Can You Identify????

Give a shot at unravelling this image, courtesy of my fishing bud Thomas Reckling, the Belizean Fly Fishing World Champion of 2009, El Pescador Lodge, along with fishing partner, fellow Champion and friend Mark Elliot, may the good Lord keep his spirit close. "Click" the image for a closer look. Leave your guess....
Hint: this species has been known to drive people to drink. In my case, I was so moved I was driven to STOP drinking by this species. No kidding.....

Man's Best Friend

This is my buddy Jasper, named after what's in Heaven: paths of gold so pure it is translucent and houses--Mansions--of precious Jasper.... An unusually large, Tri-colored Springer, he is loyal and happy. If you "click" the image, you can see that he has a pine cone in his mouth, which he is trying to hide and bring into the house. Epic fail!
He has a sister, Juneau, who is the best hunter of the litter.
They do not fly with me as these two English Springer Spaniels would chase, catch and consume my airplanes, no problem.
I will post clearer pictures of them soon.

Jasper's a gentle giant of a Springer, a World Champion and protector of our home and family.

March, 1945: Mosquitos Blitz Nazis

The noose was tightening around the Wehrmacht's neck.

     Lord Basil Embry, Two Group, Bomber Command, and a number of Mosquitos sped at tree top level over Nazi-Occupied Copenhagen, Denmark and at 400 mph approached Gestapo Headquarters, where partisan freedom fighters were being brutally "interrogated". The Mossys dropped their small bombs with such precision that not a single partisan was even injured, while the Nazi facilities and many Nazis were destroyed.
You can read about this, and Spitfires and Hurricanes and the men who flew and maintained them, in Group Captain Johnnie Johnson's Wing Leader, a great read! The historical insight gained is worth its weight in gold, at today's prices!
 http://www.amazon.com/Wing-Leader-J-Johnson/dp/0345278933/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299534289&sr=1-3 

For the record I must issue a correction to the marketing of this book: Johnnie Johnson, with 38 accredited enemy single-seat, single-engine fighter planes downed, is NOT the leading allied ace. He was the leading SURVIVING ace after the war.
The true, official leader was Richard Bong, U.S.A.A.F., who flew a P-38 over the Pacific and wreaked Japanese havoc: 40 Imperialist planes were downed by Major Bong before he was sent back home, where he was killed in an F-80 jet plane crash. Godspeed, Major Dick Bong!!!! And thank you and your brethren for our Liberty!!!!
Here's more on Major Bong:
http://usfighter.tripod.com/bong.htm

Sweet Temptation !

Serial number 1 off the De Havilland factory floor: ("click" images to enlarge--twice, if you like)

She's from the ParkZone Factory in Illinois, flown in safely and parked in my Hangar by a beautiful W.A.A.F. pilot (Women's Army Air Force), she's a beaut! And she's got some punch:

Those are Hispano 20 mm cannon, perfect for strafing the enemies of our grand Republic, the United States of America!
I must spend more time in my T-28 Trojan Trainer before I take to the air in this speedy steed of sting!

     First Observation notes:
     Packaging was safe and solid in her P.Z. box, with no rattling allowed! She is large (20 1/2" wingspan) enough to be considered almost a jump up into the "Parkflyer" category, at least to this Micro pilot. We'll see how she handles!
     Her landing gear are stout! They'll need be, as I will no doubt be slamming her into the ground in order to escape the enemy at times.
     She came with a 6V/ 12V DC charger with a micro connection to her one, 250mah 20 C battery, with alligator clips to plug onto a battery directly, or onto an AC/DC convertor for your wall socket.
I am pleased to report that the quality and workmanship of everything appears SOLID. Everything I've purchased from ParkZone has been, so far, soundly engineered and built.
More to come.....

Noble Ships and.......

There's the U.S.S. Ronald Wilson Reagan!
There's the U.S.S. George Herbert Walker Bush!
                          and
             --soon to be launched--
             the P.O.S. Barack Hussein Obama.

U.S.S.= United States Ship
P.O.S.= Peoples' Oppressor Ship

Mosquito's Buzz Terrifies Fascists!

http://www.parkzone.com/UltraMicro/Default.aspx?ProdID=PKZU1380

I'll be field testing this twin-Merlin powered craft of Hitler's lament soon!
I'll post photos of the noble bird BEFORE I no doubt crash her. You see, sometimes a man must bite off the big piece of steak while it's there for him and worry about the consequences later! I AM NOT QUALIFIED TO FLY A TWIN ! Did that stop Thomas Edison from inventing the lightbulb? NO!
I'll have Mosquito #2 standing by after the carnage of learning

History Lesson:
Lord Basil Embry of Two Group, Bomber Command, RAF, flew in at tree-top height, at 400 mph, over occupied Copenhagen in March, 1945 and precision bombed Gestapo Headquarters in this craft.There were Partisans being interrogated in the building but Lord Embry had been given diagrams of it and placed the bombs like fine crystal all around them, but not harming them!

Water Spout Loitering

"Click" it to enlarge it. You can "click" the image twice to fill your screen and see the funnel cloud impact, center, and its snaking cone coming from the clouds on the upper right.
     This guy hung and whirled around me for thirty solid minutes, waxing, waning, strengthening, focusing and meandering close. Near me, I could see the bay cove's submerged sea grass uprooted by it whirling up into the air at its focal point on the water. There was no sound. They happen all the time in summer and especially at the margins of fall. I caught many redfish that day on crab flies, and let 'em go. They'd had a whirly day, too!