Shorecrest High School

The Last Game

2012-04-14T22:17:02-04:00

I read an article this past week on memories. How we remember details many times is reflected on how we are feeling over all. If we are happy or depressed or tired, then we may remember only the good or bad aspects of the event. At some of the earlier class reunions, I visited with a few of the ladies I went out with. I would go into details about what we did and where we went. I remember one particular date could not remember any of the details. She replied that I had a good memory. Well I guess I enjoyed the outing more than she did. She was probably happy to forget about it.

Anyway, for a senior in high school, the last football game of the season is usually an important one. The last time most of would suit up and play in a scheduled competitive game. I remember our last game was against Nathan Hale. There are some events in high school that stand out, you remember and for me this was one. We lost the coin toss and Hale took the kick off and returned the ball all the way for a touchdown. Now that can have a devastating effect on the team that is now behind by seven points with less than a minute on the clock. For some reason, it did not faze anyone from Shorecrest. We shrugged it off and were ready to change the direction of the game. There was a feeling among the team that we are going to change this fluke once we get the ball. With the returning kick off we made some good yardage. We could not be stopped and continued to move down making a first down after first down until we were in the End Zone. This continued until the end of the fourth quarter with the score of 27 to 7. There were other games that season that we were behind and could not catch the opponent. Yet for some reason this games was different. It was a nice way to end the season. And for those from the Class of 69, it was especially nice.

RE: Tims Tips on Flying the Airways

2011-04-28T13:44:18-04:00

Daryl,

I have been indisposed for the last week or so but I am fully prepared with answers, explanations and brilliant witticisms to any and all airline questions. I submit that all responses will be liberally doused with the frank opinions and the same sense of humor that has enabled me to do this job (flying airplanes) for over 35 years.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Tim M.

RE: Coaches

2011-04-27T21:56:44-04:00

Damn, this kind of stuff is good reading, I bet there are a lot of stories you jocks could speel that us spectators never knew was going on at the time. But wishes they did!

Do you guys have some cherished photos to add to your posts?

I hope some other mates chime in. DW

RE: Coaches

2011-04-26T22:32:01-04:00

Rick Klinge wrote:

I have a story that involved a teacher, some classmates and me as the brunt of the joke. I think it was in our junior year during a fall afternoon football practice that Tony Angel had a group of linemen and backfield players practicing on some head on tackling drills. We were all psyched up about attempting to destroy the other guy. Angel had us together in one group. When it was our turn to run the drill we got to choose who we were going to face on the other side of the line. We either got tackled (offence) or got through into the imaginary backfield (defense). It was my turn. I must have been watching a lot of John Wayne movies or something at the time. When asked about whom I was going to pair up with, I blurted out, “I want to go up against the toughest guy out here!” Angel just about dropped to the field, but he held his cool. Everyone else looked at me like I was an idiot. Craig Meldahl stepped up and said, “I take Rick on.” Angel blew the whistle and off we charged head on at each other. In the end, Craig was on top. Angel said, “Well I guess we know who is the toughest guy here.” I hope most everyone on the field forgot about this all in a week or so, but not Angel. He met my sister and brother in law at some social event about 20 years later. When my sister said she had two brothers who played football for Shorecrest, he remembered both of us, but guess what story he remembered; the show down at practice. I was not there to defend myself, but the story gave the group that had gathered a good laugh according to my sister. I know Tony Angel is still around, working with a hoist of environmental groups in the Puget Sound area. If you are part of one of these groups, you may introduce yourself as being at Shorecrest when he was coaching there. But maybe it would be best not to ask him about the showdown between Klinge and Meldahl. I am sure he has the facts all wrong and could embellish the story some.

Well Rick I do remember your moment that made you an Iconof The Fighting Scots. Such a cool, calm and nice guy and then “BAM’and you turned into a Mad Dog with the fury of a Mad Man. Craig,I think, was as surprised as the rest of us. He felt the surge of your energy and stepped up to the challenge. Personally I thought you had consumed too much Welsh Cheese Rarebit for lunch [one of my all time Favorites].

