The Hills Are Alive...

…with the whoosh of thousands of wind turbines.  Five thousand power generators have been installed on 50 square miles in beautifully scenic Tehachapi, CA. Each turbine stands higher than the Statue of Liberty and has a blade span of 125 ft. Put 5000 of them together and they become a forest of steel on the desert mountains.  Quite a sight to see.

Our two weeks of flight testing in the Mojave Desert was mostly “hurry up and wait.” Mechanical difficulties grounded the Air Force test plane and gave us plenty of time for sight-seeing.  While we waited for parts to be delivered and installed, we drove to Yosemite National Park. On the way we saw the amazing display of wind farm technology pictured above. This relatively new green energy is not without controversy especially from those who are opposed to the steel monstrosities defacing the view.

The glorious view of Yosemite is protected against any kind of development and economic intrusion. The granite cliffs that we observed from above at Glacier Point and below in Yosemite Valley filled me with awe and wonder at the tremendous forces that created our planet.  The giant Sequoia trees, some of the oldest trees in the world, stood as towering monuments to the beauty of God’s handiwork. Observing the grandeur of Yosemite reminded us of the first verse of “How Great Thou Art”- “O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds, thy hands have made.”

As we drove back from Yosemite, we saw another man made wonder-the Tehachapi Loop.  The spiral tracks allow trains to navigate the steep grade of the Tehachapi Pass.  Opened in 1876 by the Union Pacific Railroad to deliver the abundant produce of the San Joaquin Valley to Los Angeles, this was considered one of the engineering feats of its day.  We were very excited to actually see a freight train navigating the tunnels and passing over itself as it went around the loop. It reminded me of a snake trying to catch its tail.  

Whether it is old technology (trains) or new technology (wind turbines) or God’s creative hand at work, we live in a fascinating world with lots of new things to explore.  I learn something new each day that makes me want to sing,  “How Great Thou Art.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't Buy Green Bananas

My oldest son sent me a list of humorous sayings about growing old.  “I’m retired-I was tired yesterday and I am tired again today.”  “I’m not old, I’m chronologically gifted.” Or my personal favorite: “I’m so old I don’t buy green bananas anymore.” 

High school students were challenged to dress as senior adults.  Of course, they came to school in hospital gowns, on walkers, and in wheelchairs. Unfortunately, for some senior adults with failing health that is the reality. For many with relatively good health the post retirement years can be the best years of all. I like to call those of us who fit that category: Semi-Seniors.

With more people than ever living to see their 90^th birthday, what do we do with the extra 25 years we have been given post retirement?  Some may choose a new hobby or volunteer activity.  Others decide to take a risk and embark on a second career. At age 65, my late bloomer husband, Charles, and I formed our company, Consulting Aviation Services. He patented two inventions to change the flying characteristics of aircraft and during the past ten years, we have been testing those devices in wind tunnels and on various airplanes.  Before the summer is over, we will travel to California to visit the Mojave Desert for an Air Force flight test and back to Maryland for more wind tunnel testing. I often ask myself what else could we be doing with these later years of our lives? 

Aerospace engineering is Charles life’s work.  His story of success and failure and perseverance in spite of challenging circumstances and motivated by his faith in God needs to be told. My interest in writing and his life’s work are about to merge as I start writing his memoir with the working title “Reaching for the Sky.” I will start the first draft of his book in a nice cool hotel room while he is hard at work in the desert heat at the Air Force base. His story will be a good companion to my memoir, “Born Three Times.”

Oliver Wendall Holmes is attributed with the quote: “Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.”  It is a balancing act to grow old gracefully, but not fall into the stereotypes that others—even our own children—ascribe to us.  It is much more difficult to challenge ourselves to take bold steps to make the last years of our lives the most interesting and meaningful of all.