Author: Rick Thues

Just Drive It

Episode #822 November 2, 2024 When I owned my Rabbit sedan I used a Volkswagen mechanic who knew everything …about Volkswagens.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGfAtXM8rOU As the car aged I brought it in to Klaus more and more often. The problems ranged from brakes wearing out to engine timing issues. At 300,000 miles the dash lights started malfunctioning. The first couple of times it was just bulbs. These repairs were expensive because it was difficult to remove the dashboard to get at the display.  One day I got a check engine light and brought the car into Klaus. He connected his diagnostic...

Womens Full Break Sequential

Episode #821 October 26, 2024 On Saturday October 5, 2024 64 skydivers set an all women 2 point Full Break Sequential (FBS) freefall world record.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXjjum9WhyE The event began on Thursday when women skydivers from all over the world arrived at Skydive Perris in California. It is organized by Helaine Rumaner, Kate Cooper-Jensen and Christy Frikken. They are world class organizers. The team, ranging in age from 27 to 70, were all hand selected. My wife, Paula Thues is on the team. The plan is for 64 women to jump from 4 aircraft flying at 16,000 feet above the...

Kauai

Episode #820 October 19, 2024 KAUA'I We bid Dave goodbye and he drove Paula and I to the Hilo airport on the Big Island of Hawai'i.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbRS8LlUzYQ   Our flight to Kaua’i included one stop in Honolulu. The Boeing 717 jet was pulled onto the tarmac where the pilot fired up the engines. Within moments the engines powered down. There were two error lights on the flight controls. The jet rolled back to the gangway where maintenance boarded. For the next 45 minutes tests were run and heads were scratched. Suddenly, the lights were reset and the pilot announced...

The Big Island

Episode #819 October 12, 2024 THE BIG ISLAND Our puddle jumper flew from O’ahu to Hilo on the big island of Hawai'i in about an hour.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I Our friend Dave picked us up at the airport. We stopped at a farmer’s market where Dave purchased some exotic fruits. We had never eaten dragon fruit or Mangosteen. The seeds of the Mangosteen are the sweetest food I have ever tasted. Something else I have never eaten is Poke. Dave treated us to it for lunch. Dave and Wendy’s house is perched on a cliff near Waipi’o Overlook, on the north...

Oahu

Episode # 818 October 5, 2024 Memory is brief. It compiles events into concepts which are remembered in a moment. Paula's and my trip to Hawai'i was such a moment. One that lasted 20 days.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QX4VxJzgEs   O’AHU Dear friends drove us to San Diego for a five hour flight to Honolulu, O’ahu. After renting a car we had a delicious Thai meal, for which strangers secretly paid, lokomaikaʻi. Our friends, Tom and Heidi, opened there house to us in Wahiawa, also lokomaikaʻi. Paula and I are up jumpers (at altitude, ready to jump, experienced, not students). For years,...

Hitch in My Giddy-up

Episode #817 September 28, 2024 Have you ever had a hitch in your giddy-up? I have them all the time.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgARYezlfjw The other day my wife’s sisters were organizing a surprise trip for her birthday. They kept calling and asking mysterious questions about her calendar obligations. I said, “Is there a hitch in their giddy-up?” Paula said, “What?” “Is there some snag in their planning?” “I’m not sure, but WHAT did you ask me?” She had never heard the phrase. “If something is not quite right with a process there is a “hitch in its giddy-up.” The phrase...