Coaches

2011-04-25T21:26:19-04:00

Math teachers

2011-04-25T21:20:22-04:00

One day I was day dreaming in Stucky’s algebra class. He had a way with students that were not paying attention; he would throw things at you. I became the target of the chalk he was writing equations on the board with. He told me if I was so smart, to come up and solve the equation. It must be that fear drives inspiration or genius. Well I came to the board and completed the equation without any difficulty and sat down. He was surprised and chuckled and said, “Well you are lucky.” I can’t say I did well in the class. He should have thrown more things at me.

In the fall of our senior year, Henry Boysen invited Mike Wilcoxon and I to go with him to an Oktoberfest Celebration at the Seattle Center. I was just back from a summer in Europe with Bob Krebs and Stefan Mallory, both in the Class of 1968. Mike and I were in German together and I think Boysen felt we would enjoy the old German music and the atmosphere of the Oktoberfest celebration. Boysen wanted to engage us in some German discussion, but neither Mike nor I felt comfortable enough to join in. The evening was nice and we all had some “Wurst und Kraut.” Afterward he took us to his home. I had never seen so many books that were placed in a living room. He ran out of bookcase space, so books were in stacks all around the room. He had books on math theory, physics and philosophy. I cannot remember what we listened too on his stereo. We had a nice chat for an hour or so; then he drove us home in his VW Squareback. I never felt anything weird or inappropriate in the evening. Unfortunately today something like this would be interpreted as predatory or perverted.

The only teacher I had a crush on in High School was a math teacher, but for the life of me I can not remember her name. She was not teaching at Shorecrest in our senior year and I can not locate my 68 Annual right now to look up her name. I was in her Algebra 3 and Trig Class and struggled, but I liked the teacher.

My remberance of Ed Flasik

2011-04-25T20:58:41-04:00

Teacher Stories

One teacher that I really appreciated was Ed Flasik. He escaped German occupation of the Czech Republic during the early years of the Second World War. Somehow he came to this country. He studied and got his PhD in Biology and was a practicing vet until a bad back forced him to give up his profession. He got his PhD in German literature and became a German teacher. Being from the Czech Republic, his German pronunciation was not that great. I only learned this while speaking with some German students (they thought I was from Austria). My family took him fishing to a lake up near Marysville after graduation. He had a great time with us and we caught some nice trout. The year after we graduated from Shorecrest, he went through some personal tragedies with first a divorce and then a stroke that eventually killed him. I remember visiting Mr. Flasik with Ted Burris in a convalescent home where he was receiving care. He could not speak, but his eyes told us he knew who we were and that he remembered us. Ted told the attending nurse that Ed was one of the best teachers he had in school. Ed was visibly moved with the visit and praise from a couple of chumps in his classes. Ed Flasik died in May 1973.

RE: Tims Tips on Flying the Airways

2011-04-25T18:44:09-04:00

Hi Tim, are you somewhere around the world receiving this message? Let me know if you're connected and ready to play on "The Captain Speaking"?

RE: Tims Tips on Flying the Airways

2011-04-25T12:59:48-04:00

Folks,

Well, sounds like Doug is on the mend. Very well done, mate.

Lot of great comments as of late.

A little info about the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami that followed. I am not in Japan today. I am spending the weekend in San Diego with my Navy pilot daughter and soon-to-be Marine pilot youngest son. Always great to see the kids. But, back to Japan. When you fly into Narita International airport and they are using the south runways you skim along the souther part of the most devastated areas as you approach the airport from the north. These areas were beautiful. Northern Japan is an area of perfectly formed rows of newly planted vegetables and deep, dark, rich, newly plowed soil. The farmland has a certain symmetry that sometimes leaves you amazed at how they can get so much out os so little land. Much of the area has been farmed for generations. I have walked these farmlands in the Narita area for over 27 years and the site of the perfectly tilled farmland always amazes me.

But in the area around Sendai all what was is now gone. I have used Sendai a few times as an alternate airport when the weather was down in Tokyo. Notwithstanding the deaths and injuries, centuries of farmed land and spotless, beautiful homes have now disappeared . It breaks my heart. It will take all of the ingenuity and skill of the Japanese people to pull out of this one. This was bad.

