Smell-o-vision

Had smell-o-vision taken off, you could have experienced this morning's flight with more sensory stimulation than you are going to get from this post. But, times and technology being what they are, you are just going to have to settle for my writing, a few photos and your imagination.

We arrived at 7 Flags at 8am and set up. Winds were light from the southeast and conditions looked to be almost perfect. Clouds were few, the dew was light and the scent of freshly mowed grass was lightly mixed with the woodsmoke from a farmers burn-pile several miles away.

In no time we were in the air and headed into the wind.

I normally leave my radio off during takeoff so that I can hear any strange sounds the engine might make and to avoid being startled by unexpected talking. Once in my seat I turn the raido on and establish communications with d.

There are probably situations where having my radio on during takeoff would be beneficial but I have gotten into this habit and leaving it off until airborne just seems safer somehow.

So, I snap the radio's dial into the on position and start with the line I always start with, "Hi girlfriend, are you online?" She normally responds with, "I am here for you, boyfriend" and we head off into the sky.

Today all I got in return was dead air so, I tried it again, "Hi girlfriend, are you online?" No response.

I look down at my radio and notice that there is nothing on the display. It is dead. I must have left it on the last time I used it and the batteries were dead. I had two choices at this point: I could take the batteries out of the camera and use them in the radio or I could leave the radio off and take pictures. Hmmmm.

Actually, that was a no brainer. I fly to get away from all of the jabbering going on on the ground. I like the quiet hum of the engine and don't even listen to music while flying. Talking is optional, taking pictures wins.

It is fun to fly over all of the farms that surround 7 Flags.



With the wind coming from the southeast, our initial path will take us out over an extremely large farm. Most of the farms are just hundreds of acres of planted fields with no buildings. Occasionally, there will be a pump house or a large piece of farm equipment but mostly it is just wide open fields separated by treed wetlands.



The farm we were headed toward was different because it was littered with machinery and it had a complex of buildings in the center.



Intrigued by the buildings, I flew in closer.



It was right about here that smell-o-vision would have made this post worthwhile because from where I was, all you could smell was cow. It is hard to tell from the picture but all of those little dots down there are cows.

Now, let me say that I do miss DC's but I don't miss the cows. Phew! Even at five hundred feet, cows are nasty!

Even without radio contact, d and I agreed that this was no place to hang around.



Off we flew to farms that smelled of freshly turned soil.



Where acre after acre were ploughed and planted and would soon be providing the sweet scents that accompany summer harvests.