Well it has been a few months since I sat down to share and there is a lot! Tony continues to recover from his knee injury and that has caused a lot of pain and stress as we try to get him back to full duty. The radical high tibial osteotomy (click here to read about it https://www.rachelfrankmd.com/high-tibial-osteotomy-orthopaedic-surgeon-sports-medicine-specialist-denver-co.html) is off the table and we have seen 5 surgeons in the last 6 months. What a journey and still trying to figure out the solution.
We are also helping mom to navigate doctor appointments so I have been a life preserver for both of them and trying to keep my head above water. I am thankful the Lord is my rock and our sustainer!
I continue to be amazed at the beauty of the view as I commute back and forth between Cincy and DC. We live in a beautiful part of the country.
I was so excited to be home the weekend of our Bridgewater College women’s alumni get together. So amazing to see Coach Mapp and generations of players who have played at this incredible school. I am thankful the Lord rerouted me from Messiah College to Bridgewater College when I was 18 years old. Coach Mapp and Coach Willi coached me and guided me during what I have recently recognized as my healing decade and were part of the folks woven into my life. Former BC President Stone would say our name and eat lunch with us in the cafeteria. I have so much respect for him and many other folks feel the same way. Thanks to all of you for the impact you have had on my life.
I enjoy staying connected to the world of general aviation and the little airplanes. Most important I treasure the relationships I have built during the decade I have been flying. We live in a beautiful part of the country! Bill, Chad and Joey have become family and I am grateful to have you all in our lives.
We had an unexpected visitor in our cabin. Tony sent me a picture of the owl sitting on the desk. Tony used the infamous butterfly net to capture and release the owl. We have used that cheap net many times to capture critters. This was the first time for an owl.
I was able to pick up a trip to Boston. My first time going to Boston since 2012 and the National SHAPE PE teacher of the year conference.
Elise enjoyed a sunrise in San Juan and shared some pics from my favorite location that we travel to right now. I have not been back since Thanksgiving and look forward to returning at some point.
I love sunsets from the air!
Salt Lake City is beautiful and I loved my short time there. Absolutely stunning flying in there with the snow and the sun glistening off the mountaintops. Tony nominated me to be an Olympic Torchbearer for the 2002 Olympics. Pretty amazing to see the ice skating rink and practice in the arena.
Had several trips to El Paso
Enjoyed seeing Ashley and Alex during a Dallas Fort Worth layover. Thanks for the delicious sourdough bread you made me. I trained both of them back in Virginia.
Time to start prepping the gardens for planting. Walter decided to be my supervisor.
Spring riding on the bike to start getting in shape
I am thankful for Tony picking me up at Reagan after my trips and we even ran into Bill on the way home. There is no place like home! We helped a friend cut down one of her trees. Huge job and so thankful we could help her. Thank you Derek for your help! We try to be a blessing to everyone around us.
I have enjoyed the privilege of flying with Will and training him for his commercial and CFI (certified flight instructor ) check rides. He passed the first one in March and is a CFI as of May. Well done Will! Thanks for letting me work with you again. Thanks for your service in the Army. What a treasure to know your family.
We enjoyed a wonderful evening with Bill, Collen, Rona and Lizzie
We had bad storms roll thru and had to clean up trees across the lane. Only the 2nd time a large tree has fallen in the 21 years we have lived on the mountain.
I enjoyed seeing the dam of fog pressed up against the mountains near our house as I fly into Reagan.
Tony and I got to see the cherry blossoms blooming this year. My first time seeing them and they are beautiful. Lots of folks in the city doing the same thing.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Wilbur and Orville right and their journey to flying. The time I have on reserve has been such a gift and being able to pleasure reading books I have never read before. I am learning SO much! Thank you Lord!
We had huge fires back home in the Shenandoah Valley and we could see the smoke as we drove up to DC.
My student Jason Bliler lives in Colorado and takes AMAZING pics of the scenery out there! It is stunning and I love the view from his office. He does high altitude training in his 182. If you want a FANTASTIC instructor to show you the ropes in this beautiful part of the country, I HIGHLY recommend you go work with him. Veteran teacher who knows how to instruct- not only fly the plane.
