Takin' to the Skies

Lance with CA Scotch Chick's Scooter, Woodstock, 

and CA Scotch Gent's Scooter, Blue Lightning

CA Scotch Chick tries not to ever forget just how fortunate she is to be living the life she does. While the CA Scotch Couple work harder than they should, their leisure time is spent enjoying each other's company while eating, traveling, playing, and, of course, sampling single malts. And, although daily stress can begin to weigh, CA Scotch Chick sometimes feels that she and CA Scotch Gent are two little kids whose parents told them they could go play adult for awhile and forgot to pick them up. One of the most enjoyable ways the CA Scotch Couple spend their play time is by flying.

The CA Scotch Couple learned to fly when they spent a couple of years in the middle of rural Illinois. CA Scotch Chick had always wanted to fly, and from her first paycheck for her first job at the age of 12, she set aside one hundred dollars per pay period for this purpose. When the CA Scotch Couple moved from the Los Angeles area to Southern Illinois, she pounced on the opportunity to realize her dream. 

Flying was not CA Scotch Gent's dream. In fact, he wasn't too sure about going up in those little airplanes. However, CA Scotch Gent is both supportive and practical. He knew that if CA Scotch Chick loved something, it would be a lot more fun if he joined in, and he also knew that "There was no way in H*!! he was going up in an airplane (with CA Scotch Chick) without knowing what was going on."

So, the CA Scotch Couple embarked on the adventure of learning to fly together. They took lessons from the same wonderfully fresh faced farm boy instructor (who is now a first officer for a major airline), soloed in separate airplanes at the same time, and took their check rides on the same day. Soon after getting their "tickets" (pilot lingo for licenses), they were fortunate enough to find a pristine and patient Piper Turbo Lance (his name is Lance), and from then on they have flown every mission as a crew. 

It has been a decade since the CA Scotch Couple learned to fly, and nine years since Lance came into their lives. The CA Scotch Couple's time with Lance has transformed them. It has changed the way they view the world, taught them safety principals that affect their entire lives, deepened their relationship, and given them hours of joy. 

Things have been getting a bit overwhelming lately, so when CA Scotch Gent needed to head up to Vancouver, Washington to visit a business colleague a couple of weeks ago, the CA Scotch Couple decided to reclaim some of that joy, to block off a week and fly up. It was a wonderful adventure, filled with fun times, fantastic scenery, excellent food, and a surprising bourbon discovery.

So fasten your seat belts, Ladies and Gentlemen. We are headed to the Pacific Northwest.