Miltary Aviation Museum

When we do finally settle in for our little vacation, we like to hunt up obscure museums. In Virginia Beach, we found the Military Aviation Museum.

This is a private collection of World War I and World War II aircraft. The hangers are even made from parts hauled over from England and Germany.

The aircraft has been restored and most of it is flyable. You could even go up in a plane if you wanted. I tried to get my husband to take a trip but he declined, and he didn't suggest I go up, either. He knew I probably would have taken the ride, I think!



Not sure I'd want to go up in something like this!

I'm afraid I didn't take notes on what the planes are or when they flew.

Many were much smaller than I expected. My husband here, is 6' 2", to give you an idea of the plane size.

This one was colorful.

Kind of hard to believe these things flew!

A decoration on one of the planes.

This plane was going to eat its enemies.

The wings were made of canvas, the tour guide said.

I liked the pink tips.

Couldn't get him to properly center in the aviator's suit.

This one had wings that folded up for shipping.



Bi-plane.



Some kind of fighter jet.



The single area that honored women in aviation.



Looking down over the planes.



Air suits.

We watched this plane take off. I think it was a P51 (?).

Supposedly the Red Barron's plane. Or one like it.

Checking out the instrument panel.

This allegedly was the type of plane the first woman aviator flew. The plane turned upside and she and
her co-pilot fell out because they didn't have seat belts.

The P51 (?) taking off.



Up and away.



You could take rides in this little bi-plane.

There she goes!

Sunday Stealing: First Things First (#205)

Sunday Stealing

{1} First thing you would do/buy if you won the lottery: Tell my husband to retire.

{2} First person you call when you get amazing news: My husband.

{3} First thing you do when you've had a bad day: Tell my husband we're going out to dinner because I'm not cooking.

{4} First movie you went to without your parents: I think it might have been Grease, but I'm not sure.

{5} First sport you played (Little League-style or in school): I was in band. I was a nerd. I didn't play sports.

{6} First major injury: I broke my wrist when I was 12.

{7} First product I use in the shower: My Neutrogena facial wash bar.

{8} First apartment or house on your own (away from you parents!): My husband and I rented a small three bedroom cabin.

{9} First Roommate(s): I went from living with my parents to marriage. I was 20.

{10} First Time Living Away from Home: When I married.

{11} First magazine subscription: Writer's Digest.

{12} First real piece of jewelry you owned: My engagement ring.

{13} First time staying home alone: I was a latchkey kid. I kept my brother from about the time I was 10.

{14} First thing I reach for in the fridge: Pitcher of cold water.

{15} First car accident or traffic violation: I was on my way to a job interview when I topped a hill and rear-ended a vehicle stopped in front of me. That was around 1994.

Bonus:  Toilet paper, over or under? So long as there is paper within reach, I don't even care if it is on the roller.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Suddenly I see

Saturday 9: Suddenly I See (2005)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is a tribute to Patti Smith, the rocker who inspired KT Tunstall. What woman who has inspired you?
 
A. I think the women (yes, plural) who inspired me the most were my teachers in high school and college. They saw me as a person, and taught me to be one.
 
2) In this video, you can see a turntable and an LP. When is the last time you played a record?
 
A. We kept the turntable I had when I was a teenager until around 1993 or so, so probably then. I refused to convert to CDs for a long time. But eventually you have no choice, though I am glad vinyl is coming back in style.
 
3) Growing up, Ms. Tunstall seldom sang at home because her father is severely hearing impaired and music interfered with his sensitive hearing aid. Do you, or does anyone in your family, wear a hearing aid?
 
A. Not that I am aware of. I know some people who probably should be wearing one, though.
 
4) In high school, she got experience performing on street corners. Have you ever tipped a street musician?
 
A. I don't think so. You don't see a lot of that in rural areas.
 
5) When this song was popular, Microsoft introduced the Xbox 360 to North America. Are you into gaming?
 
A. Yes. I am a big Skyrim fan and I like city building games. I have a plastic tub full of old 3.5 discs with video games on them. I have no idea what to do with them.
 
6)  In 2005, Prince Charles married his long-time love, Camilla Parker Bowles. At the time of their wedding, 73% of Brits said they disapproved of her. Today, her popularity has increased somewhat and her disapproval has dropped to 55%. Do you know anyone who married someone you didn't like? Did their spouse grow on you with time?
 
