Abbey Animal Missions October 2012

If you haven't gone to my other blog to check out our latest mission please click on the link to take you there to catch up (AbbeyAnimal.blogspot.com).  We are having great fun with the Final Fixit project in St. Croix and I look forward to bringing you more news on this after we get back.  You can follow along if you click on the SPOT Location link (Abbey Animal Mission Location). I will be activating this map starting Saturday October 20 and running it through October 27. 

Abbey Animal hospital and I have donated a weeks worth of Surgery down there to help with the pet overpopulation.  This is a real problem for these islands so the idea is to develop a technique for population control on the Island of St. Croix and use it (apply it ) to help out the other islands. Since starting this project I have been witness to several peoples testimonies about witnessing heartbreaking events due to the uncontrolled pet populations…. from hit-by-cars to packs of feral dogs chasing people.  I know first hand that feral pets can wreak havoc on the indigenous wildlife populations.  We hope to get this under control. 

We are constantly looking for new missions to support so if you have an idea, please email me with the suggestion.  

Pray for our projects and thank you for your support.  Bye for now.

Robin

Tripl Tree Fly-In 2012

Flew to Triple Tree Aerodrome this past weekend with one of my flybuddies Tim.  We had a great time and decided that we would try to get our wives to join us next year.  The weather was on the wet side but the events, the meals, the unique grass runway, the great variety of planes and the friendly company of fellow pilots made up for it.  With only 5 weeks to go until take-off for the Abbey Animal Final Fixit Project in St. Croix (www.tripletreeaerodrome.com), this was a great way to test my cross country skills.  I was able to fly all the way there and back simulating IFR.

For those of you who have never been to Triple Tree (), it is an airport that is located in South Carolina near Charlotte.  It is a privately owned facility that has been used to host RC (radio controlled ) events.  There is an 8000 ft. grass runway that is smoother then most putting greens.  There are also two lakes, one of which can accommodate the float plane crowd.  The owner has a passion for aviation, especially the fabric planes and the experimental planes.  In the main hanger there is a Stearman that was the envy of the crowd.  

During the Fly-in there were many experimental aircraft on display.  The RV's were well represented and seemed to relish this environment.  I don't think that I have seen so many of them in one place at one time (of course I have not been to Oshkosh or Sun and Fun… those are in a whole other league).  But the envy of my eye was a Pitenpol experimental airplane, that looks like a great aircraft for a burgeoning builder to start with (the plans were first published in Popular Mechanics Magazine).  Tim and I (mostly Tim, but me too) are thinking of starting a project of building an all wood (metal is an optional add-on), fabric covered plane.  Tim has experience building planes and since he completed his RV-6A about 2 years ago, he is now getting the "itch" to start another plane.  I have to admit that being around so many builders and so many experimental and restored aircraft, I am also ready to take the first step and get into building.  The things I like about the Pitenpol are that its built of mostly wood, its very simple, it looks like fun to fly, and its relatively inexpensive to operate and build.  One of the premier builders put his together for about $6800… and that includes the engine!  We are trying to get about 5 partners together… that might be a tall order!  Oh well, its a journey!

One of the events included a class on working with fabric.  Jerry Stadtmiller is well known for his passion of restoring  fabric covered vintage planes.  He transplanted his operation from Florida to Andrews-Murphy Airport (KRHP) in North Carolina.  You can visit his website at (www.bipeinc.com).  

Well back to work, looking for a second cup of coffee… Pray for our projects, thanks for your support.  Robin

Two Moms in the hospital

This week has been crazy.  It all started last week when Kathy's Mum when into the hospital for being disoriented.  She has been suffering with uncontrolled Diabetes and high blood pressure for some time.  It is a wonder that she has not had more serious complications to this point.  We have had our differences (as all Mother-in-Laws are expected to have!) but I have to give her some respect for having the fortitude to turn down conventional Medicine and try to live with this disease on her terms.  She has moved and lived all over including Europe and North America (including Alaska) which is amazing for someone of her age.  I think she is used to being independent and does not like the idea of having to depend on other people to guide her life.  Unfortunately, she is at that stage in life where she will have to depend on others for help.  Please pray for us as we face difficult decisions concerning her care and recovery.  

On top of Kathy's Mum being in the hospital, Randy's Mom has also been in the (same) hospital.  She went in for surgery and has had complications with her recovery.  She has been in a lot of pain and I know that Randy is very distressed over her well being.  Last night she took an unexpected turn for the worse and we have been monitoring her very closely.  She also is a very strong willed independent person.  She has also lived all over the world and lead a very interesting life.  She has meant a great deal to her family and friends and I know there are a lot of folks that are very worried and praying for her recovery.

