Sunday's paper Oct 9th, 2011

Non Sequitur by Wiley
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur

Thought this was just too funny to pass up!

Remembering 9-11

Taken July 2010 on the mountain @ Wintergreen

The Virginian-Pilot

© August 04, 2011

Willing to pay to drive

At 3:45 p.m. last Friday, we were on our way from Virginia Beach to the Newport News Amtrak station to make the 4:55 train to Washington, D.C. At the Interstate 564 split, I-64 became a parking lot. We made the train with minutes to spare, which highlights that, incredibly, South Hampton Roads is the largest metropolitan area in the country without passenger rail service.

It's critical that Hampton Roads addresses transportation, including our bridges and tunnels, and it shocks me how hostile the area seems to public/private solutions. Gov. Bob McDonnell's top highway priority is the new U.S. 460 between Suffolk and Petersburg. This is an awesome idea that will create jobs, spur economic activity and make it easier to evacuate in the event of a disaster. If state money isn't available, then the private-public ideas being suggested need to be embraced.

One idea to solve the headaches of thousands of Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel commuters is building a second, parallel toll bridge tunnel. If the government can't afford this, I would like to see private money take this on, using E-ZPass.

During peak hours, motorists could choose to pay the toll and get home an hour sooner or wait in the free lane (which would now move faster with fewer commuters). I don't know if a study would show this to be profitable, but there is no doubt that last Friday, I would have gladly paid a toll to ensure I wasn't standing by the sole Amtrak ticket kiosk converting my online train ticket into a boarding pass, as the conductor shouted 'All aboard!'

David Beemer

Virginia Beach

Seattle Washington

What a great trip with my youngest. Seeing my oldest being commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the Army was a once in a life time experience. Wouldn't have missed it for the world.

The course of true love,
never did run smooth.

-WS-

Tantrum? Yep, AKA that
"Damn Red Boat"

Sometimes it's just hard. Life gets you down, you feel like everything is never going to get right and really... Why bother. Then a friend asks you if you sail and you remember that twenty-five years ago you did learn how to sail. Your mind is rusty and you remember that you never really got good but you did earn you skippers license, or was that just a piece of paper? Hard to believe, but over the years you have sailed all kinds of boats and even took a course in Hawaii so you could rent them at Hickam Harbor. Now years later, your feet are still a little unsure and yet you manage. Sure enough the wind helps blow a little, just a little hope into your soul.


Well, that and the post race beers. Tantrum is known as that Damn Red Boat. Her owner is a Naval Surgeon, her skipper a commercial pilot-CFII and recently she left the dock with three Naval Academy grads as crew/rail meat.

See what a girl can do at VMI?

The Virginian-Pilot

© May 15, 2011

By David Beemer
Eight years ago, Princess Anne High School's girls soccer team hosted Ocean Lakes in the Sportsplex for a match that was slated to be a blowout. By the end of the first half, Princess Anne scored four times, leaving Ocean Lakes with little to show for its efforts. Seeing that Ocean Lakes wasn't going to get back in the game, Coach John Craig - a former keeper himself - took the opportunity to see what his youngest keeper, a freshman, could do.

And so, before a home crowd expecting another half dominated by Princess Anne, Heidi Beemer took to the pitch. Heidi's biggest game to date was the middle school city championship, and I could tell by her sideline enthusiasm that she was pumped.
With nothing to lose, Heidi entered that rare, out-of-body state athletes call "the zone," playing the best half of soccer of her young life. Spectators in the stands groaned as Heidi blocked and caught the would-be goals, her feet quick, arms outstretched and body lunging.

I counted 36 shots on goal, with only two making it to the back of the net. The little girl I played catch with had announced herself in a new way, and her performance gave me a glimpse, perhaps for the first time, of the impressive young woman she would become.
That afternoon, Heidi, lanky and with long blond hair and a smile that hides her intensity to win, declared that she was going to be a great keeper. I will remember that day for the rest of my life.

In following years, Heidi trained and traveled with the State Olympic Development Team and was invited to the Region I training camp. She earned a full soccer scholarship to Virginia Military Institute and helped its fledgling soccer program advance in the Big South tournament her last two years.

Little did I know that a letter I wrote to The Virginian-Pilot 15 years ago supporting the admission of women to VMI would continue to echo through time and our family history.
In a previous letter to the editor, the mother of a cadet criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down VMI's all-male admissions policy. This was part of my response in July 1996:

"Speaking from experience, VMI is in for significant changes. As a 1987 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a career officer for more than eight years, I can testify that women have served and will continue to serve our country with honor and distinction.
"Yes, VMI is going to change. Women's heads will not be shaved clean. And women will not be required to run as fast, jump as high or do as many push-ups as male cadets. So what?
"What VMI will become is a taxpayer-supported school providing the best education and military indoctrination possible, a unique and very different education experience offered to all members of our society, not just young men."

It was clear to me then that women would excel, even though I suspected it would take years for the culture of VMI and its alumni to truly acknowledge women. I had no idea at the time that my older daughter would eventually be a product of this integration.

For the past year, Heidi has served as Alpha Company 2nd Platoon lieutenant and vice president of education and operations for the Cadet Equity Association, which promotes equity among students and prosecutes sexual harassment and discrimination.

Virginians should be proud of our state's military academy. Founded in 1839, VMI is the nation's oldest state-supported military college. Every year, roughly half of VMI's graduates earn commissions in the armed forces, and I am proud that Heidi will soon commission and serve our nation as an Army officer.

