The Petroglyph

Petroglyphs are ancient carvings in rocks that tell stories. You can find petroglyphs all around the world. My favorite petroglyphs are in St. John, USVI. St. John is one of my favorite places to go and relax. It is an amazing island paradise. I am sure I will blog about it at least once, or maybe more. “The Petroglyph” is a Blog about pretty much everything and anything. These are my thoughts, ideas, and opinions for no one or everyone to see, and read about. I see a blog as a modern day petroglyph.

[thepetroglyph]

Winter 2013-2014 Amherst NH

[thepetroglyph]

Big T's Chicken Now that I am unemployed and looking for work, I have began to cook for my wife and family. I started by cooking Christmas Eve Dinner. I made Linguini in White Clam Sauce, and Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms for an appetizer. This picture was my latest attempt. I cooked this last night for my wife and I. The ingredients are Chicken, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Cooking Wine, and Golden Mushroom Soup. This recipe was given to me by my brother. It is named after our friend's father, who came up with this dish. My wife liked it and so did I. Looks like this one is a keeper!

[thepetroglyph]

This is a big topic in the hobby. AMA is also a big part in these conversations.

[thepetroglyph]

Crab Landing

I went flying at a new field today that is 6 miles from my house. I joined another club called SAM. It is a new club and joined because of the closeness to my house. Some guys in the Flying Eagles Club join multiple clubs for similar reasons. I consider the Flying Eagles my primary club, but it is nice to go out and fly so close to home.

So tonight I went over to the field to get some flying in. I was a little disappointed no one was there. I decided to fly anyway. First time at a new field was new for me. Had to get use to setting up my approaches. This field is wide open. No trees, and a grass runway. Flying went well. I landed and took off in both directions. Did a few touch and go’s and then it happened. The wind picked up. I found the wind was blowing across the runway. So I crabbed it in. I wish I had a video. It was just perfect. I loved it. One of, if not my best landing ever, and no one was there to see it! This was my first landing I crabbed in. I have done it on the simulator, but not for real.

[thepetroglyph]

Ultra Stick #2

Built a new Ultra Stick. A lot easier to build the second time around. Flew yesterday. Did a lot better job centering the ailerons, rudder, and elevator. Only needed a few digital inputs to level out the plane in flight.

The first flight, although I was nervous, since the last time I flew, I crashed big time, went really well. Once I landed, all was good. The jitters went away.

Second flight was fun. The wind picked up, and I had some fun hovering into the wind. I actually enjoy flying when there is some wind. Makes it more challenging to fly and I like having to adjust my stick inputs to keep the plane flying in the direction I want it to go.

Over all good day of flying!

[thepetroglyph]

Flying Eagles Runway and Flying Field. Merrimack, NH These shots were taken by one of our members who also flies real aircraft. Our Membership continues to increase weekly. I really think it is because of our new Textile Runway.

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CRASH! So today was great, was flying great, making some good landings, doing some aerobatics, getting good time on the battery. Was about to bring her in one final time and call it a day when it happened. I just lost orientation and nose dived right into a very large pine tree! I hit pretty hard. I lost the tail, ESC, Battery, and found the motor in a very large muddy puddle. What I found to be amazing, was that the tire came right off the rim of the wheel. I tried to take the remaining wheel off its rim. It was pretty hard. So the impact must have been amazing. I will be building a new one. I will be going to RC Buyers Warehouse tomorrow to purchase what I need. I am pretty bummed, but it comes with the hobby. I will be back flying soon. I just love this hobby too much.

[thepetroglyph]

Flying on Sunday

On Sunday mornings I head out to my club's flying field to fly my planes. Sunday's are training days where you can get instruction to learn how to fly. It is also a day that many club members come out and fly. If you are into to this hobby, you can spend half a day there just chatting about planes and the hobby, flying, and just watching all the different planes fly. I particularly like watching the pilots that fly 3D. They are very skilled, and just by watching them fly, you can learn a lot. This past Sunday, my wife and mother, along with my newborn son and my six year old son, all came down to the field to watch the activities. This was a nice surprise. They got to see me fly and get a little taste of my new passion. This hobby has become my outlet. My "Let's Forget About Life" for a while and have fun. The people I have met in the club all have one thing in common, a fascination with flight. And that is what brings us all together. Now that I have solo'd and can fly on my own, I feel like I am a true member. I can fly when I want to, and continue to learn from the more experienced members. I truly look forward to Sunday Mornings!

[thepetroglyph]

Winter Builds - These are some planes that were built over winter by some of the members of the SNH Flying Eagles. I took these pics at the “Show and Tell" Club Meeting back in April. Soon after, I joined. Some really talented builders in the club, and after going to the field, we have some really talented Pilots too.

[thepetroglyph]

Our RC Club voted and decided to invest in a synthetic runway. Although, this was an expensive investment for our club, in my opinion, it was worth every penny spent. It took a lot of research, planning and 2 full days to prep the field and install the runway. This runway comes on a roll and is the same material used by the CIA an US Military for their Drone Program. The material is a fine synthetic, plastic/rubber like material that shrinks in the sun once installed. The runway itself is secured to the ground with giant staples, which we hand made. To repair and join the two halves, you use roofing cement. (Tar) These pictures show the field prep an final installation. Since installed the rain has washed away the dirt, the sun and heat has stretched the material. I voted in favor of this runway. It allows smaller planes and planes with retracts to land safely with out destroying the landing gear or plane itself. Since installed, we have gained members and have seen more and more spectators stop buy, which sometimes sparks an interest in the hobby and our club.

