Scattered Thoughts . . .

B ack in 2014, I had the very rare privilege of being honored in a ceremony at the US Air Force Museum, however, due to poor health, we missed that ceremony and all of the subsequent annual ceremonies as more names of airmen were added to this wall.  In fact, we haven't seen my name on this "Wall Of Honor" at the US Air Force Museum in person until just last week!   (The photo at right is from that ceremony in 2014 courtesy of the US Air Force Museum Foundation.) Two of our grandchildren, Lukey and Kenzie, were with us during this visit last week but they were unaware of what they would find at this national museum.  They simply thought they would see a lot of airplanes at this immense museum.   As we approached this wall, I pointed out the name of the wall explaining that the names on this wall are the names of airmen who have been honored here at the museum with a "Data Plate" in their name and a brief biography written online.  Then we slowly walked...

The grand opening celebration for a new hangar at the National Museum of the US Air Force is fast approaching. We've been personally invited to a dedication ceremony at the museum this week but we won't be attending. We do plan to visit the museum and Dayton in the coming months though. We're definitely looking forward to visiting the Dayton area again!  Completing this new hangar of the museum was a major undertaking and one which was funded privately ... yes, privately... all $41 million of it!  The Air Force Museum Foundation, of which I am a member, was instrumental in providing funding for this expansion. You can read more about this expansion  on the museum website. I suspect the museum will be packed to capacity for the first few weeks. The Grand Opening weekend promises to be a memorable success! Now, I should get back to my Air Force Museum Foundation magazine...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I shot approximately 2000 photos on our last trip to Dayton. Most of the places we visited were very unlike anything we can find in Vermont... a nice zoo, a large aquarium, a tremendous model railroad at a place called EnterTrainment, an historical Ohio village, the US Air Force Museum, the Wright brothers' family history including their homes and businesses, and an amazing airshow. It was nice for a younger Adam and a younger Liza to see what we saw on this trip.   I have a lot of beautiful photos from that long journey to Ohio and back but many of my favorites are from the US Air Force Museum. One in particular is pretty cool and worth mentioning... and is probably my favorite of the bunch... The Air Force Museum is broken down by "era" spread throughout four immense hangars... ie, the early years of aviation, WWI, barnstorming, WWII, etc. They even have a separate silo hangar dedicated to housing missiles nestled between two of th...

While the grandchildren were with us on Sunday, they spent some time putting together a big puzzle of the United States (never to be erroneously referred to as "America"...  more on this pet peeve of mine in a future blog entry) with Gee.  As they searched for where to place each state, Gee would tell them about the state and what we have done there while visiting that state. When they came to Ohio and were trying to figure out where it belongs, Gee explained to them that this is where we brought Mommy and Uncle Adam... that we saw airplanes, animals in a zoo, an aquarium and a number of other places. They were animated and excited while hearing about the trip to Dayton so I thought it would be the perfect time to show them the photos from that trip, except... I quickly remembered that all those photos were on an old external hard drive and not in an album online. There was no way I could get at these photos quickly. I promised them that I would dig out these photos so t...

As many of you know, we are planning a short trip to Dayton, Ohio because I am being honored at The National Museum of the US Air Force. In planning this trip, I have been looking at hotels (easily found one... our favorite in the Dayton area) and some local attractions to keep us busy.  I had lived in Dayton for about seven or eight years so I know the area fairly well including the history and local attractions  (as long as my memory is having a good day and I am not struggling with any of my typical mast cell disease 'brain fog') . I just need to verify the attractions we want to see are still open and what days/hours they are open. Dayton was once a thriving small midwestern city but the economy for the past 15-20 years has actually caused a bit of a depression for this beautiful, historic area of our country which has adversely affected many businesses and attractions.   If I had the money and were able to just pack up and move, I would move to this area of the c...

The official Air Force letter, signed by Sheila, notifying me that a 'Legacy Data Plate' in my name will be installed at the entrance to the National Museum of the Air Force. On Christmas morning, Sheila informed me that she had arranged for me to be honored at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio!  How is that for a nice Christmas surprise? In the official Air Force notification letter, Sheila wrote, "...what better way of immortalizing and honoring the airman you are and the highlights of your impressive and proud, albeit short career, than in a place of honor and respect at the National Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio." Personally, I can think of no better place for this honor. A beautiful aviation-style stainless steel 'Legacy Data Plate' in my name will be mounted on the "Wall of Honor" at the entrance to the museum.  This Legacy Data Plate will include my name, my specialty, my branc...