Back In OHIO

Well it is the infamous (and ridiculously named ) "BLACK FRIDAY" today. Ridiculous because it sounds like an out break of the PLAGUE and not some silly commercial name for a shopping day for Christmas.

I am sitting at my computer in the basement of my sister's home in Centerville, Ohio...a suburb of Dayton. K and I are trying to figure out if we need to head beck north this morning. There is a possibility K could have to work early tomorrow so the decision I think has made itself...we gotta get going today.

Which is kind of a bummer because I had been thinking about visiting the US Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base here in Dayton. I think that visit is going to have to wait but I highly recommend it to anyone interested in flight, the military or history. And it's free which makes it a wonderful family outing.

When I was a kid growing up in suburban Columbus, Ohio we frequently went to the USAFM for school field trips, with the Indian Guides & Boy Scouts, Youth Group and just on our own. I've been there at least a dozen times but I hadn't been there since the late 1970's when I visited several years ago on a whim with my niece Angela. I was stunned...what had been one hanger full of old planes was now 4 huge huge super-hangers and they contained the most incredible display of military aircraft ever. And they don't charge a cent to see it.

They now have a collection of retire Air Force One's...the Presidential Plane and they have now almost completed the total rehabilitation of the original B-17: Memphis Bell...the first 8th Air Force Bomber to take it's crew on 25 completed missions over occupied Europe and return them home. The Crew got to fly the old bird home and went one one long US War Bond Tour. They made several movies and documentaries about the "Belle'. Any way...I need to go next time I visit and again, I recommend it. It's onlt a 3 hour drive from the Coldwater Michigan area where I live so locals here could visit easily in a day.

All righty then...since it looks like we are traveling today I have to get going...we'll stop back later and fill in the details.