San Antonio Day 4 - Graduation Day!

Buses start running for graduation at 7:15am, and after the crowded bleachers yesterday, we knew we wanted to be on the first bus.  But an accident and the traffic made us a little late - we didn't arrive on base until 7:15.  (It is amazing to me that there are not a LOT more accidents, the roads here are insane!)  We drove past the parade field and there was a ton of parking available, so we decided to skip the bus and just park at the field.  It filled in quick, we just happened to get there before it did.

It was windy and cold, not at all what we expected of Texas in April.  The gift shops and stands were selling out of hoodies as fast as they could put them out.

There was a large variety of dress, but most of the women, especially the wives and girlfriends, had dressed up in pretty dresses and heels.  There were a lot of people in jeans too.

After the ceremony it was a mob.  It took us awhile to get through the crowd to our son.  We snapped a few pics, then went to the dorm to see where he had lived for the past 9 weeks, and to see his nicely made bed!  :-)

 

 

Luke was the laundry chief.  I was surprised to see that he did the laundry for 50 guys with just these regular sized washer and dryers!

The area with the picnic tables is the "patio" where the guys made their phone call home most Sunday evenings.

 

At this point Luke was able to give us the photos he had ordered.  He spent $70 on photos.  Around $26 of that was for 2 5x7's of himself, and one large flight photo.  The biggest expense was the cd. He hasn't seen what is on the cd yet, we will look at them on the hotel computer tomorrow.  

Note - the flight photo included a roster, but it did not have the boys listed in the order they are standing in the photo. We had Luke list off who was who while he was with us, so I could label the photo when we got home.

At 11:10 the boys were told to get out.  Their off base leave began at 11:15.

 The ceiling at Mi Tierra

 A small part of the bakery counter at Mi Tierra

 another part of the ceiling at Mi Tierra

We headed to Mi Tierra, parking in a lot on Pecan street for just $5 for the day.  Mi Tierras came highly recommended, and it is a fun place. http://mitierracafe.com/ 

 

We walked through a bit of fiesta, but the people spilling beer and waving bbq , turkey legs around made us nervous - the airmen need to keep their dress blues immaculate. 

 

 

From there we went to the riverwalk.  We just walked and talked, stopping to sit a few places along the way.  We toured the Alamo, and sat on the benches there to talk some more.  He was obviously more tired today than yesterday. 

We returned to the riverwalk intending to take the boat tour, but the line was sooooooo long, we decided we had seen enough, and headed towards our hotel, planning to go to a whataburger for supper.  We found one near our hotel, which was on prue st, and it was almost empty.  After constant crowds, this was a great choice for us.  It was quiet and relaxed.

At our hotel we skyped and called home - we had arranged in advance for our kids to be at their grandparents house, so we could skype with all of them at once. 

Going back to base today was easier - we went to the valley hi gate and it was a faster entrance for us.  Luke had to show his id to return to the base, along with our id & passes.  The drop off was the same as yesterday.

• Make sure your airman has his id ready at the gate
• Make sure you know where you will meet your airman the next morning
• Pack a small lint brush & tide to go stick in your car, so your airman can keep his blues clean

Buying Kayaks

I've had a few people ask me about kayaks this spring, and rather than keep typing this over and over, I  am putting it here so I can just send the link as needed.  :-)

Things to Think About:

• How will you transport the kayaks?  If you do not own a truck, or have a car without roof racks, getting set up to transport them could cost more than the actual kayaks - be prepared.  You can have after market roof racks installed, or buy a trailer to pull behind your vehicle.  The trailer may be more expense, but if you have trouble lifting a kayak over your head, they are the way to go.
• Will you be kayaking mostly in flat water (lakes, the local river) or faster moving/whitewater (Creeks, streams, rivers with whitewater)
• Paddles are not included with kayaks, and cost around $50 for the cheap basic ones that we use.

Kayaks That We Own:

From Left to Right:

The Potomac we no longer own, and do not recommend

 Emotion Edge

Heritage Feather Light

Trophy 144

The Emotion Glide, and Old Towne Otter

Perception Sport Express

Emotion Edge - This is Dan's kayak. Of all our kayaks, this has the "least flat" bottom.  This is the fastest kayak we own, and it makes turns really quickly.  It's a great kayak for guides, because you can turn around and go back to someone behind you who is having trouble, very quickly. We bought this one used from These Guys Kayak.

Emotion Glide - this is a great kayak for our local rivers and lakes.  It is one of my favorites. Also purchased used from These Guys Kayak.

