Spraying!!!

Thought we'd just show you what Mark got up to during his last week at work. The Cessna 206 that he has been helping to fix had got to the point that it was ready to be sprayed before assembly. So the fuselage was wheeled into Hanger C and the spray-booth. After taping it all up, the interior was sprayed with a grey primer. This was then taped up ready for the exterior to be sprayed with a bright yellowie-green primer before it gets its white top coat. Below are some shots showing a few of the stages.

Ready and waiting for some paint!!

Looking down the tail section ... all nice and grey!!!

All shiny and new

Ready for its stripes

As this was his first time in the spray booth ... Mark didn't do any of the outside of the fuselage, but he had great fun doing the engine cowling (which was quite tricky with some nasty angles) and all the inspection panels & plates... see below.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

The last couple of weeks have been quite busy for us ... so we haven't had time to update our blog ... sorry! Let's start in the hangar ... Mark's really pleased as his tool box has arrived ... certainly not something you can carry around by hand if that's the kind of tool box you're used to ... it's definitely his pride and joy at the moment ... after Jenny and Abigail that is!!

Mark passed his Physics text ... and now won't have to do another one until after the Christmas break ... the next 2 tests are on Basic Electronics ... so although there'll be a break from the hangar ... there will still be some study at home to do! Below are a few photos of some of the things he has been up to in the hangar over the last couple of weeks ... firstly some rivet plates that he made to fix the glare shield, and then a before and after of a window installation on the cargo door.

Jenny has been busy both at home and out and about ... she made another 35 mince pies for a Christmas MOPS get together which was really fun ... she's enjoying getting to know the other mum's there ... and also getting loads of local information from them. Two other mum's in her group arrived in Coshocton over the 12 months ... so all the settling in is still fresh in their minds and they can be a lot more understanding of what it's like to arrive somewhere totally new.

The MMS ladies all got together in the hangar one evening last week to stuff envelopes with the latest edition of 'Ground Crew', an MMS newsletter which comes out three times a year. (If you would like to receive a copy do let us know!) As well as being of practical help to MMS as an organisation ... it was a good chance for the wives to all get together ... and there was a lot of laughing going on! Below are a few photo of the ladies 'hard' at work!!

Jenny also had the chance to go to an ornament exchange ... something we'd never heard of before!! Christmas tree ornaments are a BIG thing out here ... special individual ones being sold all over the place, with some people buying a new one every year, or those to mark special occasions!! It was another fun evening full of laughter ... while Mark was home studying!

Abigail continues to amuse us ... and is already becoming quite helpful around the house ... this week she has decided that unpacking the shopping bags is a fun game ... which is great as when you get in from the shops you just have to leave the bags on the floor and she'll pass you everything to put away in the cupboards!!! She also decided to rearrange the kitchen cupboards and work surfaces ... preferring to store the fruit on the shelf rather than in the fruit bowl!!

Last week we had a bit of snow ... but it only lasted a day ... although Abigail was absolutely fascinated by it all ... lots of giggling, especially when the snow melted on her hand ... she couldn't quite work it out! Having heard about all the snow at home we were a bit miffed that we were missing out, but last night the snow came again and seems to be hanging around for a while too ... the difference is the world doesn't cease to function when it snows here ... life continues as usual but just looks a lot more peaceful and beautiful!

Above is a shot of our house before Mark cleared the path to the door and the sidewalk (it's each persons responsibility to look after the sidewalk in front of their own house!). The three of us had some fun in the snow together too in the back yard ... especially laughing at Abigail trying to work it all out and keep plopping herself down so she could be nearer to the ground! We're very aware that this is just a small snowfall compared to what we'll be in for over the next few months ... just hoping it will all stick around ... or snow some more between now and Christmas so that we have a 'white' one!

So, now we're just waiting for Mark's sister, Amy to arrive on Monday to spend Christmas and New Year with us ... very exciting!! If we don't get a chance to add any more to this before Friday we wish you all a great Christmas and hope that you get a chance to pause, relax and remember how this whole holiday started all those years ago!

Our Handiwork!

