World War II Weekend

Most of you who know me well, know that I am actively involved in World War II research, particularly with those who are yet Missing in Action.  So, when I had the opportunity to attend the World War II Weekend event that is held here locally, how could I pass on that?

A fellow researcher drove up from Raleigh, so we headed out yesterday, together, to take in the festivities.

Believe it or not, I had trouble trying to figure out just where we were supposed to park!  I had expected to be sitting in a line of traffic, and my intention was to just follow everyone else.  But when we arrived shortly before noon, there was no traffic!

I was driving around, trying to see some sort of sign that verified parking, when we spotted a man dressed in a German uniform, sporting a rifle, and sitting on a bail of hay.  I rolled down the window and asked if he knew where we could park.  He was apparently the "Re-enactor" Lot Guard, and asked if we were reenactors.  We politely said that we were not, but he surmised that my friend looked the part enough, so he told us we were more than welcome to park there.   

Hey!  Why not?  So, I pulled into the lot, which obviously had plenty of spaces, and we began the walk down to the entrance.   

Once through the gate, we found ourselves among the World War II Era planes, and we soon came across this man who was in uniform, who was the center of attention among a group of visitors from China.  Everyone wanted a  photo with him!

My friend requested one, so I snapped this photo.

And you can see him below posing with one of the attentive group.

Jana  had stopped to chat with the man, and I decided to just wander around a bit and take in the sights.  I wondered what had happened to Jana, and when I turned around, I could see her mingling with the group.

It turns out that they thought that SHE was the celebrity of the moment, and each was scrambling to get their photo with her!

Honestly....not through the gate for 5 minutes, and she was the center of attention!

How fun is that?

We made our way to the Berlin Bomber where we were able to actually board the plane and take a peek inside.  Jana actually knows the pilot (which I soon found to be a trend), but he wasn't on sight at the time, so we just went through so that I could see the displays on the interior.

It's set up as a living history museum and has numerous dioramas that show the history of the plane.   It is affectionately remembered for the Candy Drop that took place in 1948 after the Soviets had blockaded West Berlin.  

Looking at the controls of the flight panel, I found it amazing that this aircraft could still be flown to events!  

Here's a peek out of the window.

It was pretty hot and stuffy in there, so we wasted no time descending the stairs, although I must admit, it was brutally hot and humid outside the plane as well.  I owe the sun to the fact that I was toting an umbrella in my purse.  The weather forecast had predicted rain.  We didn't see a drop!

We wondered around the European village that was set up

spotted some officers hanging around in this house

and one was nice enough to pose with Jana.  Speaking with these guys was delightful!

We wondered around the area of Bataan

The heat made me realizes just how brutal the environment had to have been for these soldiers.

I stopped to speak with an officer here, and he warned me that we were going to be attacked by the Japanese soon, and that I might want to consider moving along.  

When I looked around, I realized that red tape surrounded the area, and sometime during my scoping out the place, it had been blocked off in preparation for the attack. 

I decided to high tail it out of there, but passed this guy on my way out.

I think he was in for a big surprise.

We headed over to the airfield in anticipation of the parachute drop.

Whiskey 7 was the plane scheduled to make the drop

I watched it take off

circle around

and when it got to the right altitude, begin the drop

 a dozen parachutes emerged

and only three of them actually landed on the set target!

This is the first time I have seen something like this and I have to say that it was really an awesome experience!

We walked around and checked out more planes

This one is called the black widow....could you guess that?

Obviously, this is Doc

And here you see Jana posing with a flyer in full gear.  Now, he HAD to be hot, but you wouldn't know by the smile on his face.

There were a couple venues set up for entertainment, and I asked these young ladies for a photo prior to their appearance.

This group, America's Sweethearts, was extremely entertaining

And Theresa Eamen belted out her musical talent while a couple of performers danced

I managed to meet up with a young man whom I met recently who also is involved in the World War II MIA project.  He is a re-enactor with the 5th Marine Division.

By this time, with all of the walking in extreme heat, Jana and I decided to head back home for a quick bite to eat, and we changed and headed back for the Hangar Dance.

Luckily,  my husband was more than willing to drive us over and pick us up after the event so that we didn't have to worry about the parking!

The band was awesome!  The singers a delight, and the dancing was in full gear!

All in all, it was quite an eventful day!  

And really, it could not have been more fun having the "famous" Jana in my company throughout!

