Dressing up

Hello again from India,
So many of you have responded so kindly and been so encouraging I want to thank you very much. When you are far from home you have no idea how much it means to hear from folks back home just to say hi and that things are okay.
Since I have not been flying for a few weeks it has allowed me to get some other things done that have been on my list. One is to get over to the tailor's and get measured for my winter uniform. Since they measure everything the fit is really great and so, since this is my first complete uniform with a jacket and all, I took a self portrait in the mirror when I got home and tried it on.
We really don't get to wear the jacket much here since it isn't really cold for long at all. This time of year we will only wear the jacket as far as the plane and then hang it up and fly without it. So, this is the one chance you will get to see me in the full monkey suit. Thank goodness they don't want hats! I have never looked good in a hat. And maybe some of you will notice that all the time in the gym has been having a good effect.
Today was another typical India day. We had lots of errands to run and things to do all over Delhi. I took another pilot with me because we were having to get attested copies of our passport signed by someone way downtown. This was required for us to renew our airport passes for next year. They expire on December 31 and it took me almost 5 months to get it the first time. In fact I was laughing to myself because the pass didn't come in time to get me to the airplane one time for a flight. I have always been a passenger on my own plane with a boarding pass, etc. But, the airport pass has allowed me to go to the airplane to update my flight charts and do a couple of engine runs to exercise everything so the airplane will fly next time we actually get to go fly. My copilot is coming back from London this weekend but now I am told that it may take as long as 2 weeks to get his paperwork through the DGCA and get him approved as a copilot on our XLS. To give the pilots in my audience an idea of the opportunity that India provides for young people interested in flying, my new copilot is a great young man who is 28 years old and has exactly 600 hours. When I was that age and had that sort of flying time I was flying single engine Cessnas and Pipers and just glad to be doing it. He will be riding right seat for a long time, but what a fantastic opportunity for someone here in this country. He has so much invested in his flying though, he will be flying for many years before he gets it all paid off and gets on the positive side of the ledger since he went to America and paid for his own training. Our owner is helping him but he will be working for years to make this right. Ashish is a great guy and is dating one of our air hostesses so maybe love is in the air, who knows?
I found out that they are going to approve me as a check airman for the XLS, at least for this one situation and then maybe for others as it becomes necessary so that will be something new and exciting to do - help others become better and safer pilots, real professionals that are making true contributions to their companies for years to come.
I am very excited about this upcoming weekend. I have a tiger exploration and sighting tour coming up. We take a nice 4 hour train ride to somewhere North of Delhi to a state park known for tiger sightings. We will spend the night in a nice lodge and then get up very early the next morning to go see some real tigers in their live habitats. The last time I did this with a truly wild animal was when I was in Africa 37 years ago and we did some game sighting tours in the Kalahari. With a little luck maybe I will get some nice photos.
Well, here in India I am having to look hard for Christmas. I have my computer loaded up with lots of Christmas music and played through my amplifier speakers and with my carpetless apartment I can get pretty awesome sounds going. It's a little hard to follow up outside since it's around 70 degrees out there tonight at 9 p.m. But, I volunteered to sing in the Christmas Chorale at church and we have been invited to perform at the Hyatt Regency Hotel right next to my corporate office here in Delhi on Christmas Eve. They set up a little stage and we will sing a few carols and then lead the audience in quite a few more. There will be a flute solo and a vocal or two. There is one ladies trio that is really great and that will be most of my Christmas here this year. Of course the best part for me is knowing that I am now sitting on two airline tickets for early Feb for Karen and me to fly from Los Angeles to Delhi. I am flying to LAX late January and spending a few days both with my daughter and son-in-law in the Portland, Oregon area and then coming down to be with my son and daughter-in-law in Southern California. They will have provided me with my first grandchild by that time even though that little lady hasn't been born yet, she is engraved on my heart and mind. The kids seem to be getting excited about a dad visit all the way from India and I am very excited about it. Of course, it's going to be equally exciting to bring Karen back to India with me. I am so going to relish the looks on her face as she experiences all the wonders of this beautiful and interesting place.
When I went to Qatar for Thanksgiving and then came back to Delhi to my own place, it was the weirdest feeling in the world. It is like my world has gone through a complete shift and my life is so different from what it was before. I do feel much more at home here, I have lots of friends, both expats and Indians, who are wonderful people, and I find a lot of truth in the statement that I want to be my little piece of advice or saying for this blog -"Wherever you are, it is your friends who make your world."