My very own Pilot – Part Two of Two

A few weeks later in February, Greg mentioned he wanted to fly to Port Mansfield, a small town about 20 miles north on the mainland. Population? small. Did I want to go for the ride? you bet! For the second time, I was ready in minutes.

Away we rode back to Cameron County Airport and, when we lifted off this time, we followed the shipping channel over the Laguna Madre.

I was amazed to see these fishing houses on stilts lining the channel on either side all the way to Port Mansfield.


It's a fishing port with a very small airport with no hangar or tower (just the Sheriff’s house nearby). Here’s the approach to the port:


Happily for me, the airport had recently paved its runway. There is one private hangar there for a Texan who flies in and out of Houston to go fishing out of the marina at Port Mansfield. We walked the short way to town and talked to the Captain of that Texan's boat who said the owner arrives each and every weekend and they attend fishing derbies all over the Gulf. At the marina, we also located the single place to have lunch. Unfortunately, the sign in the window said “Closed” so we returned to the wee airport and re-boarded the plane.

On take-off, we passed a group of about eight deer right next to the runway and headed off eastward.



Here’s how close one of them was to the aircraft - I could see his eyes!





We followed the man-made channel out to the jetty that cuts Padre Island and provides boaters and fishermen access to the Gulf. We had a strong headwind that day so the pace was a bit slower than before – that was good for me though ‘cause then my ride lasted longer! We flew slower and lower than normal as well and people waved at us from the beach.

Greg asked if I wanted to try flying and I said, “Sure!” – again not really knowing what was involved except that I had to get my camera out of the way to take the controls! And so I got the chance to fly this machine for about 10 minutes – I’ve never felt so free! It was probably only 5 minutes and every single second was exhilarating! Greg didn’t seem too worried – I must say I was too way too occupied to even look at him! And I doubt he ever took his feet off the foot controls – I couldn’t even reach them!

I asked if we could go out about 5 miles into the Gulf to see the two oil rigs that had been hauled there back in December. Greg said we could as long as we didn’t get too close – he just needed to respect the restrictions related to our distance from them. Even though the wind was strong, out we went and circled them a few times with me clicking my camera the whole time. We didn’t see a single person on either rig but Greg and I are fairly confident there was at least one person there watching us!


We returned towards the south end of South Padre Island, swooped twice over the RV Park and then headed back over the Causeway to Port Isabel. We flew over the town of Laguna Vista, over the Resaca that gives birth to the grapefruit and orange groves and returned to Cameron County Airport. We didn’t practice any "touch ‘n go’s” on this round as the afternoon winds were getting even stronger. We landed, approached the hangar and disembarked. We then followed Greg’s standard operating procedures for tying down the aircraft and protecting the shell with its' own the special blankie – off to sleep till another day!


I took one last look at the ‘leaping Cheetah’ on the tail fin as we drove off the tarmac to the airport exit.

Greg asked a number of fellow campers to join him for their ‘day in the sky’. I know Doug got to go as did Mike. I also know they were each as thrilled as I was when they got back. It may have been an every day thing for Greg but for us, it was just the best. And despite the fact others got to go, I will forever think of Greg as ‘my very own pilot’.


Here he is with his new favourite toy – an aeronautical GPS for use while either driving or flying!



And a final thank you to you Reo for giving up your seat on these two days so I could go instead…


The events around the Fish Fry will follow – hope you come back to check it out… m.

My very own Pilot – Part One of Two

One thing about living in an RV Park is that you meet up with some very interesting people. While most are retired, their backgrounds are diverse. Work histories vary from police detectives to fire captains to health care specialists to engineers to telecommunication contract experts to boat captains to US Navy vets to 911 dispatchers to HVAC company executives and sales managers to whatever else you can think of…

And while their work histories make for great war stories around the campfire, what makes so many so much fun are their continued life interests and hobbies. Some are surf fishers, some are antique hunters, some hunt with metal detectors, some are arts enthusiasts and, once in a long while, you run into a pilot. One such guy lived with his wife Reo and their Schnauzer Logan in their RV just behind us. His name is Greg and his hobby has been flying ever since he was a kid. Not only did he bring his RV to the South Padre area, he also brought his Grumman Cheetah aircraft!

