Tomorrow afternoon we leave for China! Kim, Amber and I are catching a flight to Chicago and then on to Beijing. This will be my first trip with Amber since we went to Munich Germany four years ago. Really, really looking forward to it.

Why is travel so important? This is a question I've been asked and I have a variation of answers.

First, I've always taken my kids on trips because its a great bonding time with them. Over twelve years ago I started taking my kids on international trips and I've relished the time spent with them while we experience new cultures and cities. Amber has personally been to Thailand, Greece, Germany, England, Italy, New Zealand, Brazil, Costa Rica and now China.

Second, Americans sometimes act as if they are the only people in the world. My kids have learned that there are other people and their feelings and lives deserve our consideration. My children will not act as the "ugly Americans".

Third, the experience. In Thailand, Amber sat with a full grown tiger in her lap. In Paris, Kim and I watched a chamber orchestra play in a thousand year old church. In Ireland, Heather and I stayed in a real castle hotel. And in Belgium, Kim, Logan, and I had lunch one Sunday with friends in Brussels. Each of the trips I've been on to over 25 countries have had memorable and special experiences.

Fourth, it is in other countries that I'm inspired to write my stories. Who knows what being in China might bring to my imagination.

How fortunate I am to have a wife who loves to travel and experience the world as much as I do.

Easter Sunday and my dad

Today is Easter! What a beautiful day too. The skies are overcast so the temperature in north Texas is not too hot. Birds are singing outside my open window. And, today is the day we celebrate Christ's resurrection.

I have a profound belief in the resurrection and eternal life. Thank heaven, literally, for this knowledge that we will all live again. I love my Savior and appreciate what he did for me and all of us.

Two weeks ago today my father fell while trying to get out of his wheel chair. As a result, he broke his hip. When the medical staff taking care of him found his injury, the performed surgery to alleviate the pain he was in and unfortunately, he never really came out of it. He sweetly, and quietly, passed away with my brother Gary sitting next to him in the hospital room.

The funeral was on Thursday, the 6th of April. It wasn't all that easy for my family to get there. On Tuesday, I inadvertantly stepped on my glasses and smashed them flat, fortunately they didn't break (yet) and they were able to be straightened so I could wear them. On the same day, tornadoes ravished the DFW metroplex which jeopardized our flight to Salt Lake City on Thursday. 65 of American Airlines' planes were damaged and hundreds of flights cancelled. We were able to go standby the day before and even sat in first class. Our struggles were not over however. On Friday, Kim, Logan, and I woke up in a hotel that wind had knocked out power. We had no electricty and no heated water for showers. Also, my talk that I was to give in just a few hours, was still on my computer and I had no way of printing it. That morning was spent jotting down notes that I could remember and that was what I based my talk on. It also snowed that night and dropped into the 30's.

Everything at the viewing and the funeral went remarkably well. My dad was burried in Salt Lake City Cemetery with an honor guard from the disabled veterans. It was quite a tribute and one that my dad, Clinton Hale, definitely deserved.

My dad was the most amazing man I've ever known. He was humble and quiet. He went about his career and his church jobs with a dedication I've never seen in anyone else. He was my example, my friend, my home teaching companion as a youth, my mentor and teacher. He was my father.

Dad, I'll always love and miss you. Godspeed!

Your son Chris.

2011

It's been an interesting year to say the least. As I look back, I'm grateful for so many things. First and foremost, I'm grateful for my wife Kim and my children Megan, Amber, Heather, Connor, and Logan. Where would I be without their love and support.

