Maryland

See that little red state?  That is where we are flying tomorrow.  We are going to go and visit Lana and her family.  It's been over 3 years since we've seen the kids.  They have grown so much and I don't even know if they will really remember us.  I think we will have to renew our warm feelings.  I sure do love them a lot and I think they will find that out pretty quickly.  We are looking forward to our trip so much. I am a little nervous to fly though.  Apparently Frontier airplanes sustained a lot of damage in Denver last Wednesday during a hail storm and many of their planes need repair.  Sure hope they do a good job repairing all that needs to be repaired.

When I was a young girl in college, I had a really good friend, Peter, who had a partnership with a couple of other fellows in the ownership of some airplanes.  We used to go flying a lot.  We would drive to the airport and then take the plane.  We would fly somewhere and spend the day.  Then at night we would fly home.  It was a blast.  He taught me how to do quite a few things up in the air.  First of all, he taught me how to read the map and the radar.  Then he taught me the basics of flying while in the air.  I just loved it.  Of course I only did it when we were in very safe areas.  I never did any landings or take-offs.  Sometimes we would do touch and go's. That is when you take off and fly just a little bit and then land again.  That was lots of fun too.

I remember the first time we flew over the clouds.  It was an awesome sight.  All you could see below you were beautiful, white, fluffy clouds that went on forever it seemed.  I always remember that sight.

One time we flew to a little artists community, Mendocino,  in Northern California.  We spent the day going to exhibits and looking at paintings and other art work.  We met up with Julian White, a concert pianist and had lunch with him.  Then we took him flying.  After a great dinner together we went to his concert which was fabulous.  After the concert he gave me a book of music where he wrote, "To Natalie for a beautiful day on land and in the air.  Julian White"