This past Saturday, the Curve held their yearly fund-raiser for our fire dept.  A great time.

We did a tug-o-war with them.  Very, very hard but we won 2 of 3 and got the trophy again this year.    Yes, once again we are using a fire hose and not a rope.  I'm 3rd from the end.

We did fire truck ride for some kids (and parents):

Think of my perspective here.  Standing on top of a moving fire truck.  Gotta love it.

Here is me down lower (where I should be) and riding along:

I was recruited to help bartend and that was awesome.   With the exception of the fire truck rides (my highest priority), I was tending bar for about 6 hours. I loved it.  Pic of me.  I'm a dork and did not work my hair after a fire truck ride. Thus the wind blown look.

A pic I took when I had moment:

I was mostly hemmed in all night long.  But I did get to talk a lot.  We had 4 Appalachian Trail Thru Hikers there. That was awesome.

While I made this about me (it is my blog!), the Curve really gets the credit.  They made money for us.  Money which we really need to do what we do.  They are the best.  Over the years, they have made about $130,000 for us or so.  I'm not even sure. They rock!!

Last Friday, the 13th, I had just gotten home.  It was maybe 8pm.  I fed the cats and I fired up the lawnmower to hit the yard some.  I made two passes.  Just then the tones went off.  "Golf cart into a creek."  My keys were in the car as they usually are overnight.  I left the house wide open and my camera behind.  As fast as I drove I missed the Rescue Engine leaving the station.  So I followed in my car.  When we got there the patients - a mother and young son - were out of the water and in another golf cart.  I was assigned to help the son along with an EMT.  Both patients seemed fine but we are better safe than sorry.  The father/husband was there too.  The kid was howling which I understand.  Even his father could not make a dent.  Hell if I was 4 years old I would find all that scary too.

I don't know but I'm sure they are fine.  Mother, on the cot, Son, on a backboard, and father all rode in the ambulance together.  What a tender moment.

Before you ask: no, I don't know how she drove off a bridge into the creek.

A couple of pics:

Maybe it didn't land in that position.  Not sure.

My power came back on Friday evening.  Just as the sun was setting.

I can't say I was unhappy.  It's good to have electric.  Getting hot here.  AC is nice.

Yet, I do try and find value in all things.  It's nice to be tested.

With no tv, internet, or such that I usually have when I get home, I turned to reading books in the light of the lamps.  Of course I paid bills too.  For myself and the fire dept.

Ke'Hleyr joined me on the table as I read.

There was a nasty storm that rolled through area yesterday.  I was at work at the time.  It got so bad they evacuated everyone above the 1st floor (to down to the 1st floor).  Black sky and horizontal rain about sums it up.  Very fast moving though.

When I finally got home (an adventure in itself) I learned an "event" had gone through the area.  Not sure if they are calling it a tornado but it definetly had a path for several miles.  It passed right near the firehall.  The Chief was driving and got caught up in part of it.  He told me it was the worst thing he'd ever been in.

Trees are down all over and such.  I have no power at home.   The last estimate I was able to get (they since stopped even giving them) is that it will be on by 6pm Saturday.  That is over 2 days from now as I write this.  But my property made it through okay so that is good.  Chester the car rode the storm out as well.  He was a bit wet when I got home and vocal about it.

The firehall has no electric either.  What really burns me is that the power company doesn't consider it a priority.   To them it's just like another residence.  I had this discussion with them a few years back.  I probably blogged about it then.  Not a huge deal I suppose.  Just makes things like charging the portable radios a pain.  Oh, and opening the bay doors.  No tv, internet, ice maker, and things in the fridge/freezers may be lost.  /rant

Plus, I have no phone at home either and no cell coverage.  If it were winter I could at least build a fire.

15 pages of good reading.

I always like reading Michael Perry.  Some of  his "latest news" is a hoot.

Lots to catch up on.

2 years ago I recruited a guy into the fire dept.  Then he promptly went into the military.  We have been in contact on and off since then.  He has been in some dangerous stuff.

He was back recently and was honored by some of his friends.  Now he is back in Iraq.  But on less dangerous ground (according to him).  We email several times a week and things are getting better there from what he tells me.

I'm back in VA now after spending the weekend in NY with my mother.  Also spent some time with an old buddy.

I heard we had some rain while I was gone.

Gosh there is a lot going on now.  I need to update soon.  Maybe make a protected post or two.

But same company.

Within a day or so I'll be starting work on the Project Orion Launch Abort System.

Basically,
NASA is building a capsule similar to what went to the moon before.
Atop that sits an abort system (a tractor) that will pull the capsule
and astronauts away from the rocket stack in the event of an anomaly.
My company is building the abort system as seen here.

More images here.

I'll
be working on the Power and Avionics System. I have a LOT of new things
to learn. It's a whole new deal for me. And there is the usual pressure
that comes with working day to day with NASA. Also I be using two CAD
programs on and off depending on what I'm doing. It will be pretty
intense.

This is something I've been fighting to get on for
about the last two months or more. It's been a battle. The group in
currently in does not want me to go and it's clear they expect to get
me back. But I've been determined and it's finally happening. The
downside is that it's only about 5 months worth of work. So come fall I
may be off the project. Still, a lot can change in that time (for
better or worse).

I've not told a soul that I've been working on this goal. But now I feel comfortable letting it out in the open.

I finally was able to catch up with my friend from the post below.  He is doing fairly well with chemo.  The good news is that he has a cancer with a high cure rate (Hodgkin's lymphoma).  But he is at stage 2.  So it's not ideal but could be worse.  This was found during a routine physical.