20 May - First Communion

After six classes the boys received their first Communion at the Episcopal Church of our Savior.

With our Rector, Rev. Dr. John Palarine

Boys with their crosses

04 May - Change of Command

The Red Lancers of Patrol Squaron TEN held a change of command ceremony where CDR Andy Miller was relieved by CDR Tim Parker.  I became XO.  

 More about the squadron can be found here

 Most new XOs don't even get a cake!

The new Red Lancer triad.  CDR Tim Parker and his wife Heather, Kim and I, Command Master Chief Sean Carolan and his wife Heather

We returned home from the ceremony to find our yard decorated with Red Lances.  Across the back they say, "It's hard to be humble when you're a Perfect Ten." 

Following weekend we went by the office to set things up and take a look around

01 May - The 2nd Front Tooth

 

 No more corn on the cob for a while

27-30 Apr: Dan and Michelle's Wedding - San Francisco

After class in Norfolk on Friday I ran to the airport and caught a flight to Charlotte where I met Kim.  We then flew to San Francisco to join the festivities surrounding the wedding of long time friend Dan and his fiance Michelle.  

Kim and I had both been sick for weeks with bronchitis and weren't sure if we were going to "make it", but we were very happy we soldiered on. 

 Saturday morning Kim caught a ride with a friend of Dan's, a lady FBI agent (Kim has declared this woman her new hero for arresting people in heels) to attend a breakfast with the bride and her party.  The venue was the Garden Court at the iconic Palace Hotel.  I met Dan and his buddies for brunch at the Typsy Pig.  You could tell which side of the aisle had class.  

Aside from Dan's parents and his sister, who I had not seen in years, we didn't know anyone but the whole crowd was a great mix of folks.  Dan works for the government and Michelle is a teaching pulmonologist and they have a real interesting group of friends.  

 Courtesy of Dan and Michelle we were all taken on a trolley tour of San Francisco and then to lunch at your standard Peruvian restaurant.

 Pang Kee Market - my favorite shop in Chinatown

 

After lunch we were on our own until the wedding the next afternoon to walk the familiar San Francisco tourist areas - Fisherman's Wharf and all that - and spend time with some of the people we met.  I had a chance to check up on my gift for the groom.  I was soon distraught to learn someone had given him USA 77.  Errrggghhhh!!!

Sunday afternoon we were all chauffered up to St. John Serbian Orthodox Church for the ceremony.  We had some time before the events and had coffee with one of their friends who flew in from Tunis, Tunisia for the wedding.  He had founded a clean water NGO that was now funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Beats, "so which air wing were you in?"  His trip length was bested by another friend that had flown in from Bangladesh.  

As an aside, I asked Dan what one should wear to a Serbian Orthodox wedding in San Fran.  He said, "just wear a suit."  That's a good chuckle - most Naval Aviators aren't exactly suit savvy or well-equipped, especially this one.  Luckily Mr. Jilani in the Manama Souq had cut some quality cloth for me ten years ago.  It still fit (shew!) and was still in fashion (Kim googled to make sure).

 Never been to a Serbian Orthodox Church before.  Very pretty. 

 We had no idea what to expect for the ceremony - hours long? in English?  participation?  No clue.  Turns out simple, pretty - Protopresbyter Djurica Gordic, the Parish Priest, sang almost the entire ceremony in Serbian.  The key parts of the ceremony are the ring exchange, crowning, common cup, ceremonial walk and removal of the crowns.

 After the ceremony we were bussed down to Cellar 360, a wine store above the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, for the reception.  Our view.

We had a fantastic weekend.  Thanks to Dan and Mich for hosting an outstanding wedding.  Great location, great people and most importantly a great ceremony for two special friends.  I was very pleased I got spend a lot of time with Dan, we don't see each other but every few years and you never know how it will work out on a wedding weekend.  So a pleasant surprise there.

Congratulations!

23-27 Apr: Week in Norfolk with Bill

I had to attend a school at Commander Naval Air Forces Atlantic in Norfolk.  After the Tropaia I rode down to Norfolk with Bill and Jen.  Lots of hanging out and great sushi.  Class didn't start until Tuesday so we hit up the nearby Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach.  This is one of the finest private collections of warbirds in the US.  Bill and I were lame enough to not even get a picture of ourselves together the entire week, but here's some of the day at the museum.

 1944 de Havilland Dragon Rapide.  I think I would fancy this as my Sunday afternoon, "take for a stroll" equipment. 

Recent addition to the museum is this B-17 just acquired from an estate in Texas.  Who knew you still could find flying B-17s "around"?

Flying Fortress beside a grass strip on a cool overcast day.  The same setting it made history in.

Flying reproduction of the 1911 Curtis Pusher which made the first landing aboard a ship, the USS Pennsylvania, in 1918.  The reproduction was built by a retired S-3 pilot in commemoration of the Centennial of Naval Aviation last year.

25 April - Andy is an Ant

20-22 Apr: Uncle Stick's Georgetown Tropaia

The whole family went to Washington DC to attend Uncle Stick's Tropaia for completion of the Georgetown McDonough School of Business Executive MBA program.

Save when Andy was a baby, the boys had never been to DC before.  We had a few hours Saturday morning before the ceremony so we made a metro trip over to the Mall and hit up a couple of the Smithsonians real quick.  Zach couldn't get enough.  He ran exhibit to exhibit. 

Andy's not so much one to look at stuff, but he'll eat up an experiment

 Zach's brain on overdrive in the Museum of Natural History's great hall

 Boys getting ready with the graduate

Pictures of everyone in front of John Carroll, founder of Georgetown

Congrats Uncle Stick!!!