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Memory Lane Trip~Part 5

18 Jul

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

 

Day 5 – Saturday 4/21/2018

 

After a very nice complimentary breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast and orange juice, I gave Greta the address to take me to visit the Texas Air Museum located adjacent to the Stinson Municipal Airport there in San Antonio.  This is a large one hanger museum that is filled with memorabilia and artifacts, covering aviation from its inception to the present time.  The museum’s outdoor static display aircraft were in bad need of some TLC.

 

           

Next I ask Greta to take me to the Aero Accessories Inc. facility located just a few miles south of the Transportation Museum there in San Antonia.  This turned out to be your basic aircraft small accessories overhaul and repair station.  This business was operating in what I would call “primitive conditions” with respect to the modern equipment they were working on.  There was really nothing much to see, so I moved on.

 

 

Now I headed for a try at getting into the Fort Sam Houston base, there in San Antonio, to visit the Army Medical Museum.  I had given up trying to visit the USAF Airman’s Museum yesterday, after being turned away from three different gates.  I wish if military establishments (bases) are going to advertise their museums as being open to the public, that they would provide instructions for how the public is to gain access to those museums.  Today I called the museum first, and that was a big help.  I asked them which gate I should approach first in order to get a pass onto the base to visit their museum.  This worked out fairly well, as I was able to get a pass, and I was impressed with the museum’s large number of displays and memorabilia. They had a 1917 U.S. Army ambulance similar to the one my father, as a corps man, drove during WWI.

 

           

Next I had Greta take me to the Alamo Plaza located in the Historic District of downtown San Antonio. After getting some pictures of the Alamo, I took a one-hour trolley ride around the city, stopping at the Marketplace Plaza.

 

           

The Marketplace Plaza was brightly decorated and crowded with people.  As I strolled through the Plaza, the crowd was entertained with live music and breakdancing, as the smell of freshly cooked foods of all types attacked our nostrils.  At one point I came across a tiny Hispanic woman (someone said she was 83 years old) jiving away on the walk-way to boom box music.  She was moving like a saucy senorita. She wore a long, hot-pink tiered skirt that fell just above her ankles and exposed her sturdy white shoes. A lace shawl and a feisty pink hat decorated with flowers completed her ensemble.  I Hope I can move that well when I’m that old. Wait a minute.  I am ALMOST that old, and I can’t move near that well now!

 

           

A rain squall came up about that time, so I put off my track along the famous River Walk.  I’m not sure how much I really missed. Maybe next time I’m in San Antonio it won’t be raining.  I called my friends Ken & Debbi, who live there in the San Antonia area, but they were in Florida on vacation.          

 

 

By now I had been bumped, pushed, and jostled enough for one afternoon, and asked Greta to take me back to the motel, where I could relax and enjoy my delicious leftover Chili Relleno dinner.

 

 

           

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

 

 

 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 58 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 Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, writing blogs 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 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.

Bill’s favorite Scripture is: Philippians 1:6

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Memory Lane Trip~Part 4

10 Jul

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

Day 4 – Friday 4/20/2018

 

I was out bright and early this morning heading west on I-10 to visit the MKT Railroad Depot Museum situated at the little “Pocket Park” in Katy, TX.  This turned out to be a small restored 1894 railroad depot, whose memorabilia centered on the history of the Missouri/Kansas & Texas Railroad (MKT) and its influence on this part of Texas in the early 1850s.  According to Wikipedia, the town appears to have taken its name from the early evolution of the MK&T Railroad.  Once called “the K-T” that, over time, evolved into “The Katy” and I guess the people honored the railroad by naming their town “Katy” when it was officially established in 1896.  The depot provided the MKT with passenger rail service needs until it closed in 1957.

 

 

Next I headed west on I-10 to Sealy, TX where I turned north on SR-36 for a short side trip to visit the Austin County Jail Museum located in Bellville, TX.  Greta took me to the address I had given her for the museum but I was confused.  A sign on the building said “Austin County Jail” but it looked new, modern and functional. I strolled inside and asked about the museum, and was told this was the “real jail” and that the jail museum was downtown on Bell Street.  For some reason the internet information is using the “real jail” address instead of the museum’s address.  Anyway, this 1896 jail replaced a smaller 1886 structure, and served Austin County until 1982, when it was closed and converted into a museum. I stopped by for a photo, as the museum was closed.

