Archive by Author

Happiness is Flying Model Airplanes Part 1

10 May

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

I began my love affair with airplanes at the tender age of six years old when my family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Our father had been given a new job there and he had gone there ahead of us to find a house and get things ready for our family move.  When all the details were in place, my mother, sister, and I flew on an American Airlines DC-3 from Dallas, Texas (where I had been born) to Albuquerque and I was thrilled by every aspect of that experience.

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/american+airlines+DC-3

Albuquerque had two U.S. Air Force bases, and our house was under the landing approach to Kirtland Air Force Base.  Airplanes of all types flew over our house all of the time and I learned how to identify all the different types by name and profile.  I used to love to run out side of our house and watch them fly over.  They ranged from the twin-engine B-25 Mitchel, B-29 Superfortress, to the giant B-36 Peacemaker.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

At about age 8, I transitioned from my hobby of electric trains to model airplanes.  At the time, the 10-cent balsa-wood gliders were the big rage in my neighborhood.  The little kit had all the parts die-cut, so all you had to do was slip the pre-formed wing and tail into the slots in the fuselage and you were ready to fly.  I learned how to carefully cut a notch in the bottom of the fuselage, which allowed me to launch the glider with a one-stick rubber sling shot.  That gave me a much higher altitude providing I didn’t pull the wings off with too much rubber band strength.  I had saved my allowance money and bought one after another, as I flew them and broke them (Notice the glue line on the fuselage in the photo below).

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

My very first model airplane was a small hard-wood Piper Cub.  That model only needed the individual parts to be sanded smooth.  I worked hard and long to get the parts as smooth as I wanted.  Then all I had to do was to glue the wing and tail onto the fuselage and paint it. Then after the paint dried, there were a few decals to install to make it look real.  When I finished all the detailing, I hung that beautiful model from my bedroom ceiling and enjoyed it for years.

Photo Credit: www.helidirect.com/piper-cub/

As the years passed, and I grew older, I moved up to rubber powered balsa model airplanes. The first rubber powered model airplane I had was very basic.  A long square balsa stick for the fuselage, and thin balsa sheet wing and tail.  The rubber band was attached to the propeller in front, and ran under the fuselage to the tail.  The propeller and rubber band would be twisted in the opposite direction of the thrust needed, and when the propeller was released, the airplane would take off and fly until the rubber band tension was expended.  Great fun!

These gliders are still available online. This one is on Amazon.

Photo Credit: https://amzn.to/44RaCqt

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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The Remote Control

7 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

The remote control has come a long way.  We usually take it for granted in these days – I wouldn’t even THINK of having to get up from my comfy chair to go and change the channel on the TV!  Outrageous!  And yet, I remember when that was the norm.

I remember when my family got our first TV when I was a child in Albuquerque.  Such a novelty!  And there were only three channels available.  It was only on during the day, and ended each day with a single picture on the screen, and the National Anthem being played/sung.

I remember on New Year’s Day, when all the college bowl games were being played – my Dad had one game on the big TV, another game on a small TV on top of the big TV – another game on the radio in one bedroom, and another game on the radio in another bedroom.  He would bounce back and forth among all those rooms trying to keep track of all the games.  Used to drive my Mother crazy!

But all of those TV’s had a manual remote – in other words, someone had to get up and change the channel manually.

1956 – Judy in our living room with the new TV – no remote control

Okay…fast forward a few years.  Fred and I married and moved to Fort Worth, Texas for him to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  One of our first purchases was a black-and-white TV set.  It wasn’t much, but we enjoyed it.  We took it with us when we moved to San Antonio, Texas for Fred to attend the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School (OTS).  We had it with us in San Jose, California while Fred attended San Jose State College (now University) to get his meteorology training.  But we must have sold it there, because we didn’t have any TV with us during the three years we were in Wiesbaden, West Germany.

Upon arriving back in the U.S., Fred’s parents gave us their old black-and-white TV, as they had purchased a new color TV for themselves.  It only had a manual remote, and Karen (only four years old at this time) would go and turn the remote – to the correct channel I might add – before we even turned on the machine!  How did she DO that???  It never failed that she had the correct channel.  And in northern Maine, on a U.S. Air Force Base, we had only just a few channels to choose from.  Amazing.  She’s a genius!!

