Lakes Of Trophy Club Hike And Bike Trail

Lakes Of Trophy Club Hike And Bike Trail

Wet Desert by Gary Hansen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I saw this book at Amazon for the Kindle for 99 cents and it had pretty good reviews. I decided what the heck it sounds interesting and I was not disappointed. From the very beginning this book kept my attention and I was looking for more time to read. If you have ever visited the Colorado River, Lake Powell or the Hoover Dam, this story will just come to life for you. I would recommend this book to those who like fast paced thriller books.



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Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came across this book one day while listening to the end of a classroom presentation by one of the high school librarians in our local school district. Apparently this book was on a recommended reading list for our state's high school student. The plot summary sounded interesting so I decided to pick it up and read it.

Let's just say that I was hooked. I do not know that last time that I read a book this fast. I was done in 3 days, and yes I was still doing other things during the day.

It was interesting to read this book designed for adolescents about how life would change if a major event like a meteor hitting the moon changed life as we now know it. I believe that the author did a great job identifying many of the issues the teens and the public would go through if such and event occurred. I would only hope that all young people would be able to step up to the challenges as well as the three young characters in this book. I fear that many of our youth today would not deal as well as Miranda and her brothers.

I am looking forward to reading the follow-up book to this one about a young man in New York City during the same time period.

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Book Review - Creating Magic

You Too Can Create Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney by Lee Cockerell

rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the best comprehensive business leadership books I have read in the last year. Lee Cockerell shares his experience as a leader at Disney on every topic from hiring, inspiring,training, leading with character and much more.

Most of us have probably visited a Disney resort in the past and remember some sort of magical moment we had on that trip. Now you can make the same type of "Magic" happen for your customers by using some of these tips and concepts shared directly from a true Disney leader.

This is one of those books that if you could truly implement a handful of the suggestions demonstrated here into your workplace you can lead your team to great results. This book is designed for leaders of people not just managers.

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Book Review - Tacos: 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes

Tacos: 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes by Mark Miller

Wow this is a fantastic cookbook. So far I have made three recipes out of it and they have been just stunning. I am a huge fan of the flavors of New Mexico and these recipes take me right to the heart of the food I enjoy from Taos and Santa Fe.

Mark Miller is an exceptional chef and his restaurant Coyote Cafe has a long reputation for excellence. I am very excited that he has been willing to share some ideas and techniques to energize my taste buds even though I am a long way from New Mexico.


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Book Review - The Closing of the American Border

The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11 by Edward Alden

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thought that this was a really good, solid book. I learned a great deal about American immigration policy, Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security. I think that we have forgotten how much life has changed since 9/11 in America, and that we have not fully realized the effects of those changes in our country today. It can be argued that we are safer as a nation, but what will the unintended consequences of our protection?



This book was well written and was easy to stay interested in. There were a few times where the author made the same points in multiple chapters, but this is a well written account of the policy issues that have been attempted in order to keep America safe after 9/11.


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Air Refueling Missions - Amazing Stuff

Now that I have explained how this opportunity came about, I would like to share an amazing experience to you that I was very fortunate to take part in this week. As part of the honorary commander program, I was able to participate in an Air Refueling Mission.

(Be sure to click on the pictures for larger images)

The Air Force uses the KC135 (same as a Boeing 707 airframe) as one of two primary air refueling aircraft. All of the air craft at Fairchild are the KC135. These planes are older than I am, and we know that is getting up there now. In fact most of the planes stationed at Fairchild were bought when Eisenhower was President.

The following excerpt from Wikipedia will provide you with a little more data about the aircraft much more concisely than I can to it.

The KC-135R has four turbofan engines, mounted under 35-degree swept wings, which power it to takeoffs at gross weights up to 322,500 pounds (146,300 kg). Nearly all internal fuel can be pumped through the tanker's flying boom, the KC-135's primary fuel transfer method. A special shuttlecock-shaped drogue, attached to and trailing behind the flying boom, may be used to refuel aircraft fitted with probes. A boom operator stationed in the rear of the aircraft controls the boom while lying prone. A cargo deck above the refueling system can hold a mixed load of passengers and cargo. Depending on fuel storage configuration, the KC-135 can carry up to 83,000 pounds (37,600 kg) of cargo.

After a morning briefing and safety demonstration we were transported by bus out to the tarmac. We would be flying in the flagship aircraft of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, recognizable by the nose art on the front of the aircraft. Each base is allowed to have one aircraft with this artwork, all other aircraft are no longer identified this way to save money and manpower.

Quickly after boarding we were rolling and ready for take off. Our flight plan that day was to take off westbound, turn and fly our first leg in a southwest vector and then torn each and fly eastbound across much of Washington and Idaho and a small tip of Montana. While in the air we would meet up with a C17 Cargo plan that would be on a training mission from McCord Air Force Base near Tacoma, WA.

Once we leveled off at 30,000 feet we were allowed to get up and explore the plane. Now this plane look nothing like a commercial airliner. The insides are only covered in a polyester/plastic material, wires are running along the ceiling and the seats that the maintenance group installed for us are comfortable but only temporary.

After we leveled off I immediately gravitated forward to the cockpit. I of course am a bit on an aviation freak and I wanted to be able to watch the pilots fly the aircraft. I got to sit in the jump seat between the two pilots and listen, watch and learn about navigation and much more from them.

The skies were cloudy and I got a real feel for the challenge of flying in dense clouds and limited visibility.

After about 30 to 40 minutes into the flight we were approaching our rendezvous site with the C17. It was about 25 miles ahead of us, and we were playing chase. As we were approaching the aircraft, we were descending to 21,000 feet which will be our flight level for the refueling operations.

(More to Come......)