Perception Sport Express - this one is very similar to the Emotion Edge, but it has a better seat - this is the most comfortable kayak we own.  (none of ours are really uncomfortable)  Bought used off Craigslist.

Future Beach Trophy 144 - this is the kayak we tend to put beginners in, because it's near impossible to flip.  It has a very flat bottom, and is heavy. It's made for fishing.  The draw back is that it is very heavy.  It moves slower, and it's harder to carry to and from the water. Bought at Dick's Sporting Goods.


Heritage Featherlight  - extremely light weight, flat bottom, VERY stable.  I don't think they make these anymore. Bought off Craigslist.

Old Town Otter  - this kayak is too short for me - my legs do not fit.  Our daughter is shorter than the rest of us, and she loves this kayak.  Bought off Craigslist.



Kayaks You Should Not Buy (In our opinion)

Potomac

We did own one of these.  It was so flimsy..  the foot pedals broke off, the straps broke off, it dented..  you could feel the difference in how this kayak was made.  It was junk, pure and simple.

Coleman
I can't find the coleman we do not like online, they may not make it anymore. It is short - I think 8 ft.  It was sold as a bundle at Dicks two years ago and we know a lot of people who bought them. These flip SO easily.  I don't think we have ever been out with anyone in one that they didn't flip, at LEAST once, while we were out - even at Montour Preserve, which is a completely flat lake.


And although we are huge fans of the emotion line, we did not like the Emotion Comet.  Again, this is the shorter model.  Same with the Perception Swifty.



Things To Look For:
Size - all of our kayaks are 9-10 feet long.  The shorter ones flip much easier. The longer ones are a pain to carry on top of the car.  The more you weigh, the larger your kayak will need to be..  but the 9-10 foot ones have weight limits around 275lbs, so it's usually not necessary to go any larger than that.  

A comfortable seat. Sit in it in the store.  Anyone with any experience selling kayaks should expect you to want to sit in it before you buy it.  You can replace seats, but it is easier to just buy one with a seat you like.  :-)



Local Places To Buy Kayaks:

These Guys Kayak - we have bought all of our Emotion Kayaks used from these guys.  We LOVE our emotion kayaks!

Dicks Sporting Goods - Watch for the Trophy Fusion to go on sale for around $200.  We do not own any of these (we do have a Trophy, but not the Fusion - we have a heavier one) but several of our friends do, and they are really happy with them.  

Future Beach Fusion 10 Kayak

Where to Register Your Kayak:
To use the boat launches on the river, you will need a launch permit.  If the Fish & Game commission catches you without a permit, it is a  steep fine.

http://fishandboat.com/brag/aa_usepermits.htm

We purchase ours online through the link above, and always order the 2 year permits, as it is cheaper.

Local Places To Go Kayaking:

Montour Preserve
The Susquehanna River
Rose Valley Lake

San Antonio Day 3 - Airman's Run, Coin Ceremony & Base Liberty

In April 2013 we spent a week in San Antonio Texas, for our son's graduation from Air Force Basic Training.  This is our trip diary from Day 3, our first day on base.  See More Here:
http://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/p/air-force-mom.html

For the airmans run, many suggested using the valley hi gate onto lackland.  My husbands pass has the wrong first name on it, a clerical error, so we chose to use Luke gate, just in case.  The visitor center is located there, it is where to go if you do not have a guest pass, or if there is a problem with your guest pass.

We could have used any gate.  The name wasn't a problem at all, and it is easy to get to the reception center from any gate.

We got there early - just after 6am, and got one of the last parking spots in the lot in front of the BMT reception center.  There was a long line waiting outside the door for the 7am orientation.  We had a nice time chatting with the family behind us.

• At the BMT, get a map.  We did not, and we regretted it.  The maps I had from online did not show us where the restaurants and museums are located.
• At orientation, write down where you are not allowed to be.  You think you will remember, but you won't.  :-). We didn't have a problem, but we did spend the whole day wondering if we were traveling where we were not allowed to be, since we could not remember.  The biggie is to not leave base, that was easy.

They seated us for orientation around 6:30.  First a representative from the production company (photos) spoke, followed by a representative from sea world.  Airmen & their spouse, or airmen & their mom & dad, can attend sea world free of charge this weekend. 

There was a short video on the history of the air force, followed by a slide show with rules and guidelines. 