This week started with the official opening of deer hunting season! A very cultural experience ... all the kids got the day off school ... because apparently if it wasn't official they would take the day off anyway to go shooting!! Deer cause a lot of road accidents out here ... so it's something that is necessary ... but it's slightly disconcerting shopping in Walmart and seeing guys come in with gun belts full of ammo walking around ... or driving past a gas station and seeing a van with 2 dead deer strapped to the roof and one strapped to the back! Definitely a bigger adjustment to get used to some things more than others!

We've been quite slack at taking photos of ourselves this week ... just what we've been up to ... so here's a chance for you to see some of our handiwork!!

In the hangar Mark has been involved in different projects including removing the rudder pedal bar, preparing the wings for spraying and repairing the glare shield which is shown in the photo above! Mark also took his second test ... a mathematics one ... this time beating his last score ... getting 100%!! The question is how will he outdo himself next time when the subject is physics?!

The photos above show the parts of the Cessna 206 Mark and his team are working on, the fuselage, the wings and everything else ... and then below, a photo of a similar aircraft showing what they're working towards ... still a little way to go!

Jenny has been getting festive at home ... making Christmas cards and mince pies all week ... while listening to Christmas music!! In the UK we take for granted being able to walk into a supermarket and pick up a pack of half a dozen mince pies! They are not a traditional Christmas treat here and in order to make them Jenny trawled the town for all the ingredients, from 4 different stores, to start from scratch ... that part took most of the week ... and so far she has made over 50 with the mincemeat ... and probably has enough to make that many again! ... no complaints there as they're yummy!!

On Saturday night we had the MMS family Christmas celebration ... it was a really fun evening (with almost 60 of us there) ... a chance to share some food and get Christmassy together ... there was lots of laughter ... and quite a few mince pies!!! We got a Christmas tree this weekend too ... so now our home is beginning to look festive as well!

Abigail has been a bit miserable this week ... we think the MMR jab has caught up with her as she had a bit of a temperature for a couple of days, that along with teething (regularly fitting her whole fist in her mouth!!) has made her not quite as perky as normal ... but she's slowly improving which is great as it has been quite draining for us, as all parents of teething little ones will know!

We couldn't miss out on sharing some of Abigail's handiwork as well ... it's only fair!! She's started taking every opportunity to draw on things ... including taking the pen and shopping list when we're out which she then won't let us look at ... so inevitably we come home minus one or two things we'd needed to buy!!

A week to be thankful!

Last week was Thanksgiving ... a tradition celebrated here as a public holiday and long weekend ... with everyone having Thursday and Friday off work! We were invited to spend the afternoon on Thursday at the Schwartz's along with the Schuerman's and Gettle's ... 18 of us in all ... and enjoyed all the trimmings of a Thanksgiving feast! There was a lot of pumpkin going on too ... pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, pumpkin cheesecake!! It was lovely to spend time with 3 American families that day, to get a better idea of how to celebrate! The holiday also gave us time to reflect on all we've had to be thankful for over recent months!

As a result of Thanksgiving, Mark only had three days in the hangar, above you can see some the riveting he was doing on the repair plate of the right wing of the aircraft his team is working on. He also took the first of many tests required as part of his course (one every 10 days!!) ... it was on aircraft drawings ... something he is very familiar with having been an aircraft design engineer since 1994 ... and we're pleased to report he got 90%! His next test is on Thursday, this time the topic is mathematics.

Some of our extra spare time over the last week was spent sorting out the remaining two areas of the house, the office and the basement. Last weekend Mark (& Abigail) had fun putting together our new desk ... not sure who had more fun though ... see the cheeky monkey above ... already quite handy with a screwdriver! Needless to say a lot of it was done when Abigail was sleeping!! We also had time to go and have fun at the playground of the local school ... it came as a surprise to us that if it's outside of school hours you can go and play in most schools playgrounds ... as you can see Abigail is as interested in climbing up the slide as much as going down them!

We took Abigail for her MMR jab last week (a little bit late ... but we were moving when it was due!) ... a very strange experience for us as we were at the doctors surgery for over an hour ... but hardly saw anyone in that time ... and then left without having to pay anything!! Anyway, it went as well as it could and Abigail has so far been unaffected which we are very grateful for! She's very proud of herself at mealtimes now, as we can hand over both the spoon and the yoghurt pot and she can do it all with very little help ... it takes a while and doesn't all go in ... but it's fun to watch the concentration!

