[KLQRP] April QRPigOut - Thursday night (Starts at 7 PM)

[Gary O'Neil]

Greetings Gang;

    Ah yes... Life is good!... Its going to take some getting used to, but I think I'm going to take rather kindly to this retirement concept. :-)

    It really hasn't started out very well though... We lost our beloved Corsair last Monday, and although he lived a long life (just over 2 weeks shy of his 14th birthday); letting him go was very difficult for me and Marie both. There are many valid reasons why our paths should never have crossed, but each were invalidated by decisions
that were made entirely independent of our own. Until we learned of his heritage, we were even disappointed in his name. The serendipitous and precisely orchestrated chain of events preceding his arrival is overwhelming evidence that his entry into our lives was preordained. Our hearts have become very heavy with his passing. Our remaining two Labradors (at 13 years of age) are elderly as well, and while losing them is in our near future, its difficult for us to indulge in the joy of an early retirement. 

    The reality that I've voluntarily joined the ranks of the unemployed remains a bit surreal, and has not yet become apparent as fact. One issue I've been having is that every day is starting to feel like Sunday. In contrast to endless Saturdays, I'm left with an odd sense that the weekend is over and I have to ready myself for the week ahead. The most serious side effect of this malady however; is that I nearly missed going to RARsFest. I hope to ward off this nagging feeling quickly though, and get tuned into a more normalized circadian rhythm.

    I did manage to make it to RARsFest, although I did miss the prime 2 or 3 hours after the opening bell. I was thrilled to hear that the KnightLites were out in force, and although I missed many of them, I did manage to intercept a few that I hadn't seen in awhile. Since this event came upon me quickly... at the last minute... I was entirely unprepared to do anything in the way of selling. I was given a hearty allowance by my lovely Lady Marie as she whisked me on my way though, and I obligingly honored her gesture with a few token purchases of fine rare components that I'll likely never use as a result of my endless search for the perfect project worthy of them.
Saturday's weather was stellar, and the RARsFest was a welcome and exhilarating experience. 

    I worked on my antenna Sunday afternoon (an activity I've not been able to savor over the past 3 or 4 years). It was lonely but rewarding; having yielded the favorable results I had anticipated. I checked into the net Sunday night with great confidence that our NCS Sir Joe (WA4GIR) was going to have kind words for me with respect to my past performance. Indeed, that was the result that came to pass. To add to the euphoria of the event, Sirs Dick (N4HAY), and John Paul (AB4PP) graced the net after an uncomfortably extended hiatus by both. 

    So now... here we are...  April QRPigOut is upon us... The ranks of the KnightLites QRP Association are expanding, and I expect QRPigOuts will be doing likewise.
Our newest International member, Sir Yuri (RW3GA) has already been in QSO with several Knights, and has even worked our beloved Excalibur site. While we can't expect Sir Yuri to attend our QRPigOut Thursday night, we will surely raise our glasses in a toast of fellowship to our latest fellow Knight.    

    There will be lots of topics to discuss this month, including the ARCI contest results, and the not yet ready for prime time "YouTube" video debuts of Sir's Chris (KD4PBJ), Derek (WF4I), and Gary (N3GO). Plans are underway to converge upon a Saturday KnightQuest convention and keep that project moving forward. I've been pondering  a couple ideas in my mind the past few days which I'm sure to blurt out with great enthusiasm Thursday night. :-) 

    So rev up your engines and ready yourselves for another fun evening with the KnightLites at our April QRPigOut Thursday night beginning around 7 PM. We're still meeting at the Golden Corral in the park just half a mile south of I-40 at exit 278. If you want or need a map and/or directions, they're still posted on our website at the bottom of our NEWS page at the following url:

    http://www.knightlites.org/news/index.htm
    
    Drive safe, bring your show-n-tell's, tales of your latest conquests, your good humor, and ideas. All are welcome... THIS MEANS YOU ! ! ! 

72

Gary,   N3GO
        
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