Also  a friend of Abbey Animal Hospital passed away this week.  Memphis was a senior Pit Bull who had Leukemia and developed complications from the drug therapy.  She had been so full of life that we couldn't believe that she was gone.  Please pray for our hospital as we mourn her passing.

Its times like this that we all have to step back and appreciate our lives and relationships.  Life is a precious gift and needs to be respected.  God does not want us to waste our lives so lets all remember to get out there and live life to the fullest.  As it is said in Psalm 90:12 "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who are in need of comfort and healing.  Bye for now, Robin.

Randy's fish and Alli onboard!

Went fishing with Randy and Brad out on the bay.  It was a perfect day and we were having fun.  They say fishing time does not count against you and this day was no exception.  We were using live minnows and a flounder rig out at the first island in the Chesapeake Bay.  The news was out and there was a parking lot out there.  Lots of great fishing.  At the end of the day we decided that we would either leave in 15 minutes or the next fish.  Just at that time Randy hooked a big one… a great end to our outing.  Got back to the dock and in the process of filleting the fish, I filleted my thumb.  Not too bad but considering my profession, it was a little embarrassing… I am supposed to be more aware of sharp objects.  Oh well, live and learn.

The Fixit project for St. Croix continues to move along.  If you want to see more, click on the link to AbbeyAnimal.blogspot.com.  Another  person committed to coming along on the trip to help out.  Alli is not only a member of my cracker-jack management teem but my daughter as well and will be a great help.  I know she is excited to be on board for this mission.  For those of you who see her at the front desk, be sure to give her your support.  Ok it's back to work and some more coffee… Thanks for all of your support.  Bye for now, Robin.

Human-Animal Bond

The Human-Animal Bond is alive and well.  Anyone that doesn't know about this has never owned a pet.  There have been countless studies proving the benefits to pet ownership.  From the stress release and decrease in heart attacks to the benefits of less asthma for children being raised with dogs and cats.  I had a visit from a father who had moved from Colorado a couple of years ago and had acquired several pet rats for his kids to soften the disruption of moving.  He brought me one of the patients Alice, who was struggling to live and needed to be eased out of her pain.  I could tell that this furry friend had been an important part of his families life and that this decision was not an easy one.  He had promised his children that he would stay with Alice to comfort her during her transition.  True to his word this father stayed with his charge to the end.  We talked about Alice's life and what she had meant to the children… "It's amazing how much these little creatures capture your heart and become a part of the family".  Through the years I have noticed that the people who own rats get very attached to them and this was no exception.  Thank you Alice. 

We are going to St. Croix in October for our Final Fix Project.  Please check out my other blog site at (abbeyanimal.blogspot.com).  This project is not only to help the pet population of St. Croix but to help the human population live more comfortably with the animals of this island (dog packs can be dangerous).  Their animal shelter is over run and they have a very high kill rate (up to %60) to keep them under control.  We are trying to control the existing population so there are not so many unwanted feral pets to be euthanized.  There are cultural differences that have to be overcome but we are making some progress.

Yikes!

Had another example of why we are going to St. Croix right here in the hospital.  This morning when we opened the doors there was a box by the front door.  One of our clients noticed it and said "what's in the box" to which Cortney replied, "what box?"  Low and behold there in a cardboard box was a bunny inside with a note on the outside.  Someone had left it out there in the hopes it would be rescued.  This bunny seemed very sweet and in need of a bath and a good home.  This one was probably an Easter Gift.  We will try to adopt her out to a good owner.  This is an example of what happens when people take on pets but can't (or won't) take care of them.  Bunnies are great pets but have been traditionally kept in a cage (Hutch) and outside.  They can be litter box trained and can be allowed to run around in the house.  They can be trained to respond to their names.  The oldest bunny I worked on was 16 years old and named Rosco... the owner said he liked to watch TV and eat Raisin Bran (with his owner!).  We had a rabbit called Pietry who would come when called.  One thing that a house rabbit needs, is to be supervised to prevent the chewing of electric cords.  For some reason they love to chew on cords, so those of you with bunnies need to make sure to take precautions.

Another Bunny to Save!

Well back to work, I have a broken K-9 tooth to repair… I think Alli is going to post that on our website.  Pray for our missions and thanks for the support.  Bye for now, Robin.

