(This is a 1979 encounter between one of our VF-151 F4J Phantom jets with one of the Soviet four-engine heavy bombers. It was part of an otherwise busy military day at sea in the either the North Pacific or Sea of Japan, we forget which. We liked this one, taken by another squadron crew stepped out in loose formation to show the majesty of the Russian aerial encounter. Damn, those things were big! Back in 1979, they ruled the part of the sky in which they were flying. At least until we joined them. Those are Sidewinder missiles- AIM-9L- on the rails of our fighters. Newer models were used on the Unidentified Aerial Phenomina we have lately bee shooting down. There was no “hostile intent” that long-ago morning. We think that is still true 44 years later, but they are sorting out some new Rules of Engagement….Photo by Rocket and Splash, USN, 1979. – Vic).

It certainly is that. The very small group of the Writer’s Section was discussing the signaling going on about Ukraine. Some of the recent events seem to be driving other ones up the delicate scale of action and reation. There were- get this- a “flight of four Russian bombers” aloft near our boundaries in Alaska. Some of us remember the giant Tupolev TU-95D BEAR aircraft- “Those Bear Deltas!!” we used to encounter over the waters up in those chilly climes. They were magnificent flying machines, a little ungainly, but certainly impressive in their capability to collect radar data on the location of our ships and then passing that to guided missile submarines way below. It could enable them to fire large rockets at our floating homes and cause us to swim for a while. That was the hostile intent that was kept near the top of our seabags at the time. Always ready for use, but not just waved around for effect.

That got us rolling this morning, and it was minutes before the Real Estate paperwork surfaced and appeared on our computers with legal intent.The flight of these Russian aerial relics brought some old emotion to an entirely new one. There is part of a significant ratchet being cranked in current events reverberating with Cold War developments. The Russians have announced putting nukes back on their warships in the Baltic, even as the Sy Hersh story about blown pipelines reverberates through diplomatic and military channels.

“Americans warned to leave Russia” went one headline, followed by the article referencing the nukes up north. So, that is part of it. Socotra House LLC has determined to accommodate coming change with the purchase of a business-zoned suite at Big Pink. Examination of Condominium records on the land purchase scheduled for this morning indicate there is some Cold War Speaker of the House Carl Albert lived here when they rid the White House of an elected President, all legally, gives this an address of the current verve with memories of the past.

The money side of things is different. The Chairman had a vision that country retirement would be an optimal approach to generate daily content and continuity. It was not. The distance to anonymous meetings became annoying, and realization that Belmont Farms products were available as a delivery service eventually tipped the balance.

The new Headquarters Suite- Socotra House HQ- is a delight. It started with the usual square footprint for a Headquarters-sized unit, but Joel, a pal from the old days had gutted the box to convert it for use as an entertainment center and occasional residences for visiting business needs. The wall space is completely coordinated in built-in cabinets crafted in the Mad Man Advertising style of a decade ago. Nice work and a nice way to settle into what we remember as a good decade.

Which is the bit of activity left to conduct this morning. We have risen successfully to a sort of metaphor about old aerial threats and new ones that fly digitally. We have accomplished the big part yesterday, moving wheelbarrows of cash digitally to some Title Company (we hope the right one!) yesterday, and this morning appended seven or eight fake signatures to a digital document. That will be followed by a few signatures in a personal appearance to be held at 0830.

That should mark the transition to ownership and an entirely new Top Ten list of things to be accomplished. We are hoping all the airplanes, objects and crews have made it home. Here at Big Pink we just need need to close. Once that is accomplished, we can start moving again. By opening the next chapter in this changing world. With all sorts of things in the air!

Copyright 2023 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com