Saw some new places in Cincinnati. Tammy and I went to Findlay Market downtown. That place is HUGE and has lots of fresh meats and local things. Click here to check it out.
Flew to Panama for the first time over Easter. What a unique experience! Beautiful flying in over the water into the city. The tide comes in and out and looks like a TOTALLY different place with the tide out and the marsh. Unfortunately the marsh is full of trash.
I enjoyed talking to the young man Daniel at our pilots lounge and he gave me a great overview of Panama. After he shared and answered my questions I found out he would love to be a teacher. He would be a great one! He taught me a lot of things. Thank you Daniel! I struggle to understand the controllers on the radio in the Spanish speaking countries. I have NO situational awareness of what is going on around me. Lots of room to grow in this area.
We fly different paths into Reagan and I am still trying to recognize places from the air.
Gail has become close friends with mom and she is a cousin with my pop. We celebrated her 80th birthday party in Maryland and I got to see relatives I haven’t seen in 25 years.
Enjoyed flying with Bill in his 414 and even flew in a Skyhawk.
We had a beautiful sunset flight into Cincy from Reagan and enjoyed the eclipse before we left.
We had a 7-11 convention in New Orleans when I was in 4th grade. I remember riding on the Natchez riverboat, the mausoleums above the ground (can’t bury the dead underground below sea level), walking by the Superdome and the jazz music bands marching down the street. I was excited to get a trip to New Orleans to revisit this place. Little did I know that I would spend the entire 2.5 weeks on duty down there on 3 different trips. I was able to get two 4-day weekend trips and have a friend join me and then Tony. Squeezed in a quick recovery trip for another company to Philly. Had a blast exploring all around. So neat to have those vivid memories of this city. 1984 was the year of the World’s Fair in New Orleans and there was a HUGE ferris wheel by the river. Now I get to build new memories.
New Orleans has the World World II museum down there and it is incredible. A friend gave me a season year long pass so I have been there 5 times. Learning so much about things I didn’t care about in school. Nice to read about them now and process the information into long term memory and relevance. Click here to check it out.
I flew back to Cincy for a day and got my first 4-day trip since I completed my training. Had a friend Suzanne come visit from Virginia and we had a wonderful time exploring together. I explored the museum again during the day and then awaited for her to fly in that night. A huge French Quarter music festival was going on all weekend so we walked for 9 miles and explored the city.
I vividly remember the whistle on the Natchez as a kid and heard it from the hotel on my first layover. Suzanne and I took a lunch trip on the river and I was SO excited to hear that whistle. It is LOUD! Click here to listen to the whistle. Click here to listen to the jazz band on the Natchez. Watch the sunrise on the Mississippi by clicking here.
Flew back to Cincy and got picked up for a trip to Philly. Only there for 12 hours, so put my stuff in the room and walked 14 miles. I will say out of all the cities I have been to, this one had the largest homeless population everywhere. I see them occasionally, but they are quite plentiful and visible in Philly. I love architecture and the buildings are so detailed, huge and elaborate.
The third and final trip to New Orleans was with Tony. A friend got us a buddy pass to fly him down and I am so thankful. We needed time together to make decisions about surgery/no surgery for him and come up with a plan. I have worked my entire 16-day blocks all at once the last few months because Tony is hurt and not in DC consistently. I must prefer to break up the time and go back home several times a month.
We went to the WWII museum together since he LOVES history and helps to answer my many questions. We had a friend give us an extravagant dinner at the Peche restaurant. What a blessing and I want to say thank you! A delightful surprise and you are incredible. Click here to see the beautiful time lapse sunrise over the Mississippi River.
Kevin and I did a lot of flying around Virginia and collecting stamps. Flying into Falwell is a unique experience. Land runway 28 and takeoff 10. Quite a sloped runway. Click here to see the approach into Falwell. Click here for the downhill departure at Falwell.
The garden is planted and working on stonework around the house. Exhausting work and yet it looks so good when finished.
Warm weather is here so get out and enjoy the beauty all around us. Find a trail and go for a walk, plant a garden and spend time with those you love! Each day is a gift and treasure. Value every second we have a beat in our heart and be a blessing to someone else today.
Adventures With Ferek 