 

 

Now I spent another hour traveling southwest on several Texas back roads, to get back onto I-10 west, so I could visit the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum located in Schulenburg, TX. This is a very interesting museum for any model aviation enthusiast like me.  The museum displays memorabilia, artifacts, and technical data covers the history of the Stanzel brother’s model airplane designs, and their influence on the country’s model airplane industry from the early 1930s to the present.

 

 

Heading west again, I took another little side trip, south of I-10 this time, to visit the Gonzalez County Jail Museum located in (you got it) Gonzales, TX.  There wasn’t much new about this 1885 jail except for the size of it. This jail was almost as big as the Austin County Jail and I couldn’t imagine the need for such large jails in the mid-1880s.  The city of Gonzalez is only about the size of my hometown now, so I can’t see it that big back then.  That goes for the large city hall and huge mansions I saw as I drove through the town.

 

 

This time it was northwest on U.S.-183 and then just a few miles north of I-10 to visit the Pioneer Flight Museum located in Kingsbury, TX.  As it turned out, the museum was the headquarters for the Vintage Aviation Services facility there at the Old Kingsbury Aerodrome.  A couple of cars were parked in front of an open hanger so I stopped for a look.  There were two, what could have been, vintage airplanes being built or repaired.  I called out for someone to show me around, but no one seemed to be there, so I took a couple of photos and left.  I learned later that the museum aircraft were in another hanger that was closed when I was there.

 

 

Traveling west on I-10, my next stop was to visit the Texas Transportation Museum located on the northeast side of San Antonio, TX.  This is a small museum with memorabilia and artifacts covering the history of the Longhorn & Western (L&W) Railroad and other transportation advances over the years in and around the San Antonio area.  In addition to offering short train rides, the museum houses a model train layout and several antique automobiles.

 

 

I had planned to stay two days in San Antonio because of the many museums I had on my list to visit there. So now it was time for Greta to take me to the motel so I could check-in and find a good Mexican restaurant where I could enjoy some good old TexMex food.  My pre-trip research for the “Top 10 Best Restaurants” in the cities where I was going to spend the night, listed “The Alamo Café” (what a coincidence). So that’s where I ate tonight, and they were right – the food was great.  One of the best Chili Rellenos I have ever eaten!

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

 

 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 58 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 Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, writing blogs 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 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.

Bill’s favorite Scripture is: Philippians 1:6

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Memory Lane Trip Part 3

4 Jul

A Slice of Life

Bill LItes

 

 

Day 3 – Thursday 4/19/2018 (Continued)

Continuing today’s activities, the next place I visited was the Lone Star Flight Museum located in south-Houston, TX.  I had visited this museum several years ago when it was located in Galveston, TX.  I believe one of the last hurricanes that devastated the Gulf coast convince them to move north. Their new facility is much larger and very clean. They have a nice collection of beautifully restored Warbirds that all are in flying condition.  In fact, one of their AT-6 Texan aircraft had just taxied out for a flight as I pulled up the museum.  After getting photos of all their planes, one of the volunteers helped me locate the Flying Legends Museum building just a few blocks away, adjacent to the runway.  However, they were closed, and when I called the museum, they said all of their planes had been moved to North Dakota for the summer. Ah shucks!

 

 

Now I headed over toward the west part of Houston to visit the 1940 Air Terminal Museum located adjacent to the William P. Hobby Airport.  I had tried to visit this museum on one of my past trips through this area, but it was closed at the time.  The museum displays memorabilia and artifacts related to the rapidly developing air travel services in and around the Houston area in the late 1930s and early 1940s.  Originally built in early 1940, the Art Deco styled air terminal serviced the Houston area’s air transportation needs until the introduction of jet aircraft required a larger airport.  This museum is a work in progress, as it had been setting unoccupied for over 25 years. The restoration project started in 2003, and has been underway steadily ever since.  They still have lots of work to do on the interior of the building, as replicating much of the Art Deco styling is very time consuming and hard to find skilled workers who know how it should be done.

