Showing posts with label flying. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flying. Show all posts

Friday, December 28, 2018

Going Solo by Roald Dahl: Book Review

Going SoloTitle: Going Solo
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1988, YA up
Pages: 210

Believe it or not, this was my first Roald Dahl book. Lucky me, it was geared more for adults, as I found the book in a Roald Dahl collection for children. Wonderful read. I highly recommend this memoir. 

Dahl tells the story of his life as a young twenty-something British employee in east Africa working for the Shell Company. The adventures with his sometimes dangerous surroundings and the people he meets along the way are daring enough, but with the outbreak of World War II, his life turns on a dime. 

With minimal training, he finds himself flying all makes of planes for the Royal British Air Force in active combat against incredible odds. Few in his squad survive. Told with humor in great detail you will laugh and marvel he even survived. He was one very "green" pilot. 

~Sharon




Sharon M. Himsl
Published: Evernight Teen 
 

Friday, February 20, 2015

Celebrate the Small Things: A Snoozy Post

I crammed in a lot this week, in addition to sitting at the computer and working on my writing, so I feel a bit like Garfield right now. I'm calling this a snoozy post, because I could use a nap. 



Here's a mishmash of things of going on:


  • Attended my first Garden Club meeting. I'm officially an Earth Angel! A guest speaker talked about how to prune roses. Turns out, roses do really well in hot climates. Then I jumped off the deep end and volunteered for a Garden Show today. What was I thinking? But don't get me wrong, I love this stuff. It's my second outlet, next to writing.
  • Flew to Pullman, WA and spent the night with friends; a leisurely dinner out, and flew home the next morning. It was fun visiting our friends and "old stomping grounds."  

View of area where we now live, flying off in hubby's RV8. Land sections are fruit orchards and vineyards (it's wine country here!).

 

Close up view of Sentinel Gap & the Columbia River


  • Connected with another writer online, who is published with Poisoned Pencil, and decided I really like this publisher. 
  •  Entered Pitch Madness today, just to see if I can make the final cut (no luck last year).
  • Getting ready to do taxes. Ugh. I have done the family's taxes for many years now. The prep work in advance is more time-consuming than the actual forms.
  •  Saw The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Missed it in the theaters. Absolutely loved it! The surprise ending is worth the whole movie, and of course, those two together.....I'll let your imagination fill in the rest :)
  • Started two Grow Boxes outside, with Swiss Chard and Spinach. Planted daffodils in ground. Started seeds in house for lettuce, petunias, and sunflowers 
  • Tomorrow morning, watching a Webinar based in New York, sponsored by Inland Northwest SCBWI. Keynote speeches by authors, Keynote Editor's Panel Marketplace 2015 (Report from the Front Line), and Keynote Agent's Panel (Charting Your Career Path). Should be good. 


Have a Nice Weekend!





Thank you Lexa Cain for hosting this blog hop!
And co-hosts: L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge  
and Katie @ TheCyborgMom





    Sharon M. Himsl

    Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
    Published with Evernight Teen: 
    ~~The Shells of Mersing


    Saturday, January 3, 2015

    Hopeful in 2015

    Mt. St Helens and collapsed crater on right 
    after eruption in 1980. You can see Vince's 
    reflection through the canopy.
    Not a good year for completing my novel. Moving didn't help, but I am tired of making excuses. I had hoped I could start another manuscript when I arrived. Instead, I
    have unfinished business. 

    Is it fear that keeps me from finishing? The other day I wondered if I had a creative bone left in me to work with. Apparently I do. I sat down to try some flash fiction, and out came the opening scene to another book I am anxious to start. It was so much fun, and uses my new setting here (we live in the desert on a runway!). At any rate, I have been caught in the revision process far too long. It's time to wrap things up, fear or no fear. 

    JUST IN CASE IT IS FEAR, I have given myself a visual reminder, a recent trip to Mt. St. Helens in my husband's home built plane, an RV8. I have never been comfortable flying in the mountains, as there is no easy place to land, and weather and all kinds of things can go wrong.....or so my white-knuckled reasoning goes, even though I could not be with a more conscientious pilot. 

    But all fears were unfounded. It was a perfectly beautiful day to fly, and THE SCENERY WAS AWESOME. By the way, Mt. St. Helens is Washington State's famous volcano that blew its top in 1980. We lived in Pullman, WA at the time, in a small college town, and the region was covered for miles with a talcum powder-like ash for weeks. Incredible. I still have a jar of ash as a souvenir.

    You can see the reflections (my husband's) on the canopy in the photos. Photoshop can remove these, but I like that they are proof we were there. We did a clockwise flight around the mountain and landed in Packwood for lunch with our friends (they were flying an RV7) .


