Kansas City Travel log

Believe it or not, Cheryl and I sometimes do things that have absolutely nothing to do with aviation. I took this opportunity to take Cheryl to Kansas City for a long weekend getaway.

Usually, Cheryl is the travel planner, but this time, I thought I'd take a shot at it. I decided on the Hampton Inn on Country Club Plaza, and it turned out to be a great choice. Lots of shops and eateries, but I was determined to show Cheryl a more memorable trip than merely an out of town shopping trip. After a BBQ lunch at Jack's Stacks, (It is Kansas City after all) we drove up to Weston, Missouri, for the Weston's Cemetery Stroll. This is one we'll put on our calendar for next year. The town's folk dress up as the dearly departed, and tell their story as you stroll around the cemetery. Honestly, I had never heard of Weston, but it truly is a very historic town. The cemetery is unique in that it has union, and confederate soldiers, town founders and slaves buried there. It seems a good number of them had amazing stories to tell. The stroll was more historic than creepy, and we got great recommendations for dinner. We opted for O'Malley's Irish Pub. When they told us there was live music in a cave under the restaurant, it was a no-brainer. This cave by the way was a stop in the underground railroad, helping runaway slaves to freedom. What can I say, another keeper.

Saturday was an early trip to the farmer's market. We then visited the 2nd annual Art festival in the power and light district, followed by brunch at Lidia's. If you get nothing else from this blog entry, trust me on this; eat at Lidia's. Cheryl and I had the Saturday brunch, and the pasta trio sampler was amazing. Buffet salads, antipasto, and desserts, you pick your entree. Lidia's was one of the most enjoyable meals I've had lately.

Kansas City has seen temperatures in the high 90's this weekend, so we finished up Saturday with a trip to Crown Plaza, and taking in the new "Transformers" movie. Sunday was breakfast with one of Cheryl's brothers and his wife, and a leisurely drive home. I really had planned on a Gate's "Burt Ends" (no it's not misspelled) sandwich for lunch, but I just couldn't do it. Oh well, that will be first on our list for next time.

I promise it will be back to work on Monday, and the next blog will be airplane stuff, but I just thought I'd share our weekend.

Drop "Bombs" and accuracy landing.

Break out your competitive spirit, because the sixth thing to do with your Remos is compete. Today, St. Charles Flying Service hosted a fly-in. Perfect weather, food, drink, music, good friends, and of course, airplanes. Part of the festivities included an accuracy landing competition, and a "bomb drop". We had a great time, but honestly, even I was surprised by the attention the Remos got. Several aspiring new aviators inquired as to what it took to learn to fly the Remos, and we got more than the usual interest in the GX. I want to persoanlly thank Max, Jim, John, Rick and Lou, as well as a couple of names I can't recall. I really appreciate your interest, and I enjoyed our flights. I have to admit, I really enjoy the reaction of my customers first flight in the Remos. I have never given a demo ride and have my passenger tell me they were disappointed in the aircraft. That says a lot considering the glowing reviews we've received from publications such as Flying, Plane and Pilot, and EAA's Sport Aviation. All in all, I had a great Saturday, wish you all could have been there. I leave you with this short video. A Light Sport Student in the accuracy landing competition.

Fifth thing to do with your Remos.

Another guest Blogger. This installment courtesy of my brother Dave. Hope you enjoy it.

What do I do with my Remos? Family comes first around our house. Even though the Grandparents live over 460 n.m. miles away, they still support my children’s activities. When my little girl started selling Girl Scout cookies, you know who got the first sales call…Grandma and Grandpa. Their generous and excessive order was a magnificent boost for a first time sales girl. The big surprise came when the cost of shipping was computed. What options are there to UPS? Well, when your daughter insist on the same personal service she sees her uncle perform, the only thing that is acceptable is hand delivery. The Remos to the rescue. The preflight planning for the flight from Atlanta to St. Louis was completed. There was a slight hesitation, Caren’s last flight was 45 minutes of continuous crying, followed by two hours of fatigue induced sleep. Now that was four years ago when she was only three. My concern was erased when Caren started taking pictures of every body of water we flew over. She directed my flight for optimum viewing of any aquatic point of interest. The four hour flight was a blur as we sashayed our way over Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois. It really impressed her when we flew up the Mississippi River and got the her photo with the St. Louis Arch in the background. The best photo was at the actual delivery to Grandma and Grandpa. Who wants to place an order for next year?