Brackett Field Airport, La Verne California

Brackett Tower

Brackett Field Airport is an excellent destination airport for a lot of reasons. First, it is strategically placed in the Los Angeles basin, but out of the LAX airspace. The weather is typically sunny, with some coastal low clouds and fog. Summer can have hazy (smoggy) skies. Brackett has ILS, VOR and GPS-A approaches for low visibility conditions.

There are lots of things to do within walking distance of the airport. If you are hungry, Norm’s Hanger Coffee Shop is on the field for breakfast and lunch (7-3) every day. Every seat has a runway view. Feel like Mexican food? Walk along McKinley Ave. to the end of the runway and turn left on Fairplex. On the right is El Merendero No. 1. You can get breakfast (chorizo and eggs for me, huevos rancheros for Wayne), lunch and dinner. It's a little walk, but WELL worth it.

El Merendero No. 1 - Yum!

Activities within walking distance include Bonelli Regional Park. Exit the transient ramp, turn right and follow the access road that leads to the East Shore RV Park. Walk through the RV park to get to the other sections of Bonelli Park. Things to do include: picnicking, hiking, boating, fishing, swimming, and just being lazy under a tree. You pass over the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds on final to Runway 26 R/L. The County Fair is each September and there’s lots of other events year-round. Also on final you cross the Pomona Raceway, home of NHRA racing. During race weekends, you can see some “heavy metal” in transient parking as well. The University of La Verne and downtown La Verne are just north of the airport and within extended walking distance.

Mt. San Antonio College flightline.

Want to spend the night? The Sheraton Fairplex just down the street will pick you up (walking distance if you are energetic). Like to camp, there are sites at Bonelli’s East Shore RV Park.

Need fuel or maintenance? Self-serve fuel is at the transient ramp. NAI Aircraft Services is a full service maintenance and repair shop. Howard Aviation provides maintenance and avionics services. Brackett is also the home base for the Mt. San Antonio College Aeronautics Program fleet and the Mt. San Antonio College

Wayne has two aviation related books, Up the Airway about flying along the Pacific Coast and across Canada, and Flying the Pacific Northwest about destination airports. Go to www.PowellRiverBooks.com for details for click the links for print and Kindle versions on Amazon.com. -- Margy

Envelope Funnel to Pour Spices

Cut a triangular piece of envelope and snip off the corner.

I can't say this is an original idea, but it came to me without an Internet search until after the fact. Of course, Martha Stewart (and many others) had the same brainstorm.

I needed to pour cinnamon from a large spice jar into a smaller one. What to do? 

In the past, I've tried to make a funnel by wrapping a piece of paper into a cone, but it always comes apart during the middle of the pour and makes a mess on the counter.

Put the paper funnel in the mouth of a jar.

Today I went through a lot of junk mail and I remembered I had a lot of envelopes in the paper recycle basket.I retrieved a large envelope, cut off a triangular portion, and then cut off the tip to create a paper cone to create an impromptu funnel.

Because the mouth of my spice jar was small, I had to hold the funnel in place. With a larger mouthed jar, the funnel would be able stand up on its own.

Pouring cinnamon through the funnel.

So, I held the funnel in place and poured away.

If I hadn't been trying to take a photograph with one hand it would have been a perfect process. No muss, no fuss.

Maybe my brainstorm means that like minds run in similar directions. Whatever the case, it made a formerly messy task into a neat and tidy one. -- Margy

I'll take a Boomer Burger ...

and make it extra rare, please. As this picture shows, everyone loves a Boomer Burger, at this classic drive-in in Bellingham. Wayne and I headed over to Boomer's Drive-in to get a burger, waffle fries and hard ice cream shake and here is what we saw in the next vehicle.


Drive up to Boomer's, check out the menu and turn on your car's lights. The waitress will come to you to get your order and deliver it on a tray right to your car's window. Now that's a flash from the past. You can also eat indoors next to a warming fire. Obviously, this dog's human did just that. But that didn't deter this precocious pet from trying to get a burger of his own.

GO DOGGIE!!