Meeting Phil

Continuing on with my quest for missions please visit my other blog to see how the Final Fix Mission is going at (Abbeyanimal.blogspot.com ).  The last couple of days have been very interesting.  Met an amazing person named Phil Bracco.  He is the author of a book called Living for Game Day (Livingforgameday.com )He is a three time (at least) cancer survivor.  His story was very inspirational and I recommend it for anyone about to go through some hard times… that would be all of us at one point or another.  

A couple of pups we delivered, doing great!

I met Phil at the gym where I go to try and recapture some of my youth.  It sounds crazy but at 54 the tide has turned on me and its all I can do to swim against it.  I read another great book called Younger Next Year.  In this book the authors talk about youth being like the ocean tide.  When you are young the tide is flowing in and you are able to float along with it to remain fairly functional.  As you age the tide becomes slack and you might have to swim a little to make any gains.  As the tide starts to go out it is very important to start your swim against the tide to keep your quality of life.  They talk about this time of life being the "last third".  I don't know if I like the thought, but being a Christian I think of it as only closer to the start of a better life!  I do think that God calls on us to remain active so we can accomplish more things while here on Earth.  I think that part of it is living a healthy life style… I can't say that I am always successful at following my own advice but I like the idea.  By the way the two authors that are writing this book include a senior citizen of 77 and his Doctor.  Both of them give sound reasons for why its important to keep moving.  I hope some of you will find the same inspiration in this book that I did.  I see the benefits of regular exercise every day!  Another book that fits well with this book is called the TNT Diet.  It talks about how to rearrange your body, and how diet is very important.  They provide some sound advice on how to loose fat and gain muscle.  Being in the medical profession, I know that the body becomes accustomed to a certain weight and will fight to maintain that weight so it is much easier to rearrange weight then to loose it.  I like the book because it shows you how to eat with the foods at your local grocery store.  The diet is surprisingly easy (not at first but then most things worth doing take some effort!) and effective.  It also lays out an exercise program that will help you achieve your goals.

Ok, well on with the next adventure!  I look forward to talking to Phil more and tapping in on his Zest for Life!  Pray for our missions and stay Active!  Bye for now, Robin.

My BFR with Daniel

In Case you are joining this blog for the first time, you can read more bout it in previous posts.  One main purpose is to follow our progress towards the various missions we are preparing to do.  Currently we are preparing for The Fix St. Croix mission of pet population control in October.  Please check out my other blog at AbbeyAnimal.blogspot.com for more information on this mission.

Daniel

Here it is June of 2012 and time for my BFR (biannual flight review).  For those of you who do not fly, this is a "tune up" that every pilot is required by the FAA to do every 24 months.  This review is a great chance to get together with a Certified Flight Instructor and have them review your piloting skills.  It helps check your ability to fly the plane controlled in tricky configurations.  These configurations occur when setting up to land and when taking off.  These areas of operation are well practiced in the pilot population… so, while they are the most demanding of the areas of operation, they are also the most familiar to pilots.  After all, its really important to have a safe take off to start your flight and a safe landing after having a beautiful (or any) flight.

To accomplish my BFR I had to find a flight instructor… not very hard to do at an airport.  That's when I met Daniel Williams.  He is a young energetic instructor out at Eads Flight School at Hampton Roads Executive Airport (named after Mr. Eads a legend at the airfield).  Tom Stevens (who helps keep me flying) taught him to fly so I know I can trust him.  After introductions we headed out to the Cherokee Six to get started.  After the pre-flight check of the plane, we were taking off and heading to the practice area for some slow flight and steep turns.  This type of flying is not normal but is always a lot of fun for me.  I suspect that if you were not comfortable with flying, one might not enjoy the slightly odd attitudes that the plane is put in (but I find it quit exhilarating).  We practiced some slow flight at 3000 feet (where recovery is easy) and experienced the "buffeting" of the lift when the plane is about to stall.  This is called a "power-off stall".  It is very important to get this sensation so you can correct the plane if you feel this while flying at 200 feet (not as much time to recover).  The next maneuver we practiced was a "power-on stall"… you guessed it, this is a maneuver that simulates take off conditions.  This type of stall is a little more exciting as you slow the plane down to take off speeds and put full throttle on while pulling the yoke back until you stall.  This can take some time and the nose of the plane is usually very high.  It feels like you are going to fall over backwards.  The buffeting started and I was able to recover quickly (without loosing altitude).  OK now we moved on to the  next airport to practice the soft and short field landings (that's a story for another time).  Then it was back to Hampton Roads for a simulated power outage landing and then some ground schooling.  We discussed the effects of Lift and Drag and all the different types of Air Space.  All in all I feel more confident in my piloting skills thanks to Daniel's instructions.  Ok, am good to go for another 2 years!