And did I want to go for a ride? You bet! I was ready in minutes. And when Greg asked the second time a few weeks later, I was ready then too!

For the first flight in January, we left the island and drove for about 30 minutes to the Cameron County Airport. It’s a small airport with a few runways that seem to be in fairly good shape with grass growing wherever the Texas sun and concrete allows. There is a hangar filled with light aircraft, a pilot’s room, bathrooms and an aircraft mechanic working away on one of the aircraft motors. There’s an old DC3 (I think) parked some distance out on the tarmac with one engine missing. Across from the hangar doors, is Greg’s Grumman Cheetah - the only aircraft outside and tied down on the tarmac:


Just a few (of Greg’s) words about this aircraft… Grumman produced about 900 of them from late 1975-78. Each one has an emblem on the tail fin of a leaping Cheetah that designates this particular type of Grumman. It is an all-metal light aircraft with one propeller and was built to accommodate four persons – two adults and two children. Greg and Reo’s kids are all adults now so the only one who gets to ride in the back is Logan!


Except of course for the stuffed Cheetah along for every ride and resting inside at the back of the plane!














And here is an official photo from Grumman of the 'leaping Cheetah':














As to Cameron County Airport, a tower still exists but the windows are now gone and boarded up with plywood sheets – a hurricane or two probably took them out years ago. The property next door is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility where they temporarily ‘accommodate’ recently arrested illegal immigrants. Get the picture? It felt abandoned. I felt better when Greg told me Texas keeps all its runways in good shape.

Greg gave me instructions on how to board and secure myself into the seat. He showed me his pilot manuals and the outline of the airport. He explained how the headphone and microphone worked, made sure I was buckled in, opened the roof about a foot and called in his coordinates and plans not sure if anybody was actually listening. I mean, other than knowing this guy Greg was an RV-er, I really didn’t even know if he really knew how to fly but there I was, in the co-pilot’s seat, ready for the chance of a lifetime! Here’s the view from inside the cockpit:


It was a gorgeous day – sunny and very little wind. Greg lifted us off in no time at all and proceeded past the ICE facility, swept over the town of Laguna Vista and pointed towards Port Isabel and South Padre Island. We followed the route of the Causeway and turned north over Laguna Madre, the inland waterway.


When we reached the Shores, the most northerly development on the island, we crossed over to the Gulf and then followed the beach all the way to the Brownsville Channel – beautiful or what?











Keep in mind Padre Island is the most southerly barrier island that stretches north to Corpus Christi – about 110 miles. However, the only part of the island that is developed is the most southerly 5 miles – the rest is bird sanctuary. So what you see here is a photo showing the very most southerly end:


You can see the County RV Park is in the forefront and the KOA is to the left just below the Causeway.

This photo should give you an idea of how wide the island is – in the foreground is the Laguna Madre (the inland waterway) and at the top of the pic is the Gulf of Mexico:


Greg then zoomed and circled over the KOA several times. This is a photo of the KOA entrance and you can see our rig dead centre with the Jeep parked at the starboard stern.


When I looked with my naked eye, I could actually see John and Reo on the campground road waving back to us.

We then turned back towards Port Isabel and toured Long Island Village where we play golf on their 18 hole Par 3. I knew we were heading back to Cameron County Airport. On the approach to Runway 13, Greg asked if I’d mind doing some ‘Touch ‘n Go’s’. I said, “Sure!” not really knowing what that was and then we practised touching down on the runway with the wheels and then taking off immediately thereafter three of four times. We could have done that all day as far as I was concerned.