I will be headed for Tokyo this week for another trip. I will let you know what I see and hear.

Good to hear Doug is back in business. Jim M. not liking french fries? Oh the humanity!!!!

Tim M.

ps Not being overly religious (raised Catholic and recovering nicely, thank you) I am going to say a prayer to some higher being that the Japanese people get a break. After this disaster they are going to need all the help they can get.

RE: Tims Tips on Flying the Airways

2011-04-25T12:51:23-04:00

Tim Meldahl

Hi folks.

As I sit in my room in Tokyo, once again on a 12 day trip that will have me in the air on the way to Osaka about the time you all sit down to turkey, I thought I would add a few thoughts and hints about how to travel on an aircraft under present day circumstances. There is a lot of information on the internet about the suggestions in this entry but this advice comes straight from my own experience.

Let me start with the simple fact that if I did not fly airliners for a living I would be ever so reluctant to go to any airport in the United States to fly on an airliner regardless of the airline. That is not said from a safety standpoint. Not at all. I make that statement from the standpoint of someone who would rather drive an RV than go through the tremendous hassle involved with comtemporaneous air travel. All of that clearly stated, let's move on. Please keep in mind that air travel is the safest form of travel in the world. But, man, it can be tough of a man's (or woman's) patience.

1. Get to the airport earlier than you think you should. If you have a clock in your head that tells you that one and one half hours is adequate then make it two hours. The traffic congestion and confusing signs at most of todays airports is more than enough to create a high level of anxiety when you are trying to park, unload, get to the gate and get on the plane. So get to the airport early. Keep in mind that there are some entertaining things to see and do at most airports now that allow you to keep busy if you arrive early. I enjoy the people watching. Most excellent!

2. Check in 24 hours before the scheduled departure and while at home using the internet. You can move your seat to another available seat, check in and pay for bags before you leave the house. When you are done checking in, print your boarding pass and you are ready to go when you arrive. Speaking of seats, here is some "increase your comfort" ideas for selecting your seat.

a. If you are not riding in First Class try to select (on you home computer) an "exit row, isle" seat. Actualy, the best way to get one of these seats is to arrive at the gate at least one hour and fifteen minutes before departure and stand like a big lump right in front of the agent. The agent is the person that will assign the exit row seat. They hold these seats for assignment at the airport and they are the best seats on the airplane, sometimes rivaling First Class. Ask the agent for an "exit row seat, on the isle, that reclines". Some of these seats do not recline and if that matters to you then not having the seat recline will drive you nuts. Remember, with the exit row comes some responsibility. You must be willing to be the first one out of the aircraft if it becomes necessary to evacuate over the wing. Heck, who would not want to be the first one out during an evac? I recommend wherever you are sitting on any aircraft take a quick look around you while boarding. Look for the emergency rows and mentally plan your escape in the very unlikely event there is trouble.

b. If the exit row is taken (by the way, do not accept the exit row window seat. It is like sitting in a bucket and it rarely reclines) then ask for a seat that is behind the wing anywhere on the plane. Isle seats are always desirable. They give you a little room to breathe and they help in the event of an evac. Seats aft of the wing are statsically the safest on the plane. Not by much but statictics show that being in a seat behind the trailing edge of the wing is safer.

3. As you board look in the overhead as you walk to your seat. There may be a few pillows and blankets in the overhead. Grab a pillow and a blanket if they are there. It does not matter if it is not in the area where your seat is. These items are fair game and are there for the taking but there are few of them available so scarf them if you can. I always use one of these two items to stuff in the lower lumbar region of my back. This gives me added back support.

4. Do not put you things in an overhead bin unless it is near your seat. That said, do not hesitate to take any overhead space if you are one of the last folks on the airplane and the is simply nowhere else to put your bag. I have seen people come completely unglued because they believed someone had swiped "their" space in the overhead.

5. Make some sandwiches at home to take to the airport. I usually get quite hungry on the longer flights and the food they offer is "garbagio". And take a plastc water bottle, empty, through security. When you get on the other side fill it with water from the fountain. This saves money and allows you to hydrate on the plane if you are unable to get enough water from the flight attendants. All planes dehydrate you, except the 787. It will be great when it arrives.

