Pevahouse Family Visit

This weekend the Pevahouse family from my hometown in Dickson, TN visited my area in Italy. They were touring through Italy--spending time in Rome, Florence and my area (Friuli). We had a great time. Lot's of good food--and small day trips through the area. We visited San Daniele (home of the famouse Italian Proscutto--Ham), Venice and Cortina D'ampezzo. Also, they got a short tour of the Air Force Base here at Aviano--with some time in the simulator and on the flightline as jets took off.
No trip was complete without 2 trips to my favorite restaurant, Giorgio's.

The Brothers look at St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice

Ed, Shelley, Matt, Chris take a break in Venice

Some of us on the mountain in Ischgl

Ischgl Austria

I just got back from our sqadron ski trip to Ischgl, Austria. Overall, it was a great time. Almost every pilot in the squadron was there with families, children, etc. Our hotel was awesome. Great meals and service. Every morning there was a huge breakfast (family style)--with a large selection of lunch stuff so you could make sandwiches, etc. to pack away for the slopes. At the end of the day we all met again for a huge Austrian dinner and conversation.
Skiing in Austria is something very special. I've been there a few times and each time I notice how much it differs from Italy, France and nearby countries. Skiing is the MAIN thing the Austrian people do. I guess if you live in a country that is surrounded by mountains you make wintersports a serious pastime. Also, the post skiing festivities are huge. It's called "Apres Schi." Basically meaning, "After Ski." There's music, food and dancing--and people of all ages gathering at the bottom of the slopes. The music gets a little old--the Austrians and Germans love to hear the same songs OVER and OVER again.
The mountains were awesome. You could literally ski into Switzerland on one trail and be back in Austria on the next. It was almost impossible to ski the same run twice. Alot of the trails were extremely difficult and the skiing off trail was virtually limitless. Lots of deep powder and steep terrain.
Well, I'll write more later...it's back to work for me now.

This is HIGH. Skiing Marmalada glacier.

Winter Weekends

ski season...a little cold

With the massive amount of work and flying going on here in Italy...you need to take a break now and again. We've done ALOT of skiing this season. "We" is the random assortment of single guys in the squadron...who don't have the urge to spend time with the family at home (that's because....we have no family). Anyway, we've seen a lot of cool places and really gotten a good European ski experience. We've been to Chamonix, France...Stubital, Austria...Cortina D'ampezzo, Italy...and various other winter wonderlands. The pack of guys I ski with aren't novices. In fact, they're a little crazy. I've managed to hang on and not get medically disqualified from my flying assignment...so I guess it's a success.

This weekend my entire squadron is taking a ski trip to Iscghl, Austria. It should be a good time and a much needed chance to unwind. Especially since we have a big deployment coming up.

I'll post some more soon...

First Posting

This will now be a semi-current journal of what's going on in my life. It's exceedingly difficult these days to keep in contact with family and friends around the world--and I started this in an attempt to shed some insight into my world, travels and experiences. Feel free to post comments, etc.