From there we went out the side doors and lined up for the airmans run.  You cannot stand on the bleachers for the airmans run.  They had to announce that over, and over, and over again.  Once the run starts, you may not cross the road.  That was another concept parents had trouble with.  Please follow the rules.  You are not special when you are here, and acting as if the rules do not apply to you only makes it harder for the trainees assisting with graduation.  We watched one trainee get hollered at by a TI because parents at graduation were pushing past him to get into an area they were not supposed to walk into.  Like anywhere on earth, we met some of the nicest, kindness people - and also some of the most rude and obnoxious people as well.

About 5 minutes before the run, it started raining.  Then it poured.  Even with umbrellas, we were soaked clear through.  Homemade signs ran, many didn't have umbrellas along...  and we all stood together anyway, and watched our trainees run in it.  The trainees run from the bridge past you, then they turn and pass a second time, so it does not matter too much what side of the road you are on.  Taller trainees are in the front.

A Note - many families will order banners and signs professionally printed, and have t-shirts made up..  those are great, but they are for you, not for your airman.  Especially if it is raining. They will not really see them when running past, and there is NO room for them in the stands at the ceremonies..  so they are pretty much for you to pose with and get your photo taken.  They did make extra umbrellas on this day, when it started raining hard..

After they passed a second time, we went into the BMT reception center, at the same time that families were arriving for the 9am orientation.  Mass chaos.  Had it not been raining so hard, most would not have went back inside, and this would have been avoided.  There were people jammed everywhere, trying to go in several directions, but few actually moving.  One woman had a panic attack and had to be escorted out.  After a few minutes of this, they started announcing that some squadrons families should go upstairs, and some downstairs, that busses would be arriving for us - they apparently planned to move the ceremony indoors.  (Luke later said it would not have been indoors, but it would have been under cover)

A little while later they announced that the rain had stopped and the ceremony would be outdoors.  We are from PA, so this kind of chaos over a little rain caught us off guard.  We would never have a big event like this without a clear rain plan, but Luke said it only rained 3 times in the 9 weeks he was here.  Which explains why their river walk river is smaller than many of our creeks. :-)

On our way out, we stopped by the production studio & checked to see if our son had picked up and paid for his photos.  He had.  We ordered a DVD of graduation there - $49.  

Note: The production studio can be missed easily. If you enter the reception center through the front door, turn left, go through the snack bar area, and there will be a tiny room off to your right.

We went to our car to try to dry off a bit.  I wish we had thought to bring a change of clothes.  We sat in our car until 10am - a big mistake. The bleachers were PACKED by 10am.  

• You cannot stand between the bleachers for the ceremony
• There is standing room only behind the cement barriers
• You cannot walk on the cement in front of the bleachers.
• You cannot walk in front of the bleachers. Walk behind them to get where you want to be.

We did find two seats, which a kind gentleman helped pull me up into.  There are no steps, no walkway, so once the bleachers fill in, it is very hard to get to the top - or to any place in the middle.  Ideally everyone would move to the center, but I don't think that ever happens.  Remember that most of us stood in the downpour an hour earlier...  so we are all soaked.  Crammed together.  You can't even lift your camera without jostling others.  The man in front of me was taking photos with a huge tablet.  Please do not do that.  It blocked everyone's view - the equivalent of holding a piece of construction paper in front of everyone trying to see.

The retreat was cancelled due to the weather.  It had stopped raining long before...  But no retreat meant we got to get to our son, and tap him out, sooner.  This sounded like a much more formal event when we read about it, but it was really just get to your son and hug him, then he can leave with you.  Even though our son knew we were coming, he had not spoken to us for a week, and did not know we had arrived.  So even though he knew his mom would have crawled on her hands and knees, from PA, on broken glass, to be here, he was still nervous that something had happened and we were not in the stands.  He did not see us during the airmans run (I think they have a better chance of spotting their families if it is not pouring down rain during the run) and could not possibly spot us in the stands.  There were VERY few airmen that did not have family in attendance.

I had worried that I wouldn't recognize my own child, as were many others waiting with us.  For us, it was needless worry - we picked him out quickly.  They do all look very much alike!

one of the first things we did was go back to our vehicle and skype home so his siblings could see him

 I loved seeing his name on his uniform. 

We had read that he would be exhausted, starved, and have things he needed to do...  none of that was true for us.  His stripes were all already on his uniform.  The shoes they wear now do not need shined.  He was not overly hungry, nor overly tired.

And he knew nothing about the base.  We hadn't done any research on the base, we had no ideas about where to go or what to do.  We did know about Godfathers pizza, and like just about everyone else, we went there for lunch. It was a loooooonnnnggggg line, but it didn't matter, since all we wanted to do was see him & listen to him.  The pizza was good - similar to pizza hut deep dish.  It was nice to just sit and eat with him.

