Blog Along with Me

Today I write blog post #98 and celebrate the fourth anniversary of Too/Two Late Bloomers, which I started in May 2012. During these four years, 20,000 people in over 20 countries have clicked on my blog. I think that is something to celebrate. Last week I taught a class on blogging for beginners at my Christian Authors Guild writers’ group and was amazed that my experience encourages others to take a leap into the blogosphere. 

People benefit from blogging—especially senior adults— according to Carla K Johnson of the Associated Press who wrote an article entitled “Senior Citizen Bloggers Defy Stereotypes” in 2005. Putting your thoughts on paper and online is good therapy.

Blogging helps all age groups because people are writing about topics of interest to them. Blogging keeps our mental juices flowing and connects us with people of like interest. When people blog, they are not in front of the TV and are being creative. While reading and writing blogs, folks grow and learn each day.

You have gotten to know me and my late bloomer husband through my blog and now I’d like to know you better.

What would you blog about if you had the chance?

Here’s your opportunity. I am soliciting input for my blog from you and throwing out a challenge. Submit a paragraph or poem to me on any subject you like, and after editing I will publish it on my blog during the month of June. You can identify yourself or submit it anonymously. Here are some topics to choose from along with others that interest you.

• Rites of passage – graduations, weddings, new jobs, retirement
• Summer holidays – the flag, military service, parades, picnics
• Seasons of Life – empty nest syndrome, senior adulthood, children/grandchildren
• Spiritual Experiences – answered prayers, helping a neighbor, feeling God’s presence

Type your submission in the body of an email with the subject line reading: blog submission and send it to me at:  friedas@bellsouth.net

I can’t wait to see how many of you will accept the challenge.

Onward & Upward

Onward & Upward is the unofficial slogan of our company, Vortex Control Technologies. Charles and I started Consulting Aviation Services, the precursor of VCT, in 1996 and just celebrated our company’s 20th anniversary. In reality I think the slogan for both companies should be “Hurry Up & Wait.” 

It has been a long slog to bring Charles’ patented inventions that reduce drag on military and commercial aircraft into the marketplace.

The team of people working on our project

A milestone on the way to production occurred this month. At Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert in California, Air Force personnel representing the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia met to review the most recent flight test results using Charles’ devices on the C-17 cargo plane. The consensus of the meeting was that the first test results reached the targeted goals. Thumbs up approval was given to proceed to the next phase of testing which should produce even more drag reduction.  

When these Finlets are installed on the C-17, the Air Force will save millions of dollars in fuel. We hope that next year, we’ll be on our way to selling Finlets. However, we’ve been on this roller coaster ride many times before. So we remain cautiously optimistic that 2017 will be the year for the C-17. That has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

Finlets on a C-17 Cargo Plane

For the first time, since we started this project, photos and newspaper articles are available. We can finally talk about it since the information is now declassified.The headline of the Edwards Air Force Base newspaper reads “C-17 Drag Reduction Testing Aims at Saving Fuel.” This picture shows the C-17 aircraft and the temporary installation of the orange flight test Finlets. The second phase of testing will begin in May.

Charles applied for the Finlets patent in 2004 and has been working consistently on this project for twelve years. The government contracts have been slow in coming and we have waited months and sometimes years before receiving another infusion of funds. Our patience has been tested and retested. Every time, we think the project is dead in the water, something will happen to keep the project and our hopes alive. We keep waiting for the day someone says “The check’s in the mail.” 

These two late bloomers remind each other almost daily to enjoy the journey since the destination is so elusive. Whether we profit monetarily from all this work, it has been worth the effort. Onward & Upward!

This Bible Verse from Isaiah 40:31 inspires us on the journey.

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Georgia On My Mind

Fifty-four years ago this month I left my relatively sheltered life on the banks of Lake Ontario from the small town of Webster, New York to begin a new life in Atlanta, Georgia. It was quite a transition from being surrounded by the red maple trees and rural life in western New York to the tall pine trees and red dirt of north Georgia. At that time, Atlanta was just an up and coming city trying to make a name for itself.

My oldest sister, Jan, and her husband, Curt, lived here and it was at their invitation that I made the big move. My high school diploma was still wet and I needed a place to go to get some advanced education.  My high school goal was to attend a small campus of the New York State University system and major in education and international studies. My family’s finances could not make that dream a reality, so I flew to Georgia to attend a much more reasonably priced Executive Secretarial program that would train me to enter the workforce sooner rather than later.

It was at times a difficult adjustment due to the different cultures. The Old South was still very much a reality in the early Sixties and as a Yankee my accent and interests stood out like a sore thumb. I think everyone assumed that when I got my training that I would return to New York to look for a job. A funny thing happened on the way to graduation.  I decided I liked the Southern lifestyle and especially the weather—no blistering cold and lake effect snows for five months every year.

So many good things have happened to me since I left my comfort zone and embarked on a new way of life. Interesting jobs, marriage, children, a spiritual renewal, more education, a second marriage, a liver transplant, and good health in my later years to enjoy all that God has provided.

I have been blessed with Southern girlfriends who at times tease me about my Yankee roots. When I moved here I was 100% Yankee. But now based on the number of years I’ve lived here, I am 25% Yankee and 75% Southern. 

My memoir, Born Three Times—A New Life, A New, A New Love, fills in the blanks and tells the rest of my story. It tells the story of God’s amazing gift of second chances and provides inspiration for those who are going through difficult times. I would like to reach more people with the message of my book. You can help by clicking below on my Frieda Dixon, Author Facebook Page. After you open my page, be sure to click LIKE. My goal is 100 LIKES which will help me become more visible on Facebook. Thanks for your help and support of my blog.

https://www.facebook.com/FriedaDixonAuthor