When we moved to San Antonio, Texas, we purchased a new TV for ourselves – and it was in COLOR!  WOW!  What a difference that made – even the weather was better in color!  It was in a lovely wood console – but held only the TV – no radio…no turntable…no storage space contained therein.  Still – it only had a manual channel-change knob.  It was a great piece of furniture, and we carried it with us to Tyndall AFB, Florida, to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and then to Heidelberg, West Germany.  

1979-1980 – The TV console in our unit at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

After we lived in Virginia for a while, we purchased a more up-do-date TV for our family room, and moved that TV console upstairs to our bedroom.  We finally sold it – or donated it – before we moved to Florida.  

And that’s where our remote controls came into being.  And we couldn’t live without them now – sometime we even have one in each hand!

What a progression.  And all this was prompted by a picture on FaceBook of an old-fashioned TV dial.

Credit FaceBook

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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High-Speed Fiber Optic Installation-Part 5

26 Apr

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

After the Christmas holidays, I was finally able to reach the contact person at the claims office.  This time she said they still didn’t have all the necessary information, and would I please send the photos and the estimate again.  I verified the email address and sent the information they requested again.  I was beginning to wonder if this was a ploy to keep from having to pay me, or just how many times I was going to have to repeat this process before they finally received the email information, I was sending them.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo. customer-service/clipart.  

About two weeks later, with no other word from the contact person, I was surprised to receive a check in the mail for the estimated damage claim amount.  Wow!  I guess they finally did receive my information and someone actually followed thru with my claim.  Will wonders never cease?  I didn’t waste any time contacting the drywall contractor and setting up an appointment to have the damaged area repaired.  That only took a couple of days to schedule, and the repair was completed without any additional problems.  

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/ceiling+repair

Upon completion of the repair, I mentioned that it didn’t look like the new portion of drywall was covered adequately, but was told that it would all look fine when the plaster dried.  I really didn’t think it had enough plaster on it, but I didn’t say anymore because hey, who am I to question the guy that does this kind of work every day.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It’s a week later and really, does that look like there is enough plaster on the new piece of drywall to cover it adequately?  I was originally told that the new plaster might not match the original plaster, and I was ready for that, but the plaster on the replacement drywall just isn’t thick enough to cover the new drywall.  So now I have to get the drywall guy back out here to finish the job the way it was supposed to have been done the first time.  Bummer!

Image credit: yahoo.com/frustrated+man+clipart

I called the drywall guy and it’s hard for me to believe what he told me.  He said that it’s not that there isn’t enough paster, but that the new plaster and wallboard have to be painted in order to keep the paster from drying out and crumbling.  Not knowing anything about smooth  or skip trowel ceiling finishes, I was not aware that they had to be painted.  Well, whatever; he is coming by to take a look at the repair and do whatever needs to be done to finish the job to my satisfaction.  We’ll see how that goes.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/ceiling+repair

Well, as expected, the drywall guy never showed up, even after I called him several times.  I had the same kind of problem with sub-contractors back in the 1980s when I was building houses with my father-in-law.  The last 5% of any job is getting the “finish” contractor to do his part.  I ended up many times doing most of that “finish” work myself, when possible, just to meet the scheduled closing date.  So, I (not too happily) painted the repair area myself.  OK, so I caved.  I know I should have insisted on the drywall guy doing it, but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of a tiny little bit of paint.  Besides, I had already had enough trouble with this project and just wanted to see it done.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Well, finally the job is done, and we love the new system.  However, this whole project has been what I call getting connected to a new high-speed fiber optic system THE HARD WAY!  What do you think? 

—–The End—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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The New Power Pole-Part 4

19 Apr

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Since I already had internet cables running from outside the house into my attic and to my computer, it was only a matter of snaking the new high-speed fiber optic cable across the attic and down thru the existing holes in the wall, alongside those existing cables.  When the technician went into the attic to route the new cable, he happened to kneel on a piece of plywood I had nailed between two trusses.  The plywood split under his weight and his knee went down through the drywall ceiling of our garage/studio.  OPS! Was anyone hurt?  No, thank goodness, but he was so embarrassed and didn’t know what to say.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

He apologized profusely and said that in all his years on the job this was the first time anything like this had happened to him.  I told him not to worry about it as the same thing had happened to me when I was younger and working for an electrical contractor, except in my case, my leg had ended up going thru a lady’s kitchen ceiling.  He told me he would immediately send in a damage claim to his company to get the hole in the ceiling repaired.  He finished the installation of connecting us to the new high-speed fiber optic system with no other problems.  He told me someone from the company claims office would be contacting us about the repair of the damage soon.

