These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tucson trip, part 3

Final segment.

Monday rolled around. Our plan was to go to the Pima Air and Space museum, and that we did. I saw more planes that you can imagine! We started in the main museum. Here there is an array of planes, and of course, some of those in the best shape.

Hanging from the ceiling is this replica of the Wright Brothers plane.
This was one of the smallest we saw.

And this, by contrast, one of the largest, definitely the largest in this building.
For perspective, you can see how tiny Jim appears beside it.




And standing under this monster was humbling. It might be the largest, tather than that other one. This one is long, sleek, and covered a huge area, but the other was enormously bulky. Hard to say which was larger. They were both bigger than I can describe.

That is just a sampling of the tons of plane inside that first building.


A reason that it took so long to see things is that there is an enormous airplane “boneyard” there, where they take old planes for preservation, restoration, parts, demolition, etc., because the arid climate cuts the deterioration to a minimum. As you look at pictures below that show planes seemingly wrapped in white, you are seeing a membrane that keeps the sun from doing damage through windows and other openings.


I enjoyed seeing the personalization of this one.

The rows of planes just went on and on and on!

Well-organized by types, of course, but then it is a military organization! What would one expect?

And on and on.

And on.

This is the protective covering I mentioned.





Inside the building dedicated to WWII was this plane, the type that dropped The Bomb, the one that brought the end to the war.

This is one of the types of planes that Jim's father flew in WWII.


One of my real pleasures was seeing the kind of plane that Jim flew in Viet Nam. I got several pictures of him as he walked around it and touched it. He quit flying only when he had to (color blindness) and I’m sure he wishes he could still be doing so. It was special for me to just watch. He gave me a photo of him as a young ensign in the Navy (more years ago that either of us wish to remember!!) and dang, was he a cute little bugger! I won’t post it without his permission, but take my word for it! And yeah, he’s still pretty good looking!

This is the one that Jim flew.

I have one snap of Jim in which he is deeply contemplative as he looked at the plane. I'm not sure what he was thinking. I like the picture a lot, but it almost seemed too personal to post without his knowledge. I decided against it. If I ask, he might say he was just thinking how tired he was of being drug around, but ....

Finally, he took a picture of me next to his plane.

We stayed until they kicked us out, basically. We didn’t see everything there was to see, but I think I’ll ask to go back on another trip to see the rest. It was that interesting, looking, reading, hearing the information presented by the volunteers who staff the center.


Monday night we had dinner at home. His sister and her husband were in Alaska recently and sent fresh frozen salmon they caught back to Jim. We cooked some of those and I made Greek potatoes and an avocado salsa to go with it. I didn’t have all the herbs I needed (someone needs to stock his cupboards!!) but it came out fairly well. I’ve done better, but it was passable. Oh, BTW, I made the pie on Saturday morning, and I’m not so sure Jim liked it. He didn’t say it, but I suspect as much. He’s not as much of a chili eater as I am, and a few morsels of the chopped fresh chili were pretty hot, something that can’t really be controlled in those fresh roasted chilies! He found the recipe, he wanted it baked, but I think it was more than he bargained for. I felt bad about that, but it was what it was.

Tuesday morning rolled around, and I prepared to come home. It was bittersweet. Part of me would have loved to stay on, and Jim said I was welcome to stay longer, but it was time to come home and see my furry buddies, sleep in my own bed, and smell the pines again. The drive home was without a problem. I chuckled as I went through an immigrations checkpoint when the young guard asked if I’m a US citizen, I replied yes, and all the while his eyes were running up and down my truck. He said “I really like your truck,” and I grinned saying “So do I!”

As I drove through Ruidoso, I saw that the Radio Shack was still open, so I stopped in to get a new phone charger. When I got a new phone a couple months ago, I bought one but hadn’t used it. On the way home I noticed the phone was nearly down, and when I tried to charge it, I found I had the wrong one. I didn’t have the receipt, of course, so I was hoping that they would give me a break on the price. Fortunately, they simply gave me the correct one. Thank goodness.

When I walked up the steps, there was such a frenetic flurry of little furballs that it was nearly overwhelming! They were very happy to see their mom! As I was to see them. The adventure was great. So is home. :)


Finally, I'm issuing a warning to all of you. This is what can happen if you allow me to come visit you. At the end of the day, you're just happy to find a comfy chair!!

It was a really fun time for me. I really can't think of the last time I enjoyed things as much as I did this. Jim was a good host. He made me feel very much at home right off the bat, and he didn't let that stop. It was a relaxed time, in spite of how busy we were. When I was in the kitchen doing something, he would ask if there was anything he could do to help. And then he did it! He provided what I needed for my comfort without making me feel he was going overboard. All around, it was a nice balance of attention and courtesy with freedom to be myself. Wonderful!

It was fun while it lasted!! Now it's back to reality. It's all good. Very good.

9 comments:

  1. Going away is mucho fun but home is best! Sounds like a wonderful trip Lyn!!! Thank you for sharing!

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  2. What a fun adventure. I've heard of that air and space museum. Fascinating.

    I'm so happy for you!!!

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  3. Queenie, it was a very good trip, and I love sharing!

    Daisy, it was a great adventure. The museum is run completely by volunteers. If I understood correctly, the restorations were done by volunteers, too. That makes it extra special, IMO.

    Thanks! :D

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  4. LOL at the last picture. He really does look worn out.

    I love seeing your picture of your trip and it's great to see you in some of them. It's hard when you are the main person taking all the pics because you forget to get pics of yourself. I do that all the time, but am getting better at asking S to take my picture.

    Again, I am so glad that you had a good time and reconnected with an old friend.

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  5. You know, it has been years .... make that YEARS .... since there have been many pix of me. I occasionally get pix that someone took and send to me, but that's not a lot.

    Yeah, I'm glad we reconnected, too. :)

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  6. I would love to see the plane graveyard. I bet that was really cool.

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  7. MJ, it was! I've always enjoyed that kind of thing, and this was one of the best, most complete experiences. Very cool.

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  8. love the pictures and that chair he looks so comfortable. James and Mike went to the Air and space museum in D.C. and loved it. I think everyone is fascinated with airplanes and the power they hold.

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  9. Bobbie, yeah, planes are fascinating, as you say. there is all that AND the fact that even though it's been explained to me, and I understand on a cognitive level how they fly, there is the amazement of the fact that they actually DO!!!

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!