    You can see a section of the wing in front. It appears blue 
    in the sunlight, but it is really unpainted (bare aluminum).
    Up close. (Mt. Adams is in the distance)
    Safe and sound on the ground in Packwood, WA

    Friday, May 23, 2014

    Celebrate the Small Things: A Blog Award


    Anoosha at Little Big Girl was very sweet to nominate me for the Liebster Award. THANK YOU, Anoosha! This particular Liebster (my second) highlights the discovery of new blogs, which I was all too happy to do in the April Challenge. I discovered some very creative blogs, and Anoosha's was one of them. I encourage you to take a look if you missed her in the A-Z.

    Other blogs nominated by Anoosha were: 
    Creative Ramblings
    Suzannes Tribe
    Anything But Ordinary



    Anoosha's Questions for me:

    1) Why Blog?

    For me, it is the same as "Why write?" I blog because I have to. I have this innate need to share my thoughts and feelings in this journey called life. I find that in addition to keeping me sane and focused, it brings organization and clarity to my thoughts. I started blogging with the intention of creating a blog platform for my novel, but it has morphed into something more.

    2) What is your favorite sport/activity/hobby besides blogging or writing ?

    Gardening, for one. My husband and I may be moving, so I have been doing some intensive gardening lately. Biking is my favorite personal sport. I would like to take up tennis again, and couple's dancing (hoping husband agrees). I seldom watch sports on TV.  

    3) Which is your favorite Blog post ?

    Mine? I wrote one about kissing in elementary school that riled me up a bit. I like posts that get people talking. I wish I could write more like that one. I also wrote a post about two bikers in Thailand who had lost their lives. They were living the adventure I would have enjoyed in my youth. A very sad end for the thirty-something couple, in a country I had traveled to and enjoyed immensely. 

    4) What is your Spirit Animal ?

    Well...I don't think I have one for real, but I did have an interesting experience with an eagle once. It was after learning about spirit animals in a Native American class I had recently taken. An encounter with an eagle was very special, I was told. It meant that you would complete your journey. A short time later, I was on

    vacation. While standing on the balcony overlooking Washington state's beautiful Puget Sound, an eagle flew by so close in front I could almost touch its wings. I have always loved the eagle, and have a painting of one in flight in my home. It reminds me of the scripture: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they will mount up on wings like eagles." (Isaiah 40:31)

    5) Any guilty pleasures? 


    Probably drink too much coffee. Strange thing about this beverage is that it is good for you in moderate amounts, but hard on the bladder in excess. I'm trying to cut down.


    6) What is favorite book and why?

    Have been asked this question before and could answer it in one of a hundred ways. Certain books (fiction and nonfiction) have been important to me at different stages of life. The only ones I consistently return to for inspiration are the Bible, The Norton Anthology of English Literature, and Anthology of American Literature.

    7) Which fictional character do you most identify with?
    Again, hard to answer. Will default to my childhood favorite, Jo, in Little Women. She wanted to be a writer (she wanted to be different) and that was inspiration enough.

    8) If you could only describe yourself in three words what would they be ?

    Creative, Adventuresome, Faithful 

    9) When are you happiest ?

    I need time alone to be happy. This includes in my home, garden, writing, and other pursuits. I am happiest when I can balance this with the people in my life....who are no less important, but know how grumpy I get when I am struggling with a goal or task.           

    10) If you could meet anybody living or dead who would it be?

    I would love to meet my two grandmothers as young women. My Norwegian Grandma had a deep faith (and jail ministry later in life). My German Nana looked so cute in a photo as a teen in her 'roaring twenties' flapper outfit. She later traveled around the world with my grandfather.

    11) Eleven facts about myself:

    1- I grew up in Tacoma, Washington.

    2- My high school (Stadium) was modeled after a French castle 
    Tacoma - Stadium High School 03A.jpg
    Stadium High School
    and built in the late 1800s. Famous speakers there include one U.S. president and a Washington state governor. A movie was made there, too.

    3- I was a tomboy growing up and could beat the boys in arm wrestling.

    4- When I met my husband it was like that 'Tony meets Maria scene' in Westside Story. The room stood still.

    5- A terrible dancer. My mother signed me up for tap when I was four and I cried the entire time. (Odd, I now want to take couple's dancing with my husband).

    6- Attended five colleges before getting a B.A. degree at the

    University of Idaho. My son graduated two years prior, and daughter the following year. (It was an exciting time)

    7- Frustrated with Christmas trees and all the mess. Does anyone know a good way to market Christmas ornaments?

    8- 
    In high school, I co-chaired the decoration of a float  for Tacoma's famous Daffodil Parade. We covered an entire float with daffodils.