 

 

Not far away I was planning to visit the Houston Bicycle Museum to see what it was all about, but they were closed.  Their website informed me that they display a collection of antique and classic bicycles and cycling related memorabilia and artifacts dating from the 1850s.

 

 

While I was in the area, just down the street, I visited the Buffalo Soldiers Museum.  I really never did find out who was sponsoring the “Restaurant Week” celebration there at the museum that day.  Just as I got to the museum, a steady stream of people with all kinds of wonderful looking food dishes were arriving.  I ventured into the large room where I thought the museum artifacts would be displayed, but the whole area had been cleared and set up with tables and food displays. I would love to have filled a plate and joined the festivities, but it was obvious the party had not started yet.  Besides that, I don’t think it would have gone over well, with the some of the participants, for the only white person there to be first in line.

 

 

By now the sun was beginning to finish its days’ travels, so I headed for the motel there in Houston. Tonight I enjoyed my Saltgrass Baby Back Ribs again.  The full rack of ribs they gave me at the restaurant was enough to feed two people for two full meals, so I was able to make them last me for three meals.  Yummm again!!!

 

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

 

 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 58 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 Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, writing blogs 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 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.

Bill’s favorite Scripture is: Philippians 1:6

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Memory Lane Trip~Part 3

27 Jun

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

Day 3 – Thursday 4/19/2018

 

After breakfast this morning I took a little side trip, off of I-10, north on SR-27 to visit the Dequincy Rail Road Museum located in Dequincy, LA.  This was a very small museum and I got there before they opened. I took a photo of their steam locomotive #124 and their restored 1923 railroad Depot, and then headed on down the road to the next museum.

 

 

Next on the list this morning took me across the border into Texas, where I visited the Fire Museum of Texas located in Beaumont, TX. This is the restored 1927 Beaumont fire engine station, which displays several beautifully restored pieces of 19th century firefighting apparatus, and several fire engines/hook & ladder fire engines from the early and mid-20thcentury.

 

 

While I was in Beaumont, and just a few blocks away, I also visited the Texas Energy Museum.  This was a very large modern museum with exhibits, artifacts, and memorabilia that major on the progress that the state of Texas realized, as a result of the development of the local oil industry.

 

 

Just around the corner from the Texas Energy Museum was the small restored Travis Street Electrical Sub-station, which has been converted into The Edison Museum.  This small sub-station gives the visitor a view of how electrical power was transferred for residential and commercial use back in early 1929, to keep the city of Beaumont lighted and running.

 

Next on the list was a visit to The Clifton Steamboat Museum located some 12 miles west of Beaumont. This museum was created by Mr. D. H. Clifton, who was an avid fan of Civil War maritime technology. The museum is filled with beautiful renderings of Civil War maritime battles and miniature models of many of the Civil War battleships and Ironclad’s of the period.  Mr. Clifton took it upon himself to single-handedly rescued the 1938 tugboat “Hercules” that was scheduled for the scrap yard, and moved it to his museum location in 1994.  Old “Hercules” could stand a new coat of paint in my opinion.

 

 

Now I headed west on I-10 again, to visit the Royal Purple Raceway (Now called Houston Raceway) located in Baytown, TX.  This huge sports complex includes a ¼ mile dragstrip (NHRA) and a 3/8 mile oval dirt track.  The pit area is large enough to accommodate 400 racing rigs, and the spectator viewing area seats 30,000.  The activity was electric at the raceway the day I was there, but sorrowfully it was all in preparation for the weekend event that I would miss.  Maybe I’ll catch an event next time I’m in the area.

 

 

I had no idea of what a big mistake I would be making when next I tried to visit the Battleship Texas (BB-35) located in La Porte, TX.  Road construction was terrible and had Greta so confused she couldn’t find the location. This was complicated by the fact that coming on the shortest route from Baytown, she had me using ferries which I didn’t have time for.  So, after several tries, I just gave up and headed for my next museum.

 

 

 

Note: This day’s activities will be continued next week.

 

—–To be Continued—–

 

 

 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 58 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 Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, writing blogs 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 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.