Well have had some delicious coffee this morning and even though it's Saturday I am off to work at the Hospital.  Lots of my furry friends need to be seen!  Pray for our projects and thanks for your support.  Bye for now, Robin.

Mia "Rocks" On!

Please check out my Abbey Animal Missions blog (Abbeyanimal.blogspot.com)to see the progress of the Fix St. Croix mission!

Mia, the Clever Dog!

Well, its Thursday and we have to look in on Mia to see if the staple has passed.  I saw Randy and Susan last night and they assured me that Mia was doing great.  If you are not sure what has happened up to this date, you need to read the previous post about how Mia ate a filet mignon (with a staple in it to hold the bacon) down like a Great Blue Heron eats a fish… in one gulp!  We had a great Wednesday night get together with friends and family. Susan told me that her Women's circle group at the church was praying for Mia's staple to pass without causing harm.  Folks, the power of prayer is great and should be used often and regularly.  The Wednesday night at the Knopp's tradition started years ago when our church had to shut down their Wednesday night dinners and service for remodeling of the building.  We at the Knopp house hold enjoyed this middle of the week get together so much that we kept it going at our house.  Over the years it has become a tradition and over the years we have had some pretty good times on Wednesday evenings.  Some of them are large gatherings as everyone is invited (please let me know if you are coming so I can plan ahead), but most of them are a quaint gathering of friends and family.  If you have not tried this type of tradition, I highly recommend it as a great way to come together and a great way to re-energize the middle of the week!

Ok, back to Mia.  We took some radiographs of her abdomen to see where the dreaded staple was.

Staple in the Stomach with Food on Sunday.

Staple in the end of the tract ready to come out on Thursday!

As you can see the staple has moved through the whole GI tract and is now ready to exit the system.  I would love to take credit for this miraculous event but again it is a great tribute to the power of prayer!  Anyway, I texted Susan that things were going fine and that no surgery was required.  She was relieved and thanked me for the news.  The best part of the whole thing was that Mia walked out of the hospital with a little extra "swagger" in her step… yes she is a clever dog!

Have a great rest of the week and remember to pray for our projects… Bye for now, Robin

Interesting Cases and Mia the Dalmation

This week has been full of interesting cases at Abbey Animal Hospital.  We saw broken bones, fleas, diarrhea, and went chasing a very large staple in the stomach of a Dalmatian named Mia.

Mia, a beautiful, well natured, Dalmatian, belongs to good friends Susan and my fly-buddy Randy.  They were getting ready to prepare a delicious meal on Saturday night.  You know the kind that involves those fancy cuts of beef wrapped in bacon and secured with a large stainless steel staple.  They had the grill all ready and the salad all made and had placed the steaks out on the counter ready to take out for cooking.  Well, you guessed it… Mia had plans of her own and decided to get in on the delicious meal.  She snatched that meat off the counter and gulped it down in 2 seconds flat (that's warp 10 in dog time).  She did seem to be very pleased with herself.  Randy said he couldn't believe what he witnessed, she looked him in the eye as it was going down and seemed to say "what a clever dog I am".  We came over later and she seemed fine.  Not painful, but pink and full of herself.  We decided that we would see if she could pass the staple on her own over the next 24 hours.  No such luck… Susan was worried so Sunday night we took radiographs and low and behold… there, right there in the area of the stomach was the beautiful silhouette of a perfectly formed staple.  Yes, the kind that you use to hold the bacon onto that beautiful piece of meat.  Randy said it was a form of karmal justice ( I know he was just kidding, he loves that dog)(but he did love that steak... and he was very hungry!).  

Me and Mia ready for the endoscope!

After much deliberation we decided that I should go in with the endoscope to see if we could fish out that pesky foreign body.  One thing that concerned me was that Susan had been feeding Mia… a lot… to try and get her to pass the staple.  Her stomach was full of food so the likelihood of me being able to see the staple was not great.  I figured I wanted to go in there with the endoscope and get it out before it passed into the small intestines where it would be out of reach.  It was a calculated gamble.  Unfortunately I was right about not being able to find anything in a stomach full of food (we did find some hair and fishing line and a "ton" of U/D diet).  Its not like a needle in a hay stack but more like a needle in the middle of a large pile of goo, very difficult to see through.  So we got busy and tried to lavage the stomach and hopefully get the staple or at the very least flush out the stomach and go back in with the endoscope.  Well it is easier said then done… after copious amounts of water flushed through a large bore gavage tube… no luck.  Lots of food came out but no staple.  Went back in with the endoscope and believe it or not there was still way too much food to find the staple… now, we are in a waiting mode.  We woke Mia up after some meds for the stomach and we decided to see if she will pass it on her own by Thursday… if not, it looks like we will be going in!  Susan called me on Monday to tell me that she seemed like her same old self.  Stay tuned for the rest of the story.  Mia doesn't seem to know she has a staple in her gut!

