Edmonton Soaring Club Orders Glider With Hand Controls

Perkoz

One way to evaporate those winter blahs is to look forward to a new piece of equipment to master when summer-weather arrives, thereby increasing one's knowledge and skill level  (a nearly-plausible way for a guy to explain the rationality of a 'new toy to play with'). Just the thought of the summer breeze, sunny days, and being active outside can totally transport you into that world, allowing you to forget about the winter storm raging outside. You sit by the window with a contented grin, ignoring the winter wonderland.

We all need something to look forward to, something to remind us that good times lie ahead. Now don't get me wrong, winter is not THAT bad, but when  you're a quadriplegic that's mostly cold-blooded (to the point of being a p.i.a. to the general population), residing 2,500 miles North of the palm trees and need to listen to Jimmy Buffett via satellite, by the end of February it's been long enough.

A new toy? While we're conjuring up a good day-dream, how about a brand-new high-performance sailplane, equipped with hand-controls, a volunteer instructor, a lift to get wheelchair-users into the cockpit, and a Piper Pawnee to tug it into the air ... that oughta do it!

Quadriplegic Lifestyle: Fishing

Okay, even though it has been a good winter … that's enough for me. This is the time of the year that I get most of my computer work completed while I'm confined to the indoors. Part of the stuff I do on the computer is editing the videos we've taken during the summer. Here is a video on fishing. In working on it I was transformed back to that great day. Now I'm looking forward to summer more than ever!
It was a perfect autumn day, the sun was shining, the weather was warm, and the fish were biting! This video shows a bit of how with the help of a friend I can catch fish, and even though I'm clumsy (us quadriplegics are like that ) in handling the rod and reel (and just about everything else), it works out okay in the end. You “Up-Rights” need to have patience when dealing with us … LOL.
I hope you enjoy it!

Life Lessons: Materialism

2007 "Eco Tour" in the Keys

Heck I’d never even seen the tropics before and I was blown away by the warmth, sun and smells, and here it was January! The ocean was the most spectacular iridescent blue, and from the bridges that joined the Keys we could see fish jumping, boats, and birds on the water. There were palm trees and mangroves and flowers that were all new to me. The people all seemed to be wearing shorts, loud flowery shirts, and flip-flops. Everybody seemed to be laid-back, operating on “Keys Time". We read a pamphlet that summed up the local attitude; “Key West is a quaint little drinking town with a tourist problem.” The cost of camping was a paltry price to pay to experience this, and I was eager to take in all I could. We set up camp amongst the palms, and soon were exploring down by the water and over by the marina. That's where we met Captain Tom.

Life As A New Quadriplegic

I was asked to do a presentation on Life As A Quadriplegic for a group of local junior high students, and asked not to sugarcoat the situation as I am prone to do. I like to focus on what I CAN do, but the teacher pointed out that "we don't want it to look like it's all fun, because it CAN'T be". She was right, I have a habit of hiding the tough stuff and focusing on the positive, a survival tactic us gimps use. I have been very fortunate to surround myself with a lot of very positive people, and I'd like to keep it that way! Well I was asked to write something that shows what it's really like to be a quadriplegic, something that will make them pay attention to the presentation and remind them that it isn't always easy. Now don't get me wrong, I received top-notch care and have no bad feelings about the care-givers that were required to perform such a difficult job. So here it is, what the kids got, and now I can go back to thinking on the positive side again!

Life As A New Quadriplegic

Imagine you are struggling, fighting to escape. You are held firmly down to a bed. Two white-coats are holding your head still while trying to insert a hose about the diameter of your finger up your nose. You struggle, trying to thrash side to side but cannot move. Your arms and legs are immobilised, you are lying flat on your back, and it feels is if you are encased in steel. The feeling of claustrophobia is taking over.