RWI0021 – Home Base for the Holidays
Moochdocking in TX
Don got approval for Captain Upgrade Training which meant he would be in Phoenix for a month or so followed by a month of reserve duty. Fall was approaching and the Holidays were looming.
We set up our Moochdocking site at June’s home in Kempner Texas with plans to head to Florida just after the new year. In true Rollin’ With It style, all of our plans changed.
Airline Captain Training
Phoenix is one of my favorite cities. I have been there in the heat of summer and loved it. The fall weather was even better with hot days and cold nights. I stayed at the Aloft Hotel in Tempe which is located just North of Tempe Town Lake. I walked the Lake every day, along with walks down Mill Avenue through the University of Arizona campus and to the top of “A” mountain. My favorite hike in Phoenix is Echo Canyon side of Camelback Mountain where you are actually climbing up rocks to get to the summit.
Training was a bear. We started off with ten in our class and only six walked away with another stripe on their shoulder. It consisted of ground school and testing, simulator training and testing and then off to Houston for Initial Operating Experience (IOE)…and testing. Maybe it is my age, but I found this training more grueling than my Air Assault training in the Army.
Flying in the Left seat as a Captain is home for me. I love being in charge, making decisions and setting the tone for the crew. It has been a hard road for me, but I really love teaching and learning from my First Officers.
Thanksgiving
This year’s Thanksgiving Celebration was held at Mother Claire’s home in San Antonio Texas. My mother and father moved next door to us six months after we moved our family to San Antonio. It felt weird to pass by our old home every time we go to see Memere (Mom). The person that bought our home in San Antonio turned it into a Hostel. While we were away on our first-year adventure, homesick Luke found our home listed on the internet – Sue Casinha Hostel.
All of Memere’s children and grandchildren made it for thanksgiving this year. My sister Dawn, her Husband Jeff and their four children made a road trip from Florida to attend. Most everyone else except us live in San Antonio. It was a great feast, plenty of drinking and lots of smack talking. No better way to spend time with family.
Christmas
I was off work on Christmas Eve and Christmas day and was able spend time with my family in Kempner. Christmas this year was mellow as we all were gearing up for our New Year’s Trip.
New Years
It was decided. We were going to do a Wynn family Ski Vacation on Lake Tahoe for New Years. We had stayed on Lake Tahoe last summer, so it was great to see the contrast of the area full of snow. June (Julie’s mom), Clint (Julie’s Brother) and his wife Ali and their two boys and the Peters family collected in a VRBO ski chalet on the West Side of Lake Tahoe near the Homewood Ski Resort.
Kids snowboarded, and most of the adults skied the hills of Homewood during the days and the kids built snowmen and sled paths during the evenings. We were able to make it through the week with no broken bones.
Snowmobiling is a must when visiting Tahoe. We spent the day sledding the North Side of Lake Tahoe and experienced some breathtaking views.
The Long Pause
As soon as we got back from our New Year adventure, I was ready to roll to Florida. Our plans changed to sitting in place until the end of March or Middle of April. Jonathan moved to San Antonio and has been working since. Kaylin is working on finishing High School split with working at Chick Fill-A. She is saving to travel on her Gap Year. Luke is loving the ability to visit San Antonio often and visiting his friends.
The Corona Virus began taking hold of the country about this time. The country began shutting down all essential business state-by-state. Social distancing went into effect with self-quarantine. Oh yeah there was a toilet paper panic at the start of this event.
Time to Move Out
Reduction in Travel hit the Airlines by storm. Starting in March, I began to fly half-full airplanes. By the end of March, I was flying as few as five passengers and many of my flights were being canceled. In April we were reduced to 20% flying – Most of my classmates and friends were put on Reserve for the month of April. Reserve requires us to be ready to work and be prepared to fly within two hours of notification.
My options were to stay in place and get a crashpad in Houston or move to Houston until my Reserve flying is over. We decided to move out and ended up at the Thousand Trails Lake Conroe – about ½ hour drive North of Houston.
Over the Holidays we obtained a Thousand Trails Membership transfer from Andy Moore – Owner of Moore Chiropractic. It is kind of like a timeshare for RV’ers. We buy the membership and pay a monthly fee. For this we can stay in any of their parks for 21 days at a time at no cost. We selected the Thousand Trails Lake Conroe as our first TT park.
