Nice day today.

Today was just nice. I started out with a flight out of Martinsburg Airport and flew down along the Shenandoah River.








Here is the dam and power plant south of Harpers Ferry.













This is the Shannondale Wildlife Management area inside the river loop.








The bridge is Rt. 9 crossing the Shenandoah.















And this is a quarry off 340 near Charles Town.










After putting the plane down, I saw this beautiful Piper Super Cub sitting on the ramp getting fueled. This is one of the planes that I've always wanted to own.
The owner was very nice and we talked about his plane for a while--it was made in 1956 and it's in great shape. He let me photograph it and I wish that I hadn't forgotten his name before even getting back home.


Look at this simple cockpit. Now that's real flying--stick and rudder and nothing unneccessary. What a classic. Sometimes less really is more.












After flying, I went home and corraled Lagniappe and we went for a hike in the woods nearby. On a whim, I took my old AR-7 .22 rifile out with me. Now I hadn't fired this rifle in years or even given it much thought. Maybe it was seeing the old Piper that did it but I decided to bring the AR-7.

This rifle was originally designed as an Air Force survival rifle and issued to B-52 bomber crews flying over North Vietnam as a means by which they could get food if they went down behind enemy lines. It hold 7 rounds in it's magazine, disassembles and stores in it's own buttstock for compactness, and it floats if dropped in water. Nifty little tool and the rifle is still made today, having been in and out of production under a number of different manufacturers' banners. The copies sell today for around $250.00 or so but I got my original Armalite used and in need of work at a gun show many years ago for about $70.00.

Lagniappe and I walked several miles and shot at targets of opportunity--mainly old cans and plastic bottles that thoughtless boobs has discarded in the woods. And I picked up every one and packed it out with me, coming out of the woods a few hours later with a backpack full of shot-up cans and bottles which are presently in my recycling bin.

Afterwards, I cleaned the rifle and drank a beer or two while Lagniappe retired to his perch on the front porch, resting his head on the rail as he likes to do while surveying his domain. Yeah, life's good.