The Wednesday report will be a bit of Tuesday in addition to Wednesday. We had some inclement weather both nights. Tuesday it rained. Wednesday was Wagnerian opera.

July 26 | Monday was so full of activity that it seemed to last for more than one day. A day lasts a long time when the garbage truck starts your day at 5 am!

July 25 | Sunday is the day people leave this magical week to return home to responsibilities and loved ones. It is a bittersweet parting, but with the intention of seeing each other again in a year.

July 24 | Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful. The Pietenpol pilots were gathered around the fire pit with coffee in hand. The great Pietenpol Not-A-Race-But-A-Performance-Evaluation would start shortly. Tension was in the air…not.

July 23 | Today was a memorable day for me in Brodhead. I had my first Pietenpol ride here in over 15 years. And my second. And my third.

I finally decided to not be shy anymore and to walk boldly up to one of those imposing Pietenpol pilots and ask for a ride. They didn’t wear a leather jacket, $200 aviator sunglasses, or have those long silk scarves around their necks. They usually had on a Pietenpol t-shirt from a previous fly-in and usually had on shorts and sneakers.

July 22 | Jim Markel made me cry today. Jim’s not a mean guy, and he wouldn’t do that on purpose for the world, but when he started to have trouble talking, and when his eyes started getting red, and when he started grimacing to keep from crying himself, I just couldn’t help myself.