Loads of Fun in Bristol

We certainly have had a whirlwind of a visit, but before I delve into the fun, let me get you up to date on the Wayside Inn Adventure in Middletown.

When we arrived, the woman who greeted me had been SO excited that the Corvette Club was staying with them.   Her exuberance even had ME a bit interested......and that's saying a lot since anyone who really knows me realizes that I couldn't tell you one make of a car over another even if my life depended on it.

Well...Marty and I headed out for a morning walk, expecting to find a parking lot full of Corvettes.

Imagine our surprise when this is what we spied:

oh....and I can't forget the one parked in the handicapped space!

Yep...that was the grand total.  Five cars.  But I will admit that the group was quite rowdy in the breakfast room, so I can see why the woman might have thought they were a bit larger crowd.

So much for THAT excitement!

But the inn itself offered quite a bit of history, and the employees were probably some of the friendliest that I have ever met.  

As you can see, it was a gorgeous day!

And the fire danger was low....thank goodness!  (I don't know about you, but I haven't seen one of these signs in quite some time!  This was on the fire station wall.)

There is a famous battlefield, Cedar Creek, just a couple of miles down the road, but we didn't really have time to investigate that as we had an anxious grandson waiting for our arrival.

So, after a scrumptious and very hearty breakfast, we headed back onto the highway to fight the traffic on I-81.  We arrived around 2:00 and wasted no time getting out for some fishing at a nearby lake.

Success in short time, even if the catch was tiny!

I was a bit amused by the relaxed fishing technique:

and even more so when I spied Violet in a similar pose.

Perhaps it's a southern thing?

This morning we woke to the sound of rain, but that didn't stop us from getting out there and enjoying the day.

First on the list:  Blackbird Bakery

Always a delectable adventure.

Then, back home for a couple games of chess, outside on the porch, with the background noise of raindrops pelting on the roof.

With the rain seemingly having no end in sight, we decided to head to Bass Pro Shop.

We wasted no time sitting down and playing a game of checkers, which was actually a first time experience for him but he caught on quickly.

Then there was some coloring

and an outdoor fishing event

which resulted in another tiny catch....but certainly was a lot of fun!

And, of course we couldn't pass on the $5.00 matching t-shirts!

The skies cleared just in time for some outdoor water gun fun with Grandpa G

who obviously had some experience with this, resulting in a whole lot of giggles and excitement!

Of course, we couldn't forget some playtime with violet

and a game of Flipping chickens with Gramma G joining in as well.

I don't know about you, but I'd say that today has offered about as much fun as one could ever squeeze into one day!

Let's just say that there's one tired tike in the house.

And I should probably add that there are a couple of tired grandparents as well!

So, I better sign off and get some zzzz's!  Tomorrow is another day!

At the Wayside in Middletown

We are gallivanting through Virginia, on our way to Bristol, stopping for the night in Middletown (which is most certainly NOT in the middle of this trip), and staying at the Wayside Inn.  This historic building makes claim to the oldest motor inn, having been established in 1795.  I'll try to remember to take a photo in the morning.

We arrived much later than expected, but were enthusiastically welcomed in the tavern, where we could hear the melodic tunes of a guitar player singing.  The bar tender telephoned the kitchen to tell them of our interest in dinner, and they were happy to accommodate.

So we found ourselves sitting in a room with a total of 4 other people, listening to an entertaining fellow singing songs from Glen Campbell, Cat Stephens, and Dierks Bentley, the latter at Marty's request.

While dinner was being made, I went to check in at the front desk, which, in itself was quite an adventure as this inn seems to stretch longer than the average city block!  But after walking through several eating areas, all very cozy, I turned the corner to find the huge front desk, and within seconds, I was being greeted by a very friendly woman who gave me her cell phone number, should we need anything.   She directed met  my room and gave me a warning about the water:  it will get hot......it might just take awhile....a LONG while.

I decided to take a peek at the room before venturing back to the tavern.  

The bed takes up most of the room, which is really fine, but what I found amusing was the height!

Let's just say that when you roll out of bed, you are literally up and ready to go!

I headed back down to the tavern, where Marty and I enjoyed our dinner with this fella as our entertainment, since we were pretty much the only ones in the place by this point.

Definitely a pleasant surprise, and a much needed break from the hectic harried highway travel on Route 81!

Oh and as if this all wasn't exciting enough....it appears that the Corvette Club is staying the night in the hotel as well!

I suppose that we'll be checking those out in the morning.

I'll be sure to keep you posted!