A. I can't think of anyone in relation to this question.
 
7) Harry Potter ad the Goblet of Fire was popular in theaters. Who is your favorite "Harry Potter" character?
 
A. Hermione.

8) In 2005, YouTube was introduced by three young men who met while working at PayPal. What's the last thing you paid for using PayPal?
 
A. Probably some "diamonds" for my city building game, Elvenar. I allotted myself the amount a video game normally costs (about $50) to use in this "free but with in-app purchases" game. Those kinds of purchases can get out of hand so I always set a budget.
 
9) Random Question: After a long, exhausting day of travel, you check into a motel. The room is not at all to your liking. It's next to the ice machine, so you can hear cubes dropping noisily into metal buckets. Your view is of the parking lot. The bath towels are thin and tiny. In short, you feel like you're being ripped off. Do you grab your bag, turn on your heel and check out, hoping there are better accommodations nearby? Or do you say, "What the hell, it's only one night," and climb into bed?
 
A. I have been known to leave hotels in the middle of the night and drive back home, even though I was eight hours away. So I assume I would turn on my heel, get my money back, and flee, given my history.

 _____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

Thursday Thirteen: People on the Beach

Game in progress.

Sandlot football for real.

Sun, surf, sand.

Walking the boardwalk.

Taking baby for a walk.

A tender moment.

Did she say yes?



Time to fold the blanket.

Done for the day.

Bike versus skateboard.

A stroll with a seagull.

Just after sunrise.

Waiting for the sunrise.

________

 

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 524th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Happy Halloween!

Bird on the Wing

Seeking the Photo

Sunday Stealing: More Monsters

Sunday Stealing

The goblins and ghouls ask questions:

Ghost: What would you like on your tombstone?

A. Words. (Ghost: Smart aleck.)

Dracula: Are you afraid of aging? Or death?

A. I'm more afraid of being old than I am of dying.

Nosferatu: What, as a child, did you imagine went bump in the night?

A. Just the usual monsters, I suppose. Living with two parents who fought all the time and threw things at one another was scary enough; I really didn't have to imagine much.

Godzilla: What do you do when you are angry? Are you ever destructive?

A. I yell sometimes. Mostly I fuss. Sometimes I slam drawers. I am not destructive. Although the drawer might beg to differ, I suppose.

The Blob: Do you collect anything? If so, what and why?

A. I collect Christmas mice, because I think they're cute and I have a long history with them. I also collect signed books and have a nice collection of works signed by their authors.

Zombie: When was the last time you trusted your gut? Was it successful?

A. My gut and I are not on speaking terms.

Mothra: What is something dangerous that attracts or fascinates you?

A. Fire.

King Kong: What are some questionable choices you've made lately?

A. I have put off seeing a doctor about an issue with my foot for far too long.

Alien: What is your strangest feature?

A. My sense of humor.

Cthulhu: Do you like the ocean? Why or why not?

A. I like to watch it. I am not much on getting in it. It is hard on my skin.

Nessie: Have you ever felt invisible to people -- the feeling of not existing?

A. Yes.  (The answer is invisible.)

Mutant spider: What is one of your biggest fears?

A. Growing old and living under a bridge and eating out of dumpsters.

Werewolf: If you could change into any nonhuman animal and back at will, what animal would you change into and why?

A. A deer, because they are curious animals and can blend in and move quickly. Or a dragon. If you can be a dragon, you should always be a dragon.

Golem: If you could make up an imaginary friend, what would they be like and why?

A. I had imaginary friends when I was a child. They were always nice although they did occasionally get blamed for thing that somehow sort of happened.

Leprechaun: What is your "pot of gold" (or white whale, if you'd rather).

A. Um. I don't understand this question. I guess that is why I can never find the end of the rainbow.

Sharktopus: What is something you've done that was ridiculous or a bad decision?

A. I once left a job that I shouldn't have, a very long time ago.

Robot: What is a habit you do without thinking?

A. Eat.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Monster Mash

Saturday 9: Monster Mash (1962)

Unfamiliar with this week's featured song? Hear it here.

(Just so my Sat 9 friends know, I DID visit your blogs last week and left messages supposedly under my google account from my cell phone. But when I look they are not there. Sorry. I don't know what went wrong.)

