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Thread: Back from the black

  1. #1

    Default Back from the black

    Took a few days back to the Pacific Northwest in late June and got too close to the edge. Back to the land of the Phoenix to heal a bit, still not much use of the left arm but I do get to keep it, rather attached to it. Elves joined forces with the Minions and have made a mess of the shop and new negotiations are under way for the backlog of dreams to be realised when I can focus a little better. The long fall vented much of my enthusiasm and the loss of much of my crew will impact my course in the nearer future, more to follow as all stations report in. Clipper 're-surfacing . . .

  2. #2

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    Great to have you back, David!
    Do take it steady, old chap.

  3. #3

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    Good to see you back in the circuit David - steady as she goes !

    "He is wise who watches"

  4. #4

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    Take it slow. The projects aren't going anywhere without you!

  5. #5

    Dom S's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by clipper1801 View Post
    ...still not much use of the left arm... rather attached to it.
    Just make sure you *stay* attached to it.... I realise the folly of telling you to take it steady, but, you know, take it steady....

  6. #6

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    So glad to hear of/from you - you've been missed!

    Take care and get better - even elves need a break from time to time

    All the best,
    Matt

  7. #7

  8. #8

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    Whoa! What?

    So, obviously the elves aren't sharing their magic flying dust with you?

    Lots of positive vibes coming at you, Dave. Get well.
    Mike
    "Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss" Douglas Adams
    "Wings of Glory won't skin your elbows and knees while practicing." OldGuy59

  9. #9

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    Glad you're back Dave!

  10. #10

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    It is good to hear from you, David. Take care and really recover. Anything else can wait.

  11. #11

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    Welcome back, Iknow where you are coming from, stay safe

  12. #12

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    Hey Brother, may you know some peace regarding your health.

    It is good sharing these skies with you - far more important to us than your modeling wizardry, as appreciated as that is.
    “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ― Plato

  13. #13

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    hi dave hope you mend quickly! let the elves handle the load for awhile and you take it easy let yourself heal!

  14. #14

    Smile

    What have you been up to now David?

    Hope your repair quickly as those Elves could get up to anything without your guiding hand.

    Best wishes Wingman.

  15. #15

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    Good to hear from you David - take it easy and get well soon

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by clipper1801 View Post
    Took a few days back to the Pacific Northwest in late June and got too close to the edge.
    ...why is everyone glaring at me?

  17. #17

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    Are you sure the Minions didn't *push* you over? Here's what the smallest and most aggressive member of the family thinks of those little yellow troublemakers...


    Junior sure does like the good ol' Direct Approach, huh? LOL
    Historical Consultant/Researcher, Wings and Sails lines - Unless stated otherwise, all comments are personal opinion only and NOT official Ares policy.
    Wings Checklists: WWI (down Navarre Nieuport, Ares Drachens) | WWII (complete)

  18. #18

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    Barney's really losing it isn't he !

    "He is wise who watches"

  19. #19

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    Who said anything about the Magenta Menace? Junior there's from Jurassic Park stock... LOL (It's a story, but not having production photos to design from a lot of the early JP merch had red tyrannosaurs because that's what color they were in Crichton's original novel.)

    T&P, Dave, good to hear you're on the mend but sucks to have had the accident to start with.
    Historical Consultant/Researcher, Wings and Sails lines - Unless stated otherwise, all comments are personal opinion only and NOT official Ares policy.
    Wings Checklists: WWI (down Navarre Nieuport, Ares Drachens) | WWII (complete)

  20. #20

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    We were beginning to wonder. Prayers and best wishes for your recovery. And make sure to listen to the Docs; they're only quackish part of the time
    Karl
    It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus

  21. #21

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    Good to hear from you Dave, and to know you are on the mend.
    Let Elf and safety be your Mantra from now on.
    You mean too much to us all to see you like this.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  22. #22

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    Glad to see you back here Dave, take care that man, get the elves to Dress from the right and stand at ease until you are ready

  23. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by flash View Post
    Barney's really losing it isn't he !
    Liking that one BIG style

    Great to have you back with us David. Best Wishes from this side of The Pond.

  24. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by Diamondback View Post
    Are you sure the Minions didn't *push* you over? Here's what the smallest and most aggressive member of the family thinks of those little yellow troublemakers...


    Junior sure does like the good ol' Direct Approach, huh? LOL
    Sure is one way to deal with an infestation of Minions.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  25. #25

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    Hope the mending goes well Dave. You are an inspiration to us all, so don't let it keep you from doing what you love!

