A Lanikai Quickie

There are days when a gap in the schedule only gives you time for a quickie. No time to think about it, just an impromptu need to get off ... the ground. Okay, this is going the wrong way. I was not available for any big missions today, because I had a funeral in the morning and work at 2 PM in Mililani. You can never be sure about how long a funeral is going to be, but when it is at 8 AM and they tell you lunch will be served after, you're in for a long haul.

The good thing was that the mass was held on Lanikai beach. The bad thing is I had a good look at the Koolaus, and knew there would be plans for a down range mission. The beach was gorgeous, and of course the bikini parades made the mass tolerable.

A couple chants and a few short speeches later, the family got into boats and headed out to drop the ashes. I noticed a few people starting to sneak away, though it was only 9:30. It was light, but the tops of the trees were moving, and the anchored catamaran was aiming straight out. I am not waiting for lunch: I am going to get a quickie.

Kalei and Mochi wanted to hike up, so they tagged along. It was a super hot hike; even Mochi was panting. Not much time, but I needed a quickie, so off I went. The thermals were disorganized but usable. Getting a quickie satisfied the urge, but I was alone. No aliens, no other pilots, not even a voice on the airwaves. Then Fireman came on the radio, to say hello, and he observed that it did not look that good. I confirmed his deduction, but stayed in flight long enough for Kalei to snap off a few shots of me flying. I yelled down, telling her to hike down to the landing zone, since I was only going to stay up a few more minutes.

The ups were short and the downs weren't bad, but the roller coaster was just getting tiring. I just keep remembering that Lanikai flight that I had a few weeks ago. It was fun and I wanted that again.

Kalei got to the beach as I touched down behind Alex's old goal posts. I folded up and took a dip. It was a short flight, a great landing, and a nice swim with heart stopping views. I guess a quickie every now and then just makes you remember those long rides and sweet adventures.

I heard Alex had a weird desperation flight at Kahana, and his wing had to land at the Kahana landing zone. Yes, he sanded out. [Editor's note: this is how scurrilous rumors get started. The flight may have been desperate but it wasn't weird. And of course I didn't sand out. I made an emergency landing ... at the LZ. I was lucky not to land in the water considering the rotory east flow I landed in, and while my feet may have tread upon the vile substance, my wing was gently lowered onto the naupaka patch, with the lines held taut above the nefarious granules. Harvey was there to help make sure no grains jumped onto any part of the spaceship - thanks, man! But I won't count on getting away with that perfect parking job every time - I'm still shooting for grass!]

Not sure of the full roll call at Makapuu, but Mad Dog, Jorge and Ike were in the air, and I heard Brent might been out there too.

I have Friday off, so I hope like heck my phone will ring with my favorite tone:

It's Time to Fly Get Your Gear and Go!!!!!!