Tag Archives: #Travel series

2023 Road Trip-Part 4

6 Sep

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 4 – July 18:  After breakfast with Max and Anita this morning, I packed up my things and headed west on I-64 to visit the Kentucky Derby Museum located at the famous Churchill Downs Racecourse in Louisville, KY.  This museum was established in 1875 as part of the annual Kentucky Derby race and displays a variety of artifacts, trophies, sculptures, photographs, and paintings that follow the history of the famous Kentucky Derby race from its inception.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

While I was there in Louisville, I visited the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory located in downtown Louisville.  I had visited this museum once before several years ago on another Road Trip and wanted to go thru this interesting museum/factory again.  I am not a baseball fan, but I find this factory fascinating.  The tour takes a person thru the various stages of how a baseball bat is made; from how a tree is selected and the wood is treated (aged), to how the wood is sculpted into a bat (per each ball player’s specifications), and how the bat is sanded and finished with paint or varnish.  The huge 120-foot bat outside the front of the museum/factory is made of steel, weighs 68,000 pounds (34 tons) and is an exact scale replica of Babe Ruth’s 34” Louisville Slugger Bat.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After that interesting tour, I headed north on I-65 out of Louisville, and across the border into Indiana to visit the Freeman Army Airfield Museum located in Seymore, IN.  I knew the U.S. had captured many enemy aircraft during WWII and brought them back to Wright Field in Dayton, OH for evaluation and testing, but I had never heard of the Freeman Army Airfield.  I was surprised to learn that many German, Japanese and Italian aircraft were evaluated and tested here at the Freeman Field, and that after the war many of those airplanes were donated to museums across the country.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Continuing north on I-65 I next visited the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum located adjacent to the Columbus Municipal Airport in Columbus, IN. This large museum displays artifacts and memorabilia related to the history of mostly those airmen who served in the U. S. Armed Forces during the period from 1941 to 1970.   Also on display are large models of many of the aircraft flown by those brave airmen.  There are stories, photos, and artifacts of glider pilots, Tuskegee Airmen, Special Operation Forces, and many others from WWII to the Vietnam era.  The museum’s restored C-119 Flying Boxcar (City of Columbus) gate guard is very impressive and commemorates Bakalar’s participation with the U. S. Air Force 434th Tactical Airlift Wing.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

A little farther north on I-65 I stopped to check out the Franklin Depot Railroad Museum located in Franklin, IN.  This small museum is situated in the old 1909 restored Franklin Railroad Depot and displays many antique railroad artifacts and memorabilia.  However, the thing that got my attention when I walked in was the ice cream bar on the back wall of the museum, and I just had to have a cone of their hand-dipped Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream.  Perfect thing to cool me off on a hot afternoon.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Heading north on I-65 again, I had visited many museums and points of interest in Indianapolis, on another Road Trip, but wanted to visit the Stutz Auto Museum located in the old 1912 renovated Stutz auto manufacturing building in downtown Indianapolis.  But the museum was closed by the time I arrived at the location.  I was disappointed to miss seeing their impressive auto collection, so just took this photo and headed out of town.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Heading northwest on I-65, my plan was to visit the Linden Railroad Museum located in Linden, IN but here again, they were closed by the time I arrived.  So, I took a photo of their 1837 Norris 4-2-0 Steam Engine, coal car, and open train car displayed outside.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Since it was getting late, I gave Greta (My Garmin) the address of my motel for the night in Lafayette, IN and we headed for it.  However, as I was driving thru downtown Lafayette, on my way to the motel, I noticed this impressive building and just had to stop and take a photo of it.  As it turned out, it was the Tippecanoe County Courthouse.  Wow!  They spent some really big bucks on that building!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

When I finally arrived at my motel for the night, I took my things into my room and heated up my leftover Chili Relleno, Enchilada, and refried beans from the other night, and enjoyed that meal again.  The leftovers didn’t look as good tonight as they did in the restaurant, but they tasted wonderful.  With a full tummy, I tried to watch some TV, but couldn’t find anything worth watching. So, I recorded today’s activities and went to bed.  It has been a long day.