Bill’s favorite Scripture is: Philippians 1:6

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Memory Lane Trip~Part 2

20 Jun

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 2 – Wednesday 4/18/2018

 

I headed west on U.S.- 61 this morning for my first stop to check out the South Louisiana Executive Airport located in Reserve, LA.  This turned out to be a very small local FBO with no activity and only a few hangered airplanes. However, they had a beautifully restored F-11 Tiger jet that was painted in Blue Angels colors as their gate guard.

 

 

Next I continued west on U.S.- 61 until I picked up I-10 west, to check out the USS Kidd (DD-661) located in Baton Rouge, LA.    The whole area around the ship, which was part of the Veteran’s Memorial Museum, was blocked off to visitors.  I discovered the ship was being used in the making of a new movie named “Greyhound” starring Tom Hanks.  The ship was surrounded with barge-cranes and boats to handle all the movie sound and lighting equipment.  I didn’t see any filming activity on the upper decks, and it will be interesting to see how they use that stationary ship in the finished movie.

 

 

Next I tried to find the Old Arsenal Museum also located there in Baton Rouge.  Access to the museum (which was hidden from sight from the only road where parking was available), was difficult to find and when I finally did get to the museum it was closed. A sign on the front of the museum indicated that it was the original powder storage magazine for the Baton Rouge Arsenal & Ordnance Depot. Wikipedia informed me that the Baton Rouge Arsenal was one of several arsenals established by an act of Congress in 1816 to protect Louisiana borders after the War of 1812.  In early1861, even before Louisiana had seceded from the union, the Louisiana State Militia captured the arsenal and held it until mid-1862 when Union forces recaptured it, during the Battle of Baton Rouge.

 

 

Just around the corner and down a couple blocks from the Old Arsenal, I checked out the Louisiana Old State Capital Building Museum situated on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.  Designed and built in 1847-1852, the “Castellated Gothic” turreted edifice served the Louisiana Legislature from 1852 until 1862.  During the Civil War, when Union forces captured Baton Rouge, it was used as a prison and later as a military garrison.  I didn’t go inside because it was full and overflowing with junior high school age students on a field trip.

 

 

Now I headed west on I-10, across the Mississippi River, to visit the USS Orleck (DD-886) which is tied up on the Calcasieu River, located on the northwest side of Lake Charles, LA.  This turned out to be another real challenge for Greta, in that she directed me to the wrong side of the road.  The ship was tied up in an area which was almost completely obscured by trees and shrubbery, which made it very difficult to see from the road and also hard to photograph.  The ship was in a state of dis-repair and didn’t look like visitors were welcome. I googled the USS Orleck when I got home from my trip, and Wikipedia informed me that the ship was damaged during the 2005 Hurricane Rita and is now being prepared for the scrap yard.

 

 

While I still had some time before supper, I went looking for the Lake Area Radio Kontrol Society flying field located in Sulphur, LA just a few miles from Baton Rouge. This actually turned out to be the highlight of the day as far as I was concerned.  Greta found the field with no problem, and there was one club member with his Grumman F-7F Tigercat, getting ready to fly.  The club had one of the greatest flying field setups I’ve ever seen.  They have a 600’ paved runway, with several run-up stations and paved taxi-ways to the runway.  There is a large metal covered prep area with tables and chairs.  They also have a nice-sized attached clubhouse with full kitchen and bathroom.  We had a great time talking model airplanes before and after he flew his beautiful Tigercat.

 

 

The light was fading fast by the time I left the LARKS Model R/C field, so I headed for the motel there in Lake Charles.  Greta did a good job of finding the motel this time.  After I got checked in and settled in my room, it was time to relax, and  warmup my leftover Saltgrass Baby Back Ribs.  Who could ask for more to finish a long day on the road?

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 58 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 Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, writing blogs 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 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.