  26. #26

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    Thanks all. I had started the journey to visit my aging father (82 yrs) who not only introduced me to airplanes, but also gave me my first drafting board, tools and lessons at age 6. He taught me how to draw in views and sections, isometrics and the wonderful gift of process engineering to have an idea in my head, the tools to extract it into working drawings and the skills to make it from any material fitting. I learned to carve, shape, mold, weld and cast by 10 and had the skills to make anything I could dream of.

    I remember back in '69 making a 24' tall Apollo rocket under the shade of the family apple tree out of 4 refrigerator boxes gathered from the local appliance store. Two of my friends and I stayed up in the command module the weekend only being coaxed down by mission control (mom) for fresh donuts and TV coverage the Armstrong's first step. That just begins the dad memories. So when he called and told me he had sold the truck he had restored back in '72, I knew I needed to make a 1,200 mile trip to see how he was really doing. On arrival all was great, we had a great time dining out and talking over fun memories, took him out for my birthday and had a wonderful celebration.







    The next day our journey took us north to Hope, Idaho to share a 4th of July with the rest of the family including my U.S. grandson (2.4 yrs).





    Again had a great time until 7:00 pm on the 4th when I had a stroke as I stepped out to enjoy the grilling and feast. It is a very strange sensation if you have not experienced it. Everything goes quiet, slows down, kind of like a bad home video. Hyper surrealistic would come close to the vision components. People morph in and out of view, you can see through some for a moment then the next parts dissolve and you see things you never could imagine. The numbness flows up through your left arm and leg, racing for your shoulder, to your chin and then the sparkly electric colors hit your vision, its like a trip in the 70's at the end of 2001 movie. Then the quiet explodes with hyper hearing and tasting. You can smell the pines and furs, then the dark black . .

    After a few days of recovery with no lingering effects we headed back to Coeur d'Alene to spend a few last days with dad before returning to the AZ. Then the hits came. Right after lunch with my dad, he had a major heart event, heart racing and out of control, we almost lost him then and there, but the cardiologists were able to stop his heart and restart it. That happened 3 times. I was calling my sisters to get here fast from Oregon and Connecticut and while on the phone things went black for me once again. Good place to be when it happens! It was so crazy in the ER no one noticed I had slumped out in the corner. I came to an hour later and things had stabilized, dad was under and being prepped for an angioplasty to see if his heart veins would allow for heart surgery. They were not. As the heart surgeon told me the results my phone rang with the bad news my best friend and mentor in my work had been found dead in his home in AZ. Sudden heart attack, instant death. I hung up to hear the surgeon say dad was not a candidate for heart surgery. More crazy news.

    I had to make a lot of calls, one I had put off a day. His best friend for 59 years, fellow pilot and crop duster for decades, also a long time model builder and flyer. I had to call him and tell him the news. His wife drove him up immediately 150 miles to sit with my dad. The plan for my dad was forming up, replace his pacemaker with a new design that also had a defibrillator function. One to keep his heart beating, the other to keep it from running away and tearing his heart apart. Good news bad news. The 24 joule shock would likely kill him as it fired to save him. 20% chance to survive. . . hearing the news as a pilot he said he had flown riskier missions . . .

    That is when things started to side slip for me, loosing altitude, gaining airspeed . . . reconnecting with all these treasures, family, friends, wingmen, modelers, mentors . . . reveling in the memories and days gone past, and seeing some of them slip away, some vanish from the horizon and the blue turning, spinning . . . a sudden recovery. Wings and life level, home, work routines. Dad is doing better, taking careful steps, calling in each day. Same with family and friends.

    Two days after arriving home and unpacking, I did the funeral for my friend and mentor in a packed church. I was not alone in my loss, we were all flying low. His grandson came up afterword to ask if I remembered him; I had taught him to fly the R/C Aeronca Champ his grandfather had bought him several years ago. I remembered. He asked if we could fly again sometime . . . up an altitude marker.

    Why this long and painful message? One can lurk on the horizon of life and flight and be safe. One can merely watch and take a few shots at those to try and fail. But one really knows who really engages the sky. The climb is breathtaking, the clouds are looming and majestic, but one really can only understand the brotherhood of flight and risk, when you first break through the upper cloud layer and discover the rapture of the deep blue where the sky meets the stars. Look around, see the aviator's realm, and cherish the wingmen you encounter there, for the day will come when the fuel gauge calls you back, the long fall back to earth. . . Clipper on course and still climbing . . . thank you each for this time to share the sky.