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 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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Our trip to Spain Part 3

30 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 3

After breakfast this morning, our group assembled in the conference room for an introduction orientation to the Casta del Sol by our Program Director.  Once he had explained all of the details he thought we would need, to navigate around the area on our own, he gave us time for a Q & A session.  All of this would be helpful in the days to come, to help us understand what was available to us in the area, during our leisure times.  Then he went over the tour itinerary and discussed the ‘Optional Tours’ available, and we were given an opportunity to sign up for the ones we wanted. We had already decided which Optional Tours we wanted to go on and were glad, with all the recent worldwide confusion, that they were still available.  This took up most of morning and it was lunch time before we knew it.

Photo Credit: https://favpng.com/png_view/meeting-clip-art-png/4bkPvG6q

After lunch our group was led on a walking orientation tour of Torremolinos by our Program Director, who pointed out the highlights of the city.  He also showed us the various shops and some of the ‘Approved’ restaurants that the tour company had arranged for us.  This was especially helpful for everyone to know, so we could enjoy the local culture and food without the fear of thinking we might come down with ‘Montezuma’s Revenge.’

Photo Credit:Bill Lites

There were many beautiful grand old Moorish style buildings and large villas interspaced between newer high-rise apartments buildings and condominiums along the sea-side promenade.  This gave us the picture of how some of the early wealthy visitors, who came to this area, spent their time and money to enjoy the Casta del Sol.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Then we boarded a bus for the short 30-minute trip to tour Malaga, which is the main city of coastal Andalucia.  An old Moorish fortress dominates the city that is made up of twisting, narrow streets, and a lovely waterfront promenade.  The city gives one a taste of the new Spain, while at the same time, retains much of the look and culture of the small-town old Spain.  Being the birthplace of famous painter Pablo Picasso, Malaga and the Costa del Sol are well known, but didn’t really start becoming the popular winter holiday area, for the European wealthy that it is today, until in the early 19th century, 

Photo Credit: https://outofoffice.blog/malaga-spain/

As part of the Malaga tour, we visited the Perez Texeira Winery for a tour of their facilities.  This was a very interesting tour, that gave us an idea of how the larger wine company’s processing operations work.  Of course, we were offered a small sample of the various wines they produced.  Our Program Director assured us we would have a safe trip back to Torremolinos, as the bus driver was not allowed to partake of the winery’s generous sample offers.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

On the way back to Torremolinos, our Program Director explained the various points of interest as they related to the colorful history of the Costa del Sol.  We got back to Torremolinos in time for dinner at the Cetus Restaurante there at the Bajondillo.  As part of the ‘All Inclusive’ plan, dinner entertainment was included.  This evening it was a complimentary Flamenco Cabaret show that was very entertaining for everyone.  The music, the costumes, and the performers were outstanding, and it made for a beautiful finish to a wonderful day.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 64 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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2021 Mid-Eastern Road Trip Part 13

8 Dec

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 13 – 7/24/2021

After a good night’s sleep at Terry and Mary’s house, Terry insisted on taking me to breakfast at the local Cracker Barrel, there in Lester.  We talked about airplanes and my trip over breakfast, after which, we said our goodbyes.  Heading south 35 miles on SR-99/US-31, I passed thru Mt. Razell and Athens, where I visited the Old Decatur Depot located 

in Decatur, AL.  This small museum is situated in the restored 1905 Union Railway Passenger Depot and displays antique artifacts and memorabilia which tell the story of the rich railroad history of early Decatur and the surrounding Morgan County area.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I continued south 30 miles on US-31 to visit the Cullman Railroad Depot located in Cullman, AL.  This is another small railroad depot built in 1913 to replace the original 1870s depot there in Cullman.  The Depot was used until 1968 when passenger service was discontinued, and the building was renovated for the museum.  The museum displays railroad artifacts from the 1930s thru the 1960s.

Photo Credit:Bill Lites

I picked up I-65 out of Cullman and proceeded south 50 miles to visit the Southern Museum of Flight located in Birmingham, AL.  This large inside museum has 25+ beautifully restored aircraft displayed in two galleries dating from the Wright Brothers 1903 Flyer replica to the 1972 Rutan Variviggen.  The outside aircraft display of 20+ aircraft range from the 1948 Lockheed T-33 trainer to the 1968 Lockheed A-12 Blackbird.  I hate to see these wonderful examples of our country’s aviation history exposed to the elements like that.  Oh well, at least they are available for people to see, while they last.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I had several places to visit there in Birmingham, but I didn’t want to run out of time and miss the Barber Motorsports Museum, so I headed there next.  I had been to this museum once before on another road trip, but they rotate their exhibits from time to time and I knew their displays would be new.  This museum is housed in a modern 5-story building that shows off some 900 vintage motorcycles dating from 1903, and around 200, mostly Lotus, race cars.  Everything in this museum has been beautifully restored to running condition, and the tour guide I talked to said every one of the items could be running within an hour or so.   This museum was the highlight of this road trip!

