The impetus for starting this here blog

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 Planes

  •  My Mom is responsible for my airplane obsession.  I was a rambunctious child, she a single parent. For a break she would take me to the Dayton, Ohio airport back in the '70's when they had a roof-top restaurant.  There we would share a meal and I would watch the airplanes take off and land. Of course I was not sitting at the table...
  • In Grade School we watched a reel to reel movie titled, "What Color is Your Parachute" that had a woman parachutist.
  • Flying back and forth alone between Ohio and New York as a child of divorced parents.   Loads of plastic wings and trips to the cockpit where I was always encouraged to ask questions and be curious.
  •  Amelia Earhart
  • Top Gun. "Permission to buzz the tower?"
  • My Father and Step-Mother took me on a drive thru tour of the Air Force Academy.
  • My flight instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Uni + my kick-ass roommate. Sadly, I am a flight school drop out.

Trains

  • Family members who had train sets
  • The Reverend W. Awdry and his incredible series of cheeky tales of engines in the Thomas the Tank Engine stories is completely responsible for my and my sons fascination with trains. 
  • Living near Washington D.C. and the miles of track and busy corridor.
  • Every train museum I've ever been to
  • Riding Amtrack from Portland, OR to Seattle, WA on the coastal starlight with my sons. (Thanks to their Father)
     

Automobiles

  • I spent a great deal of time in the car as a kid. Apparently I wasn't a good sleeper and my Mom could get me to sleep by taking me for a drive. Back before there were kid car seats and anyone could sit up front.
  • The first Porsche I ever saw in New Mexico at 13.
  • My late Step-Dad taught me how to drive a manual transmission and a few high school friends furthered that knowledge by trusting me with their cars/trucks.
  • A late H.S. friend who argued vehemently with me about spoiler vs whale tale on Porsches.
  • My first car, a four door VW Rabbit taught me much about clutch management, fuel injection and radiators. 
  • My ex-husband allowed me to drive his Subaru hatch-back at speeds I had never experienced before on incredible windy roads. I applaud his bravery and how he helped me become a better driver.
  • All the Subarus I've been able to drive
  • My sons schooling me everyday on how to be a better driver.
  • Watching Top Gear and The Grand Tour with my Sons.
  • My friend Michael who shared tickets to Laguna Seca with my Sons and I, encouraged me to volunteer with the Laguna Seca Volunteer Association, took me for my first ride in a Porsche and trusted me to drive his Porsche. 
  • My epic Mechanic #hartzelauotmotive
  • My honorary sister, brothers and uncles of the WRLS Paddock (Laguna Seca Volunteer Association)
     

The Wheels of my Mind 

  • My Mom for all the ways she helps me re-frame all the really hard things, taught me about love, forgiveness and the ability to laugh at life and to think for myself.
  • Every Teacher who cared more about how to think rather than what to think about.
  • Great authors
  • My ex-husband for rarely agreeing with me and teaching me how to build strong arguments and how to see the world from the perspective of others.
  • My Sons for their outrageously dry humor, sarcasm and sometimes dark humor (most of which I never get and drive them crazy for, but it stretches my brain) and also for how they draw me into worlds I never knew existed.
  • Sisters from other Misters- Malisa & Kim, who have stuck by me all these years and have kicked my ass and loved me at the same time.
  • Pastors who take deep dives in God's Word
  • USA Swimming Officials - all the mentors who helped me realize my potential and that I could do things I never knew I could do. Most specifically John Abe and Mike Davis. 
  • All the things that make me go, Hmmmmm.
  • Science fiction
  • Forest bathing
  • Pine cones, banksia plants, hexagons and geology -particularly rocks  oh and sea glass
  • The beauty of taking 2D fabric, cutting it, sewing it together to get a 3D form that is fun to wear.

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