I love music. All kinds of music, rock, jazz, blues, soul, gospel, quartet, CCM, even a little country. But I guess we tend to favor the tunes and groups we grew-up with most.

Back in high school my friends enjoyed classic rock group like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and others. Around that time I began to notice an English guitar player with long reddish straight hair bobbed over the eyes in bangs. Boy could this guy play. Some of his earliest work was compared to Hendrix, and though I guess I can hear some sonic similarities, I think he developed a blues-hard rock style of his own. Robin Trower shared a educational background much like the other highly successful English bands of that era, art and music. And he had success in previous groups which was quickly duplicated as a solo artist. Quiet a few of his records have gone Gold

As his career progressed the music changed some, but never too far afield. His songs reflect life and it's normal issues, there are even several Christian themed songs in his mix. Like most of the great groups from that time I've collected his work. I've been privileged to see and hear a lot of those classic masters of rock but for one reason or another I never got to see Robin Trower live in person.

That changed last night. I finally got to be at one of his shows. He played in Greenville about 30 miles from my home in a small venue that was prefect. A couple of friends and I headed over in time to have dinner before the show. Actually we ate at the venue. They have an excellent cafe on site.

The opening act was fine playing a solo unplugged set of lively songs to a respectful crowd. One of the nice things about attending these type shows now is that the crowd is a little older and are there because they are actually music fans They attend because they love the artist and know every note ever played on every song. It's not just an excuse for a party like some shows these days. Another thing I LOVE is that the bands which stood the test of time, can actually play their instruments and still make great music using their decades of experience.

I had a fantastic time Robin and his band played a solid set of old and newer songs that lasted more than an hour and forty-five minutes, solid music, no time was wasted between songs. They just rocked.

Here is the set list for you real Trower fan out there.

Confessin' Midnight
Lady Love
Somebodys Callin'
Distant Places Of The Heart
Twice Removed From Yesterday
Daydream
Life Of Clay
Day Of The Eagle
Bridge Of Sighs
Shame The Devil
The Turning
Too Rolling Stoned
Little Bit Of Sympathy

encores
Rise Up Like The Sun
Not Inside Outside


If you get a chance to see them this tour take it, be there you will enjoy yourself at a clean clear well performed concert.

Thanks Robin Trower and band and Robin thanks for taking the time to autograph your new cd for me

Just before 3 am this morning my wife's Grandmother received her promotion to glory.

Ruth Chitwood was a wonderful lady, a saint on earth. She was kind and gentle and soft spoken. I never saw her angry nor did I ever hear her say anything against anyone. A humble child of God who lived every day as an example. Her love and concern spread to all she knew. The entire family were always assured that when "Maw Ma" prayed for you, God heard. She wasn't my true earthly Grandmother but ever since I've started dating Kristie I have claimed her as mine too. I guess you would say she was my Grandma-in-law. And it wasn't just me. All her in-laws, the spouses of her grandchildren and great grand children felt the same way. She was a lady everyone loved. My dad one time told me after I informed him we'd invited her along on a joint family trip to the mountains, " that's fine with me.. she's great to have around". The ultimate compliment.

Her last actions a couple days ago on her deathbed were for friends and family she felt still needed Jesus. She left us a list of souls to pray for.

Maw maw you left such a legacy You taught all of us so many things. You taught us to live a life of filled with God's love. A life filled with compassion, concern and dignity. And in the past two weeks you taught us how to die the same way. Maw Ma you showed us how to prepare to see Jesus.

We are going to miss you here but have peace in our hearts knowing to be absent from this world for you is to be present with God.

We love you

Rejoicing has started.

I was reading a story about the test flights of a new plane today. Like almost always when I am on-line one story leads to another and pretty soon I am in a totally unrelated place from my start. Today I was led to another article about the storage of retired airliners in the desert. This is just another area where I find acute interest. One of the planes featured in the article was the famous or infamous 'Gimli Glider'
Some of you may remember the tale of the almost new Boeing 767 jet that had to land on a dragstrip when it accidentally ran out of fuel on a flight. But to most of you the jetliner registered as C-GAUN was little more than a run-of-the-mill widebody plane.

The incident on the pride of Air Canada jets happened way back in 1983. I remember the actual day it happened. I poured over the news reports and later the official reports trying to learn how in that modern era, a high-tech long-range plane, like a 767 could run short on fuel on a domestic flight in good weather while crossing southern Canada. I am amazed at how it successfully imitated a 173 ton glider.


Even though it was 25 years ago (July 23, 1983) most old timers at Air Canada and around the aviation community remember the details well. It all started with the discovery of a problem with part of the aircraft's flight management system. Basically that is a problem with the fuel gauges. It was a bad electrical connection, a faulty soldering joint.

That by itself is not enough to ground a plane, because the fuel can be measured manually. But this led to several problems.

• First none of the ground crew trained to do so, but the pilots would recheck the numbers.

