Phantabulous shots Dux! With Roger perhaps being able to requisition hard drive space and flight time from a new laptop, it might be an opportune moment to fly together as the three Muckateers and bag a few Boche!

The fully functioning free version is of course available as a download but I believe that it is also available in a boxed retail version, with a few extra aircraft bundled in so as to legitimize asking for a moderate amount as payment for the combined content.

A great week-end is coming up with the annual running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. I'll be trying to catch as much of it as I can from broadcasts and streams; I suppose that at least Audi and Corvette will have some free and legitimate streams up to follow, as I support my fellow country-men's bid for victory and glory. Tom Kristensen will be trying for a ninth(!!) overall win, and Jan Magnussen for a 5th class win.

McG,

Thanks! The Three Muckateers! It has a challenging ring to it. Boxed retail version eh?

I can imagine JRT striding out to the gamer store any day now, dollars in hand with a fixed, determined 'man-on-a-mission' look.

My commiserations over the Denmark v Portugal game. The Danes put up a plucky show and we were rootin' for the equalizer right up to the end. May victory come their way in the third match. If only they could put Germany out!

If I thought I could pull it off, I'd plead total ignorance over what this Holland vs. Denmark and Denmark vs. Portugal is all about. Are we involved in new wars then?

Alas, I fear I cannot escape from the world being obsessed with football while I'm not. No hard feelings OldDux, just thought I'd explain why I'm next to impossible to draw out and into a conversation when it comes to that game. It just messes up the regular TV schedule imo.

Edit: If we finish the Germans, I shall however be unable to suppress a tiny sardonic smile.

Folks,

Dux:

You old balloon buster are you flying for the other team now? That is quite a realistic shot of the flaming gas bag. I would love to join you gentlemen over no man's land if and when I am able.

It has been a beautiful summer's day here today, not too hot, not too cold. I say this even though it began with me going to the DMV to renew my driver's license. All went well of course and I even renewed my friendship with a young musician who used to work for me now and again. He is in charge of the local office of the DMV now. He very kindly administered all the tests himself and in no time I was wending my way homeward once more legally licensed to drive a motor vehicle upon the highways and byways across the land.

There has been quite a change since I first got my driver's license at age 16. The "written" exam isn't actually written anymore. It is managed on a computer "touch" screen. The giant highway patrolmen that must surely have been at least 9 feet tall back when I was a teen have all been replaced by friendly, DMV professional examiners that all seemed to be of average size. One thing is for certain, as I have found to my discomfort on many occasions, is that neither maturity, intelligence nor good judgment are requirements for a driving license in our state.

Once you've been deemed safe enough to operate a motor vehicle you must sit for your portrait. I found you no longer are stuck with just one sour looking "mugshot". My photographer actually took 2 photos because she didn't think the first did me justice. OK picking my nose may have been inappropriate behavior that first time. They do not present you with your new license these days. No, you must wait for it to arrive in your mailbox within 15 short days. If this does not happen your are given a number to call.

For some reason everyone at home seemed to be underwhelmed at my great accomplishment. Of course all I had to show for the 230 hours I'd spent studying was a slip of paper indicating I was a qualified driver. Who knows what changes will be made before I have the opportunity to do it all again in another 5 years and I'm more than willing to wait to find out.

So you are off on Monday the 18th for fun and frolic on the Devon coast. Surprisingly the 18th of June also falls on a Monday over here.

MG:

The 80th running of Le Mans will be exciting to watch. Well, several hours of it anyway. It will be broadcast on the Internet so everyone can watch as much or as little as they care to.

Gents,

JRT, Jens,

I used the Dr1 just for a few screenies then bagged an Se5 but didn't survive an encounter with Camels over St. Eloi.

We are off in a couple of hours and will be back by this week-end. Weather should improve for most of the week.

Showers coming and going, this is the Danish summer.

It rhymes in Danish, and there's a tune to it as well:




Cows and horses and sheep grazing
over wide fields,
open barns for full load,
sails, which sweeps the cliffs and headlands,
Showers coming and going, -
This is the Danish summer

The girls' laughter and blond hair
play, which will never end
eyes blue as the water in spring
mildly of eternal Denmark predicts
sun over the green plains
happiness and bright nights.

Folks,

Dux:

Off you go then and don't forget to pack your sand buckets and spades this time. I wish you the best time you've ever had with your clothes on and a safe return home. We have a psychologist pal who lives at the coast. We're making plans to head down there for a few days as soon as I get the SAAB 900 rag top running like I want it. It is ready now except for some paperwork, insurance and tags. That will be a great way to check it out.

MG:

Happiness and bright nights sounds good to me. Thanks for the entertainment. You haven't mentioned in a long time how your work is coming along. What are you doing to keep the proverbial wolf from the door these days? Are you already considering another system upgrade or does the newest computer continue to fill your needs?