Here is Runway 13 taken from my seat over the nose of the plane:












I felt sad knowing the thrill of a lifetime was coming to an end but, with my Canon Rebel in hand, I also knew I had about 200 pictures to remind me of this adventure. FAN-tastic is all I could say! And thankfully, the pictures turned out. When I mentioned earlier that Greg opened the roof about a foot, this allowed me to take clear pictures without any interference instead of photographing through the front or side windows.

It can be a dilemma:
a) to consume the time taking pictures hoping they turn out? or
b) just sit back and enjoy the scenery and experience.

I’m glad I took them though ‘cause I can share my experience through the photos + a number of people asked for copies of the pictures. It was totally worth it and, most of all, Greg and Reo were clearly pleased to have their own DVD!

But no, no - once was not enough! I should have Part Two ready to post tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed the first flight… m.

And then there was Zumba!

(pronounced Zoom-ba! And for some reason, always in a loud crazy-like voice!)

Not long after the 27th Annual Causeway Walk in January, my friend Lori asked if I would be interested in accompanying her to the local gym. She offered me a free pass and said she felt pretty confident I would like the Zumba classes – a ‘new’ kind of aerobics. Now I love walking the beach in the morning but I was ready to incorporate a change. So away I went as did a couple of other gal-pals Lori invited from the KOA. We were five together on that first morning.

Now keep in mind that Lori had already experienced one or two Zumba classes. She had shared her view that it was a strenuous workout and strongly recommended we bring a bottle of water and a drying towel - what would I need that for? I wasn’t planning to shower there!

But only one of us really understood what was in store and that was Lori. She offered to drive and I was never so thankful especially on the ride home. After that first Zumba class, there was no way I could have taken control of a car – my arms and legs were like rubber and I was still sweating when I got home and climbed into the shower!

On our first visit, Lori introduced us to our Zumba instructor - tall, slim, muscular and perfect for the part – Zumba shoes and clothes included! I knew I was in trouble when she was sweating and we were only 3 minutes into the class with another 57 to go! Have you ever tried to wiggle every part of your body at the same time for 60 minutes? Each piece of music runs about 5 minutes and there is little and sometimes no time to catch your breath in between. There are many different dance routines and steps – Samba and Salsa especially – and all fast. The music can be Latin, Caribbean, African, Greek – man alive, I was jiggling everywhere (and not necessarily to the beat) and LOVING it!

It made no matter what I looked like and, believe me, I looked like a rag after 3 short minutes. I took a quick look around the room and EVERYBODY looked like a wet rag - a situation that did not improve with future visits. As Lori suggested, I brought a drying towel and I used it repeatedly between songs to wipe my brow, cheeks, mouth, neck and arms and, for good measure, my face once again!

I observed our instructor wore a headband so I headed off to Wally-Mart to get one. At the next Zumba session, all it did was keep the sweat contained on my head! I also put my hair back in a wee pony tail for the class – just like the instructor. When I got home, lo and behold, I took off the headband and released the elastic only to see my hair stay in the exact same place – flat to my skull, soaking wet and tied back as if the elastic was still in place!

I won’t give you any more details on the rest of my body and attire after each class save to say that I apologized to Lori every time I got out of her car. After all, she has leather seats and there I was sitting on them leaving behind who knows what! Whenever I got out of her car, I swept my hand over the seat and then… I’d eagerly make sure I was in tune for our next scheduled visit to Zumba!

I could not have completed those Zumba classes (I ended up going to 6 of them) without my gal-pals. Thank you Lori for introducing me to Zumba. Thank you Peggy for driving that day when we were only two. Thank you Tia for coming along when you could and making it look easy. Thank you to Johanne and Joan for giving it a try. It was sure a lot of fun that night at the dance club when we pretended to Zumba both on and off the dance floor!