Bill’s favorite Scripture is: Philippians 1:6

 

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Memory Lane Road Trip~Part 1

13 Jun

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

 

 

Prolog

 

The emphasis of this trip was FAMILY.  I had contacted several cousins and was looking forward to seeing them on this trip.  One cousin, on my mother’s side, lives in Elgin, Texas near Austin. I had not seen him for almost 20 years, and I was hoping things would work out for us to have some time together.  Three other cousins, on my father’s side, live in the Arlington/Grand Prairie, Texas area located between Dallas and Fort Worth.  I had not seen any of them in almost 20 years either. Several other cousins, also on my father’s side, live in Many, Louisiana located south of Shreveport. I had not seen any of them in more than 50 years.  So as you can imagine, I was excited to get in contact with them again during this trip.

 

Day 1 – Tuesday 4/17/2018

 

It was a beautiful spring day when DiVoran drove me to the Orlando International Airport, to catch my Southwest Airlines flight to New Orleans, LA.  The non-stop flight was on time, smooth and the peanuts were fresh.

 

                       

After I picked up my rental car, the plan was to visit a couple museums in the downtown New Orleans area and then to have coffee and beignets at the well-known Café Du Monde across from Jackson Square.  Well, it had been almost a year since I had asked Greta (my Garmin) to find a museum for me, and I guess she was still on vacation.  I had asked Greta to take me to the Musee Conti Wax Museum.  The downtown area was a zoo, with traffic and pedestrians everywhere.  When we finally got to the Conti Street area, she said “You have arrived at your destination on the right.” I didn’t see a sign for the museum, so I went around the block, and this time she said “You have arrived at your destination on the left.”  Was she confused or was I the one who didn’t know my left from my right?

 

 

There was no place to park, which would allow me to walk the street and get a closer look at the buildings, so I gave up and headed for my next museum.  As it turned out, I had a similar problem trying to find the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. The shops in the downtown area are so small, close together and shaded, that it is hard to see many of the store signs from the street.

 

 

 

 Next I plugged in the address for the Jackson Barracks Museum, and Greta did not recognize the address.  When I called the museum on the phone to get directions, there was no answer.  After driving around for a while, I spotted an Enterprise Rent-A-Car office and stopped in to ask for a local map and directions. No one in that office had ever heard of the museum.  But a customer waiting for his car overheard my question and said he could tell me exactly how to get there. I followed his directions, the best I could, which ended up taking me another hour of driving around to “nowhere.” I was disappointed not to find this museum as it looks, from this Internet photo, like a very large and interesting museum.

 

 

I decided to give up on museums for today. Maybe I would have better luck tomorrow. Now I headed for Walmart to getmy necessary trip supplies. (I guess Greta is back on the job, since she took me right to the store).  I had received an email advertising Sonny’s Baby Back Ribs at half price (One day only) to help celebrate Tax Day (?). When I was finished shopping, and was exiting the store, a helpful employee looked up Sonny’s BBQ for me on his phone. To my dismay there are no Sonny’s BBQ restaurants in the New Orleans area. So now the hunt was on for another restaurant, to satisfy my desire for Baby Back Ribs. This turned out to be the Saltgrass Steak House, where their Baby Back Ribs were falling-off-the-bone delicious and their sweet potato fries were great too.

                                            

 

—–To Be Continued—–

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Ford Trimotor Flight

21 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

 

 

 

 

“Did you hear that the EAA’s 1929 Ford Trimotor is going to be here to give rides next month?” my friend Dick asked me. “No” I said. “Want to go for a ride with me?” he asked. “Sure, where can I sign up?” I said. I was thrilled by the prospect of being able to fly in one of aviation’s early landmark aircraft, and was eager to hear more about it. Dick and I are volunteer tour guides at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum in Titusville, Florida. We both love airplanes and enjoy telling guests to the museum all about the museum’s 35+ vintage airplanes. When we heard about the EAA’s 1929 Ford Trimotor coming to our museum, we could hardly wait.