Image credit: yahoo.com/frustrated+man+clipart

It took me about two weeks to finally get in touch with the claims department, after I received my first email from them telling me they had set up a claim number for me and to contact them with more information.  When I finally reached the claims office, the agent said one of the things they needed was some photos of the damaged area.  I told her that the technician had taken photos of the damaged area and that he had assured me he would forward them to their claims office.  She said they hadn’t received any photos and asked me if I had taken any.  I said I had, and I tried to email them to her, but they wouldn’t go thru to the email address she gave me.  Next, she said they also needed an estimate for repairs to the damaged area.  I said I would get an estimate and forward it to their claims office. 

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo. customer-service/clipart.  

It has now been three weeks since my last contact with the claims center.  I re-sent my photos of the damage to the contact person.  I had a damage estimate made and emailed it to the contact person.  I have tried several times each week to reach them to verify they received the requested information with no avail.  I have phoned only to be put on “hold” for up to five minutes, and then a computer voice tells me there is no one available to help me.  I have left messages with the contact person with no response.  I have sent emails to the contact person with no response.  I have tried the phone calls at different times of the day to try to catch the contact person to no avail.

Image credit: yahoo.com/frustrated+man+clipart

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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High-Speed Fiber Optic:Installation Part 3

12 Apr

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Now the operator very slowly and carefully lowered the pole into the hole as the other three workers helped guide it perfectly into position.  I couldn’t believe that small Altec machine could lift and position that heavy pole as easily as it did.  There didn’t seem to be anything the operator couldn’t do with that mobile Altec machine.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

The operator continued to hold the pole in place as the three workers filled and packed sand around the base of the newly installed pole.  It didn’t take long for them to finish that task, and they stepped away to verify that the new pole was properly aligned.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Once the pole was aligned and secured, the operator unclamped the jaws and lowered the crane so the hoisting cable could be removed.  The Altec machine support legs were retracted, and the machine was driven back around, thru the woods, and replaced on its trailer and secured.  The portion of the field fence that had been removed to support this operation was replaced (better than before it was removed) and the job was complete.  

Now it will be up to the power company and the telephone company to schedule the movement of all the power & telephone lines from the old pole and transfer them to the new pole before we can be connected to the new high-speed fiber optic system.

Photo Credit: https://images.yahoo.com/lineman

To our surprise, it was only a couple weeks later that the internet provider called to inform us that a technician would be arriving the next day to connect our new high-speed fiber optic system.  I informed her of the status of the new power pole, and that no cables had been transferred from the old pole to the new pole yet.  She said she didn’t know about that and that she would inform the necessary people to get that job done.  

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo. customer-service/clipart.  

I guessed it would be another month before we could expect someone to come transfer all the cables from the old pole to the new one, since I assumed it would involve coordination between the power company and the telephone company.  But then a couple of days later we received a message on our answer machine that a technician would be showing up the next day to hook us up to the new high-speed fiber optic system.  When he arrived, I showed him the poles and explained the whole story to him. He said he would need to assess the situation before he could continue.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/computer.technician

When he came back, he said, “I don’t know where that other guy got his information about going up that pole being a safety issue, but I have no problem going up that pole and connecting you to the new high-speed fiber optic system.”  I didn’t argue with him, as we were ready for that new system.  He proceeded to made all of the necessary outdoor connections at the pole, and then came into the house to run the high-speed fiber optic cable to my computer.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/telephone+repair/

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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High-Speed Fiber Optic Installation-Par 2

5 Apr

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Because the houses at the end of our block are surrounded on two sides by a county operated wooded sanctuary, normal access was not available to the location needed for the telephone pole replacement behind our house.  I was informed that they would have to drag the new telephone pole around the back of our neighbor’s two houses (the heavy lifting I mentioned) and remove a portion of the field fence in order to gain access to the telephone pole replacement area.  They used the truck mounted Altec machine to lift the new pole off its trailer and position it behind the Mobil Altec machine where it was attached by chains.