Let me be clear, there are no photos of this athletic event. Not a single one of us would allow such a thing to happen. Did any of us lose weight because of Zumba? Lori for sure - me? probably not. But wow, was it fun! Zumba may be the new craze but best of all, it was great being crazy with those gals!

You can relax now, the two pieces on exercise are over! The next blog entry will be about flying – no, not kites! Flying in a real airplane… give me a few days and I’ll be back to you… m.

Walking the Causeway and then Zumba!

When living in a place as laid-back as South Padre Island (SPI), let me tell you it’s hard to keep focused on exercise. It’s so easy to sleep in or just not bother. I force myself to get out there and walk the beach first thing in the morning around 0715 or there’s just no point. I walk for about an hour at a pretty quick pace so I figure I’m doing about 3 miles. And anybody reading this can guess that, as soon as Johnnie is vertical, we are moving on various activities and projects. So, I need to get ‘out there’ while he is still horizontal!

True, there are days when walking the 3 miles is just neither fun nor worth it – those days being when the morning temps are lower than 50 degrees and/or the wind is blowing more than 25 mph. And let’s not forget being up late accompanied by too much “vino roja”! There are lots of reasons not to go – only the weigh scale and, ultimately, my mental state remind me that it’s something I just need to do.

In December 2008, we made our first trip to Texas and not long after we arrived on SPI, I learned about the “25th Annual Causeway Run and Walk”. The event is held the first Saturday in January so I registered, got the T-shirt and joined in the walk with a small gang from the KOA. The 3 miles isn’t that bad. After all, walking the beach for 45 minutes almost every morning made me feel ‘ready’ for the event.

It was during this Causeway Walk that we were photographed as we cruised across the Causeway. Many participants were photographed but, for some reason, the organizers picked the one with us in it (me, Kim, Carolyn and Mike) to advertise the 2010 event. Here it is in all its’ glory!


And, if that wasn’t enough, they used it again this year both in the local newspaper and on the website!

A bunch of us registered and went again this year. We had a ball getting ourselves organized, getting our 27th Annual Causeway Run and Walk” t-shirts, getting a ride over to Port Isabel for the start and then charging off to cross over to the Island with the rest of the crowd – reportedly 2500 people in total! Our group hangs out together until the 10:00 am start – here’s a pic taken of the gang of us from the KOA just us before the Start Line:


And here's a photo of Tia and me that she took as we crossed the Causeway - pretty good pic I'd say since she took it as we were walking:


It was Tia's first time to do the walk so I was happy to join her as the pace she kept was just perfect for me!


Since each of us gets walking at our own pace, naturally some arrive at the offical Finish Line earlier than others. At that point, each participant receives a cup of fresh water. After that, it’s only short walk back to the KOA.

Now I’m sure you are thinking that the Finish Line is some crosswalk area with ribbons and organizers cheering us on. Well, to some extent that’s true. But the real Finish Line (where there is plenty of cheering) is when we all trickle into Pier 19 which is the bar and restaurant on the KOA wharf. All of our group meet there after the Walk and then proceed to eat, drink and be merry for the rest of the afternoon!

All of this is made easy for us as a result of Johnnie’s commitment to the cause! He takes his responsibility seriously as he secures the 25 seats at the bar. To accomplish this goal, he heads to Pier 19 (likely around the time the race starts) and waits there until we begin trickling in. The first few arrive around 11:30 and the cheering gets louder and louder until everyone has arrived. We end up having lunch and complete the afternoon by dragging out butts back to our rigs for a nap before dinner. None of this would happen without our Johnnie taking his responsibility so seriously! Here is a photo from the real Finish Line at Pier 19:


Walking the beach is just the best and my IPod music is my friend on that front. Walking the Causeway is just a great annual event but I couldn't do it without my KOA buddies. They are so supportive – especially at our special Finish Line! Believe me, I wouldn’t miss it or them for anything.

Are the weigh scales supporting my endeavours? Well, I guess that’s another story...

Stay tuned for Zumba!