As follow up to a summer NASA internship for future leaders of the space program, Heidi studied at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. She's been working to detect life in desert soil samples, preparing one day to explore Mars as an astronaut geologist.
I'm awed that my little girl - the outstanding goalie, VMI soccer player, chemistry major, astronomy minor and volunteer for Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity - graduates with honors Monday and plans to earn her Ph.D.

But nothing Heidi does surprises me any more. I wouldn't be shocked if she became the first woman to punt a soccer ball on Mars.

David Beemer, father of two college-age daughters, is a 1987 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He has lived in Virginia Beach since 1991.

Happy Easter - I'll Miss You Wes

Here are two of my company mates Rich and Wes. Rich, on the left, died of a massive heart attack a few years ago. Wes, one of the few classmates I've kept in contact with over the years, passed last Wednesday April 20th, 2011... Just after midnight.

Looking back it seems that a few hours after Wes died, my door bell rung. It was around 2:00 AM and when I opened the door nobody was there. Nothing was moving, there wasn't a sound, it was dead calm. I remember how odd this was. Both arms had goosebumps and the hair on the back of my neck was sticking up.

I was so unnerved that for the 1st time in my life I got my shotgun, loaded it and put it under the bed. Basically I was freaked the F&$# out.

Little did I know that about 90 before my door bell rang my dear friend Wes had lost his struggle with life. He had bleed out from a internal surgery he had a few days prior. Something became loose and his doctors couldn't stop the bleeding. I believe he was wide awake when he died.

Wes, it wasn't your time!

Wes was strong and he fought for nearly half a day to stay with his wife, step son and 10 year old daughter. His mom called me the next morning to let me know that Wes had died the night before a few days after a "successful" elective surgery

Wes, I wonder if it was you who rang my doorbell and visited me that morning? I would like to think so as I will miss our talks and laughter. You were of my tribe and may God rest your soul.

Flying on a rough Tuesday afternoon... Figured out our auto pilot tracks an ILS down to the runway... which is a good thing. However, intercept wasn't all that great and it would be wise to be on the localizer using the heading mode and then engage the auto pilot. Still, it's pretty neat watching the old bird track those donuts... Or would that be donut? I'm not sure but I'm getting hungry.

I've realized - too late...

I've likely always knew

it would have been enough

if my life's work consisted

of loving you and raising kids.

                                                                            

My skipper's boat going into the water. Turns out my flight instructor is a awesome skipper and the boat Tantrum is not known by her name but by "That F*^#ing Red Boat" Seems that I've been asked to crew with some serious sailors and I couldn't be more pleased. Our next race is Friday and if events work the captain will be back from Ohio and it's off to the races.

EX Wife Flys and Two Die

It's been one of those weeks...

What a weird week to say the very least. Last weekend I took my EX wife (married 21 years) to CT to attend the funeral of my EX sister-in-law's father. I know what most people would think... STUPID. Not really considering the folks in CT are really my tribe if not my siblings.

My EX really didn't want to go but like a good friend of mine told me years ago... Dave, no one remembers who came to your wedding but you will remember, for the rest of your life, who attends your parents funeral. So I offered to fly us and she immediately commented she wasn't paying for gas. LOL, nothing every really changes does it? Actually, she offered to pay the $10 parking fee which was nice.

The bad news is on the way back, I got bored and felt a need to test the recently repaired auto pilots ability to track a VOR. When I engaged the auto pilot the plane jerked to the right and I cussed OH SHIT. Seems this was scary to a novice small plane passenger. Once again my EX wife is teaching me things. I now make a point of fully briefing passengers of anything unusual and do my best to keep my verbiage more positive.

PS On a somber note, my home airport experience a double fatality about 20 minutes before we landed. A very experienced pilot was showing off his home built to his sister. An engine failure upon takeoff resulted in an attempted 180 return, stall and crash. It was a sad day for general aviation and I doubt my EX will every fly in a small plane again. The good news is I would guess she will do what ever it takes to keep the life insurance policy she has on me current.

The Virginian-Pilot
© February 21, 2011

Living on borrowed time

Re 'Cuts not slashes,' front page, Feb. 15: Reading about the federal budget was like getting hit upside the head with a tire iron. The administration plans to spend $3.7 trillion, with projected revenues of only $2.6 trillion.

Really?

If one were to apply this strange math to a typical Hampton Roads family, it would be hard to explain how a family earning $80,000 per year could possibly survive while spending $114,000. Anyone able to understand budgeting knows this will result in bankruptcy for the family and, inevitably, for the nation as well.

So what can be done?

The biggest slices of the spending pie are entitlements. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid eat up 41 percent of the federal budget. So it stands to reason that our politicians should be talking about entitlement reform, right?

Wrong!

Even though a family spending $114k (while earning only $80k) will walk a short road to bankruptcy, it appears that most of our politicians can't apply the same reasoning. It's time to increase the Social Security retirement age and apply means testing to qualify needful beneficiaries.

Perhaps it's not fair for a person to pay more than 15 percent of what he earns over the course of his life and then get nothing in return, but the reality is that disability insurance, survivor benefits and a lifetime-income-safety-net have untold value. It's kind of like car insurance for someone who never has an accident.

We must have entitlement reform before we bankrupt our country. Our politicians surely must know this.

David Beemer
Virginia Beach