Of course Kim is my biggest support. Late last year when Deseret News contacted me about writing a travel blog for their paper and the Mormon Times, Kim was right there supporting me. The first article about Thailand's tiger temple was printed in the newspaper on New Year's day and I've had eleven more published since. Kim was there to offer advice, help with descriptions, and edit the final piece. Several of these pieces are still available in the online edition at the following links.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700203391/Costa-Rica-Land-of-orchids-volcanoes-enchantment.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705363351/A-thrilling-visit-to-the-Buddhist-Tiger-Temple.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705364538/A-modern-day-exploration-of-the-medieval-city-of-Ghent.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705387057/The-Netherlands-Keukenhof-offers-awe-inspiring-array-of-tulips-in-bloom.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705376286/Paris-welcomes-you.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705373120/More-than-one-day-is-needed-to-visit-NASAs-Cape-Kennedy.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705390928/Former-missionarys-return-to-Atlanta-filled-with-beautiful-sights.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705372225/Emerald-Isle---a-beautiful-and-historical-treat.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705369008/A-taste-of-three-Greek-Isles-in-one-day.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705389389/A-ride-in-history.html

In adition to these, I also wrote one on the international firework competition in Montreal every summer and another one on Peru's ancient Inca civilization.

I love writing, I hope to continue to take advantage of this opportunity. Thank you Deseret News and my family.

CAH

This really sucks!

For over 16 years I've absolutely loved my job working as an Aviation Maintenance Technician for American Airlines. I've survived a pilots strike and a generally miserable relationship between management and labor. I was there the morning of 9/11 and listened to the deafening silence that night at work when all the planes in the country were parked, not being allowed to do what they were built for.

I've so enjoyed the travel benefits afforded to me and my family and for those who follow my books and articles in the Deseret News, you know how much I enjoy travel.

Now AA is faced with another challenge, one I'm not sure my seniority will survive. Three days ago, they petitioned for chapter 11 bankruptcy in a New York court. Now starts the painful scaling back as American becomes more lean, shedding unprofitable routes, escaping their massive debt, and scaling back numbers in the rank and file. (which may include me)

I've watched my company make bad business decisions continually. With our last CEO...Mr. Don Carty, we tried to save Canadian Airlines buy investing millions of dollars in hopes of keeping them as a Oneworld partner. After the expenditure, Air Canada purchased them and our money was lost. Mr. Carty also tried more room in coach by having the mechanics remove seats giving the passengers more leg room. Personally, I loved the extra room in my travels but we lost millions of lost revenue which resulted in us puting the seats back in. Mr. Carty also had to be the biggest airline so he purchased TWA after their 3rd entry into bankruptcy. Idiotic - almost criminal. He sold the cool routes and most the airplanes and kept the people. You may ask yourself why and all I can do is shrug. Carty is an idiot. BTW, he is now the CEO of Virgin America....he should be in prison in my humble opinion. He started our decline from profitability eleven years ago with his stupid decisions.

I think the worst thing Mr. Carty did was in 2003. During the economic downturn and post 9/11 reluctance for people to fly, he wrestled the labor unions into signing concessionary contracts which was suppose to keep my loved airline out of bankruptcy. Peronsally, I gave back 17 per cent of my wages, a week of vacation, sick time, and other benefits with the rest of my work group. We never got any of that back. But after all unions had signed on the dotted line, the news broke that Mr. Carty and the rest of the criminally minded executives gave themselves literally millions of dollars in bonuses, having taken the money from us. Nice...literally felt like crap after that one. And now we are in bankruptcy anyway.

I have no idea what the future holds for me. I hope I can keep my job but even I've applied for other airlines. I can't imagine not having the ability to fly around the world. Once you have it, its a hard thing to give up. I want to keep writing my novels as inspiration directs. But, unfortunately, its not up to me anymore. I do pray, not only for me, but for the rest of the work groups in my airline.

Hopefully, we'll be okay.

CAH

'The Inca Prophecy' for Christmas!

So who has family members who like to read? Well, what better present for Christmas than 'Whispers from the Past' and 'The Inca Prophecy'? Both books are written for teen age and up and have been enjoyed by all who have read them. Both books are available in paperback from amazon.com or from me personally. Contact me and I'd be happy to send a copy of either for only $10.00 plus shipping. Or, you can order a paperback from amazon.com for 10.95, or 6.95 for the kindle or nook.

Listen to professional Utah model Reesa Marie and get yours today. "Another fantastic easy read... Well written, adventurous & exciting! As always I can't wait for the next one :)"

Home.....and already missing the city of Istanbul.