 

The Parade Field was a good place to have him pose for some photos.  This was the only day we saw him in his ABU's, the rest of the week-end he was in dress blues.

From there he wanted to show us the parade field, and where to sit for graduation, so we walked around there.  His flight had helped with a lot of the graduations, so Luke was very familiar with where we should sit, and that we should get there early.

We went to the airmans museum, which was nice, then to the BX to look around - he was curious what it was like.  We skyped home (from my phone - they do not get their phones back until Monday) so he could see and talk with his siblingsThen we went to the minimall he was familiar with, and ate in the food court, sitting there and talking more.

There is a huge flag in the airmans museum that makes a great backdrop for a photo!

Drop off is very organized.  There was a sign, and a coned off area.  Only the airman may exit the car there.  You pull up, he gets out, you pull forward - say your goodbyes before you get there.

• Airmen need to be back at 8pm, drop them off at 7:30, so they have time to sign in and be in their dorm at 8pm.  7:45 probably would have been early enough on Thursday.

Day Four - Graduation Day!

Recipes to use up Egg Surplus

Please, please, Please leave any suggestions in the comments..  I don't want to sell eggs, and I've talked most of my friends into their own flocks..  so we have a LOT of eggs here these days!  =)

Great Article on How To Boil An Egg
How To Freeze Eggs

Hueveos Rancheros - Tortillas topped with refried beans, fried eggs, cheese, bacon & salsa

Challah (egg bread) - 5 eggs

Breakfasts:
Puff Oven Pancake (we triple this & make it in a 9x13 pan)
Baked French Toast
Breakfast pockets - 12 eggs
Eggs Benedict - 12 eggs
Belgian Waffles
Mexican Tortilla Omelets  - 14 eggs!
Breakfast Pizza (need to modify the recipe this uses canned cheese.    But it looks like a good idea to play with) 8 eggs
Muffin Pan Fritattas

Desserts:
*Angel Food Cake - 12 egg whites
Pound Cake - 7 eggs
Impossible Pie - 4 eggs
Chocolate Coffee Mousse - 4 eggs

Pasta
Homemade Pasta  - 4 eggs

Scrambled egg pasta (Quick Carbonara)
Pasta Carbonara - 3 eggs, plus 4 to make homemade pasta

Puddings:
Long List of Vintage Pudding Recipes here
Martha Stewart's Pudding Recipe

Pickled Eggs
Spicy Pickled Eggs

Quiches:
Basic Quiche
*Taco Quiche



*Favorites

Raising Chickens In Town

This was written originally in 2001 - when we lived in town, not on a farm.  :-)

My Chicken Diary - our first experience raising chickens

The chickens are here!  We now have 3 barred rocks, and 3 red sex link chickens. We got them the day after they hatched and will raise them as laying hens.

We live in a small town, on slightly less then an acre.  To make the chickens look nice in the back yard we are building a coop with a picket fence, lined on the inside with chicken wire. I'll post more pics of it when it is completed, I still have a few weeks until the chickens will be out there. For now they are living in a rabbit cage on in our laundry room, it works well, keeping them protected form the cats and enabling us to keep them warm (with the help of heat lamps) and draft free.    Soon they will outgrow the pen, then they will move to the shed to live until they are old enough to live outdoors full time.

I've wanted chickens for a long time, but never really looked into what it would take to have them here.  We've been busy with remodeling the house, the children were all really young - there just wasn't time.  In February of this year (2001) My brother in law called and told me that a store nearby was having a seminar on raising poultry - was I interested in going?  Of course I was!

It was a wonderful seminar, very informative, lots of door prizes.  One of the door prizes was 12 free chickens, and I won it.  What a great incentive to get started!  Because I live in a very small rural town, with neighbors nearby, I do NOT want roosters.  I wanted them to be pretty too, and be unlikely to be able to fly very high at all.  My original choice was 6 red sex links, but I really loved the look of the barred rocks, and the store promised me they would be hens, so I chose 3 of each.  (the rest of my gc went towards my brother in laws birds, I didn't want that many chickens here). 

Clarks Ag Center, where we attended the seminar, also gave us all a pack of Vi-tal vitamins, which they highly recommend.  We put a tiny bit in their water each day to help them grow healthy and strong.  