Photo Credit: https://www.barbermuseum.org/

After that great experience, I headed downtown to visit the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.  This site was closed, but their website informs me that the site serves as an interpretive museum for the steel industry and commemorates the pig-iron blast furnace plant that operated here in Birmingham from 1882 to 1971.  

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was just a few miles to where I stopped to check out the Golden Flake Factory.  This factory produces UTZ Potatoe Chips and several other snack foods.  I was hoping to get a tour of their facility, but they were closed.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Next, I headed toward Five Points South to visit the Vulcan Park & Museum where I wanted to get a photo of the 56-foot-tall statue of the Roman god Vulcan that overlooks the city.  I learned that it was designed in 1903 by Giuseppi Moretti, and was cast in 29 parts at Bethlehem Steel, for Birmingham’s entry at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis Missouri.  I must admit it is very impressive!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed off to look for the motel there in Birmingham.  Greta (My Garmin) found the motel without any problems.  I got checked in and recorded the day’s activities. Then I warmed up my leftover St. Louis Spareribs dinner, from last night, and enjoyed that wonderful meal again.  WOW!  Was that ever good.  Amazingly, I still had enough left over for another meal.  Nothing like enjoying a meal three times, if you can.

Credit: https://www.jimnnicks.com/community/

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 64 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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I Love to Travel Part 2

4 Aug

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

So now, this is an example of how I plan one of my road trips.   I select a specific Aviation Museum (the target museum), from the Guide Book to visit.  I preferably like it to be in an area of the country where I haven’t been before.  Using the guide book, I research the other Aviation Museums in the states surrounding the target museum.  Then I use Wikipedia (“Museums in Colorado”) to find all the different types of museums in the target state and the states surrounding the target state, that interest me.  I locate the museums, using MapQuest, to establish a route, in those states, and that becomes my itinerary.  I find a major city, nearest my route, with the best airline rates, and my itinerary starts there.  I usually fly Southwest Airlines because I can fly free with my Reward Miles with them.

Photo: https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/08/19/southwest-airlines-says-it-wont-take-coronavirus-g/

My direction of travel does not depend on moving clockwise or counterclockwise, as long as the big two-week itinerary circle brings me back to the same airport.  That way I can pick-up and return my rental car at the same location without any additional drop-off charges.  The rental car costs, gas, food, and the museum admissions are usually my only our-of-pocket expenses I have (unless there are tour fees or special tickets. etc.) for one of these two-week trips.  I have my own Accident Insurance, but I’m not always sure if my Auto Insurance will cover everything on the rental car, so I usually purchase Travel Insurance that covers anything that could happen to me or the rental car during the trip.

Photo: https://aloharents.com/

I figure a day’s travel miles (as close as possible) where my itinerary will place me at a location where I can get good motel rates (larger cities generally have more motels to choose from, and their rates are usually lower).  I make advanced motel reservations (usually free with credit card points), so I don’t have to do that on the road.  All of this planning can sometimes take me weeks to arrange, but once it’s all arranged, and I have conformations for everything, I’m ready to go.  

Photo: https://www.qualityinnsarasotafl.com/

I like to print out a copy of all my conformation notices for airline, rental car, and motels.  Then I Google each museum and make a copy of the description of it, which includes name, address, phone number and days & hours of operation.  I arrange the museum sheets in the order I have decided on for my itinerary, so I will have them at hand in the car as I go.  That way, all I have to do is plug-in the address on my Garmin (Greta), and off I go.  This also gives me a record of everything I might need in case Greta or I get lost, or any other type of problem I might run into.  Sometimes Greta, will take me to the wrong address, or not be able to locate the address.  If that happens, I can refer to the information sheet, for the place I’m heading, and call to ask for directions.  Those sorts of things have happened more than once on my trips in the past.

