A dangerous path to walk...sheer ice all the way down. It is currently 28 degrees, has not been any warmer than that for nearly 24 hours, and it will be until tomorrow AM more than likely before the warmer air beats back the ice's push to take over Atlanta! So far no power outages and no damage to any of the apartments here...haven't driven up to the new house yet...the hill we are building on has a bunch of Pine trees...hope all is well at Red Top Mountain!

Young Pine trees fare less than well in circumstances such as today...like in any war, it is the young that suffers, and in their battle with the ice the small stature of the youthful Pines make them easy prey to the freezing rain...and in the end they kneel in supplication to this warrior force of Nature.

Even the large trunks of the trees are not safe from the freezing rain...and the ice simply conforms itself perfectly around or on any object...seamless and clear like the pure water it started out as...

It is pretty, though...it's like Mother Nature has clad her trees and their branches in crystal clear glass sheathing...it is so quiet outdoors, this Winter afternoon...you can hear the sleet as it hits the ground like drumming fingernails on a countertop, and the occasional crack! when a branch breaks or the ice shatters from it...

This headlight won't be "lighting the way" for anyone or anywhere tonight!

Nothing is too tough to coat if you are "practiced in the art...". Kim and Bryan just took a drive to the store and his car, like this one, was one big "Ford Focus icicle!" Every inch of this car is encased in ice...

Like on the previous picture, it's ice, ice everywhere...coating the tree branches, the grass, pine straw and anything else it can wrap itself around!

We are in the midst of our first ice storm of '05. Started with a little sleet yesterday afternoon, and got to it last night. Looking at the radar, there is more to come (Alabama, from where this stuff is coming from, never tires of dumping on Georgia!!) The NWS has extended the Winter Storm Warning through 1AM tomorrow morning...

The brick is called Mosswood (I thought moss was green?), and is termed "Queen" brick...not sure what that means, though we were told how lucky we were to be able to choose it. I didn't know there was an hierarchy in brick, especially from a Monarchical perspective, but apparently it is so. Or might it be from a Mother Nature perspective? Like in Queen brick and worker bricks? But looking at the picture it would be hard to tell who is and who is not a worker brick and who is and who is not a Queen brick? I don't see a lot of work going on for worker bricks to do, but then again they have only just started placing the brick on the house and perhaps it is a function of the Queen brick(s) and worker brick(s) getting used to their new home...or perhaps it is a lengthy process for the Queen brick to make her assignments to the many worker bricks that obviously are in place and yet to be installed...after all, they were put up only Friday and I assume that, as in any other Federally regulated business, brick working usually is a 5-day a week gig...I'll go back Monday and take a look and let you know...

They started to brick the house on Friday. It was a nice day, 60+ degrees...but Saturday it turned rainy, windy and foggy, then cold Saturday night. It was 16 degrees this morning (Sunday the 23rd). We went Saturday to the "Tile Factory" to pick our tile as our builder instructed us. It was an experience...no color in the house yet except the pale white/beige of the wood...how can you get an idea of what a bathroom is to look like at this stage? I (we) looked at 4 million pieces of tile laid out in a warehouse...a pale, huge, open Butler building of a warehouse void of any color at all except the clothing worn by the others shopping for tile, most of whom had a zombie-like look in their eyes, a look I would soon don as well...shapes, colors, patterns, big, little, teeny...an endless sea of colored pieces of porcelain...my mind was fuzzy after an hour or two of looking at tiles that differed so subtly to be nearly indistinguishable unless the difference was pointed out..I think, in the end, it just became an accepted notion that there were differences...there had to be differences or why would there be this long looking at &%#**#$#@%&^% tile that all looked the same?????????????? I needed the cold, wet air again to ease the headache I am sure was brought on by confusion and keep myself from entering a state of "infant-a-tilacide," the compulsive desire to strangle the next salesperson trying to explain the undiscernable differences between 2 or more pieces of tile...I did begin to feel better, but last night dreamt of being chased down like a rabid squirrell and pelted unmercilessly by unidentifiable persons throwing 1" square porcelain tile pieces.

I flew Saturday...did very well on most of my high-altitude maneuvers, but on my short-field landing attempt I did less than spectacular (bounced a little, but as you can see, 5 X-Ray Whiskey took it all in stride!!). Got more practice to do before I take the check-ride. Have a stage-check scheduled with the Chief Instructor this week...then find out where I have to improve and hopefully take the FAA check-ride in early February...

This was taken from the North side of the garage...the road winds back about a mile to the other end of the community, and ends at a trail/Park road that leads down to the Etowah River recreation area...nice hike down, but a bear coming back as it is very, very steep!