  27. #27

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    Wow Dave. I have tears in my eyes. Your models have inspired me, but now your words inspire me from a direction I did not expect. You summed up the human experience, fly high, dive deep, try to keep steady during the turbulence. It pains me to hear about your turbulence, so many hard events in such a short amount of time. I wish you strength in dealing with it. My heart goes out to you. Fly fearlessly.

  28. #28

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    i feel for you dave thats alot of bad news all at once on top of health issues. i certainly admire your positive attitude! i wish you and your dad all the luck in the world! your dad sounds like a great man and i cant help but admire you for your relationship with him. blue skies and easy landings my friend!

  29. #29

    Setarius's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies
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    Dave, I wish you the best of health for many years to come. I'm sorry for the loss of a close friend and am thankful you still have your father with you.
    May blue skies and starry nights be yours for many years to come.

  30. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by diceslinger View Post
    Wow Dave. I have tears in my eyes. Your models have inspired me, but now your words inspire me from a direction I did not expect. You summed up the human experience, fly high, dive deep, try to keep steady during the turbulence. It pains me to hear about your turbulence, so many hard events in such a short amount of time. I wish you strength in dealing with it. My heart goes out to you. Fly fearlessly.
    +1

  31. #31

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    Getting better every day, the left hand is working now, I'll give it a day or two and then its back to the painting! Maybe the Zepps this weekend . . . ! Ah what do people do without such therapy options?

  32. #32

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    Sometimes our borders are really thin. Hope your dad will be health soon. Crossing fingers and praying.
    PS: I like your way - back to work, continue, do not stop

  33. #33

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    Glad to hear you and your father are doing better, Dave.

  34. #34

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    My prayers are with you and yours at this time Dave.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  35. #35

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    Glad to hear things are improving. That's a lot of bad luck to cope with, but you sound as though you have taken it all in and dealt with it manfully!
    Condolences for the loss of your friend.
    By all means, do keep doing what makes you happy, but try to moderate it just a bit, so you can keep on flying high.

  36. #36

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    Read this thread and can't say many to this story.

    I'm always surpriesed how people share their feelings here. This is a big " leap of faith " for us forum members.

    No I'm 39 and my parents are in the "best" age (65 & 63). Possible death and heavy illness are no themes at the moment.


    I understand how you feel at the moment, David.

    Be happy to be able to talk and discuss with your dad about things that should be talked about.

    Somtimes the Grim Reaper steals us this chance.
    Voilŕ le soleil d'Austerlitz!

  37. #37

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    Bloody Hell Dave, you have certainly been "in the Wars"
    Difficult to say , but i hope you get yourself back into the pink soon and make a full recovery, we all breathtakingly watch your posts of utter madness and brilliance, I remember when I first saw your thread about making a Zepp, then the pics showed a dozen so get yourself sorted mate.
    Hope your father recovers also, my own parents are in their 80s so I understand the concern you have, more so after hearing your story.
    Sorry to hear about your friend also.
    Lets hope things settle down a bit for you, take care my friend.

  38. #38

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    Wow, Clipper. Glad to hear things are getting better.

  39. #39

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    My Father in law just turned 96.
    He had a pacemaker installed last month.
    We have to tell him to not take things so fast, digging up the garden (tricky - since WWII he's only got one arm).

    I suspect your father is made of the same stuff.

    I hope his son is too, and that the cerebral accidents won't recur. Fingers firmly crossed, Zoe

  40. #40

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    Blimey Dave, I missed this thread first time round. You have certainly been through the wringer one way and another. Like everyone else here I hope that your health improves and am glad you have still got your Dad.

    All the best my friend.
    Run for your life - there are stupid people everywhere!

  41. #41

    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    Hang in there, Dave! As you've said, it gets better with the help of family and community. I've read your post above three times now, and I tear up each time. But your enthusiasm and strength and love for life is so evident - it's an inspiration to us all.

    Please feel free to rely on any of us for whatever you need (I don't think I'm speaking out of turn here...) - and continue to get better. Let the elves work on you for a change

    Always the best,
    Matt

  42. #42

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    Back from another running engagement with Real Life. I just ran across your (hopefully after-) action report and am frankly moved by your words. Your resilience and drive to do the things you love are an example for all of us. (Even superannuated attempted cancer survivors.) You have a lot of friends and fans out there. Don't be bashful if there is anything besides strong positive vibes that we can contribute.

    Ron



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