Family Mellmann

Patrick continues to enjoy his chosen college path. While some of the more...mundane...subjects (like English and Computer Apps) aren't particularly exciting, he is learning a ton of information about airplanes, flight, and aviation science. In a typical week, he will fly two to three times to practice skills, develop Tower speak (learn how to talk to the Tower), learn new skills, and train for emergencies that one hopes never happens (like engine stalls).  He gets to experience life at an active military airport when the "Ninja class" planes are in motion (Ninja is the category name for fighter jets), as well as the regular airport operations of commercial jetliners. During some of his training flights, they will go over to Plattsburgh New York to practice touch-and-go maneuvers (fly-approach-land-slow down-take off again) and fly in unmanaged airspace.  Plattsburgh is a small airport with no Air Traffic Control so pilots have to speak directly to each ot

Katherine turns 15! Another year has passed on this avid reader.  It hardly seems possible. She continues to challenge what I thought I knew about parenting, and each day she manages to make me laugh.  What is particularly funny to me is how she tries SO HARD to be funny - but isn't, but then she'll just say something at the right time and with the right turn of phrase and I will just burst out laughing - and she's confused.  "Why was that funny?" (to which I laugh even harder) For her birthday, we loaded this girl up with Kindle books, a membership to a book club called Kindle Unlimited, and for good measure, included some actual non-digital books.  She is reading everything from graphic novels (comics) to horror, fantasy fiction to action-adventure, and most recently added brain science and psychiatry.  I can't wait to see what this next year will bring!

The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are getting cooler, and the horizon is on fire with fall foliage colors.  Today was a beautiful day for a motorcycle ride.

This morning Patrick 'took off' for a special flight. Since about the second week of school he has been flying 2 to 3 times each week, but this flight is with an FAA inspector rather than his regular instructor. Today's flight is a check flight to make sure he is on target with where he should be at this point in his training. Go Patrick!

Another Green Up Vermont Day is in the books, despite the rain.    Except for two years (out of town for one and forgot the other), we have been participating in GUVD every year for sixteen years.  We've lived in Vermont almost seventeen years, but GUVD was over by the time we moved here in 2000. The kids have participated every year.  First, in baby backpacks when they were too little to walk and help.  But as soon as they could walk, we put gloves on their hands and rubber boots on their feet.