1) In your younger days, did you ever trick or treat while dressed as a monster or ghoul?

A. I think I was mostly a hobo, although there may have been a year somewhere in there where I was a witch.

2) Do you enjoy being frightened by celluloid boys-gone-bad, like Michael Myers (Halloween) or Jason (Friday the 13th)?

A. Nope. I don't watch those movies anymore.

3) When you were a kid, did you ever TP a neighbor's house or indulge in any other Halloween acts of vandalism? (Don't worry, the statute of limitations is up.)

A. Maybe the year I was 16 we might have tossed a little toilet paper.

4) Will you be attending any Halloween parties this year? If so, will you dress up?

A. No and no.

5) Can you see any Halloween decorations as you answer these 9 questions?

A. No, I'm afraid not. Well, there is the spider in the corner of the room that I can't reach with the broom.

6) While Halloween is most popular in the United States and Canada, and isn't really celebrated at all in Japan or South Korea. How would you explain our Halloween customs to a visitor from another land?

A. "We dress up as whatever we want in order to be somebody else for a little while, and stuff our faces with candy. It's a secular holiday now, though it once had sacred meaning. Mostly it's an excuse for Mars and Hershey's to sell candy. It's like Christmas - a consumer holiday, only with scary stuff instead of Santa Claus."

7) "Monster Mash" is one of Halloween's most played songs. Are you happy to hear it every year? Or does it set your teeth on edge?

 

A. I think it's a cute song, so I don't mind hearing it.

 

8) This week's featured artist, Bobby "Boris" Pickett, started as a stand-up comedian who incorporated his imitations of Boris Karlof and Bela Lugosi into his act. Can you impersonate anyone?

 

A. Not anyone famous.

 

9) Dick Clark was an impossibly young looking 33 in this week's featured clip. Are you often told you look good for your age?

A. Not often, no. Mostly I am told I have pretty skin, whatever that means.

 

_____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

Thursday Thirteen: Virginia Aquarium

We visited the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center while we were in Virginia Beach last week.

It's very hands-on facility, and while I am never a fan of seeing anything behind glass or in cages (the critters always look sad to me), it was an interesting afternoon. We saw birds, komodo dragons, snakes, sharks, sting rays, lots of different fishes, read about the geology of the area and the meteorite that supposedly landed in the Chesapeake area a very long time ago, and felt pieces of said rock (it was soft and slippery).

Here are some photos of our afternoon. I don't know the real names of the things we looked at.

Bright blue fish.

Yellow fish

Snouty fish.

Sad-looking blue and yellow fish.

A growing coral reef.

A sea turtle.

A striped old man fish.

A bird.

A yellow bird.

A komodo dragon.

Up close with the komodo dragon.

Pink fish.

________

 

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 523rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Edgar Cayce Building

One of the buildings that caught my eye while we were in Virginia Beach was the Edgar Cayce building.

Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment was something I was familiar with, but not overly so. The place had a visitor center, so we stopped in.

 



You might call Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) the father of New Age. Or something like that. He was an American Christian mystic who answered questions on subjects as varied as healing, reincarnation, wars, Atlantis, and future events while claiming to be in a trance. A biographer gave him the nickname, "The Sleeping Prophet". A nonprofit organization, the Association for Research and Enlightenment, was founded to facilitate the study of Cayce's work.

Cayce was considered a psychic and he offered up a number of cures for various ailments. Therapies as divergent as salt packs, poultices, hot compresses, color healing, magnetism, vibrator treatment, massage, osteopathic manipulation, dental therapy, colonics, enemas, antiseptics, inhalants, homeopathics, essential oils, mud baths were prescribed. Substances used included oils, salts, herbs, iodine, witch hazel, magnesia, bismuth, alcohol, castoria, lactated pepsin, turpentine, charcoal, animated ash, soda, cream of tartar, aconite, laudanum, camphor, and gold solution. These were prescribed to overcome conditions that prevented proper digestion and assimilation of needed nutrients from the prescribed diet. The aim of the readings was to produce a healthy body, removing the cause of the specific ailment. Readings would indicate if the patient's recovery was problematic.

You might recognize a lot of that stuff from New Age holistic treatments today. Some of it I have tried; most I have not. I've tried magnets and they make me hurt. I tried castor oil on the weird issue with my stomach. I don't think it helped but I had very soft skin on my stomach for a while. Plus I discovered castor oil will eventually shrink a skin tag.