6. Last suggestion: take it easy on the booze. Your body feels like it is at 8,000 feet on any typical flight. Because you are flying at, say, 37,000 feet the pressurization system keeps the cabin at a comfortable 8,000 feet. But that is like going to the top of an 8,000 moountain. Booze will get you drunk faster and if you are unfortunate enough to be flying when the hangover hits (LA to Tokyo) it will hurt just that much more.

That is it for this episode of "Tim knows a whole bunch of stuff about planes and stuff". I hope it makes your flying a little less onerous.

ps I do not think I know a Brian Mathesson. One of our Captains is Eric Mathisson.

ps I don't have my draft card either. I went for the physical in crutches at Lake Union and promptly flunked for having had multiple surgeries on the left knee. Then I subsequently joined the Navy to fly planes. Ah, but I do have my dad's draft card from WW2, "The Big One".

Everyone's travel stories are great. It is obvious that we all have a tale to tell when it comes to travel. Next entry: What do I do to survive the TSA (take your hand out of my waist band, sir, thank you very much!) and other related topics.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Tim M.

RE: Tims Tips on Flying the Airways

2011-04-25T12:45:22-04:00

I am home now recovering from the trip I described in earlier entries. The trip ended with what we affectionately call an "LA turn". That means in the next 36 hours we will fly Tokyo to LAX (10.5 hours) to Tokyo (12 hours) followed 21 hours later with a flight Tokyo to Salt Lake City (11.5 hours). I met myself coming and going across the Pacific. Oftentimes we will hear over the radio the flight number of the leg that we flew the day before heading in the opposite direction.

For any folks who may wonder if pilots sleep on legs such as these the answer is "but of course". Let me explain. In the days of the 747 where we had a crew of three there was a Captain, First Officer and an Engineer (also a pilot but on this plane to monitor engines and fuel etc). On any leg shorter than 12 hours there would be no sleeping. If the leg was LA to Tokyo (11 hours 59 minutes) we would simply sit up front and fly the airplane (on autopilot) and tell each other how great we thought we were until we had exhausted all of the "slightly exaggerated" stories of our flying skills and airborne superiority. Fast forward to today. Now there are three pilots but no engineer is needed. During takeoff and landing all three pilots are up front in the cockpit. After level off one of the three pilots goes back to the bunk room just aft of the cockpit for a rest period, approximately 1/3 of the total flight time. Then he or she comes up and relieves one of the others and they go back so that there is one pilot in the bunk room and two up front at all times during the flight.

The bunkroom: These vary in size and location with different airplanes but the A-330 has fine accomodations to say the least. There is a computer hookup and a table and nice seat if one wishes to study or work. If a pilot wishes to sleep there is a 6.5 foot bunk that folds down. It is firm but effective if one is really tired. The Captain usually takes the middle break. This bunk gives pilots the opportunity to rest on the longer flights. That does not mean we always stack zzzzzz. Time zone changes and rest patterns play into the equation. Sometimes turbulence has you rockin and a rollin in the rack and sometimes you drank a little too much coffee and everything you never wanted to think about creeps into your head. Like "did I put the lawn mower away the other day" or "I think I left my wallet in the hotel room". Then you lay there quietly and think until they call you to be replaced by another pilot.

So the answer is "you betcha" when asked if a pilot sleeps. In your travels I bet you folks have seen a pilot walking around in back and wondered "Who is flying this thing, anyway?" One on break- two in the cockpit. And there you have it.

PS Domestic pilots generally don't have these accomodations for the obvious reasons, they fly shorter legs with smaller aircraft.

I will be headed to Bangkok on my next trip with Thanksgiving on a layover in Honolulu. That ought to be interesting. Do they have turkey on Waikiki Beach? I welcome any travel and or flying adventures to add to this string.

