Kev In Flight

That's a nod to a good friend who has a remarkable life and blog, Larkin Carey. But in this case, it's also an apt description of my Wednesday in Santa Cruz. While there, i mostly spent time with Wayne Wright, the sales guru from US/Grant. We worked on Tuesday, Wednesday morning, and all Thursday, but Wednesday afternoon was pure enjoyment.

Wayne Wright and Larry Grant are both pilots and Larry is blessed with owning a beautiful private plane, The Malibu. It's an awesome single propeller, 6 seater, with leather seats, high-altitude capabilities, and a fast cruising speed. Therese and i both had a turn in the co-pilot seat and have now, officially, flown a plane.

Therese's trip was longer, about 45 minutes, and took us over Monterey Bay, Pebble Beach, Carmel... that whole area. Spectacular views and an unseasonably clear and calm day made for an incredible experience.

Therese loves this picture of her and Duke, Mario's bulldog that went flying with us. Mario and Susie from Pacific Crest came along for the ride. That dog really loves to fly. That is, when he's not busy looking unfathomably adorable.

My flight was at sunset that day, transferring the plane from one airport to the other. The fog and clouds had begun to roll in and as the sun was setting, we were treated to, quite possibly, the most breathtaking sunset of my life.

So all that was cool, but we weren't done flying for the day. After therese's flight, we immediately went back up in a different airplane, one with no seat belts or, really, any seats, save for the pilot's. We did, however, have parachutes, which was convenient, for we intended to jump from 12,000 feet, each strapped to our tandem guide. Oh, and we both landed barefoot on the beach. It was my second time and her first. We were both blown-away. Words can't really describe skydiving. You just have to try it. And you should. Therese has a fear of heights and a fear of falling. If she can do it and enjoy it, you can too.

If there's ever been a better Wednesday in the history of Wednesday's, i don't want to know about it.

~Kev