We have had excellent, cooler than seasonal weather but rain threatens us today. We took the kids to the local water park and they got a tad sunburned. So far it has been a delightful summer here in the Carolinas. I wish we could keep the cool and low humidity all summer. We'll see the 90s F. roll back in by the weekend however.

If I can find ROF and get it on my son's laptop you fellows better watch your six. Yes, I know we'll be flying on the same side.

My system is holding up quite well and I should get a lot more mileage out of it even if I can't quite remember if it coming up on its 3 year or 4 year birthday. Of course, it helps a lot not having much time to play, and getting a system in the first place which was built around my needs instead of around an OEM's need for keeping cost down while keeping profits up.

There is once in a while the odd challenge that requires turning down details, but when this challenge occurs when running designated beta software, one has to wonder if the cure is found not in upgrading equipment, but in some sort of code-optimization on the part of the provider.

At any rate, I'm too old in this game now to go Chasing Pixels as I have found that for me personally, the enjoyment seems to be inverse to the amount of time and money I spend on gizmos, gadgets and screaming frame rates. So, who actually cares if you can see each individual straw of grass from an altitude of 5.000 ft, or from a spinning racing car at 200 mph?

Great to hear that you SAAB is about ready to run again Roger, that will be a sweet ride in Jönköpings best.

On the subject of RoF, there is no need to go for a retail boxed version. Get a free, fully functioning Sergeant Pilot's version straight from the website: http://riseofflight.com/en

Now, I haven't posted anything on the subject of my frightfully uninteresting way of earning a few bob, the details of which would bore you to death. Thanks for asking. Anyway, I can't quite see to fit it into a forum post. Suffice to say that there is currently no need for panic.

Greetings, Chaps,

We returned yesterday from North Devon after a few days of fair weather. I have never been attracted to family holiday parks but was impressed by the overall layout, services and amenities. Great for the kids.

We spent a few hours on the rocky shore of Buck's Mills where the village and shore have so far escaped the dead hand of Borough Council attention. Probably because it may be private or inaccessible to many. It lies at the bottom of a steep wooded valley and if you go by car, leave it in the car-park (no charge) some 300 yards away and walk down past the cottages to the 'beach' which consists of nothing more than a strip of sand through the rocks, running out to sea, about 15 yards wide. Probably cleared for boat access centuries ago. There is a plaque near a ramshackle boat-house exhorting all to come, exercise your rights and enjoy the beauty of the cliffs and shore. I found that most refreshing in this age of pay for everything. Like stepping back about sixty years. A rock-pool paradise.

Folks,

Dux:

Welcome home. Did you manage any snorkeling this trip to the shore? I could have used a snorkel yesterday it rained so much. There were several severe storms passing through our area in the late afternoon and evening hours. Lightning struck nearby. There was a brilliant flash of light that lit me up like an X-ray and the resulting thunder clap was like the crack of doom. The only damage done, as far as I can tell, is a dark stain on the seat of my computer desk chair.

So there are no "free" lunches served in the UK either? On the other hand, our wonderful system of state and national parks afford a delightful and nearly free opportunity to enjoy nature with countless unwashed multitudes of others like us (plus thousands more that are not). We have recently added another state park in our western mountains around the "Chimney Rock" area. That is an unusual rock formation that resembles a chimney. I suppose you could not have guessed that from the name. I remember my parents telling stories of visiting there when I was a very young lad. Back then it was still a primitive area. Primitive meaning they hadn't installed the elevator to take lazy visitors to the top of the mountain in 15 seconds.

It is good to have you once more safe in the fold my friend. C51 writes that he is off to visit his brother on Flowerpot Island for a few days. That seems to be a well know Canadian vacation destination also famous for certain rock formations. From photos I'd say the formations are sedimentary rock weathered by the winds and water around them over the eons that carved the stone into interesting shapes. I believe living conditions there are somewhat primitive.

We are planning a visit to the NC shore sometime in July once the summer semester is over and my son is free to go. Though we live reasonably close to the sea it has been about a decade since I last saw the Atlantic. We have a psychologist friend who has a large beach house on the sound side near Atlantic Beach. We have a standing invitation to visit anytime so it looks like we will be going this summer. I should be getting the SAAB 900 Turbo on the road next week and if I do I think we'll drive that down to the coast. It has been 40 years since I drove to the coast in a convertible. I will not describe that trip as doing so might tend to incriminate me. I will be packing my snorkel, wet suit and "frog" fins when we go in July.

My son's new Dell laptop is on order but has not yet arrived so I cannot say when I might be donning canvas wings and joining you chaps in the crowded air over France. For the time being we can gather together over London and bounce a few unwary Huns together.