Take care,

Tim

RE: Tims Tips on Flying the Airways

2011-04-25T12:33:45-04:00

I am in Hong Hong tonight preparing to hit the sack. It is 4:20 AM in the Seattle area. As I adjust to the time zone differential I find myself tired at noon and wide awake at midnight. Today I took a walk around the south end of Kowloon. Along the waterfront and looking across Hong Kong Harbor I observed Hong Kong Island and the city of Hong Kong. It is mind numbing to consider that there is almost nine million people on that island. To say that they are crammed in is a gross understatement. But Hong Kong has an ambience second to none. It is the financial capital of Asia. With a British influence that speaks well of the hundred years that Hong Kong was a British colony, Hong Kong today is part of communist China and subject to the rules and restrictions that govern that vast country. An interesting study in contrasts to say the least. One of the worlds most densely populated cities and the financial, free market capital of the Far East under the rule of one of the worlds' most repressive, controlling and censored countries on earth. Go figure!

But I digress. As I got my foot massage in a small shop near my hotel I was treated to an hour of "Barney" the bulbous, purple thing that kids like so much, singing along with the children on the show in his best Cantonese. It was a thrill to try to read his lips when, in effect, he has no lips. The show lasted just long enough to drive me nuts as well as the gent from Corsica who was sitting next to me. So much for a relaxing massage. I had lunch in a Thai eatery that served Indian food, tried to buy a coke in a 7/11 that charged 50 cents (Hong Kong bucks) for a bag and was asked more times than I care to mention if i would like a suit made in Hong Kong using cloth from Thailand sold by a guy from Mumbai sewn together by a lady from the Manila.

You have got to love Hong Kong.

Back to Tokyo tomorrow.

Take care,

Tim M.

Tims Tips on Flying the Airways

2011-04-25T12:09:27-04:00

Hello everyone,

Since Tim has spent numerous hours posting some helpful tips on navigating the clouds from his unique perspective on our "message forum", I thought it would be appropriate to condense these posts. Here you can find his advice and Tim will be the chief moderator if you care to ask him a direct question or collaborate about your experiences. Enjoy! DW

I have been thinking about this website lately. Knowing that I have offered little of substance to its pages in recent months I thought I would offer something new and see what you guys think. As I sit in Tokyo, (I starting writing this at 4AM) I thought that it might be fun to add a little travel talk to the forum and let people take it where they may. I know that there are folks in the class of '69 that have travelled the world over and their insights may be fun and enlightening. So I will kick it off, setting words to page, offering my thoughts and perspectives regarding the places I go and the things I see.

As I mentioned, I am in Tokyo this morning. I flew in yesterday guiding my sleek Airbus A-330 ( I know, it's not a Boeing. I can't help it, I flew the 747 for 17 years but Delta sold them all) from Honolulu across the Pacific to Narita International Airport. It was a beautiful day when we landed. Sunshine, light breeze out of the south. On the approach to the south runways in to Narita, the rumor goes, is the world's largest Buddha. I have seen it many times and it is indeed a tall statue. World's largest? Not so sure. Coming in from the South, landing north, their is a very tall building on the left side of the aircraft where it is said they make and test, of all things, Otis elevators. Who would have thunk! Easily observed by any one flying over the coastline into Japan are the ubiquitous wind generators. They seem to be every where as Japan moves in the direction of "Green" technology.

The food is great in Japan, the bottles of beer are huge, the yen against the dollar is killing us and the hotel is the same place I have been staying for the past 28 years. It is like a second home to many of the former Northwest Airlines (now Delta) crew members and I welcome the layovers. After a 25 hour layover I will on my way. In fact, tonight, about the time you are all comfortably snoozing (2am PST) my intrepid First Officer and I will be slicing through the evening Tokyo air on our way to Hong Kong. To anyone who has been to Hong Kong, well that is a story all its own. More later on Hong Kong.

To lend some perspective, a typical trip for me would look something like this: 13 days away from home:

Seattle, Tokyo, Bangkok, Tokyo, LAX, Tokyo, Salt Lake City, Tokyo, Seattle, (bed)

A european trip: Seattle, Amsterdam, Atlanta, Paris, Atlanta, Rome, Atlanta, Amsterdam, Seattle (bed) about 11 days.

Well, there you have it. Perhaps the start of something fun and interesting or just another log from a well travelled airline pilot. Let me know if you would like to hear more.

Take care,

Tim Meldahl