National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

A couple weeks ago when Mom and Dad were visiting Ohio for a wedding, we had a few free hours to spend at world's largest and oldest military aviation museum. 

The National Museum of the United States Air Force was established in 1923 and with 1.3 million visitors each year it is one of the most visited attractions in Ohio.

We started with the Birth of Flight exhibit and saw a sweet triple-winged plane!!

One of my favorite historical items from the museum was this homemade map, which hung around a pilot's neck on a string, so he was able to quickly look down figure out where he was headed.

Who had the time, space, or extra hands to unfold a map when he was also trying to fly a plane?!

 This may look like a basket for a hot air balloon ride, but it's actually a military Observation balloon.

The observation balloons were generally used in World War I.  While tethered to the ground, a balloon could be floated in the sky to see what was happening over enemy lines. 

I found this particularly interesting because although the balloon allowed one to see over enemy lines, the enemy could also obviously see someone was spying on them! 

Plus, the balloon already had a USAF target on it!!

 Just a cool-colored plane...

A sneaky tactic during WWII...

The Japanese Army Headquarters printed these leaflets which instructed enemy soldiers to surrender and then be safe, but in fact the enemy soldiers who surrendered to the Japanese with this ticket were promptly killed for obtaining the tickets and not surrendering earlier!

It was a confusing time to say the least...

This plane has a real attitude and a fierce look!

The ambulances in WWII were driven by volunteers (such as Walt Disney) and the rear area could hold 3 patients in stretchers or 4 patients sitting up.  

We must have had some tiny people back then! 

 One GIANT plane with an interesting name and icon. 

And I thought this was a family museum...

The second half of our visit was touring the Presidential Aircraft area housing many retired Air Force One units!!

(The entire museum is free--thank you tax dollars--but you have to know the system. 

Only a few people are allowed to sign up and ride the bus to view the Presidential Aircraft each day.

Thankfully, my co-workers who told me about the museum also told me how to get into this special exhibit!)

This aircraft was one of the most recent and transported Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan. 

 Mom pops out of the Independence, which was used by Harry S. Truman.

Not sure which president used this Jet Jeep, but it sure is adorable. 

The sign says it is collapsible and therefore a good choice for mobility, but I think it looks more like a good place for a video game simulator! 

 You could enter most of the presidential planes to get a great view, but the seating areas were protected by plexi-glass.

Some walkways were as narrow as 17 inches wide! 

This little plane had plaid interior like a car and was used for short trips by Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The Columbine III was a jumbo jet also used by Eisenhower for his long flights. 

The gem of the exhibit... the Presidential Hovercraft!! 

I have no idea which, if any, president has been for a ride in this thing,

but it sure looks like a UFO to me!!

A Day in Philadelphia

It's tough to beat our fun-filled day exploring Reading & Amish country,

but we tried to top it with a visit to Philadelphia!

Independence Hall (currently under repair) is known as one of America's most important landmarks because the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed there!

They give out free tickets to tour the inside of the building each day, but it's a limited number and since it was a holiday weekend, the tickets were all distributed prior to our arrival.

Thankfully, they let anybody into the Liberty Center where the Liberty Bell (from 1752) is housed. 

We learned several things about the history of the bell, including:

--the flaw on the bell is now technically a "gap" not a crack. 

(Crack would be a cosmetic flaw; now pieces have broken away leaving a gap.)

--It has been re-cast twice, and each time the new bell is first rung it cracked.  Paraphrasing Brent: this proves there was "shoddy workmanship in the 1700's"!

--The bell weighs over 2,000 lbs and has a circumference of 12 feet.

View of the "Old City" section in Philadelphia. 

Lots of monuments & buildings and many are free--reminds me of Washington, D.C.

In order to experience an authentic 18th century culinary adventure, we dined at City Tavern.  (Complete with waitstaff in period attire and cast iron cups & bowls!)

I decided to try "Martha Washington Style Colonial Turkey Pot Pie" (left) with an accompaniment of egg noodles and gravy (right).

Both were good, but a little heavy for lunch and an afternoon of walking around the city!!

The meal made us all a little sleepy, but we fought it off by taking a walk down to the riverfront to explore Penn's Landing. 

Here we found the Irish Memorial monument educating us on the Irish Potato Famine (in 1845-1850), which led to the greatest single loss of life in Europe. 

Over 1 million Irish starved to death over the 5 year period and another 1 million were forced to leave their homeland in order to find food. 

Because of this more than 20% of Philadelphia's population was from Ireland.

Philadelphia sits on the Delaware River, and the Ben Franklin Bridge connects it with Camden, New Jersey.  The color of the bridge is officially known as "Ben Franklin Blue" and is sold at Ben Franklin craft stores!

Shannon, Billie, Brent, and Kerri at Penn's Landing.

We stop for a cool DQ ice cream treat in Independence National Historic Park.

Before boarding the bus/boat and going on a "Ride the Ducks" tour Philly-style!!

You may recall a news story from last year where a Duck boat/buses in Philly hit a barge and capsized in the Delaware River causing several injuries and two people went missing (presumably drowned).  Well, no worries, they amped up water safety, and we had a simply delightful tour.

Our tour guide took us on a 70-minute land & water ride and sprinkled us with historical nuggets and "quacktacular" wit. 

For example: 

--Did you know that Francis Hopkinson designed the first U.S. flag? 

Most people mistakenly believe Betsy Ross designed it, but she merely made the first one based on Francis's design!

