Ted Blaine
Debbie and Ted Blaine celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 30, 2023, with PebbleCreek RV friends. They were married in Lancaster, Calif., in 1973, having met in April of that year. Debbie was a poor first year elementary school teacher and Ted was a poor first year airplane mechanic, helping build the Lockheed L-1011 airliner in Palmdale.
Debbie was born in Long Beach, Calif., and moved to Lancaster in 1957 when her dad took a job with NASA at Edwards Air Force Base. She graduated from Oregon State University in 1971. Ted was born in Turlock, Calif., and earned his AA degree and pilot ratings at Merced Junior College. He attended Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood, Calif., and earned his airplane mechanic’s license in 1973.
Debbie spent 23 years teaching in Los Angeles County, starting with sixth grade, and finishing in her favorite, first grade, when their first grandson was born. Ted did what he calls “aerospace basketball,” bouncing around the Antelope Valley, changing jobs numerous times over four years. A chance meeting with an air traffic controller led to a 28-year career, retiring in 2005 after 17 years in supervision.
In 2010 they bought in PebbleCreek after Debbie finally convinced Ted it was time to leave California. She plays Mah Jongg and canasta with her girlfriends, and Ted has played water volleyball for many years. They began RVing in 1982 and joined the Rovin’ Pebbles RV Club in 2010. Ted also shoots trap and pistols with the PebbleCreek Gun Club.