More landout stories

My 4 best:

1) First ever....nervous, but remembering what to do, flat field,
recently worked, no obstructions... I see a nice long field, on final,
see some wires in the way, alternative to the right is PERFECT!....
inside a horse track, must be flat, and a tractor is working it up as
I watch, up and down, then it leaves to return to the barn, it's wide
open!, I land uneventfully , lined up on one of the recently 'worked'
rows, canopy off, waft of barnyard smells, tractor returns, fresh load
of manure spraying from spreader behind tractor, cell phone home
message to partners, "I'm in deep **** here!", response is "Don't
worry, no problem, Willi won't mind!"... "No, I mean, REALLY, I'm in
deep **** here!" Camera equipped Ka6 overhead snapping away.....tee
hee!

2) 6 year old son, one of his early rides, winds reverse, caught 'up
north', get back almost, long hay field landing, says tiny son on
final..."This isn't anywhere NEAR the gliding club Dad!"...pickup
truck with field neighbours arrives, "Thought you were going to go
around one more time"..."Nope, no engine"..send son back to club in
truck to get help, I stay with ship...wife not impressed 6 year old
appears in back of pickup with beer drinking 'strangers'....many years
of wifely abuse

3) Same field, years later, crusty old owner arrives...$100 fee to
retrieve..paid to keep the peace and save time late in the
day...police said later "Call us, no one can refuse entry to retrieve
your ship"...he'll get his one day says I

4) Almost home... 3 miles short...nice field, nice owner and
neighbours...retiree Henry drives me back to club for trailer...brings
along, no exaggeration here....25 pounds of cookies in a large green
bag he gets from past customer in the cookie baking business (to feed
his sheep)...air cadets at club gliding camp are most impressed,
attack cookies...3 weeks later bag is finished...neighbour (college)
girl asks dozen intelligent questions while I derig, comes out to club
for free ride weeks later with parents, sends me a thank you card,
maybe a future member?. No other pilot finds the 'cookie farmer' that
season. I deliver an aerial photo of his farm to him later.

So, make nice, hope for the best, expect the worst, deal with the odd
bit of poop! Get some stories, pass them along. Oh, and buy the maple
syrup from the farmer's wife on your way out the gate.