• This introduced the 2nd problem. The pilots used an incorrect conversion method. The ground crew had used imperial measurements to compute the 767's fuel load as was common in Canada. Air Canada & in fact the whole country was just beginning the process of changing over to the metric system. This Air Canada 767 the first plane set up with the new system. The difference between the amounts calculated was huge.
  

The flight took off and was progressing normally. But as it crossed high over Red Lake, Ontario, a warning signal in the cockpit sounded, and suddenly the flight crew realized the error.

One engine failed, followed soon by the other. As that happened the generators supplying power for the aircraft's glass-panel avionics stopped too. Quickly the battery went dead which left the 195 seat airliners powerless.

With only a few mechanical backup instruments and unboosted flight controls the plane was descending at 2,000 feet-per-minute.

The Good News

Call it fate or just serendipity but one of the pilots on board that day was Captain Robert Pearson, also an expert glider pilot. He enjoyed this hobby on his days off. Still even with that skill there was no hope of keeping the plane in the air all the way to Winnipeg. Fortunately the other pilot, the co-pilot First Officer Maurice Quintal had been a pilot in the Air Force and knew of an abandoned base near their flight path -- in Gimli, Manitoba -- where he had once served.


Using their limited instruments Captain Pearson and First Officer Quintal successfully glided the plane toward the runway at Gimli. But as they neared on their silent approach the crew saw that spectators and campers were spread out, watching go-cart races on the abandoned runway.

There was nothing they could do. They were committed.

Still on a short final the crew realized they were going too fast and were too high to make the field and stop safely. Captain Pearson, making use of his gliding skills did something some pilots thought impossible. He put the plane into a hard side slip. This maneuver would cause the aircraft to lose altitude quickly without increasing the speed. In fact with the nose slightly up it might even help slow them a little.

It was a firm landing and the plane's nose landing gear collapsed. They were now skidding quickly down the runway sending up a shower of sparks. Captain Pearson could see two boys bicycling on the runway, in front of them. They were pedaling like crazy " "My heart leapt into my throat." He remembers. "One of the boys stared straight back at me in the cockpit."

Fortunately, the plane missed the boys and other onlookers coming to a stop 100 feet from where the spectators had set up their campers. Miraculously there were no injuries on the ground, nor to the extra light load of 61 passengers and eight crew on board the plane.

The plane was repaired a few days later, safely refueled and flown out eventually returning to service.

Both Pilots continued to fly and 1985 received the first-ever Federation Aeronautique Internationale Diploma for Outstanding Airmanship.

C-GAUN may have been just another jetliner to most people. But when she was retired almost a quarter of a century later in 2008, she was a legend and a "proud lady of the skies".

This story was also told in a book I have owned and enjoyed several times, "Free Fall" and later it was made into a TV movie staring William Devane. I have a copy of that as well. Think I watch it again tonight.

Uga VII: "Loran's Best"

The beloved University of Georgia mascot Uga VII passed away suddenly Thursday at his home in Savannah



"This is a very sad day for all Georgia people," said Damon Evans, Director of Athletics

There will be no Mascot on the sidelines for Saturdays game against Kentucky but a substitute will be at the Georgia Tech game.

A full time replacement will be announced before next season.

It's been a tough year for Georgia fans. Munson retired, the loss of several players to the NFL, a disappointing season and now the loss of our Mascot in only his second year. We will miss you Uga

Thanks

Hello Americans... Stand by for news

I was saddened to read that Paul Harvey had passed away. He was 90 years old. Just couple days ago I heard his voice doing a commercial and thought to myself he did not sound good.

I started listening to Paul Harvey every day way back in the middle seventies. I worked in a music store those days while finishing up school. I made it a point to stop each weekday at 12:35 gather my co-workers and tune him in. If we had customers in the store that required our attention we'd pop in a cassette tape. To me Paul was the lone voice of reason on the airwaves. Funny how so many things change yet stay the same. I don't get to hear Paul Harvey ( or more recently one of his guest hosts ) every day, but I still tune to his midday show more than half the time. And Paul was still one of the few voices of common sense and values on the air.

Paul Harvey had been on the radio with his own show for over 50 years attracting millions of listeners. He was still extremely popular. Just a few years ago the network re-signed him to a ten year $100 million contract.

I am going to miss hearing Paul Harvey. There is good news in that it appears his son Paul Harvey Jr. will be continuing the family tradition. He too is a seasoned veteran, substituting for his dad for years filling in several times a week. Paul Junior has also been writing the stories so loved by the audience for more than 30 years now. I think he'll be a worthy heir to the mic.

So every time I am able, you can rest assured I'll be tuning in around midday to hear " the rest of the story ".

Thank you Paul Harvey for so many great memories.

Happy Birthday wishes to my fellow blogger Jungle Mom.

You remind us daily of the great things in life

If your day is as good as my 29th, 21st then I know you be having a true celebration

May you have at least a hundred more.

Today I send out a special Birthday greeting for all things good
to my fellow blogger and Monk fan
"Cheese Monkey, Short Stuff, Thriver, !Ludicrous!, Taco Girl, Soul Skittles, the best human friend of Imperial Kitty".