[thepetroglyph]

This is my first RC Plane.

[thepetroglyph]

RC Flying

Last Sunday I became a pilot. Well an RC Pilot. This is not an easy task. Until you try and fly, you can not really understand the amount of time, patience and practice. I joined a club out of Merrimack New Hampshire called "Southern New Hampshire Flying Eagles". The members of this club are so helpful, and spend a lot of time training and helping new members. Prior to joining the club, I flew and taught myself how to fly helicopters. Yes, I do things backwards. Helicopters are much harder to fly and should be learned second to planes. With that said, I now fly both. I was pretty much self taught. I spent hours and hours over a year practicing on the computer simulator. My first time up (with a plane) was with the club trainer in moderate winds. I did pretty good and I think I impressed my instructor. After five different days with a Trainer and on a Buddy Box, I did my solo flight. Was I psyched. I get this, understand it, and love it. This is a hobby I will be sticking with. It satisfies my interest and passion for aviation, and gives me a great outlet to relax, and forget about life for a while. I have made friends with a lot of the members, who all share one thing in common, aviation and RC models.

[thepetroglyph]

The End of The Daily

The first made for iPad news publication is coming to an end on December 15, 2012. The Daily did not get enough subscribers to meat their business model. With 100,00 paying subscribers, was not enough to keep the digital paper running. I am very disappointed. I read this publication with my girlfriend every morning in bed before the little ones get up. It has been a routine that will be missed, The Daily and coffee in bed with the woman I love. I thought the content of The Daily was excellent. It not only kept you up to date with the current news, but it also had some really interesting stories. The layout was well done, and the interactive way you browsed thought the paper was always fun. I will miss The Daily, for it's content, and for a reliable news source. I hope it comes back at some point.

[thepetroglyph]

Really? Why have we allowed this to happen? Is anyone besides me concerned? Do you think it is time for him to go? Love the Obama picture. It says it all.

[thepetroglyph]

Selling My Stuff

My girlfriend, Diane, got me selling stuff on Craig's List. It is actually working out pretty well. So far I sold a couch and chair for $200, 5 office chairs for $40, a RC car and charger for $140, and an armoire for $75. I have a lot more posted on Craig's List and I have more stuff in my house to sell. I am actually liking the idea of selling stuff online. Wish I could run my own business from home selling stuff online. I have not been to an ATM in weeks! What else can I sell?

[thepetroglyph]

New Beginings

I have been saving this post in my drafts box until my divorce was final, then I was planning to post it. I kind of forgot about it. So here it is... For the last year and a half I have been going through a very difficult divorce. On June 30, 2011 the Final Divorce Decree and Parenting Plan was signed by both my ex wife and I. I am getting the house and she is getting a considerable amount of money. She has been living I’m the house since I filed for divorce in April 2010. Did I mention that I have been paying for everything for the house. Don’t worry, this post is not going to be me complaining on getting screwed in my divorce, even though I am. It is more about my experience, the highs and lows, and the way the system favors the woman. People get divorced for many reasons. Mine is really no different. My ex wife and I were in couples counseling, but it wasn’t working. I then found out that she was having an affair with the guy that works at the deli. That is right, the Deli Guy! Even after I found out about the affair, I agreed to try and work things out. Back to couples counseling with the understanding that there would be no more contact with the Deli Guy. A month later, I caught her again texting and talking to the Deli Guy. That was it for me. I immediately went and filed for divorce. My ex’s response, file a restraining order against me. With out getting into too many details, I went to court and won. That was the start of my nightmare. I have an awesome 4 year old son, who is doing really well considering the circumstances. My concern has always been about my son and the impact of a divorce might have on his life. Custody is split 50/50 between my ex wife and I. My son stays with me every Wednesday and Thursday and he stays with his mother every Monday and Tuesday. Then every other Friday, Saturday Sunday we rotate. It seems to be working out good for both of us and our son. At our structure hearing I got screwed financially. My ex got the house and I was ordered to pay all the bills plus $350 every 2 weeks in child support. My ex played the “sick” card, claiming that she couldn’t work. Funny thing was that I caught her waitressing 2 days after court. In New Hampshire, divorces are heard by Marital Masters and not Judges. I call these Marital Masters “Wanna Be Judges”. The guy that heard my case obviously failed basic arithmetic in school because he ordered me to pay $600 more than what I made per month. Obviously I filed a motion to get it changed, but because the government of New Hampshire can not fund the state properly, they cut court days which means it took 9 months to get me back to court. One of the Court Orders was that I need to maintain the house. The problem with this order is that the ex refuses to let me in the house or on the property and the Court says she has the right to do that.

[thepetroglyph]

When are you going to make an entry now that you have SEEN the petroglyphs??

Soon!👀