This retaining wall is built between the garage and the edge of the hill upon which the house is built. Have to have it so I don't back over and down the hill...;-)! The drive way will be up to the level of the first row of cinder block, and will "terrace" down the driveway to the tree on the left side of the picture with the flags around it. It will be finished in the same brick as goes on the house, both inside the wall and outside facing the street...it will add a little privacy as well as aesthetic value. We plan on lighting the driveway at the top as it is a steep and long pull up...

You can see how the retaining wall will terrace down the drive to the tree. This outside wall will be covered in the brick in the foreground.

The bay window on the right side of the picture is the dining area in the kitchen...

Back of the house...on the left is the Master Bedroom, with French Doors leading out onto the covered deck (you have to imagine the deck at this point in time...)...The deck will be about 12' wide at most places and spans the entire back of the house...

This is the fireplace...it will have about a 15" hearth fronting it. I placed my coffee tumbler inside to give scale to the picture...the firebox is 29 1/2" tall and 45" wide...BIG!.

This is the front of the house...the two windows near the front door are the Dining Room windows...BD has asked that they cut a third window between the two already there...that will open up the Dining Room a great deal from a spaciousness appearing and light perspective.

You can see that they have added the Shaker shingles to the South side of the house, and have installed several windows. Also constructed a "holding" structure around the "port-a-potty" as it apparently blew away last Thursday in the rain storm...

This week was pretty much a "no-fly" week...

Got to fly only Wednesday and Sunday, but the second flight was a wonderous one! Left McCollum Airport (home airport) and climbed to 5,500', then under the control of Atlanta Approach (the Air Traffic Control folks that guide all those airliners into and out of Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport every day) flew right across the 4 runways of ATL on my way to an airport South of Atlanta about 40 miles.

It was a crystal clear day with visibilities of upwards of 15 miles or more, and I engaged the autopilot and sat back and watched about 20 or 30 airliners that dwarf my airplane enter the landing and take-off dance around Atlanta each day. It was something to see them so close up in the air...it made me recall just what it was about flying that attracted me and hooked me so all those nearly 40 years ago...

No flying now until Saturday, January 15th, then a couple of times the week after...still trying to polish my skills to the level of a successful Private Pilot applicant. Soon, I hope!

November 5 X-Ray Whiskey is a 2004 AG5B Tiger airplane. It has only 55 hours on the tach. It has a super radio stack, auto-pilot, leather interior and lots of "bells and whistles." It is a very fast (130 KIAS, or around 150 mph), very responsive airplane and lots and lots of fun to fly!

November 5 X-ray Whiskey and I flew today! I learned from her the ins and outs of programming the Garmin 530/430 GPS radio stack for flight plans, capturing and flying a VOR radial to a station, and how the Auto-Pilot can be a "co-pilot" in the cockpit. Getting ready for my stage check within the next couple of weeks, then the check-ride. Next up, a night cross-country to Chattanooga, Tennessee Wednesday evening.

Flying Monday...

Looking forward to a good day to fly tomorrow...weather and other pressing time constraints have prevented me from flying since last Monday...hope tomorrow is clear and sunny.

This is looking out the dormer in the Bonus Room. That's Vineyard Mountain behind us.

This is directly out the French Doors in the Great Room...this view will become year-round when they build the 2 houses below us. Just beyond the line of green trees and before the first ridge line is Lake Allatoona...don't think we will have a view of the lake, but it is only a 3-minute ride to the boat ramp and 5 minutes to the Ranger office and parking for the hiking trails...Red Top Mountain State Park is the location we are building near...

This is the view from the Guest Bedroom in the front of the house. My Mom is looking forward to a long, long visit!

This is looking out the French Doors in the Master Bedroom. The scraggly trees in the background will mostly be gone when they build the 2 houses below us and the mountain ridge will be visible pretty much year 'round.

The Master Bedroom has a double wide window topped by a double wide transom, and French Doors leading outside onto the deck. It too has a cathedral ceiling, a huge Master Bathroom with a 4'x8' double shower...we figure we will live in the MBR and rent out the rest of the house to make the mortgage...;-)!

The fireplace is huge! It will be rocked all the way to the cathedral ceiling, and I added a 16" high "sit down" hearth...can't wait! On either side of the fireplace will be built-in bookshelves/cabinets.

Up the long driveway...BD, her Son Bryan and his Fiancee, Kim, make their way up to the house...gotta get a dog and train her to fetch the mail and the newspaper!

Double dormers on the North side of the garage. The homeowners in the community decided to not have street lights. The community is pitch dark at night, making the stars stand out magnificently. BD wants a telescope to setup in one of the dormers...I can imagine how beautiful an August Hunter's Moon will be out this window...

This is the framing of the bathroom and stairway in the Bonus Room over the garage.

View out of the French Doors in the Great Room onto the deck. The mountain Ridge is not visible in the Spring and Summer when the trees have leaves, but they are building 2 houses below us on the street fronting these trees and they will be removed then...the ridge will then be visible always!