 Photo Credit: Bill Lites

The Mobil Altec Machine was slow, and it took around twenty minutes for them to maneuver it thru the wooded area, around behind our two neighbor’s houses, to the area behind our house.  They removed the portion of the field fence and guided the Altec Machine into the area adjacent to the telephone pole replacement area.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Once they got the new telephone pole where they wanted it, the operator used the Altec machine’s crane to let the pole down.  They removed the chains from the large end of the new pole and went about making all the preparations necessary to set the new pole in place.    

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It took the operator some maneuvering to get the Altec machine into the proper position between, and around, all the undergrowth.  Once it was in the proper position, they set a pad under each of the machine’s four hydraulically operated support arms, and adjusted them, in order to level and then stabilize the machine in place.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Once the base of the Altec machine was leveled and stabilized to their satisfaction, the operator slowly raised the crane and extended the hole drilling auger over the selected location for the new telephone pole.  I was amazed at how fast and effortlessly the auger drilled that new hole. 

 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Once the hole was satisfactorily drilled, the operator slowly retracted the drilling auger and stowed it under the crane.  Then the operator traversed the crane, back around, so they could attach a special cable assembly to the new pole in order to begin the lifting operations.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

They attached taglines and some kind of orange cap at the top of the new pole and the operator very carefully raised the pole.  This was a very tricky operation, as there were multiple tree branches in the way.  The operator very slowly and skillfully raised the pole, while he was maneuvering it around the tree branches with the crane, until he had it in the vertical position.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Once the pole was in the vertical position, the operator rotated the pole around to the designated new pole location (without bumping it into the power lines).  Then the operator extended a pair of jaw-like clamps (located on the end of the crane) around the upper portion of the pole and carefully positioned it over the newly dug hole.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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High-Speed Fiber Optic Installation Part 1

29 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Several weeks ago, a representative from our internet provider stopped by to inform us that their company had now expanded their new High-Speed Fiber Optics System into our area, and it was now available to us at a reduced price.  Did we want it?  Yes, we wanted it, and he signed us up with an installation date the following week.  We were happy about the prospects of having the new faster system, and greeted the installation technician with expectation when he showed up as scheduled. 

 

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;repairman-clipart

That happy expectation didn’t last long.  After an inspection of the power pole he needed to access, in order to connect us onto the new system, he gave us the bad news.  At some point in the past, that pole had been braced with a metal support because of underground rotting (presumably an acceptable ‘Temporary Fix’ at the time), and now for safety reasons, he said his company wouldn’t allow him to climb that pole, or even lean a ladder against it.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

He apologized for the inconvenience and assured us that he would notify his company of the problem so they could have the power pole replaced as soon as possible.  Well, that was several weeks ago, and then last Friday morning a crew showed up to replace the power pole. There were three large trucks (one loaded with new power poles) and four workers ready to go to work.  They soon discovered that there was no access to the power pole area for their large equipment trucks.  After much exploration of the area and many long coordination phone calls, the crew informed us that a different approach was needed, and they would return Monday with all the proper equipment to do the job.

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/electric+power+repair+truck

Well, here it is Monday morning, and the crew showed up as promised, right on time, with their three big trucks and the same four workers. This time they had brought along a remote-controlled (tracked) mechanical machine to do all the heavy lifting for them, and to provide access to the pole installation area.  When I first saw it sitting on its trailer, I couldn’t imagine how that small machine could do all the work that was going to need to be done.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

This is an amazing machine!  It’s called an Altec Mobil Aerial Derrick Digger Machine and I discovered it can do any of the tasks that their truck mounted telephone pole replacement machine can do.  However, for today’s operation they employed a track-mounted machine which was able to drag the new telephone pole thru the wooded area (not accessible by truck) and, also be able to do everything they needed to do to set the new pole.  As the operator walked the machine off its trailer and down the street towards the woods, it looked like a man walking a child, as it would hesitate every so often, and then pick up the pace again.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

2022 Road Trip-Part 18B

22 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 18 Continued (6/2/2022)