We are beginning to get to know some of the people at the Tabernacle now that we've been going more regularly. They have their small groups on a Sunday evening and on the fifth Sunday they have a week off and share food together. This weekend they did something a bit different and had some games as well ... we all went along and had some fun, as well as getting a chance to meet some more of the congregation!

Family Time!

One of the great things we're finding about life here is that at weekends we're able to have some quality family time! When we lived in our little cottage we often had visitors or were away most weekends and so didn't have time to do the little bits and pieces around the house or go out and explore the area. Since we've been here it has been the complete opposite and we've been really enjoying it ... especially as Abigail is at the age where she's beginning to appreciate all we're doing!

Last weekend we were able to take a trip up into Charm in Holmes County (these first few photos were taken while we were there!) ... which has the largest Amish population in the USA. Millers bakery is known by all the MMS families as a little piece of heaven ... with freshly baked bread, pastries, home made pasta, spices and lots more ... it looks like a little wooden shed on the side of a hill but inside it's full of delights! It would have been rude not to stop in there and pick ourselves up some goodies!

We also visited Keim Lumber (www.keimlumber.com) ... a huge hardware store 'to die for' ... if you're into that kind of thing!! The Amish are known for their woodwork and there is a wood shed with some gorgeous looking exotic woods there. I think it's most DIY fanatic's dream store ... with everything you need, including a few things you might not ... like every version of Monopoly you never knew existed ... Pony-opoly, Christmas-opoly, Ice-Cream-opoly, Bible-opoly, DIY-opoly ... to name just a few that we can remember!!

While we were there we found the perfect school to enrol Abigail in when she's older ... Charm School!!! ... although some would say she started classes there a long time ago! ;o)!

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing at home ... raking the leaves (which you can see below, Abigail loved!) and mowing the lawn. We also visited another church here in our quest to find one in a small town of 37 churches! We went to Coshocton Christian Tabernacle and were given the most amazing welcome that we've ever received in any church anywhere we've been in the world ... and really felt at home there! So it's official ... the search is over!

Although not even the end of November ... (and most here would say ... not even Thanksgiving!), last night was the Christmas parade in the town ... 'Miracle on Main Street'! It was a real eye-opener because there were loads of people there lining Main Street ... many more than we anticipated there would be in this small town!! We were treated to the delights of different marching bands, fire trucks, princesses ... the gingerbread man and Father Christmas (he isn't known as that here ... only Santa!).

Abigail really enjoyed waving as all the different things went past and we had fun with the Gettle family watching the parade and catching all the 'candy' that got thrown our way! Paul and Kristin Gettle and their 3 boys, Grant, Cole and Evan are another new MMS family who arrived from Alabama shortly after us ... so we're all getting used to Coshocton and MMS life together!

During the Week!

We have been here for exactly two months today ... it's unbelievable ... so much has happened in such a short space of time and we're feeling really settled ... in some ways it feels like we only said our goodbyes yesterday and in other ways it feels like we've been here ages! Every so often we catch ourselves looking at each other and saying things like 'we live in America now'!!!

During the week we're into our own little routines, Mark is continuing to enjoy his work in the hangar and having completed his Basic Training in just three and a half weeks is now 'hands-on' the aircraft! The photo above shows the guys in the hangar turning over the Cessna 206 that Mark is working on at the moment ... not quite ready to fly yet!

Each apprentice is assigned a team which includes trained mechanics and apprentices and then the team leader mentors those in training whilst they all work on the aircraft. Mark is in Ian's (pronounced I-an) team for the next 6 months and they are working on an aircraft for a mission called Asas de Socorro in Brazil. Some of the jobs Mark is already doing this week are repairing the fibre glass on the forward cowlings, fabricating a repair on the left wing and checking the fuel selector valve and gasculator. Not bad for a newbie! (The photo's above and below show the forward cowlings that Mark is working on!)