Day One -  4/25/2001

The chickens are here!  They are day old, just hatched yesterday!  We picked them up to bring home in a cardboard box, and the barred rocks were picking on the red sex links.  I was tempted to take them back and get all one kind, but decided to give them some time to get used to each other.  My brother in law picked up his pheasants, they are smaller then the chicks but MUCH more aggressive. We kept them under a heat lamp in a red Rubbermaid container in my brother in laws basement until we were ready to head home.  Home fro us, from there, was a just over 20 minute drive and I was a little worried about keeping the temperature up.  I sat them on the front seat of the van and turned the heat on, they did fine, i don't think I needed to worry as much as I did. 

We are keeping them in a rabbit cage in my laundry room until they are a little older.

I placed brooder guard inside the rabbit pen, to keep them extra protected form the cats and from drafts, this is right near the back door.

So far this is the cheapest "hobby" I have ever pursued...  

Brooder Guard - .15 cents a foot
Red heat light bulb - $7.99
White heat light bulb - $ 3.49
Chicken starter feed - $2.50 for 10lbs
We already had the waterer, and the actual heat lamp.  Later I will buy a feeder too - that will cost another $2-$3.

Day Two 

All did well through the night and seem to be eating/drinking well.  Some take to being held better then others, not split by breed.  They are pecking at everything!!

Day Three

Wings are beginning to feather out a little already!  The 6 of them are eating about 2 cups of food a day.  Cage still looks clean, no wet spots.  Water needs cleaned out twice a day, they get pine chips in it.

Day Seven

They are getting big fast!  One of the red sex links is developing feathers much faster then the others, I am told this is normal  They are all still healthy, eating and drinking well.

Day 10

They are really feathering out now!  One of the red sex links is getting some dark red on her wings and they are really fluttering around their cage!

Day 14

Two weeks old today!  We finished off the first 10 lb bag of food today, and opened a second one.  And today I saw one of the barred rocks on top of the waterer for the first time -  their wings are allowing them to get some height now!  I am anxious to get their pen & coop finished so they can be outside part of the day - the temperatures are in the 80's, they could definitely be out as long as we bring them in at night.

They are all about the same size - the pic makes the barred rock look smaller because he is sitting. They were calmer for their pictures this time - but they still scatter when we reach in the cage to get them.

Day 21

Their tail feathers are filling in nicely!  They are loosing their old downy feathers a little more each day, and the new heavier feathers are coming in well.  

We've moved the out of the house and into the shed - still under a heat lamp though!

Day 25

The chickens are now outside!

The basic chicken coop is finally done and the chickens are outside!  We ran picket fence, then covered the inside with chicken wire. Then we divided the section roughly in half and ran more chicken wire, with a gate, and covered the top with a netting so that hawks and cats cannot get in.  Their house is in the back, that will be raised up later.  

I have broccoli, brussel sprouts, and dill planted in the outer fence area, as the chickens get older and bigger they will be allowed to roam out there during the day.    We let Molly the bunny run in there for a little while today, she loved it!  The heat lamp is still in the hen house - evenings get chilly here yet.

I went out to check on them before I went to bed, they were all in the hen house.  When I had left them earlier they were all outside yet, when it got dark and cold they all went in without us showing them or forci8ng them.  I am very happy!.

Week 5

5 week old Barred Rock

5 week old sex link

The chickens are doing great!  They really look like chickens now.  I shut the heat lamp off a few nights ago, and they are doing fine without it, the nights here are 50 and above.  They love being outside, and especially love it when I open up the fence so that they can be in the outer part of the garden. They have not harmed the garden plants at all, but love the weeds  - there are no weeds on their inside cage, and very few out in the garden area.  They like to perch on anything, can fly a few inches off the ground if chased, and are starting to make a slightly different noise, they even sound more like chickens now.

 The barred rocks are slightly more skittish then the red sex links, it is easier to catch the reds.  This may be partially because Matt has held the reds A LOT but is a little afraid of the black ones, so they haven't been handled as much.

Week 5 1/2

We finally got the chicken coop raised!  Now they have a shaded area to sit during the day, and a board to perch on - they love to perch!

Week 6

Week 6 1/2

I let them out in the extra part of the garden and they flew up and perched on the fence today!!  Not sure what we are going to do about that...  I hate to clip their wings, but I also hate to keep them penned in the small area everyday until they get heavier.  They come running to the gate each morning expecting me to let them out to run.  Since we live in town, I can't risk them jumping over the other side off the fence, one of the neighbor dogs would kill them. 

  That's where the diary ended.  I have pics somewhere of Matt discovering their first egg, it was a big day at our house.  :-)  Almost all of these hens lived to move to the farm with us in 2004.