Leaving Wildwood, I headed south 20 miles on I-75 to look for the Fort Armstrong Historical Monument located in Bushnell, FL.  This Florida monument describes the 1836 Battle of The Wahoo Swamp during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).  General Richard Call lost his command because of the disastrous defeat his 2500 soldiers suffered during that battle.  It also tells that later that year, Fort Armstrong was built by Major Robert Armstrong and his men to protect against the Seminole attacks on the Fort King Trail.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was less than 10 miles south on I-75 to where I found the Richloam General Store & Post Office located near Webster, FL.  This former old 1921 Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Depot was the first depot in Richloam and Postmaster, Lucius S. Brinson, moved the Riverland Post Office to this building in 1922.  Soon after that Brinson opened and began operating a general store in the building, and it remained in operation until 1936.  The building was used as a private home until the 1950s, after which it stayed vacant until 1973, when Brinson’s son, John, renovated the building, and reopened it as the Richloam General Store & Post Office.  This building is the last remaining structure from the Richloam Community.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed south five miles on SR-421 to Linden, FL where I turned east 10 miles on SR-50 looking for the Paradise Airsports field located in Groveland, FL.  This small grass field caters to Ultralight aircraft and has a flight school in one of the ‘open-ended’ hangers there at the field.  I stopped long enough to watch a couple of colorful Ultralights take off and fly around.  I had always wanted to own an Ultralight, but never had the money or time to spare to get into the sport.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was another 15 miles east on SR-50 to where I visited the Central Florida Railroad Museum located in downtown Winter Garden, FL.  This small museum is situated in the old restored 1913 Tavares & Gulf (T&G) Railway depot that replaced the original 1899 station there in Winter Garden.  This museum is filled with antique railroad artifacts, photos, and memorabilia relating to the history of the railroad’s influence on the city of Winter Garden and the surrounding Orange County area from the late 1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Leaving Winter Garden, I continued another 15 miles east on SR-50 to visit the Orlando Science Center located in the Loch Haven Park area of Orlando, FL.  This large privately owned museum has four floors filled with exciting exhibits, giant screen movies, interactive programs, the Dr. Phillips ‘Cinedome’ and more.  The lobby was overrun with kids, so I opted not to go thru the museum today.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I looked for the Orlando Fire Museum reported to be located there in the Lock Haven Park, but neither Greta (My Garmin) or I could find it anywhere.  I circled the park twice and never saw it.  So, I continued east for the last 35 miles of this trip on SR-50, which took me back to my home in Titusville, FL from where I started 18 days ago.  Boy, was I glad to be home.  My lovely wife, DiVoran, had cooked a delicious meal for my homecoming, and we enjoyed it together, on our screened-in back porch, over lots of conversation about what we both had been doing for the last two weeks.  Tonight, I get to sleep in my own bed which I have sorely missed.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

This brings to a close my 2022 Road Trip.  I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures as much as I have enjoyed remembering and writing about them.  Join me again next time as I explore new areas of our wonderful country and visit new historical places and museums.  Keep your eyes on the road and drive safely.

Photo Credit: https://www.clipartmax.com/cartoon-driver-waving/

—–The End—-

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip Part 18 A

15 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 18 (6/2/2022)

Today after breakfast, I headed southeast 45 miles on SR-100 to check out the Gainesville Raceway located about 10 miles northeast of Gainesville, FL.  This raceway is the home of ‘Gatornats’ (The Baby Gators & NHRA Gatornationals drag racing).  There was nothing going on today, so I took a photo of their entrance sign and headed on down the road to visit the next museum.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I continued south 15 miles on SR-232 to visit the CADE Museum located in the Gainesville Depot area of Gainesville, FL.  This large museum is dedicated to inspiring and equipping young inventors and visionaries with the tools they may need to reach their potential.  This museum has two floors filled with educational improvement exhibits and interactive areas designed to guide the inquisitive mind forward.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed south 15 miles on SR-25 to visit the Micanopy Historical Museum located in the small town of Micanopy, FL.  The town of Micanopy (originally Wanton) has a history that dates from when Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto noted a Timucuan Indian village here in 1539.  The town’s slogan is “The Town that Time Forgot.”  The small museum can be found in the old original 1890 Thrasher warehouse building and displays local antique artifacts and memorabilia dating from the early 1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Down the street I stopped to take a photo of the Old Evinston Post Office, which was originally built in 1882 for Simon Shettleworth for use as a warehouse.  It has been the Wood & Swink general store and Post Office since 1884.  The buildings in Micanopy/Evinston must have been constructed with loblolly or heart pine, because many of them, including the original Post Office building, are still standing and in use today after 130+ years of Florida weather.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

