for the Model of the Month "Beauty Contest," plus one more plug for the Region 5 Convention we're hosting on 12 September. More on the club here: http://www.ipms-gateway.com/.

Two days later, I was off work and headed for Lambert-St. Louis International Airport to pick up my Mom, who was flying back from Los Angeles. She spent two weeks with my brother Doug, his wife Helen, and their twin boys born over four months ago. Before arriving at the airport, I said hello to a colleague now working at our firm's Airport location and shopped at the Boeing Store near the airport. After arriving at the airport, I read on the monitors that Mom's flight was delayed, so I headed to lunch at a fast food restaurant and visited some stores before returning to Lambert. Mom's flight arrived and she was there for me to welcome her home. After getting her baggage, I drove Mom home.

That night, I was at Worldwide Technology Soccer Park for Saint Louis FC's match against Charleston Battery. This was the return fixture, as both teams played to a 1-1 draw in Charleston the previous Saturday. Charleston went up 2-0 scoring in the first 18 minutes of the match before Saint Louis FC pulled one back later in the first half. Saint Louis FC leveled it seven minutes from time, and won it in second half stoppage time off a free kick. I was seated as usual near the St. Louigans supporters group and we went nuts over that winning goal at the death. Right after the match, I joined other fans on the pitch celebrating the win before walking over to catch the shuttle bus back to Smugala's Pizza Pub. Quite a game. You can read more here: http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index. Also, http://stlouligans.com/.

Next weekend, I'll be at Tower Grove Park in St. Louis to help out at the Festival of Nations, a multicultural celebration. Hope you can come. Here's their website: http://www.festivalofnationsstl.org/.

Later.

Good Week So Far

This week has going well for me. Work has been busy at the car rental firm, but we're working hard to keep our customers satisfied.

Mom is doing well in Los Angeles, visiting my brother Doug and his twin boys. I'm keeping things running here at home. Just mowed the front lawn.

Earlier tonight, I went to dinner at Katie's Pizza & Pasta Osteria, in Rock Hill, Missouri. I've long been wanting to try this restaurant, and am very glad I did. I enjoyed a Kup's Egg Pizza, which features egg, sausage, and mushrooms. A very tasty meal, washed down with a fine local beer. As I left the restaurant, I chatted briefly with the owner, Katie Lee Collier, and her husband, Ted Collier. I let Katie know how much I enjoyed the meal and she was most appreciative of my kind words. I definitely recommend this restaurant. You can read more on it on their website: http://www.katiespizzaandpasta.com/.

After I work this Saturday morning, I head to Creve Coeur Airport for the Missouri Aviation Historical Society's meeting. They will have a speaker talking about production of B-25 Mitchell medium bombers in Kansas City during World War II, followed by a screening of the movie "Catch-22." More on this group here: http://moavhist.org/.

Later.

Work, Scale Modeling, Soccer, and Seeing Mom Off

The weather is typical for St. Louis this time of year--hot and humid. Still, I carry on with everything. That includes work at the car rental branch, which has been steady busy of late with vacation travelers and business customers in the mix (along with those needing loaner cars). This past week our branch said goodbye to two management trainees: Nick, who's off to help manage the Cape Girardeau branch, and Mel, who's going up the street to our Kirkwood branch. I wished them all the best in their new positions.

Following work last Saturday morning (1 Aug.), I drove to Bridgeton for a working meeting of the St. Louis Space Frontier Meetup group. I was late, but got into the meeting as members discussed some business. This included membership rates and structure, a website for our group, and upcoming events. I found it very interesting, and hope to contribute to this group in the coming months. This group is on Meetup here: http://www.meetup.com/Saint-Louis-Space-Frontier-Meetup/.

After work last Tuesday (4 Aug.), I went to Mark Twain Hobby Center in St. Charles for the IPMS/St. Louis meeting. I gave my colleagues a report on the IPMS/USA National Convention in Columbus. One of the attendees offered to give a demonstration on using pigments to weather models and will do so at next month's meeting (1 Sept.). More info on this group here: http://www.ipms-stlouis.com/.

My mother departed for Los Angeles this past Wednesday, visiting my brother Doug, his wife Helen, and their twin sons. She's be with them for about two weeks. I'm sure mom is so excited seeing her latest grandchildren.

Last night, I went to Smugala's Pizza Pub in Sunset Hills for a beer before hopping on the Pub2Park bus for Worldwide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton. There, I cheered on Saint Louis FC against FC Montreal. Despite several good chances in front of a record crowd of 5,321 fans, Saint Louis went down to defeat, 3-1. Before the match, I did stop by the Mission Taco Truck in the tailgate area for dinner (which was good). Saint Louis FC has some great support. I just wished the team would be doing better on the pitch. We'll see with their upcoming fixtures against Charleston Battery (away this Saturday, home five days later). More on the club here: http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index.

Later.