Photo: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/garmin-drive-52-5-gps-black

At the end of each day’s travels, while relaxing at the motel, I record the hi-lights of the day’s activities on my cell phone and email it to my computer at home.  When I get home I use the emails, and the internet, to thoroughly research each museum for any special or historical data I can find.  It’s amazing how much more interesting my blogs can become with that expanded information.  I arrange the museum’s information in sequence, for that day, and that becomes a short blog (500-700 words).  Then I post one blog per week on the “Old Things R New” website.  This allows others to enjoy my trips (vicariously) if they like that sort of thing, and maybe learn a little something new at the same time.  Writing up these blogs also allows me to re-live the fun memories of the trip again.

Image: https://www.kissclipart.com/computer-working-png-clipart-computer-web-browser-4tl976/

I hope you have enjoyed this quick look at the reason “I Love to Travel” and how I go about choosing, researching, arranging, and reporting a two-week “Bucket List” road trip.  These trips are so relaxing, enjoyable and freeing for me.  I can really recommend travel.  Just getting away from the every-day mundane things of life, and hitting the road to somewhere.  It doesn’t have to be a BIG trip.  Just get out and go.

  We have a big country out there, and there is a large variety of very interesting and beautiful places and things to see.  So enjoy it.  If you are ever interested in some of the places and things I’ve encountered on my past trips, you can find my travel blogs at www.oldthingsrnew.com.  Enter the Title & Part # (if any) of the blog you would like to read in the search box, at the top of the opening screen.  Press “Search” and that should take you to the blog you are looking for (by Bill Lites).  I wish each and every one of you Happy Traveling and enjoyable reading.

Image: https://www.pinclipart.com/pindetail/ibJbmim_ltv-driver-jobs-in-pakistansrc-https-cartoons-driving/

—–The End—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 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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Our trip to St. Kitts Part 1

14 Jul

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

As I remember, the year was 1987 and my wife, DiVoran, and I signed up with a group from work for an ‘All-Inclusive’ vacation week to the resort island of St. Kitts, located southeast of Puerto Rico between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.  We had only been on cruise ship vacations in the Caribbean, and I was not sure what to expect.  However, my friends told me not to worry, and assured me that we would have a great time.  When the day of departure arrived, we were excited about the prospects of our ‘Caribbean Island Adventure’ as we packed our bags and waited for our daughter and son-in-law to drive us to the airport.

Image: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/caribbean/saint-kitts-and-nevis 

The trip started with a three-hour chartered flight, on a Boeing 727, that flew us non-stop from Orlando, FL directly to what was then called the Golden Rock Airport on St. Kitts.  This was a pleasant flight and we landed in the afternoon in time to be transported to a luxurious hotel where we could relax some before our evening meal.  The local weather on the island was similar to our Central Florida weather, with warm humid days and a steady breeze off the ocean.

Photo by Bill Lites

One of the best things of this trip, for me, was the food.  It was much like being on a cruise ship, with your choice of delicious ‘all you could eat’ entrees and desserts three times each day.  The days were filled with a myriad of activities including golf, archery, hiking, swimming, boating, snorkeling, scuba diving, and exploring, all included as part of our package.  The other thing that was nice was being treated like royalty everywhere we went.  The staff couldn’t do enough for us, and we really enjoyed the special around-the-clock treatment.

Photo by DiVoran Lites

We spent some of the first morning swimming and snorkeling in the beautiful clear waters near the hotel.  The abundance of colorful fish was amazing.  I had always wanted to learn to scuba dive, so we signed up for the lessons for the next morning.  After lunch and a nap, we spent a restful time strolling the hotel grounds, where we found all kinds of colorful parrot feathers.  Then we moved on to the courtyard where we met some friends and spent some time talking about what all we were going to do while there.  

Photo By DiVoran Lites

The next morning, we spent several hours in the hotel pool with the local dive instructors learning what we needed to know about scuba diving.  That was a fairly intense time, and we were ready for some lunch and a nap for sure.  We met our dining friends for dinner that evening and had a wonderful time discussing our activities.

Photo by Bill Lites

The next morning, we took the dive instructor’s boat to a ship wreck site and began our first guided dive.  The instructors ran thru all the safety rules with us and helped us into our equipment.  By the time they got DiVoran’s equipment on her, and with the rocking of the boat, she could hardly walk.  Finally, two men helped her to the side of the boat and dropped her into the water.  She remembers, “I told them there was too much weight, but they said I needed all of it.  I sank to the bottom, and it was all I could do to keep from getting cut on the coral.”