Been home now for 2 days and already missing Istanbul. Kim and I had such a wonderful time and found the people to be extremely helpful and friendly. For example, we were sitting outside the Suleymaniye Mosque when a local dentist asked us where we were from. We ended up eating lunch with him at a local outdoor cafe.

Ancient inverted Medussa Head in the basilica cistern

Kim inside Hagia Sofia

In addition to the people, and waking up every morning to the mosques call to prayer, the Ottoman architecture was amazing. Between the mosques and the palaces, we were both very impressed. Also pretty cool was the Basilica Cistern which is basically an ancient underground water tank. In addition to the Ottoman influence, there is still Roman relics which include the Hippodrome and the aquaduct which were both pretty cool.



The ancient Hagia Sophia



We took a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait and even went to a dinner show where a belly dancer mugged me...too bad the flash on the camera didn't work when Kim tried to snap a picture.


Pretty talented dog. (check out his shades)




Kim looking at the Asian side of Istanbul



The Blue Mosque

 Turkey is an amazing country and we're so glad we could both spend a week there. I hope you enjoy these pictures.

First day in Turkey

Our first day in Turkey was pretty casual compared to previous trips Kim and I have taken to Europe. But, we did see some "must see's" within the city of Istanbul and the area of Sultanahmet. We were able to see the "Blue Mosque" as well as the Hagia Sofia museum. (Hagia Sofia was a Christian Basillica by Constantine and later a mosque when the Ottoman Empire took over.

We were also able to see the Basillica Cistern which was pretty impressive too. It's like a very elaborate underground water tank with 336 columns holding up the ceiling. This column, and one other, show a Medussa head and was probably pillaged from Christian structures before the cistern was built.

Turkey here we come!

It's been a while since I've posted anything and for this I apologize. I've been consumed with some events going on in my life which have kept me from not only posting here, but I've not written an article for the Deseret News for some time either. Hopefully soon!

Two days to Turkey. Kim and I decided we would throw caution to the wind and head for Istanbul on tuesday. We debated for several weeks if this was where we should go, or should we try Scotland or Italy instead of our original choise of Turkey. Right now, things look good for traveling standby as long as we can get to Washington DC to catch our international flight.

We have some wonderful plans and I'm sure an article will come out of this trip at least. Who knows, maybe I'll be inspired to continue my Daniel and Kylee stories with a trip to Eurasia. I'll keep you all posted.

I'll definitely keep this blog up to date while we are gone.

CAH

Wonderful weekend with a B-17

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Yesterday Kim and I had the opportunity to fly on 'Sentimental Journey', a world war II B-17G that was on tour this week in Ogden, Utah. We took off around 9am and flew for half an hour and it was as much fun as I've ever had no an airplane. Based in Mesa as part of the Commemorative Air Force, Sentimental Journey is a beauty to behold. After take off, we were permitted to walk around the inside and view the ground, and plane, from all angles.

This was something I've wanted to do for a long time. Thanks to Kim for going with me and sharing so many of my same interests. We both truly have "it" in our blood.

My heart felt thanks to the people of this generation. To the men who flew and served on the planes and the women who stayed home to build them, and everyone else who sacrificed to preserve the freedom I enjoy today. These people are almost as rare as this great warbird and all those who love America owe them so much. They were an example for all those who have served since.

Thank you again.

CAH

Finally Finished

Finally, 'The Inca Prophecy' is completed. My thanks to my wife Kim and my editor Darlene Oliver for their enormous efforts and help. I really do appreciate what they have done.

The Book has been sent to the printer and should be available very soon at amazon.com, on the kindle and the nook, as well as from me.

It's always a really cool feeling to see your efforts, no matter what the endeavor, come to fruition. I love to write, it's not something that comes easily to me but I love to be creative. Once again, I hope the people that read 'The Inca Prophecy' will enjoy it as much as my first book, 'Whispers from the Past'.

thank you for giving me the opportunity to add to your enjoyment!!

CAH

in just a few days.........

I've finished making my corrections to 'The Inca Prophecy'. Kim will make her corrections this weekend  and monday we'll submit the new text and I'll order about 50 copies for my friends at work and abroad....Reserve your copy now!!!