CHARLIE'S HANGER DAY

Here are GiGi and Will having a little moment of communication. We went up to Boo and Grandad's and had a great time. Charlie came back with us and he and I spent the day together. We watched a new Wallace and Gromit movie and drove the golf cart all over the airport. First we went up to BAT aviation to check on the Champ which is getting its annual there. Charlie got a good briefing from Bill and Tom (BAT) and looked the airplane over thoroughly. The guys taught him how to do a thumbs up for you in the picture. Now he can not only do Hookem but Gig em too. Hope he doesn't go Aggie on us.
Charlie is checking out the turn and bank indicator in the Champ. Will is modeling a Mardi Gras wig that Bo put on him. I think he really liked it. Here I am with my two youngest grandsons. They are looking pretty good.


Here's a few pictures of Charlie as Bill and Tom give him a briefing on the Champ annual and they all give a thumbs up to his dad. How do you like his motorbike, Corvette and Ferrari? This afternoon mom came with Will and picked up Charlie and they headed to Mike and Christy's. Gammy headed out to Longhorn town to help Susan with the wedding plans. I'm working Sunday thru Wednesday flying. Things are busy! Hope that you are keeping well. Love, Cappy

Day # 103

Today we went and had fun with the boys. They both went to the mall and climbed around on the indoor playground there. Charlie loved climbing on things and jumping. Will had a great time just banging on what he was sitting near and watching the other kids playing.


Charlie climbing through a log
Will is practicing standing here
Charlie's favorite--the carousel

They both actually rode the carousel today. Charlie was particular about what animal he wanted to ride each time: first a rabbit, then the cat, and finally a pig. Will rode with me and just took everything in. He was really tired after our trip to the mall.

Later this afternoon Gammy, Cappy and Gigi came over. We all had a good time just hanging out watching the boys play. We also enjoyed talking about Susan's upcoming wedding. Gammy is heading to see Susan this weekend and is going with Kathy to help her pick out invitations and a wedding dress. Cappy is flying Sunday. Charlie ended up going to the hanger with Gammy and Cappy tonight. They are doing night landings tonight, so I know Charlie is going to have a ball watching all of the activity.

Day # 101

We have water! The irrigation system was finished today, and I got checked out on it. Let's just hope I can remember how to change the settings when it is time to do so. They also dug the Asian Jasmine out of the front bed and built a small rock wall to contain the crape myrtles in the back. The rock wall was entirely made up of rock already in our yard and rock they dug up while putting in the irrigation. Earlier this week I prunned our crape myrtles. Also, note the banana trees we saved and planted at the top of the curve of the patio. We can always take them out later if we don't like them. The landscapers were unable to mortar in the patio or finish the fire pit because it has been raining.

Day # 100

Will's first haircut!
Charlie also got a piece of the action
Charlie was his usual serious self

Will is 9 months old and badly needed a haircut. I took him with me today, and Charlie came with us. Will did pretty well. He was so curious to see everything that was going on. The barber had the most trouble cutting the hair on top of his head because Will kept looking up to see the scissors. Once I gave him his pacifier, he sat really still.

Charlie actually has grown to like getting his haircut. I think it is because he knows he gets a sucker once he is done. After we finished there we met Monique, Scott, Jack, Ben and friends at a restaurant for Jack's birthday. Charlie amazed the entire table by eating a whole pizza by himself. We all had a nice time. The boys all played so well together.

Day # 99

Here is the happy couple! We spent Friday night at Kathy and Travis' house. It was a great opportunity to see Susan and Mike, and to check out Susan's ring. They both seemed very happy.

Will on the otherhand was not very happy that night. He didn't want to be held by anyone but mom, well, mom or Mike. I think he embarrassed all the girls because he would cry when someone would take him from me, but when Mike took him he really perked up and smiled and giggled. Apparently Mike has the charm with all the kids.



Can't wait for these two to tie the knot




Today was a gymnastics day. However, because of the holiday it was cancelled. Nora, our sitter, was stuck entertaining Charlie on a rainy day while I took Will to the doctor for his 9 month check up. When I got home Charlie was decked out in his homemade smock (a Pottery Barn kids bag), and the table was protected with an open brown paper bag, while Charlie painted. Nora said she didn't know the painting rules, so she took all necessary precautions.

She also tried to treat Charlie with a donut and Starbucks after he found out gymnastics had been cancelled, but Charlie turned his nose up at his donut holes, chocolate covered donut with sprinkles, and steamed milk. I'm beginning to think he may not be my son.
I thought this picture of Will would be hilarious. Nora gave him this flag to hold and chew on and he held on to it forever. It looks like he actually knows how to perfectly wave it. I swear we didn't just prop it in his hand. This young man may be getting his first haircut tomorrow. His hair is so long over his ears and in the back. I have just waited so long because I know he will look like a little boy rather than a baby once it is cut.

He got a good check-up at the doctor today. He weighs 20 pounds even, which is the exact weight of Charlie at this age. Charlie was an inch taller though. We started yogurt today and he enjoyed a biter biscuit. Those things are so messy.

Looking towards a busy tomorrow, too. We have the lanscapers back, haircuts for the whole family and Will has to get some routine bloodwork done. We may meet up with Jack for dinner for his real birthday celebration.

Day # 97

Saturday's progress on the yard...four high school football players and two other landscapers worked to lay the sod today. The front yard is completely sodded and the back yard is sodded where the banana trees and other large bed were. The irrigation system was wired. We changed the shape of one of the beds in the front. Monique and her mother came over to help me pick which plants to use and decide on the layout of the beds.