 

 

Henry Ford had wanted to get into the commercial aircraft manufacturing business, to take advantage of the growing domestic commercial airline industry in the United States. So in 1923, Ford bought the Stout Metal Airplane Company, and William B. Stout became chief designer for the new Ford Aircraft Division.The Stout 3-AT Trimotor was the first all-metal commercial transport built in the U.S. much of which was based on early design and developments by the German designer Hugo Junkers. The implacable and underpowered aircraft was barely able to maintain altitude, and Henry Ford was furious. Tom Towle was put in charge of Ford’s aircraft engineering department, and along with Otto Koppen, John Lee and James McDonnell, refined the 3-AT into the 4-AT and eventually into what we now know as the 5-AT Ford Trimotor (commonly known as the “Tin Goose”),

 

 

 

 

These rugged aircraft were built to handle rough field operations and could also be fitted with floats or skis. The design of the Ford Trimotor represented a quantum leap over other airliners of its time, providing fast and efficient transportation for the airline industry. A total of 199 Ford Trimotors were built between 1926 and 1933. Well over 100 airlines, worldwide, would fly the Ford Trimotor from mid-1927 to late 1933, when more modern airliners began to appear to take their place. By the early 1930’s, the Ford Aircraft Division was reputedly seen as the “largest manufacturer of commercial airplanes in the world.”

 

 

The Ford Trimotor became known for its use on many record breaking flights. Commander Richard E. Byrd made the first flight above the geographic South Pole on November 27 and 28, 1929, in a Ford Trimotor named the Floyd Bennett.

 

 

A Ford Trimotor was even used for the flight of Elm Farm Ollie, the first cow to fly in an aircraft and to be milked in mid-flight. One of the most famous 5-AT Ford Trimotors was used for 65 years, by Scenic Airways, to fly visitors on sight-seeing flights over Arizona’s beautiful Grand Canyon.

 

 

The day arrived for our flight “To Experience the Golden Age of Aviation” in our 1929 5-AT Ford Trimotor. During our pre-flight briefing (seatbelt safety, etc.), we were told this airplane was very simple, and was mechanically flown by the pilot. Then he added that the pilot only had to remember one number. That number was “90 mph”- 90 mph to takeoff – 90 mph for cruise – and 90 mph for landing. We were the first two passengers in line, so we took the two bulkhead seats. This allowed us to talk to the pilot, through the opening to the cockpit, while the plane was loading, and to observe the starting of the two wing engines, out our windows.

 

 

The interior of the plane was beautifully restored with rich wood paneling and Art Deco style fixtures of the early 1920’s and 1930’s. The plane had large windows which gave the passengers great visibility during our flight. The seats were very modern and comfortable, with modern seat belts and life vests.  I’m sure they were much more comfortable than the Wicker seats (no seat belts) I’ve read about, that were furnished in the first commercial Ford Trimotor’s. I’m not sure I would feel very safe riding in an airplane in that configuration!

 

 

After take-off, we turned south and flew at approximately 1000 feet down U.S.#1. It was a beautiful clear day, and to the east we could see the Indian River and NASA’s Vertical Assembly Building (VAB), and to the west Port St. John, Cocoa and Rockledge. The vibration and noise levels made it hard to talk to my friend across the aisle, but were not as bad as I had expected. Now we turned back north toward TICO Airport, and we were able to view the scenery the passengers on the other side of the plane had been able to see on the way south. The guy at the pre-flight briefing had been right; I could tell little engine difference from takeoff to landing.

 

 

My friend, Dick, is a pilot, and after we landed, he had several questions for the pilot while the other passengers were disembarking. I have to admit it was an exciting adventure, and I am really glad we took the flight. And now I have another item I can check off of my “Life’s Bucket List.”

 

9

 

—–The End—–

 

If you are interested in enjoying one of these amazing flights go to eea.org

 

 

 

 

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An International Hospital Experience

7 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

 

 

It was a beautiful clear January morning when DiVoran and I showed up at the Florida Hospital. I was there for Total Knee Replacement Surgery, and as you might guess, I was a little nervous. Our daughter and son had come to give us moral support and it was wonderful to have them there to keep DiVoran company during this procedure.

 

 

The first thing I had to do, once we got to the pre-op room, was to strip off everything down to my under shorts. They gave me this “Thermal Space Suit” to wear instead of the normal hospital gown. The nurse said it was designed. by my surgeon, to keep me warm during processing before they were ready for me in the operating room.

 

 

This was a first for me. During all my previous hospital visits the nurses had just piled blankets on me to keep me warm similar to the photo below. This is a marvelous light-weight invention that they said would also help keep my body temperature steady for the duration of the operation.