     Well, its back to work,  no new developments on the St. Croix Fix Project but lots of hopeful energy, please pray for our projects!  Bye for now, Robin

Native Americans

The St. Croix project involving control the pet overpopulation is moving along.  Please see the other blog at Abbeyanimal.blogspot.com for updates.  

Talked to several people about other missions and it was brought to my attention that there is a great need on some of the Native American Reservations for veterinary care.  They have a lot of poverty and a lot of animals.  It would be a great thing to help out with their companion animal population.  I will continue to look for organizations that are involved in this cause.  Please contact me if you are aware of a worthwhile cause that could use our support. (rknoppdvm@aol.com)

Opened my wife's pool yesterday.  She likes to call it "our" pool but when it comes right down to it, it really is "her" pool.  She is a bit of an exercise nut and likes to swim in it often, especially during the summer months.  I try to help her keep it clean and running.  This is always on my "Honey-do" list.  It is a "salt" pool which is much nicer on the skin.  Some people feel that the human body is like a battery and needs to be recharged regularly.  The salt in the water it thought to help with the naturally occurring magnetic charges that surround us… that's the theory anyway.  All I know is, it is very refreshing to bath in salt water (especially in the ocean), however, the salt is hard on equipment.

Before Splint...

After Splinting and ready to Wake Up!

Very busy week which include the splinting of a very small patient.  This dog came from a situation where the family had lots of very young children.  Unfortunately this little guy wanted to play with them and they wanted to play with her and the next thing you know she got stepped upon.  These things can happen in the "blink of and eye".  Fortunately she is young and the break will eventually heal.  You can see how much material it takes to get the job done.  The splint looks almost bigger then the patient! Better "a broken bone then a broken spirit"… or … "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

Went to Church this morning and it was time for the Children's Cantata (they sing a sermon).  What a great thing to witness.  All those innocent voices lifting up God's praises!  Very moving.  My daughter Alli helped accompany and direct some of it.  It was also the Sunday where the Women of Song sing during the Offertory.  They were also great!  What a blessing to be at a Church where music is used to lift up the Lord.  It is a great way to start the day!

Pray for our projects, bye for now, Robin

Flying to Williamsburg

     Please don't forget to check out my Abbey Animal Mission blog (Abbeyanimal.blogspot.com) to see where we are on that Project.

   Went to Church today and decided to go to the 9:45 service with my son Mark.  I don't usually go to this service as its contemporary and I am more of a traditional kind of guy… I have to admit that it was a great service.  A lot of youth were there including David Jr. who I have known since he was only a kid.  I watched him grow up in the church, I watched him sing in the youth choir, I watched him pick up a guitar for the first time and now I have watched him come of age in the church. Now I have also watched him propose to his wife to be.  God has special things waiting for him.  I can't wait to see what is next!  Anyway, the service was very moving.  It sure was nice to see the youth taking an active role in the church.

Ghost Fleet in the James River

     Was able to fly to Williamsburg today (KJGG).  Took my bike in the Six and parked in the parking lot next to two other Pipers (they were a lot younger). 

Piper Squadron!

  Peddled into town for lunch and some delicious coffee.  This is a great little town with lots of history and lots of things to do.  I am lucky to live so close.  The flight is about 15 minutes from Hampton Roads Executive (KPVG), but it is packed with very interesting events along the way.  One of the things that I fly over is the James River "Ghost Fleet".  These are ships that have been mothballed by the Navy.  If you want to buy one I am sure they are for sale.  Mostly they are purchased for scrap as they are out of the World War II time zone and not in very good shape. 

Look real Hard and can see Bush Gardens

Classic Williamsburg!