May today be your best one ever
Happy Birthday
Eat all the cake you want

Thank You so much.

University of Georgia football fan are a little saddened today.


Long time voice of the Dogs Larry Munson is retiring.

Larry is a living legend, and not just in the hearts of Georgia fans. It's the end of an era. Munson with his unique and very partisan play-by-play style has been calling the games for 43 years. It seems longer.

Larry Munson who turns 86 next week is stepping away from the microphone for good.

"What do you say when a legend steps down?" Georgia coach Mark Richt asked .

What indeed? He'll be missed

I heard yesterday in news out of London that Richard Wright, keyboardist and founding member of Pink Floyd had died. He was 65 and had been quietly fighting a battle with cancer.

Rick Wright was self-taught as a child and wrote some of the bands key songs. Despite being a member of one of the most successful bands in the world he shunned the spotlight even on stage.

Richard was a quiet man and kept a low profile within the music business and had recently been working on an upcoming solo project scheduled for release late this year.

He was married and the father of two adult children and younger son, Ben.

David Gilmour his band mate, said, “( Rick was ) a gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognized Pink Floyd sound. No-one can replace Richard Wright - he was my musical partner and my friend.”

NEVER FORGET

The countries oldest pilot has died. John M. Miller was 102, nearly as old as aviation itself.

John Miller born Dec. 15, 1905, witnessed some aviation histories most exciting events. And he was a part of several too. When he was four, he saw his first airplane. Glenn Curtiss landed in a field across from his. Johnny was there when Charles Lindbergh took off across the Atlantic to Paris. Amelia Earhart was one of his friends.

His last words were to his nephew at the bedside. “I guess my flying days are over,”

Johnny flew for United and Eastern Airlines. Later he was a test pilot for Kellett Autogiro Company. He pioneered the flying of airmail from the roof Philadelphia post office using an autogiro. Three planes flown by Miller are in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. John Miller held three world records in aviation including one which stood for seventy-two years. Coast to coast in an autogiro

John Miller was a health advocate. He never smoked or drank and he maintained the same weight and blood pressure as when he was 18. For exercise, he took brisk walks up and down hills.

"Flying is a youth preservative, if you live through it." J.M. Miller, 9/3/2002

Today is a sad day for the Bull Dog Nation

University of Georgia mascot Uga VI died of congestive heart failure Friday night in Savannah. He will be buried in a marble vault in the southwest corner of the stadium alongside his five predecessors, according to a UGA news release.

Uga VI was the Georgia winningest mascot with an 87-27 football record during his tenure which began in 1999. He also presided over the 2002 and 2005 SEC Championships and winning six of eight bowl games. Uga was a good old dog. He was over 70 in people years.

One of Uga's sons will be named as the successor later.

THANKS

Well it's Official:

Pilot/Adventurer Steve Fossett has been declared dead by the Cook County Circuit Court.

The declaration had been pursued by Steve’s wife Peggy, in order to resolve the legal status of his estate.

And so it ends..…after five months of searching by literally thousands of people. The search was one of the largest in history, covering over 20,000 square miles of rugged terrain. The search turned-up 18 previous accident sites ranging up seventy years old. All had gone down in the same general area without recovery.

As you remember, Fossett had gone on a routine flight in Nevada using a friend's

Decathlon, a small two seat plane. The flight was to look over locations for an attempt to break the land-speed record.

Fossett had an amazing life and held many world records. He was the first person to circle the globe solo in a balloon.

He also set world records by being the first to fly a plane around the world solo without refueling. That flight took 67 hours and covered 23000 miles.

His friend, Sir Richard Branson, noted that "Steve's lived his life to the full, and he hasn't wasted a minute of his life... Everything he's done, he's taken a calculated risk with."

Fossett had been inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame this July a few months before his fateful flight.

We Will Never Forget


Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
December 7th 1941
2,403 people died that day, 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians. Another 1,178 were wounded.

For those who made our Freedom a reality
Thank youWe will never forget !!

On no the 'Smiley Face' is 25

What is man kinds most lasting contribution to electronic messaging? I submit it is the 'Smiley Face' !!

:-)


Claimed to have been invented by professor Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon University, he says he first posted it at 11:44 a.m. on Sept. 19, 1982.


Happy Birthday 'Smiley'


;-)

One of the worlds greatest men died today. Don Herbert, TV's "Mr. Wizard"

Mr Wizard taught two generations science could be fun. He taught kids to think.

With his network tv show from 1951 to 1964 and again in the 80's, Don Herbert showed how to predict and measure and analyze a problem. His shows featured a simple, workshop-like set, and he demonstrated experiments using household items. He encouraged children to duplicate experiments at home. Mr Wizard received a Peabody Award in 1954.

Herbert's place in TV history was acknowledged by later stars. When "Late Night with David Letterman" debuted in 1982, Herbert was among the first-night guests.

I was lucky to have watched both shows. I even taped a few of the later ones.

I'll always be a Mr Wizard fan. A TRUE SCIENTIST
Don Herbert was 89.