 

 

I no sooner finished dressing in my new fashionable space aged attire, when a flurry of nurses invaded my cubical, taking my vital signs and hooking me up to IVs and other noise producing machines. All of this while other assistants were in and out, asking me numerous questions, related to my general health since I was a child.

Right away I was impressed with this multicultural staff that was preparing me for surgery. I would love to have had the time to ask each of them all about how they ended up there in the trauma center, but they were coming and going so fast that I was lucky to get their names and generally where they were from. This started the quest, by me, to find out the staff members countries of origin.

A partial list of just those in the pre-op trauma center are as follows:

 

The nurse that brought me the thermal suit had a beautiful British accent, so I ask her where she was from. She said she was from Jamaica.

 

 

“Febby” told us she was from somewhere in the Indonesian area. No specifics.

 

 

“Naji” was from somewhere in the Middle East. No specifics.

 

 

“Tao” told us she was from Singapore.

 

 

“B…..” was from India. Here again, no specifics.

 

 

“Elyesse” said she was from somewhere in Florida.

 

 

However, one came in with his clipboard and introduced himself as “Duke.” DiVoran said, “Your name tag says Wellington. Why do people call you Duke?” He told her that he had been born and raised in Jamaica. Because of the island’s British influence, his mother named him after the Duke of Wellington, and the nickname stuck.

 

 

I have no idea where any of the operating room surgical staff hailed from, but I would not be surprised to learn that many of them are from foreign origins also. The above list does not include “Dr. Go” who was the hospital’s admitting physician and saw me as part of the hospital’s surgical release procedure. Dr. Go said he was from China. Here again, not specifics.

 

Finally, one of the anesthesiologists said he was going to give me a little something to calm me down. I don’t remember a lot after they gave me that “little something” until they rolled me into the hospital room on the seventh floor, where the International flavor associated with this hospital stay continued.

 

The male floor nurse the night after surgery was “Konrod” who was from Poland.

 

 

 

“Jeffie” brought me my breakfast the morning after surgery and she said she was  from Mississippi.

 

 

“Silpa” was the therapist who came in to visit me the morning after surgery, to see how well I could move my leg and knee, and I discovered she was from India.

 

 

We also discovered that this floor of the hospital had recently been totally renovated for surgical recovery patients, and had only opened for use the day before. So, here I was the first patient to use this beautiful new room with a wonderful view of Lake Estelle. DiVoran says she was also the first to use the bathroom in this new room. Where is Guinness, with their record book, when you need them?

 

 

You won’t believe this, but the International flavor associated with this knee surgery is continuing. When I showed up for my first day of out-patient therapy, my therapist was “Ehab” who is from Egypt, and knows the orthopedic surgeon (also from Egypt) who performed my first rotator cuff surgery back in 1996. It is my opinion that this world of ours is getting smaller every day.

—–The End—–

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America’s North Country Trip~ Part 16

3 Jan

A Slice of Life
 Bill Lites

 

 

Day 16 (Saturday)

This morning’s activities centered on getting ready for my flight home. After a great complimentary hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage links, a biscuit & gravy and orange juice, there at the motel, I took my remaining snack items out of my cooler, and left it with a note for housekeeping that the cooler and everything in it were for them. I finished packing, checked out of the motel and headed for the Eppley International Airport, there in Omaha, to turn in my rental car.

 

 

The rental car return went like a breeze, and now I had 1½ hours to kill until my flight left. I ate a granola bar and my last banana before I headed for security. At security I discovered that I not only didn’t have to remove my shoes (over 75 years of age) but when I told them I had an electronic device wired to my back for pain ( a tens unit), I didn’t have to remove that either. They did an individual body scan and that made the process a lot quicker and much easier for me.

 

 

My 2-hour non-stop Southwest flight to Orlando was very restful, and here again the peanuts and pretzels were fresh. DiVoran picked me up at the airport, and we had dinner just north of the airport at Sonny’s BBQ, right there on SR-436.

 

 

Then we made the short trip home to Titusville. Boy did it feel good to pull into our driveway and know I was going to be sleeping in my own bed tonight. I love going on these trips, and getting to see all the different parts of our wonderful country, but it is always nice to get home where everything is familiar and I don’t have to live out of a suitcase.