--Many tourists toss money on Ben Franklin's grave, but wasn't he also the same man who is known for coining the phrase "A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned"?

--The Duck boat/buses were all made for World War II (DUKW 353 Amphibian Truck to be exact). 

The vessels are considered to be one of the most successful amphibious vehicles ever made, and most interestedly, by a workforce consisting mainly of women working during the war effort!

--We also motored by a condo on the Delaware River owned by Will Smith.  His father lives there permanently, but the locals say that the whole family stays there when Will and Jada are in town.  (Remember the theme song to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?  "In West Philadelphia born and raised..."  He really did grow up in the area!!)

--Finally, there was one swanky residential area of the City Center that we drove through, and the tour guide had to whisper on the loudspeaker.  Apparently the residents have complained about the noise from the tours!  This also means that now they don't give out the obnoxious quacker whistles until the END of the tour :(

The "Ride the Ducks" virgins and their crazy quacker whistles at the end of the day!!

(I've been on the Duck tour in many cities and never come away disappointed!  In fact, there is even one in my neck of the woods in Newport, KY!)

Weekend in Reading, PA

For Memorial Day weekend I took a trip to Reading, Pennsylvania to visit some friends from my days at Central Michigan University. 

First stop on our gorgeous weekend was a peek inside history at the Daniel Boone Homestead. 

The Boone family settled here in 1730, and there were also 2 other families who lived there since then.

We sit on the porch of the old Boone home as our guide tells us history of the 579-acre homestead.

The home has a "spring cellar" with an actual small stream running through the basement area!  This was quite rare and used for cleaning, drinking, and some food items could be placed in the cool water as a method of early refrigeration.  The stream is still continuous fresh water and is especially convenient for food preparation when they do historical re-enactments on the homestead. 

Here is the parlor with furniture from the period.  This was used as a multi-purpose room, so all furniture was kept along the walls near the "chair rail" and was brought out to the middle of the room, used immediately, and then put back near the wall again.

On the wall in the kitchen was a built-in "Bible cupboard" that was used to store the family's Bible, birth certificates, land deeds, and other important documents.  If the home burned, the items would be trapped in the wall and could generally be found in tact in the ruins.

Shannon climbs the very narrow and rounding stairs to the second floor! 

Daniel Boone's parents were weavers, and we received a demonstration on how they prepared wool and flax for the loom. 

The group with our gracious tour guide who had all of the answers for our crazy questions!

Outbuildings on the homestead, including a blacksmith workshop (used by Daniel Boone's father) and a barn with animals. 

A glimpse inside to see the blacksmith tools of the 1700's. 

Daniel Boone led an interesting life. 

Some of the fascinating stories I heard included:

--At age 10 he started to explore the woods near the homestead and would take trips that lasted for 2 weeks or more.

--He was given his first gun when he was 13.  Shortly after this time, he was proclaimed the best shot the country!

--When he was 40 he moved to Kentucky, and now I currently live in Boone County!!!

--At age 44 he was captured by the Shawnee Indians.  Instead of being killed or becoming a servant, the Indian chief decided to adopt Daniel Boone as his son!

--He enlisted to fight in the war of 1812 (at age 78!) but was turned down.

--Daniel Boone dies at age 86.

Next stop on our tour of Reading is the Pagoda!!

Built in 1908 atop Mt. Penn, intended to be a resort.  This is now a symbol of Reading and can be viewed from most places in the city.

It's the only pagoda in the world with a fireplace and chimney!

On top of the pagoda rests these golden dolphins, which are quite similar to the golden dolphins of the Nagoya castle.  Legend says the golden dolphins are spirits meant to prevent the pagoda from being destroyed by fire.  (Interesting because the Nagoya Castle has burned to the ground at least once...)

This giant bell rests on the 7th story and was a gift from Tokyo.

Kerri and Shannon enjoy the view of Reading from the Pagoda.

Third stop of the day is Albright College founded in 1856.  

Brent poses with the lawn-decorated "lion", also the mascot of the school. 

What's so special about Albright College?

 How about my friend, Dr. Brent Harger, is a professor of Sociology - Family Studies there!!

(Although we are friends from CMU, Brent received his Master and Doctorate degrees from Indiana University.)

The campus was also historical and beautiful! 

With lots of red and white flowers, supporting the school colors! 

Kerri poses as the school's founder, Jacob Albright.

Time to fuel up with some food!!  I select a sandwich with pretzel bread, and here's a fun fact:

Pennsylvania today is the center of American pretzel production--making over 80% of both the hard crispy and the soft bread types of pretzels!

Final stop for the day is an Amish village located in Intercourse, PA, where I bought several souvenirs, including a pair of socks that say "I heart Intercourse" with an Amish buggy on them.  Maybe I can wear them on my next casual Friday?!

Kerri learns how to milk a cow...

I didn't learn how to make cheese, but I did immediately eat Amish ice cream!! 

The petting zoo had some nice animals, like lambs and goats.  Then they also had this donkey that tried to bite me 3 times (you'd think I'd learn to not stand so close the first time) and a spitting llama. 

We didn't go on any buggy rides, but there were plenty of horse-drawn carriage rides available. 

Brent, Billie, Shannon, and Kerri stop for a quick pic in front of the old-timey wagon. 

Then take time out to gaze at the peaceful Amish farm fields. 

They have working animals, not pets!! 

Our gracious hosts for the weekend, Billie & Brent. 

Next stop = A day in Philadelphia!