Image: https://www.canstockphoto.com/illustration/scuba.html

There was an instructor with the two of us, guiding and helping us to and around the wreck.  I was having a good time, but DiVoran was having trouble with her mask fogging up and trying to stay upright.  She finally indicated to the instructor that she wanted to go up.  The instructor went up to the boat with DiVoran, while I looked around the wreck.  We weren’t that deep, so I could see that DiVoran was at the boat and okay.  I enjoyed the dive and was ready to do it again the next day, but DiVoran said she had had enough.  Needless to say we were ready for a rest and a delicious meal by the end of that day.  Looking back now on that whole scuba diving activity and the way it was handled, I’m not sure how adequate the pool instructions were, and if the dive itself was the safest.   But hey, we all had a good time (except maybe for DiVoran) and we all survive. 

Photo by Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—-

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 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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2018 Florida Road Trip Part 4

26 Dec

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

Day 4 Monday 10/22/2018

 

After breakfast this morning I headed north on U.S.-41 & I-75 to visit the Sarasota Classic Car Museum located just south of the Sarasota International Airport.  I had been to this museum several years ago, but wanted to see what kind of new additions they had in their collection. This is a very large museum with 100+ beautifully restored antique and classic cars dating from 1885 to the present. The docent informed me that this is the second oldest continuously operating antique auto museum in the country.

 

 

Just down the street from the Car Museum is the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the Ca d’ Zan Ringling home, and the Ringling Circus Museum, all of which are part of what is now the rambling 66-acre Ringling museum complex.  John Ringling came to the Sarasota area in 1911 and purchased 20 acres of Sarasota Bay waterfront property.  John built his magnificent new 32 room palatial summer home (Ca d’ Zan-Venetian for “House of John”) in 1926, and he and Mable moved into the house in 1927.  (Google “Ringling Home-Sarasota” for some interesting details of this mansion, whose design inspiration was taken from the Ringling’s love of the palazzos of Venice, their favorite vacation city).

 

 

DiVoran and I had visited the Ca d’ Zan Ringling home and Art Museum some years ago, and I didn’t have the time to visit all of the museums again today.  So I took a photo of the entrance, and headed for the Ringling Circus Museum, which is what I was really interested in seeing on this trip.

 

 

After John and Mable moved to Sarasota in 1927, John proceeded to buy more land, around his original 20 acres, in order to have all the necessary space to move the winter quarters of his Ringling Bros. Circus to Sarasota.  As a natural process, and with the inspiration of Ringling’s first Director, Mr. A. Everett Austin Jr. the Ringling Circus Museum was originally established in 1948 as the Ringling Museum of American Circus.  Over the years the museum has grown and now displays artifacts (such as performers’ wardrobes & performing props), lots of memorabilia (such as 19thcentury circus posters & rare circus handbills), and exhibits (such as carved parade wagons & a human cannon) related to the history of the circus in America, specifically the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus.

 

 

In 2006 the Tibbals Learning Center was added to the museum, which displays the marvelous 3,800 sq. ft. (44,000-piece) miniature model that is a re-creation of the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus combined shows from 1919-1938.  Absolutely Amazing!

 

 

Next I headed north on U.S.- 41 & SR-684 to visit the Florida Maritime Museum located in the historic fishing village of Cortez, just south of the Palma Solo Bay.  This small museum is housed in the restored 1912 Cortez Schoolhouse, which is now a part of the Cortez Nature Preserve.  The museum displays artifacts, model boats, and memorabilia, relating to the growth of the local and Gulf Coast fishing industry from the city’s founding in the 1880s.

 

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 61 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.

 

Bill

 

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

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2018 Florida Road Trip Part 3

12 Dec

A Slice of Life 

 Bill Lites

 

Day 3 Sunday 10/21/2018

 

After a full complimentary hot breakfast at the motel this morning, I headed about five miles west to visit the Gold Coast Railroad Museum located just north of the Miami Metro Zoo. This is a relatively new museum (founded in 1956) and displays historical railroad artifacts and memorabilia to educate the public about railroad history.  Along with 40+ pieces of rolling stock, the museum has 3-miles of track on which visitors can take short rides in a restored vintage Florida East Coast steam engine, a Western Pacific Silver Crescent Passenger car, or their Western Pacific caboose.  The museum also displays several model railroad layouts of various scales.

