I am still in an introspective frame of mind as Christmas gives way to the New Year.
Over the past year, we have made meaningful strides on Mama’s Chief. What I have not mentioned here was we have also reorganized our lives in a very tangible way by moving closer to the airport where Sis, the Cub, and Mama’s Chief are based, and closer to the restoration shop as well.
The physical move mirrored an internal one.
A quiet narrowing of focus. A desire to be nearer to the places and people that matter most.
Our new home is mostly settled now, and spending our first holiday season here has been a blessed recharge. I miss the porch and the porch swing from our old house, but I am finding corners here that feel like home. It is working for both of us, and that matters.
We had hoped to fly on Christmas Day. Ceilings eventually lifted enough to allow flight later in the afternoon, but by then, the energy simply was not there.
In years past, the restorer has flown on holidays while I ran with friends. This year was different. This year, we rested together. Another season. Another rhythm.
Our airplane niece, the Blonde Bomber, was working over the holiday, much like the restorer and I have done in years past. I was grateful for the time I could spend with her, helping her settle into her new home and make memories of her own.
These moments are not exclusive to aviation goals. They are part of being human.
There are seasons for pushing forward and achieving, and there are seasons when we are called to encourage, support, and simply be present for others.
Both matter. Both belong.
I am thankful for this pause. For the chance to listen to my inner voice and become more intentional with my energy and purpose. I wish we were spending more time at the airport pushing toward our goals, and we will be back there.
Just not right now.
Learning to Rest Without Guilt
Marathon training once gave me a beautifully clear framework. Certain days were for mileage. Others for speed work or cross training. Some were explicitly for rest. I miss that clarity and sometimes wish aircraft restoration came with a similar, tidy methodology.
Recharging, though, is not a reward for hard work. It is part of being alive.
Our airplane niece has been intentional about rest while working early mornings and overnights. She has been borrowing Christmas movies from the library and leaning into small, quiet comforts.
Her example nudged me back toward journaling and walking, moving however I can through the day.
One of my earliest blog posts was about taking small steps every day. That idea still holds true. Whether walking, running, or working toward a massive restoration project, consistency does not always look like intensity.
A Winter Lesson From a Staggerwing
One of the restorers mentors and longtime airport friends works on his project every single day. We often see his shop lights glowing after dinner when we are at our home airport.
His current project is a Beechcraft Staggerwing.
Watching the progress he has made since spring on the wings alone has been extraordinary.
He got a jig to form the wingtips out of wood. The warping process is old school and completely different from anything I have seen before.
It is also quietly beautiful.
The wings are being constructed almost entirely of wood, faithfully reproducing how they came off Beechcraft’s assembly line in the 1930s.
As a teenager wandering vintage aircraft parking at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, I made a point every year to pay my respects to the Staggerwings.
Their Art Deco lines and unapologetic presence captured my imagination then, and they still do decades later.
I never imagined I would one day be so close to a project like this, to see what lies beneath the fabric. To hear the process explained by the mentor, with the restorer filling in the gaps where my understanding falters.
It feels like a gift.
There are two common schools of thought in aircraft restoration. Some start with the wings. Others begin with the fuselage. The restorer prefers to tackle the fuselage first, while Uncle Paul goes after the wings. The mentor has taken a hybrid approach on the Staggerwing, addressing parts of the fuselage before committing fully to the wings, leaving a substantial amount of fuselage work still ahead.
On these chilly winter days, showing up regularly is what matters. Completion will come later. This Staggerwing has a long road ahead, but I have no doubt it will be magnificent when finished. We will be back before long, peeking in again, watching steady progress unfold.
For now, this season is about rest, reflection, and trusting that small, intentional steps still move us forward.