Man, I LOVE this show.

There's an amazing show on the History Channel called Dogfights. The most amazing computer animation, making you think you're really seeing these planes fly. Here's an example from one episode. God, I love the fact that these guys are getting this recognition on TV. They're passing away so fast now. Huge heroes.



I think my favorite shows so far are the ones showing F-4s in Vietnam. Pilots like Robin Olds were my heroes growing up, being an air force brat. Love them still. Olds started his career as a fighter pilot in WW2 in a P-38, and ended the Vietnam War as a Jet ace in a Phantom. What a fuckin' stud! Total class act.



Last nights show was all about Japanese Kamikaze pilots going against our Navy ships off the coast of Okinawa and German fighter pilots who rammed our bombers in desperation to save their nations from the just wages of sin. Didn't work for them. They'll probably repeat the show some time, so look for it. I recommend it highly!

On another note. I went to Salado and got a haircut yesterday. My cousin Peggy is a sweetie.



She married my cousin Mike 2 kids and 3 or 4 grand kids ago. Best thing that ever happened to him. Has a beauty parlor in Salado. Professional. Costs a bit more, but she makes me look GOOD! Fight her every time about her insistence on trimming the eyebrows. I'm dyin' to have those Leonid Brezhnev, big bushy things. She's not havin' it though. In the end, she spruces me up, trims the beard a bit, and always finds those long hairs that I never see, that stick right out of my ear or forehead. Don't know what the hell those are all about, but she gets 'em, every time.

Took dad to eat Chinese food last night, as per usual. This time I took the good camera, so you'd get to see the unfuzzy versions of things.



Yep, even more of the generals chicken, shrimp fried rice, and an egg roll. I know, why don't I try something else every once and a while? Well, I know what I like, and the dish is a little different at every restaurant I go to. This place is the best, hands down, and their egg rolls are wonderful. I know what I like, and so does dad.



We both have the same thing every time, and we love the hell out of it. His thing is the fried shrimp dipped in red sauce. I've tried to get him to try a few other things along with the shrimp, but he's not interested. He told me on the way over that his doctor told him to stop eating fried food because it's not good for his heart. I asked him "Did you tell him to go fuck himself?" I mean, what is the use in living as long as he has (84 going on 85) if you can't enjoy what you want one day a week?



Played with the camera and finally figured out how to turn the flash off. That way I could take pictures without having the whole place turn around and stare at the weirdo with the camera.

Afterwards, we went back to the folks place in Temple, checked the mail box along the way and handed the mail off to the lady of the house when we got there.



Still had the flash off, and the pictures came out pretty cool. Decided to get shots of the main part of the house, and see how they'd come out.



Love their place. It's like a museum of all our travels around the world. Antiques from here and there, brass and bed warmers from England, and art work done by my grandmother. The brass rubbing on the right was done by my mom when we lived in England in the late '60s.



Pictures of my sister and I, and our cousins, grandparents and great grandparents abound. When my mom walked into his house in '93 she fell madly in love with this front window. If I had the money, I'd have it redone in beautiful stained glass, at least those big center panels. I think it would be cool.



Lots of windows in the back as well, looking out on the English style garden my mom has nurtured for 14 years.



Lots of beautiful stuff out there, and a few cats that keep guard on it all.



I grew up doing the chores in gardens like this, so I picked up a few skills and tricks along the way, but I find it's hard to make myself spend the amount of time it takes to maintain it for long. Maybe I lived in apartments too long, where someone else does all the work of keeping the place going. Have all sorts of Ideas, but not the time, money, or energy to get it going. Of course, once you do the work to get it going, it's not that hard to maintain

Anyway, I hope your weekend is fun, and you have good friends to enjoy it with. Cheers.