      Another thing that I fly by is Bush Gardens (the amusement park).  This is interesting in that it is very hard to tell which ride you are looking at.  I am sure that some of you are experts in the field of Roller Coasters and you will be able to pick them out.  Anyway after going into town I stopped at Aroma's, a coffee shop, for some great coffee and a sandwich.  Then, on to the Virginia Peanut Factory store right across the street.  The best thing about this place is the very large and complete spread of peanuts… I feel like its the Buba-Gump  of Peanuts.  They have all kinds, from very spicy to salty to sweet to chocolate covered.  The other best thing is that they have samples of all of them so you can try them before making a selection… mostly I just try them, and try them, and try them (i can't seem to eat just one…)!  The next thing I know I am jumping around like a "Mexican Jumping Bean" from all the sugar and caffeine in the chocolate… well worth it!

     Ok, this blog post has gotten long enough and kind of "ramblie", so I am going to get going and get ready to go to work (good grief! that was quite the sentence).  Another week is starting and I can't wait to see whats next.  Please Pray for these Projects.  More to come, Bye for now, Robin

Christian Veterinary Mission

Please click on the link below to follow my blog on Abbey Animal Missions concerning this important organization:

Abbeyanimal.blogspot.com

Still on the road 5-12-12

Yesterday we went to Deb and Bill's place... Ate lots of food including brots and ribs and shrimp and fruit cake. Both families came together and celebrated the union of their respective kids. There were children and a dog that would not give up on fetching the ball all day! The dog's name is Grace, and I can tell you that she was very busy keeping all the kids under control and well entertained! The sun was hot but the low humidity kept us all comfortable if not slihtly dehydrated... Sun block is our friend. Some of our Alaska family got a little too much sun and had to get help putting antibiotic ointment on their severe burns...ouch!

Grace ready to go!

Grace looking for the ball!

Allison down loaded lots of pictures on Facebook so you can see us on Elizabeth's wedding album. I still have not been able to get my iPad to put pics on my blog yet... So you will have to see them on fb for now.
Ate a doughnut and drank some sweet coffee so am ready to get the day going. Will check in later, pray for our little traveling band and this union, bye for now, Robin.

On the road

Well made it to AZ safe and sound but am having to blog on my iPad. This makes it more difficult to type so these blogs will be shorter.

Landed in phoenix, rented a car and headed North to Prescott. Checked into our cottage which is just right for this part of the world... Very rustic!

Landing at Dallas Airport... Big Iron!

Attended Elizabeth's and Ahron's wedding. It was out... Way out in the country at a beautiful venue. The wedding was beautiful and was well attended by lots of friends and family... And some proud parents! Will have to upload some pictures when I learn how to make that happen on an iPad. Took a lot of pictures and video. Allison wants to put a DVD together as a wedding present. I am looking forward to seeing the finished project!

Am looking forward to seeing Road Runner Pharmacy facilities... more on that later.

Will write more later, pray for our projects, bye for now Robin

Cinco de Mayo 2012

Did some research for additional Missions down in the Caribbean Islands.  It turns out there is a  group called Servants in Faith and Technology (SIFAT).  They have helped to develop Clean Water technology to provide clean water for people in remote areas.  The thing about Haiti is that they are plagued with Cholera which is spread through the water.  This technology is life saving for this impoverished nation.  The equipment needs to be transported into some of the remote areas, perfect for a General Aviation Airplane.  There are several other groups that are actively working in this area and I am sure they would appreciate additional help.   Haiti is a little further down the Caribbean chain of islands and so this mission would need additional planning to get there. United Methodist Church Global Ministries (link UMC Missions) also have several missions going on in Haiti. One is for Goat farming and there is also one for Hog farming.  These missions help people feed themselves and their communities.  As a veterinarian I might be able to provide some guidance.  It has been a while since I have given advice on goat or hog farming so I would have to "bone up" on some of their diseases as well as current practices.  Should be able to tour a couple operations as well as attend some continuing education to bring me up to speed.  The cool thing about goats is that they can provide milk and meat and live off of very poor quality vegetation.  They can be hardy and easy to work with unlike larger ruminants that require stout fences and facilities and can be dangerous to handle.

Well I can't believe its May already… I was just getting used to April.  This past weekend was packed with things going on.  It was Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby, locally the Paddle for the Boarder was also going on. 

Alli and Mark Hamm it up for the Camera!

Getting ready for the Paddle

Mathew, Randy, Susan, William all in a row!

Beautiful Sky and Trees

My forward view for 7 Miles!!!

The weekend started with an early morning 7 mile paddle between North Carolina and Virginia portions of the Dismal Swamp Canal (hence the name "Paddle for the Boarder").



