April showers bring May flowers, so they say. In Seattle, April marks the end of ski season and the beginning of the damp months before summer finally arrives in July. Our new neighbors move in and we declare war on the moss in our front yard.
April 6
Another ski season comes to a close. Susan and I planned to meet Todd at the Bellevue Park & Ride to carpool to Crystal Mountain. We were a little early; Todd was a little late. When he arrived, we moved his ski gear into the Honda and locked his skis into the racks on top. Just as we pulled out to head south, Susan realized that she forgot her ski jacket. Ahhhh! Too bad she didn't realize that sooner; we would have had time to go get it while waiting for Todd.
After little debate, we decided to all go back to Bothell, get the jacket, and head for the mountains. Forty-five minutes later, we were once again making progress toward our goal. We arrived late and hit the slopes. The snow was turning to slush, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.
April 14
A good day for some yard and automobile maintenance. The Honda CR-V is fully maintained; good for another 30,000 miles. In addition, today was the first day this Spring that combined a weekend day with sunshine and grass cutting motivation. I pulled the mower from the shed, gave it a quick inspection -- I checked the gas and oil and wiggled the spark plug wire -- and headed for the front yard.
First, I went over it on the high setting. Once complete, I went over it again at a lower setting to expose all of the underlying moss. After the second pass, I was completely convinced that our yard is 90% moss and 10% grass. To help shift the balance more in favor of the grass, we raked out some of the moss and dead grass and applied a spray-on moss killer. I just hope my whole yard doesn't turn black!
April 16
After two years as a rental and six months sitting empty, the house next door now has new occupants. John, Lorri, Hanna, and John Ezra moved in today. The realtor told us that they plan to build a fence. I wonder if we can talk them out of it...
April 25
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has a division called the Air Safety Foundation (ASF) whose mission is to educate pilots about safety issues. Every year they tour around the country and hold discussions. The discussions are free to all who want to attend and are announced months in advance.
This year's topic of discussion was spatial disorientation. Spatial disorientation is caused by several factors. It usually occurs when the pilot is flying through clouds and all visual references to the ground are lost or obscured. Usually it is the result of the pilot moving his head too quickly and upsetting the balance mechanisms in the inner ear. Without input from the eyes to verify what are inner ears feel, we quickly become disoriented. This sensation can easily be reproduced on the ground by covering your eyes and having someone spin you on a stool for a minute. Your friend can then stop your motion, but your ear will think you are still spinning.
Although my current pilot's license forbids me from flying in the clouds, I have started the process of acquiring an instrument rating which would remove this restriction. The best way to avoid becoming disoriented is to know the reasons why we get disoriented in the first place.
April 28
Another year has passed and it's Kerissa's birthday once again. This year, Tom and Lanna decided to have the party in a park. Although the weather is usually very predicable (cold and cloudy) this time of year, today the weather was perfect. Susan and I drove south on I-5, past Chehalis, to the Napavine exit. The park was on the right and Tom and Lanna were setting up camp in the covered picnic area. The kids were enjoying themselves in the playground.
As more kids began to arrive, I pulled out our newly purchased collection of lawn games, which contained all the classics. I set up the volleyball net, with help from the kids. Susan and I played with the kids while all the adults -- we still don't consider ourselves part of that crowd -- sat around and told tales.
And then it was time for cake. Lanna brought bags of goodies so the kids could design their own toppings. That looked way too sweet for me, so I temporarily assumed the role of an adult and passed on the customized cake decorating fun.
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