Drakesbad and Better

August is usually fly-in free, but this year we had a special treat. Steve and Nancy arranged a trip to Drakesbad Guest Ranch in Lassen Volcanic National Park. 23 DAFers flew (or drove) to Chester, CA, and then headed into the park for the weekend. The scenery was gorgeous, and there were plenty of places to hike or ride to. Eric Kinder and Roger Hoh even caught fish, if their version of things is to be believed. No photographic evidence was produced, so anything could have happened!
Some people went horseback riding, and the pool got a lot of use afterward. Dusty trails were the rule, so a good rinse was essential! At night, the pool provided a great location for stargazing, as the area is truly dark at night. No light pollution up here. The nightly campfire provided a great place for S'mores, nightcaps and a chance for everyone to share their adventures. 
The food was excellent, and the service was ideal. The staff at Drakesbad were all friendly and helpful, and right there when you needed anything. They made everyone feel right at home. 
A fantastic trip, with great weather to boot! Thanks to Steve and Nancy for setting this up.

Around the Whirled in 80 Days

This year's Hangar Party was almost the one that got away. The new policies for parties hosted by an airport business were suddenly applied to the DAF, and the requirements would have prevented the party from going ahead. Fortunately, our fearless (and feckless) president, Larry, rolled up his sleeves and went to work. With the aid of Tim Goodrich, DAF member and Torrance City Councilman, a special one time exemption for the Del Amo Flyers was passed, enabling the party to go on. And go on it did!
The original theme was slightly hijacked due to the alchohol issues to add a prohibition theme. Carry Nation's Leminade Stand was the new bar, which changed to Debbie Dunn's Dunnit Inn when the "authorities" were gone. Al Gibbs created a classic Speakeasy style lemanade serving table, which flipped over to reveal an operational roulette wheel. Unfortunatly, the chips were only worth what you paid for them, so nobody got rich.
Mitch provided smoked brisket, which was paired with grilled chicken and the usual assortment of potluck The band had a good crowd on the dance floor, and a great time was had by all!
Many thanks to the Hangar Party Committee, ably led by Linda Howard. Maggie Smith set up the bar and make an excellent lemonade, Patti LaGrelius checked everyone in, Laurice Churchill, Lori Delane and Anne O'Brien worked on decorations along with Robert Beckwith, and there were plenty of other volunteers who helped out. Thanks again to everyone!

Work in Progress

Our July dinner meeting featured special guest Dr. Perry Roth-Johnson, an aerospace engineer and informal science educator. He told us about the plans for the future home of Space Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center which will includes a 200,000 square foot expansion wing with three main multi-level galleries: Air, Space, and Shuttle. When completed, the Center will include over 100 artifacts and 150 hands-on exhibits. We all enjoyed his talk and hope he'll join us again soon!

Some Glamped, Some Camped

The weather was just about perfect in the Santa Ynez valley as 13 DAFers descended into the Flying Flags RV Resort in Buellton for the June 9-11 weekend. Six DAFers stayed in fully-tricked-out Safari Tents, Mitch and Jan stayed in a vintage Airstream trailer, and the remaining DAFers pitched their own tents at the resort's campground.

There seemed to be a contest as to how many wineries could be visited during the weekend. As far as this reporter could tell, it was a neck-to-neck race between Team Frugal Campers (the pitch-your-own tent people) and Team Sedey/Sappington. The Campers went straight from landing at KIZA and drove to a couple of local wineries (not even taking time to set up camp - something they may have regretted later). Team Sedey/Sappington also visited a tasting room or two before getting to their Safari Tents (their only regret was missing the daily Safari Tent turn-down service).

On Friday evening, we had Happy Hour at the Safari campground fire pit followed by a great BBQ dinner, and a second Happy Hour back at the fire pit. On Saturday, most people drove into Santa Ynez to walk around the annual western-themed "Old Santa Ynez Days" street fair. The teams then formed back up and set off for an afternoon of more wine tasting. An early group dinner was held on the patio of the beautiful Vineyard House restaurant in Santa Ynez, followed by the mandatory Happy Hour meetup back at the fire pit.

It was a fun weekend attended by an enthusatic group of DAFers. Thanks to Larry and Jodie for setting everything up.