 The event was well organized, they provided a light breakfast and some water for the trip as well as a very nice lunch at the end.  All the people were great and the weather was spectacular! The Lord knew what he was doing when he put this place together!  It is beautiful.  Kathy (my wife), Alli (my daughter) and her husband Mark were tired at the end but seemed like they were pleased with their accomplishment.  Randy ( a Fly Buddy) and his girlfriend Susan (fellow Seeker) were there with their son's Mathew and William.  Brad (also a Fly Buddy) was there with his girl friend Tammy.  Although they got there a little late, they caught up to us by the end ( a tribute to Brad's experience as a water Sports enthusiast).  We all got a little wet with with canal water as well as some sweat.  The wildlife and the vegetation was spectacular!  It was warm but not stifling.  It was sort of hard to get just the right rhythm going but after the first 45 minutes Kathy and I were able to keep the Kayak in a relatively straight line… I would swear that that thing was "pulling to the right"… maybe it was just me!  We stopped (only once) at the Virginia Boarder for a photo-op.  It seemed that we were more "driven" to get to the end this year.  Oh well, it was a great work out!

After the Paddle was over we ended up over at Randy's house for Tacos and a chance to watch the Derby.  It is always a treat to see the horses.  They are such athletes, built for speed and endurance.  It always amazes me watching God's creatures run… its a thrill to watch such speed and determination to get to the end.  It looks like "I'll Have Another" will be the one to watch for the triple crown.  I will be looking forward to the third Saturday in May for the running of the Preakness in Maryland.  This race is a little longer and favors the horse with endurance.  I think this horse will do well as he came from behind to win the Derby.  We shall see!

Well, its off to work. Pray for this project and for the mission we choose to persew.   Bye for now, Robin

4-29-12 Bite Week and iPad Kneeboard!

The first attempt of an iPad Knee Board :

What a week!  All kinds of things are going on.  I was able to fashion a Knee Board for my iPad.  It took some work on my sewing machine but in the end it looks kind of cool.  This was my first try so I may need to modify things a bit to get it just right. Everyone keeps asking if I am going to patent it but I think the idea may have already been taken… besides I think it needs some testing first.  Maybe today I will take it out for a short test flight.

Kath's Cat bite!  Ouch!!!

At the end of last week we had a dog bite at the clinic.  That type of accident is always a possibility when you are dealing with a frightened individual.  I am always amazed at our pet population… many times they just stand there and let us groom and examen them and sometimes poke them with sharp objects when we vaccinate them!  We take precautions so injuries don't happen very often (thank the Lord!) but they do happen.  Our employee was taken to the local Doctor and fixed up.  She was healing nicely this week.  The problem is that bad things seem to come in sets of 3.  So on Thursday, we had another severe bite (different person), this time it was by a very upset cat.  Kathy was just trying to get it into a cage and it turned around and bit her.  She is on antibiotics to treat infection and some Motrin for pain relief and she seems to be healing but I think it will take a while before she is back to normal.  Cat bites can be very dangerous as they tend to get very infected very fast.  We are keeping an eye on it.  I had to remind everyone that we are in a high risk occupation and that we all need to take extra care to prevent additional injuries.  I don't want to see the third injury happen for another several years… if ever!  I will say this… "Its flea season again!"

One of the things that we did during our staff meeting was a game on how important communication is.  The Leggo Blocks were supposed to be assembled the same way with the same colors in the same place with only 10 seconds to look at it.  Was quite the challenge and I was impressed that there was a team that put it all together!  Guess we all need to communicate more!

On a better note, my son Chris just passed his third year finals and is now entering his Clinical Year as a forth year veterinary student.  This is the year where he will get to put all the information that he has been gathering, to good use, and at the end he will graduate as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.  I talked to him last night and he seemed very excited.  I know that his father (me!) was also VERY excited!  He is going to try to get one of his rotations here in the area so he can visit with us while he is here.  I think he should try to work at an emergency clinic so he can get those after hour emergency experiences.  There are things that happen after hours that you just don't get to see in day time practice.  There are several great Emergency Hospitals in the area to choose from I know he will find some experience in one of them.

       Discussed our mission statement (see previous post) with one of my fly buddies Randy (on our Wednesday night dinner) and he seemed to think it was OK.  He did suggest that we just say "assistance" instead of "manual assistance" because the statement  was redundant and restrictive... I can live with that.  I am going to get together a mission trip to the Bahama Islands this summer.  I will have particulars on it later so stay tuned.  There may be room for 2 more so if you are interested please email me.

And finally, today was a great day in our Seekers Sunday School class.  We had another great discussion on social issues and how they relate to religion.  Mike did a masterful job of bringing in both sides of the issues.  One of the statements that came out of the class was that "if you can't stand for something then you may fall for anything"… food for thought.