 

 

Now it was just a few miles northwest to where I visited the Wings Over Miami Air Museum located adjacent to the Tamiami Executive Airport.  This small one-hanger museum displays 8-10 beautifully restored aircraft, most of which are in flying condition. I was told the museum’s goal, with the restoration of vintage aircraft, is to be a tribute to those aviators and veterans who pioneered civilian and military aviation in our country.

 

 

It was time to head west across the Florida Everglades to Naples.  I had planned to take the Tamiami Trail (U.S.-41) but one of the guides at the Wings Over Miami Museum warned,“That two-lane road could be a problem if there was an accident anywhere along the route.”  So, I elected to head north, a few more miles, to where I could pick up I-75 (Alligator Alley) and use it to transition the “Glades.”  Boy, those 95 miles were the longest and most boring I have ever traveled! Not a thing to see but swamp grass, in all directions, the whole way.  I stopped at two rest stops, to stretch my legs and get the kinks out of my back, but that didn’t help much.

 

 

I finally got to Naples and visited Naples Motorsports, Inc. which was located just south of I-75. This turned out to be a top-of-the-line exotic and high performance car dealership. I have never seen so many expensive sports cars in one place except at museums.  There were Ferrari Spiders & LaFerraris, Lamborghini  Aventadors & Gallardo Spyders,  Maserati Grand Turismo Sports & Stradales, McLaren P1 & 675LT Spiders, and Porsche 911 Targa 4S & 918 Spyders.  All the big names were there.  It was all too rich for my blood!  When I Googled their website, it listed some 80+ automobiles, from all over the world for sale.  Wow! What and inventory!

 

 

While I was in Naples I visited the Naples Railway Depot Museum.  This small depot museum is located in the restored 1926 Seaboard Air Line Railway Station building.  This museum displays artifacts and memorabilia related the railroad development and use in the city of Naples and Collier County in the early 1920s.  The museum was closed, so I just took a photo and was on my way to check out the next museum on my list.

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 61 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.

 

Bill

 

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

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2018 Florida Road Trip Part 2

5 Dec

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

Day 2 Saturday 10/20/2018

 

First thing this morning I heated up my leftover IHOP Colorado Omelette, and had a delicious breakfast there in my motel room.  What a wonderful way to start the day!  After breakfast, I headed south to visit my first museum, the Palm Beach Maritime Museum located in the Northwood Village area on the Indian River.  I was expecting a museum exhibiting displays and artifacts related to the early maritime history of the Palm Beach area.  So I was surprised to find the museum closed, and the remnants of last night’s local homeless community packing up their things. Since there was no one around to ask about the status of the museum, I just took a photo and was on my way.

 

 

While I was in West Palm Beach, next I visited the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in downtown West Palm Beach.  This museum is located in the Mandel Public Library, and is a visual arts organization that displays various forms of photographic artwork.  The museum is noted for organizing the city’s annual FotoFusion photography festival.

 

 

Another museum there in West Palm Beach I wanted to visit was the Ragtops Antique Automobile Museum. This museum is known for its beautifully restored classic cars of all type and models dating from the 1930s to the 1960s muscle cars.  And the biggest surprise is that all of these cars are For Sale!  Just bring lots of cash.

 

 

Now it was on south another 30 miles to visit the Boca Express Train Museum located in Boca Raton. This museum is housed in the restored 1930s Florida East Coast Railroad depot, and displays artifacts and memorabilia related to the early development of the Boca Raton area aided by the railroad. The museum also has several restored pieces of rolling stock, including a 1930s Baldwin steam engine, a 1947 Seaboard Air Line streamlined rail car, dining & lounge car, and a 1946 Atlantic Coast Line caboose.

 

 

Next I headed just a few miles south on U.S.-1 to visit the South Florida Railway Museum located in Deerfield Beach.  This small museum is situated in the 1926 Seaboard Air Line Railway Station and displays artifacts and memorabilia related to the history of the railroad with respect to the early Deerfield Beach area.  The museum was a little hard to find, as it is located on the south end of the restored, and still active, Deerfield Beach Amtrak passenger terminal.

