There is nothing -- NOTHING -- better than opening the hangar door on a
sunny, calm morning, and finding the plane precisely where I parked it,
in
the condition I parked it, and flying off to wherever the hell I want to
go.

Amen to that. I've even found myself talking to the thing - hi, how
are you this morning, nice to see you again.

Well as a pilot who hasn't flown in nearly 6 years, I can relate to this
thread. I was renting back then. The bank account could barely handle it
with two kids in diapers. I went out to preflight the Citabria and noticed
that the wing tip had been dragged on the runway. Actually rubbed through
the fabric and metal showing. Not even a squak in the logbook. I told the
flight school and they came out and looked then said, "No big deal, don't
worry about it." I was taken aback. It was obvious that the wingtip struck
the ground while the plane was in motion. Sure the visible damage didn't
look bad but really, somebody needed to inspect for damage.

Pretty much right then and there I decided to quit flying until I could
afford to buy my own plane and maintain it to my own standards. Who would
have guessed that I'd be grounded for six years. The wife has finally given
me the nod to buy a plane. Yeeha!! Great, now it's just me thinking that
we can't afford it and I don't have anybody to blame. Come on stock
market....just a little bit more....

Carl