Today is Scott’s sixty second birthday. I often think about all of the life he is missing. Of course, it makes me sad for him to be missing out. It also gives me (even more) reason to live a full life. I’m trying to honor him by living out what I know would be his wish for me: keep living a life full of love, adventure and meaning.

I am certainly trying! Since off the river, I have had so much to do! First, 243CM moved (again) to it’s final assembly location. Things are moving forward at bread neck speed! I wish I had found Ephraim a year ago…..and wow, better late than never.

Yesterday, I went to the hangar and installed the VG’s on my wings. While I was working away on the front, Ephraim was inventing a new tailwheel system. He is amazing! The tailwheel has been an area of concern for me and I have been wanting to beef up what originally existed. Voila! Ephraim saw what was there and immediately went to work designing something better, beefier and more solid! It’s a T3 combined with a Scott wheel. We are thinking about asking Tony (TK1 racing) to design a shock to replace the springs, but that can come later. The springs will work great! I love it!

The weather was fabulous on Friday and Saturday. Gerrick and Michael Lee invited me to go backcounrty skiing with them. Our objectives were Ruby Mt (Friday) and Washington Pass Birthday tour (Sat). We were not the only people with the idea to head to Washington Pass. There were lots of people, and we had lots of fun. Ruby was a bit longer than we were able to get done Friday, but Saturday Gerrick and I knocked out the birthday tour. The snow was classic NW mashed potatoes, but the journey was joyful. Gerrick learned a ton and did a great job.

What a week! The plane is moving forward, ski turns before the snow is gone, and taking a moment to celebrate Scott’s birthday keeps my heart full. Life is anything but boring. Scott must be smiling, just what he would love for his birthday.