While Mark has been getting on with his work in the hangar, Jenny and Abigail have been continuing to sort out the house and take advantage of the end of the Indian Summer we've had here by going for walks into town. The cloudy weather seems to have finally arrived now ... but we definitely can't complain as it's been so nice for most of the time we've been here! Unfortunately this week Abigail hasn't been too well ... coughing, spluttering and snotting everywhere so getting out and about has been more limited ... but thankfully she's much improved now!

Last Friday, Abigail and Jenny joined the Coshocton MOPS group (MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers ... see www.mops.org for more information). It runs once a month and is a couple of hours where the mum's get together and have a chance to share the highs and lows, while their children are off playing together. There is always some kind of presentation and last week it was a cooking one, talking about the importance of good nutrition etc. It was a great chance to meet other mum's with little ones and the weeks that there is no MOPS meeting there are smaller groups who meet for playdates ... so Jenny & Abigail will be able to build some relationships there.

At Work and Play!!

Mark has been enjoying his time in the hangar so far! All the guys do different tasks in the hangar to make it run smoothly ... and this week Mark started 3 months of 'opening' ... which means opening all the hangars, switching on the lights and heating etc before the rest of the staff arrive. Unfortunately Abigail hasn't clicked yet that she doesn't have to wake up when Daddy does ... so we're all up half an hour earlier for the time being!

Mark's training is divided into three distinct parts, Basic, Primary and Production. He has already nearly come to the end of the Basic training part where he has been learning and practicing the basic aviation maintenance skills. Below are a couple of photographs, the first with Mark in his uniform (with his name stitched in, in case he forgets who he is!) holding the spark plug tray that he made and the second with Bob Schwartz where he is learning basic electrical theory.

The Primary component of the training has an emphasis on establishing a solid working knowledge of aviation maintenance practices and procedures and will require Mark to do a lot of study at home to complement what he is learning in the hangar. He will also be required to take a written test every 10 days to consolidate all he has been learning. Production will be the final component and will use all the skills and knowledge he has gained in the first two sections of the apprenticeship.

While Mark has been working hard (and enjoying every minute!), Jenny and Abigail have been having lots of fun together! The boxes are all nearly unpacked now, although the car is not quite back in the garage! They have also been making the most of the mild weather and have been out walking most days and getting to know the neighbourhood on foot! Abigail has started to enjoy drawing too ... really concentrating on what she is doing ... she also concentrates very hard on putting the crayons back in the box which is very amusing!

Christmas came early!

Well ... it has definitely felt like Christmas came early in our house that's for sure ... as our shipping arrived after exactly 7 weeks! We were really excited to see it all again as we can now put the final touches to our place and make it home! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers with regards to the speed of delivery ... they estimated 8-12 weeks ... so we did really well! Every day we're opening more boxes and being surprised by what we find inside (especially as Mark's parents added a few little extra treats in some of the boxes without us knowing!) ... Abigail's very good at ripping off the packing tape and emptying things out ... she also wants to help as we assemble the furniture too! (See below, our garage last Thursday with some of our boxes ... and a little helper!) She had a few birthday presents that were shipped before she got to see them ... so she has been enjoying those ... just a month and a half late!

Most of our time this last week or so has been taken up getting ready for the shipping and then sorting through it all ... but we have had some fun too! On Saturday some friends invited to join us on their monthly trip to Columbus ... to shop in the 'big smoke' ... we didn't go into the city itself but the shops in the surrounding areas have a much better selection than in our little town! It was a fun day ... to spend time with them and also to see more new places too! It's only just over an hours drive away so we'll definitely be back there again! We also took some time out on Sunday afternoon to go for a walk at Lake Park ... the trees have definitely lost their leaves now but although colder it's still sunny, blue skies!

Abigail continues to be her cheeky but happy self (with the odd miserable day of teething ... but thankfully they continue to be the exception to the rule!!). She seems to be completely settled out here and has gone back into the two sleeps a day routine which has been great for getting things done around the house! Her latest tricks include unrolling the loo paper, putting our shoes away for us as soon as we've taken them off, brushing her teeth (which she would literally do all day if we let her!) and hiding behind the sofa until we say 'BOO' when she runs out giggling! A couple of cheeky pics to finish with ... the first one stealing some of daddy's lunch ... having just finished her own!!