As I was leaving Micanopy, I stopped at the old 1881 Depot Café hoping to have an early lunch, but they were not open yet.  It looked like it would be a very interesting place to eat.  Lots of local history.    Oh well, maybe the next time I’m in this area they will be open, and I can give them a try.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was another 10 miles south on US-441 to check out the Florida State Fire College located just east of I-75 in Reddick, FL.  This Fire College was founded in 1939 and is a training facility that trains fire fighters in the use of various types of firefighting methods and equipment.  I did not opt for a tour, but continued in search of my next museum.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Another 10 miles south on Old Gainesville Road took me to downtown Ocala, FL where I stopped long enough to take a photo of the city square with its inlayed tile patio, a gazebo, and many beautiful floral arrangements.  Ocala is another Florida city that can trace its roots back to 1539 when Hernando De Soto found another Timucua Indian village at this site.  The city of Ocala, which was founded in 1849, is named after that Timucua Chief, Ocali.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now it was another 25 miles south on I-75 to where I visited the Old Baker House Museum located in Wildwood, FL.  I have to say at this point, the traffic jam at the intersection of I-75, SR-44, and SR-91 was, by far, the worst I have encountered during this whole trip.  Miles of traffic backups in both directions of all three roads.  The Baker House Museum is situated in the old restored two-story 1890 home, built by Senator David H. Baker (1841-1917), and is filled with many of the family’s original late 1800s furnishings and other artifacts.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip-Part 17B

9 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 17 Continued (6/1/2022) 

I was intrigued by the name ‘The Graveyard Mud Bog’ so, on my way out of Jasper, I stopped just south of town, off US-41, to see what it was all about.  Turns out I passed a dirt road, with a sign, to an old graveyard on the way to Mud Bog Park.  I guess that’s where they got that crazy name.  There was nothing going on at the Mud Bog today, so I continued south, looking for my next museum. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

After some 20 miles south on US-41 I visited the Steven Foster Museum located within the Steven Foster Folk Culture Center Park which is located on the banks of the Suwannee River in White Springs, FL.  I discovered that besides the museum, this 800-acre park includes a bell tower that chimes ‘Old Folks at Home’ and other Foster melodies throughout the day, a campground, hiking trails, bicycle trails, wildlife viewing areas, canoeing, and more.  The museum contains eight model dioramas depicting Steven Foster songs, and a collection of 18th century pianos and harpsichords.   

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

Now it was only 15 miles southeast on US-41 to visit the Columbia County Historical Museum located in downtown Lake City, FL.  This museum is situated in the old restored 1870s home of the John Vinzant Jr. family and has a large collection of photographs, artifacts, and memorabilia related to the history of Lake City and the surrounding Columbia County dating from the early 1800s. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

While I was in downtown Lake City, I walked over to get a photo of the Columbia County Courthouse which is located across the street from the Olustee Park.  The building was built in 1905 and was designed in the Classical Revival style.  It was renovated in 2003 for continued use by the Columbia County residents for what has now been 117 years of continuous service. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

I took the time to try and find the ‘Lake City Historic Railroad Crossing’ but couldn’t find a sign or Historical Marker for the site.  Not sure what the historical significance of the crossing could have been, other than Lake City having been the northern most point of the Southern Florida Railway beginning in the late 1800s.   

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

So, I gave Greta (My Garmin) the address of tonight’s motel, there in Lake City, and she took me right to it.  While checking in, I asked the desk clerk about good places to eat, and he said if I liked seafood, I might try Zebo’s Crab Shack there in town.  I ordered their steamed Snow Crab & Crawfish Plate which included fresh-water muscles, corn-on-the-cob, and hush puppies.  I enjoyed every bite of that delicious meal. 

Photo Credit: zebo’s crab shack lake city – Search (bing.com)

After that delicious meal, I headed back to the motel and recorded the day’s activities.  I tried to find something on TV but had to settle for the last part of an action movie I had seen before.  It was lights out for me after that.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

Tags: , , ,

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