The visitor's center was essentially a New Age book store:

The facility has lectures and readings and things like that. Some were on fairly normal things; others on phenomenon like ESP. There is a garden labyrinth somewhere on the grounds that I did not see but would have liked to have looked at. It was difficult for me to get to without climbing stairs or wheedling my husband into driving around to find some place else to park.

The wares in the visitor's center were a bit pricy, so I bought nothing, but it was an interesting stop.

Cape Henry Lighthouses

Our trip to Virginia Beach was different for us. For one thing, we never went into the ocean and barely set foot in the sand.

The weather was great - it never warmed above 76 or so, with cool evenings. There weren't a lot of folks on the beach, so we were not alone in looking for other things to do in the area.

We like history so we set out on Friday, October 20, to see the Cape Henry lighthouses.

The oldest of the two lighthouses there, which is also one of the oldest in the nation, is the first federally funded lighthouse. The government built it to guide maritime commerce at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. It stands near the “First Landing” site where English settlers arrived in 1607.

The structure, authorized by George Washington and overseen by Alexander Hamilton, was completed in 1792. It was designed by New York architect John McComb and it was used for about 100 years before being replaced by a cast iron lighthouse that still stands about 100 yards away.

Preservation Virginia acquired the Cape Henry Lighthouse in 1930. Over the years lighthouse and its surroundings have been restored including repairing the lantern after damage from Hurricane Barbara in 1953, repairing the damaged original Aquia sandstone and restoring the surrounding dunes.

Visitors to the Cape Henry Lighthouse can climb to the top of the tower.

Our first surprise occurred at the entrance. We thought this was a historic site - which it is - but it is also part of Fort Story, an active military base.

To get in to see the lighthouses, you must be searched and you must allow your car to be searched. If you go beyond a certain point, you will be arrested and charged with trespassing.

This is not exactly the welcome I've come to expect at historic sites.

When you accept the four-hour "historic site access pass" from the soldiers who declare you fit for entrance, you agree not to use text messaging or hands-free cellular telephones and to only photograph the historic sites.



This happy little dolphin greets you.



It immediately becomes not so happy when you realize
you're on a military base.



You were not supposed to take photos of personnel. I
took these photos before I was told that and I have
altered the faces and the license tag of the car in front
of us.



This is the original 1792 lighthouse.



This is both lighthouses as you approach them from the
entrance.



This is the new lighthouse. I don't think
it is in use.



No clue what the other buildings beside the lighthouse are.



The old lighthouse.



A nice poster in the gift shop.



The lighthouses from the backside.



The old lighthouse from the back side.
 

I had never been searched before. It was intimidating though the soldiers were polite. They asked if we had any weapons and I produced a tiny little knife that I use sometimes to trim my nail cuticles with, and the guy waved it away like it was a plastic fork. My husband had his pocket knife and produced that, which was also waved away. Our drugs consisted of our prescriptions, and the only other thing in the car was my MS Surface which wasn't working so we'd stowed it in the trunk.

I would not have consented to any kind of body search but they didn't ask to do one. I would have asked to turn around and be allowed to leave had I been told that would be necessary. No one is touching me without reason, which is why I don't expect to ever get on an airplane again. I don't consider searching me - because that implies I have done something when I have not - to be a good reason to feel me up. I still believe in innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around. Searches assume you are guilty. (For the record, it is also why I don't go to many things at the local coliseum - I hate the searches, especially when they make women open their pocket books while the men walk in with guns holstered to their ankles, something I have personally observed. How stupid is that?)

The one thing it showed me is that the "land of the free" - isn't. And anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.

I did wonder why, since there was a vast expanse of land between the historic areas and the closest military buildings, they didn't just move the checkpoints back behind the historic areas so the public could access them without all the rigmarole.

Anyway, this colored my appreciation of the historic structure quite a bit, and not in a good way.

It is nice that it is still there, though.

It is not so nice that my government considers me guilty of something simply because I want to see a historic structure that my tax dollars are keeping up. I'm sure others see searches like this differently, and simply accept it, but this is why I am not like everybody else. I have never been one to abide by arbitrary rules and accept the status quo.

Guess Where I've Been

Virginia Beach, VA, October 21, 2017