Pray for our missions.  Bye for now… Robin

Visitors for Sunday School

Had a great time in Sunday School with some out of town guests from Denmark.  Was very interesting discussion on the separation of Church and State and how God can overcome any obstacles placed in his way.  It was also interesting to discuss the differences between the European system and the American system.  

Lauren (left) and our Danish Visitors

Mike was a great facilitator for the discussion and his passion and his faith shined through!  Our Seekers class is all about discussion of the difficult questions.  We don't shy away from almost any topic.  It only goes to show what a great example Jesus put forth for us to follow.  He certainly did not shy away from the tuff subjects.  In the short time he was here he gave us a lifetime of material to digest and follow.  What a Great Lord we have!

Mike in Class!

Me, Louise and Sandy having a great discussion!

Well its back to work today (Monday) and I look forward to the challenges of my profession to take my mind off of everyday worry.  I'm giving that up to the Lord.  Bye for now, Robin

First Mission Statement

Ok, well I have prayed and meditated on what my mission statement should be and I came up with this one: 

"To transport supplies, information, manual assistance and spirituality to places in need and to spread the Christian Faith by example and discussion."

I think this will fit the bill and give me some latitude to as Larry the Cable Guy would say… "git 'er done"!

Flew to Tappahannock airport on Saturday.  Tested out my iPad set up. Used the free ForeFlite app. to see if that's the one for me.  Was a little difficult to get it to do what I wanted but it may be because I am still learning about it.  I have read many reviews about this app vs WingX pro7 but will have to try them out for myself to see how that goes.  I was a bit disappointed with the iPad yoke mount.  It is so big that it covers up some instruments so I had to take it off the yoke.  If I mount it on the right side then it interferes with the movement of that yoke… can't have that as that feels unsafe.  Will try to place on a knee mount to see if it works there but will have to fashion a suitable set up as the really good ones are in the neighborhood of $170 and up.

On the way back encountered some clouds that turned out to be the impending weather.  It turns out that there was significant amount of rain on Sunday.

Thanks for listening.  Bye for now. Robin

4-18-12 Birthday

Today is my birthday and I have to say there could have been a lot of candelas on my cake.  I am a little surprised that the smoke detector did not go off!  Was a great gathering with family and friends.  Got some great presents for the Six including an iPad that I will use with IFR charts and a GPS.  The Wing X pro7 App is the next investment.  

The great thing about that App is that it has all the updated charts and sectionals that get updated regularly for the low yearly cost of $99.  This will save me some money in the long run and will keep the cockpit from becoming too cluttered with paper charts.

I'll Huff and I'll Puff....

Have been in touch with a lot of family including one of my German daughters Andrea.  It sounds like she is staying very busy over there.  I know that she likes to sail and really enjoys the racing aspect… Go Andrea!!

I have been working on the mission statement for the 501c3.  It should be concise and to the point.  The best ones are usually only several lines long or at most a paragraph.  Will have to give this some thought as I have high hopes as to what it needs to accomplish.  Some NPOs have a single objective and this can be very effective however I do not want to nail this down too narrow so as to have no room to maneuver.  However I don't want to spread us so thin that we are not effective… "jack of all trades but a master of none".  I will have to pray and meditate on this.

Well, I appreciate all the prayers and wishes… Bye for now, Robin

April 14, 2012 PVG from the air

Flew home from "God's Country" yesterday so could go to the doctor with my daughter.  Alli as had a swollen finger for the past few weeks.  The doctor is still not sure what it is so we went to a specialist.  The X-rays were inconclusive so he suggested a watch and wait course of action.  Please pray for Alli and her ailing finger.

Got some good pics of the area as I flew into Hampton Roads.  The weather was spectacular and the ride home was great.  Was able to get a good look of the end of runway 28.  They are adding a new runway just to the left.  Will have a new ILS installed.  Can't wait until its finished.  All in all its great to be back home.

Hampton Roads at 3000 feet

On the ground and ready for the Hanger.

Well its Saturday again and yes there is still a Honey-do list that is calling my name.  Its seems like that list continues to get longer and longer and I don't seem to be making much progress.  I guess that is life in a nut shell… always something that needs doing.  Good thing God is on our side as all things are possible with God!  Pray for our little project as there is still a long way to go before we can get going.  Believe it or not, your prayers are helping me continue on.  I can feel the "push" and encouragement.  Thanks for your support.  Bye for now, Robin