    9-  
    I have six grandchildren (five boys, one girl).

    10- Favorite holiday in the U.S. is Thanksgiving, 
    because it keeps me thankful. 





     

    11- My husband and I recently found an airpark home (with a 
    hangar) in Desert Aire, WA
    and may be moving soon.  



     
    My Nominees are:

    1) Fanny Barnes Thornton
    2) Things My Mother Taught Me (Leslie Melby)

    Questions for you:

    1) How long have been blogging and why did you start ?
    2) What is your favorite sport, activity or hobby (besides blogging and writing) ?
    3) Do you have a favorite song ?
    4) What is your favorite animal and why ?
    5) What would you change in the world if you could ?
    6) What is your favorite book and why?
    7) Which fictional character do you most identify with?
    8) If you could only describe yourself in three words what would they be ?
    9) When are you happiest ?
    10) If you could meet anybody living or dead who would it be?



    Rules for award:
    Link back to the blog that has nominated you.
    Nominate 5-11 blogs that have less than 200 followers
    Answer questions posted to you by your nominator.
    Share 11 facts about yourself.
    Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer
    Contact nominees; inform them they have been nominated.


    This is a Celebrate post. I'm thankful to have posted something at all this week. It's been a very busy week cleaning house, filling out real estate paperwork, getting ready for a potential move and selling our home. Hope you are having a good spring. Summer is almost here!




    Monday, January 27, 2014

    Happy Birthday to One of the Happiest People I Know

    (One more post....
    then officially on BLOG BREAK :)

    Today is my husband's birthday, one of the happiest people I know. He is incredibly blessed to have achieved so many of his dreams. He really is a happy man, and he would be the first to admit this if you were to ask. I know I am in there too somewhere (blush, blush), but that's a another topic for another time. 
    Favorite photo of Vince and me, and the RV8. St. Maries, Idaho


    Foremost on his mind has always been his desire to fly and a passion for aviation, as a young boy, a teen, and as the man I married at 19 (he was 20). It was a long struggle getting his pilot's license, interrupted by jobs, school, raising a family, home repairs, remodels, car, boat and RV repairs, etc. He also reads and edits the fiction I am writing and hope to publish one day. He has a heart for middle grade and young adult fiction, especially for troubled youth who were unfairly treated and are struggling to overcome the odds. To give you some idea, he read the Harry Potter series twice!

    So is it any wonder it took twelve years to build an airplane in our garage? (Yep....that's right, in our garage :-).

    But as the pilot's license eventually became a reality, so too did the plane he labored over and eventually flew. He soloed in 2009.

    Here is the RV8 in 2007. The wings are hanging upper left. I helped with the riveting and did the upholstery, but Vince did everything else. It is still amazing to me an airplane was built in our garage. The boys in the neighborhood would stop by to visit and just drool. One boy even went on to get his pilot's license and became an instructor. He is now training in Montana to be a missionary pilot 
     
    Vince at 14
    There have been other accomplishments of note . . . finishing his
    degree in his forties, a university career (he is about to retire), teaching computers in Malaysia for one year, and playing classical guitar, but flying and owning an airplane have always been somewhere at the top. If you have ever doubted that dreams can be achieved, he is the perfect example they can be.  


    Happy Birthday Vince!!


    Copyright 2014 © Sharon Himsl 




    Sharon M. Himsl

    Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
    Published with Evernight Teen: 
    ~~The Shells of Mersing

    Monday, July 29, 2013

    Day Trip to Joseph, Oregon


    Vince and I took a day trip to Joseph, Oregon with friends on Sunday, a 30 minute flight from where we live (three hours by car). Vince built this RV8 in our garage over a twelve-year period and flew it for the first time in 2009. It was quite a project and I even learned how to rivet!! Someday (hopefully soon) it will be painted blue and white.  

    Joseph Airport is one mile from the town of Joseph. 
    We saw this old barn along the way.

    Joseph is named after Chief Joseph, a famous Nez Perce Indian chief. (me on left)


    Vince with friends Cathy and Mike (they have an 
    RV7 that Mike built!)


    Wallowa County Museum. ~Sigh~ CLOSED

     

    Vince and me (Joseph has beautiful bronze statues everywhere). Too bad most of the shops were closed. After walking around, we ate dinner at a restaurant in a nice outdoor setting and flew home.
    Weather was great, but a little bumpy flying in!

    Be sure to check out Cathy's blog for more pics! http://wordsworldandwings.blogspot.com/



    About Me

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    You could call me an eternal optimist, but I'm really just a dreamer. l believe in dream fulfillment, because 'sometimes' dreams come true. This is a blog about my journey as a writer and things that inspire and motivate me.