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about this trip as much as I have writing about it. I invite you to join me to read about my next trip to new and different places, and where I may even meet some new and exciting people.

 

“Take me on your next trip Daddy”

—–The End—–

One of the many sites I was looking forward to seeing were the large herds of Buffalo that I had seen portrayed on TV documentaries in recent years. As it turned out, after driving almost 4000 miles through these six states, I never saw the first live Buffalo. Not even when I visited the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown, ND! I saw a lot of stuffed Buffalo in museums along the way, but not a single live one. What a bummer!

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America’s North Country Trip~Part 15

27 Dec

A Slice of Life

 Bill Lites

 

 

 

Day 15 (Friday)

 

Before leaving Lincoln this morning, I swung by the Frank H. Woods Telephone Museum but it wasn’t open. So, I just headed northeast on US-6 for the short trip it took me to find and visit the Greenwood Railroad Museum located at the Greenwood Village Park in Greenwood, NE. It was early when I got there and found that this small museum was only open by appointment.

 

 

Not to be deterred, I continued northeast on US-6 another 10 miles or so to visit the SAC & Aerospace Museum located just to the east of Ashland, NE. This is a very impressive museum, consisting of two large hangers where more than 40 nicely restored historic aircraft, missiles and space vehicles are displayed.

 

 

Next I made a side-trip to the southeast to visit the Brownville Historical Railroad Depot Museum, located in Brownville, NE. This museum turned out to be a small preserved 1875 depot, with local railroad artifacts related to the railroad’s influence on the surrounding area and a caboose.

 

 

There was not a lot to see there, so I went up the street to take a peek in the Sage Memorial Museum. This was a very small store-front museum highlighting Native American activity in southeast Nebraska, along with local artifacts and other memorabilia.

 

 

It appears, from an historical marker at the edge of town, that Brownville was first settled soon after the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which permitted settlement of the territories west to the Missouri River. The city flourished until the railroad passed it by in the late 1860’s, and was soon thereafter almost completely abandoned. According to the 2010 census, only about 132 people now live in Brownville.

 

 

Now I headed north on I-29 to visit the Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Center located just southwest of Nebraska City, NE. This interpretive center focuses mainly on the natural and scientific discoveries recorded by the Lewis & Clark expedition of 1804-1806, which included some 122 new animals & 178 new plants.

 

 

Next I made the short trip back into town to visit the Kregel Windmill Factory located in downtown Nebraska City, NE. This turned out to be one of the most fascinating museums I’ve come across. According to an historical marker out front, it is said to be the last intact historical windmill factory in the U.S. it consists of the original work shop, with all its equipment, where George Kregel built Eli-brand windmills from 1902 until 1941. The tour guide said that all of the equipment still worked, and there were even racks of stock still there ready to be made into the next windmill order.

 

 

Now I made my way back to I-29 and headed north to visit the RailsWest Railroad Museum located in Council Bluffs, IA. This museum is housed in the 1899 Rock Island Depot, which replaced the original 1869 depot that was destroyed by a rail car explosion in 1881. The museum displays artifacts and memorabilia related to the eight railroads that have served the Council Bluffs area until the mid-1980’s. Outside the museum are the Union Pacific locomotive #813 and the Burlington & Quincy locomotive #915, along with other pieces of restored rolling stock.

 

 

Before leaving Council Bluffs for the last time, I tried the CAF Museum located at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport again, just on the chance that someone might be at the museum. Of course they were closed, so I just wondered around the ramp looking at the private airplanes that were tied down there. I said, “HI” to a young man heading for one of the planes there on the ramp. He would get into his plane and fly off to who-knows-where, and wished I could join him. Oh well, I would just have to wait until tomorrow for my airplane ride back to Florida.

 

 

So, now I headed west across the Missouri River to find my motel for the night in Omaha, NE. After I got checked in, I went looking for someplace to eat dinner. I settled on the “Twisted Fork Grill & Saloon” located in the Old Market District of Omaha. This restaurant’s claim-to-fame is that they say they serve American comfort food with a “Cowboy Twist.” I can highly recommend them if you are ever in Omaha.

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

 

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