 

 

Another 20 miles south on U.S.-1 I visited the Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum located in the Poinciana Park area of Fort Lauderdale.  This museum was created by Mr. Arthur Stone, and is his personal and loving collection of Packard Motor Cars from 1900 to 1958.  The museum also displays a vast array of automobile and oil company artifacts and memorabilia dating from the early 1900s.

 

 

While I was in Fort Lauderdale, I wanted to visit the World Jet, Inc. facility to see what they were all about.  As it turned out, World Jet is a full-service Fixed Base Operator (FBO) located adjacent to the Fort Lauderdale Executive airport.  They specialize in the maintenance and servicing of all types of private jet aircraft.  There wasn’t much to see going on this morning.

 

 

As part of my research for this trip I had planned to visit my friend, Lucas, there in Fort Lauderdale, for lunch.  He had grown up in Titusville, and his family still lives there.  I found his apartment, which had a beautiful view of the Middle River and many of its more expensive homes and yachts.  He took me to the Tom Jenkins BBQ restaurant where I had some delicious Smoked BBQ Sausage with baked beans and cole slaw.  We had a great visit and he gave me a ride in his new Mini Cooper.  I was surprised at how much room there was in that small car. And the 40+ m/gal impressed me too!

 

 

Next I visited the Naval Air Station Museum located next to the Fort Lauderdale International Airport. This small museum displays artifacts and memorabilia mainly related to U.S. Naval Aviation during WWII.  The museum has a section dedicated to Flight 19 that flew out of NAS Fort Lauderdale on December 5, 1945 and vanished into the Bermuda Triangle.  Flight 19 is one of the Navy’s most perplexing unsolved mysteries to date (Google U.S. Navy Flight 19 Mystery for many interesting details).  The museum also honors NAS Fort Lauderdale as the base where future President, then Ensign, George H. W. Bush trained to become a torpedo bomber pilot.

 

 

By now it was time to head for the motel for tonight.  I told Greta (My Garmin) to take me south toward to the motel, located in the Richmond Heights area of south Miami.   Traffic was pretty heavy, but we finally got to the motel.  After getting checked in, I heated up my leftover Smoked BBQ Sausage and enjoyed that great meal again.

 

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 61 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.

 

Bill

 

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

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Edisto Get Away Part 2

25 Oct

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

AFTERNOON DAY 1

After we left the tea plantation we needed some lunch. We had decided to head to Charleston’s historic district so I checked out restaurants along the route. I found a sandwich place, The Southern General Restaurant on John’s Island, with “don’t miss this” reviews and it was a hit. It was small, maybe seating for 20. The menus were book like, with wooden boards for the covers. The menu was diverse and the food freshly cooked and delicious. The only sad part is that my husband and I are eating low carb and we would see each order stacked with home-made fries leave the kitchen!

After lunch we headed into the historic district and looked for parking. It needed to be close to where we would be exploring as our party are not great walkers.  We ended up at a church parking lot that explained if we were late returning to the lot they would boot our car! That kind of took the sparkle off my excitement.

We headed for the market area where vendors and crafters offer their wares. It was a warm day and I was happy to stroll through it in air-conditioned comfort. After we left the market, our daughter found this courtyard and we sat awhile to rest and cool off.

 

 

We still had some time remaining on our parking ticket so Rebekah led us down to Waterfront Park. The wind was brisk near the water and I loved it. I’m weird that way.

 

Photo credit Photo by Joel Mott on Unsplash

 

In the distance we could see Fort Sumter but it was too late in the day for us to tour it.

 

 

Waterfront Park is also home to a famous pineapple fountain:

 

The history of the pineapple explains the popularity of one of the most iconic, photographed spots in town. Visit the Pineapple fountain at Waterfront Park while sightseeing, or after a lovely dinner, as it’s a treat to see any time of day. If you visit the park during daylight hours you can snap a picture of the Charleston harbor behind the fountain, and as soon as the sun sets you can behold the pineapple lit up and glowing against a gorgeous starlight sky. The fountain is a landmark for many visiting the Charleston peninsula, and is a must-see experience.

According to Hidden Charleston dot com  pineapples are the symbol of southern hospitality. I would enjoy seeing it at night with the lights glowing.

 

I could feel the time ticking down on our parking place so we didn’t linger long. I didn’t want us to have to rush our walk. We made it back to the car with time to spare. We had planned to return the next day but Hurricane Michael changed our plans.;

 

I'm a winnerAfter my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

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