It is starting to look like a real yard now. Too bad the sod is its ugly dormant color and not a lively green. Now, who is going to mow all of this?



Back yard sod

Front yard starting to look like normal again

Day # 96

This is Friday's progress. They finished laying the rock for the patio. They say that the patio rock looks like it came from some cafe in Mexico. Some of the rock has that stamped on it, and the pallette has it, too. The brick lining the firepit was brick they had leftover from a driveway that they made for a house on the same street as the Governor's mansion. Apparently all of the houses on that street have brick driveways. The brick had to be special ordered, it is solid (no holes).

Mortar and the firepit completion are yet to come. They also got the pipes buried for the irrigation, just in time for the freezing weather this weekend.




The rock patio in back Five pallettes of sod waiting to be spread

The beginnings of our fire pit

Day # 93.5

A dump truck came to bring the sand base for our patio
Charlie, Jack, and Ben at the movies (interesting how they posed in perfect descending order). Be sure and read Ben's t-shirt.


Happy Valentines Day, or Happy "Valentimes" Day as Charlie says it. Today was a big day for him. He had his very own dump truck come to drop some road sand for the patio being built. He thought it was so neat to see the dump truck do its job. The driver even hammed it up for Charlie a little.

Later that day we had a babysitter come for Will, so Charlie and I took off to see a movie together. It was his first movie on the big screen. We saw Curious George with Monique, Jack, and Ben. The kids were given all of the candy they could eat. All three of them sat still and really watched the movie just about the entire time. Then we met up with Scott and had burgers and pizza for dinner. Charlie and I read a Curious George book, his Valentine's gift, before he went to bed.

Day # 94

Today they started laying rock for the patio
Trenches were dug to lay the irrigation pipes
Yes, it looks worse before it will get better.


Today's work did not make our yard look any better, in fact it looks worse than ever. They had a "ditch witch" out making trenches for the irrigation. The PVC will go in tomorrow. I know it will look better even with just some sod down. I went nursery shopping with Monique today and bought two "uprights" for the front bed. They will go on either side of the window. They really are moving quickly, it won't be long now.

Day # 93

The patio has begun. We now have the outline of our new patio.

Kuwait Training

When we last left our intrepid warrior he was arriving with the aircraft at Udairi Army Airfield in Kuwait. Okay, I'll be serious now. In the picture above left you can see the lack of contrast available in the Kuwaiti desert. The lack of contrast is even more apparent at night making it more difficult to fly and navigate at 1oo feet above the ground.





This picture was taken in our tent where the entire company was housed for over a month. On the left is Ed, Shane, yours truly, and Bill. Clothes, towels , laundry, and anything else you need quick access to hangs from every possible place.





Below, I am sitting on my cot preparing for the next training flight.


Clowning around on the flight line with Dan, me, and Shane. Don't I look like a real soldier?







This picture (below) is a portion of a larger picture of the entire company taken on top of one of our aircraft.

Here we are in the right seat of the mighty CH-47D Chinook taxiing for a twilight takeoff on another training mission.

Udairi flight line with returning Chinooks in the background.
We spent over one month in Kuwait and flew day, night, night vision goggle, and instrument missions in preparation for the trip North to Iraq. All things considered, it was not a bad place but most people were ready to get into our permanent rooms and start performing missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom.


I think the patch on this crewchief's helmet says it all.

To be continued in Taji, Iraq...

Day # 88--Before

Bed next to the front door
Looking towards the street and driveway
Looking from the driveway
From the street (note the heart-shaped bed in front)

I'm pretty sure you don't remember much of what the house looks like from the front. Just remember we did get a good deal on it, and it is nothing that a little (or a lot) of landscaping won't help.

Yesterday the landscapers got started with our clean-out. I think they thought it would take longer than it did, but they were able to tear out just about everything in the front yard in one day. There were no machines involved, just two men with picks and shovels.

Day # 88--During

This is what had been done by noon by just two men

Day # 88--After

After the clean-out...

Deploying to Iraq - 2005

Chinooks over USNS Roy P. Benavides

Well, I guess I've waited long enough to post to the blog. This is my first attempt so I apologize if it does not look pretty. I suppose I should start from the start. Way back in October '05 we flew all of our CH-47D Chinook helicopters from Ft. Hood, Texas to Corpus Christi, Texas where they were loaded aboard Navy ships bound for Kuwait. After returning to Ft. Hood (by bus) we continued to pack for the deployment. On November 13th we flew out of Hood for Kuwait via Shannon, Ireland (no beer or whiskey allowed). Once we arrived in Kuwait it was time to download the boats and bring the helicopters from the port to our staging base up near the Iraqi border. We took buses down to the port and saw some local sights. I think it would be okay if I never saw another camel in person unless it was in a zoo.

Here we are on the bus to the port.
The road sign is for Kuwait City.
Brandon Tipton(L), Dan Langdon(CL), Bill Evans(CR), and yours truly(R)
The port at Kuwait City.
Damaged Blackhawk. Note the missing tailboom.

Once we repositioned all of the Chinooks to the staging base, we began training flights focusing on dust landings and NVG (night vision goggle) desert operations. I will cover that portion of the deployment in future postings. I hope everyone reading this is doing well. I miss you all very much and look forward to seeing you again soon.
-Chuck