Thursday, July 30, 2009

EAA 2009 - The Museum

From EAA 2009 - The Museum

With so much going on, it seems best to give you a slide show of what we see in this museum. It is a large museum, almost too large to complete in one day. This year we opt not to visit the Young Eagles Hangers and memorial gardens in the rear, since we've seen them many times before & I posted pictures in 2008.

Some of these planes are not originals, only because the originals were taken to the Smithsonian in Washington DC. It is a thrilling site to watch these planes make their final takeoff from Oshkosh to Washington DC which was the case with the Voyager and Star Ship One. We know, as Bob and I were both there. Enjoy!


For Further Information: EAA Musuem

Monday, July 27, 2009

EAA Airventure 2009 - Ground Displays

( EAA Website Photo)
As usual, Bob outdid himself taking 1,702 pictures this year! Am I having fun sorting them out???

The dramatic photos are in the air - so these are but a few representative pictures of what we see on the ground.

Attendance this year exceeds all expectation. 578,000 attendees are here, more than 10,000 airplanes are on the ground, 2,652 show planes includes 1,023 home-builts, 355 warbirds, 116 ultralights, 99 seaplanes, 35 aerobatic aircraft and 16 rotocraft.


2,182 visitors from over 75 countries are present, and Bob and I have never seen the campground this full. According to the EAA website, more than 41,000 of us are camping at Camp Scholler - wow!




Since all the statistics are on the EAA official website, I'll continue with our pictures. The sign on the tower refers to Wittman Field during the EAA Airventure show. For this week, the tower really is the busiest tower in the world - and every controller is a volunteer!




Here are more pictures of great airplanes:





Thought I'd sneak in a really snazzy plane - can't let you become bored!




The Virgin Galactic takes Space Ship One up to altitude. It is an enormous plane, with Space Ship One fitting in the center. An amazing feat of technology by private interests.


Old friends and new: from L to R, Dale Johnson, Stacey Thomas, son Clayton, Dave Thomas, and Randy Winters, all visiting from Indiana. We met Dave in the early nineties when we first came to Oshkosh in our old motorhome, the "Tub."







This is the brand new Airbus, capable of carrying over 700 passengers. This is Airbus's first visit to Oshkosh, and the lines to go abroad were over 4 hours long - we opted out.



Bob liked this business jet, the personal plane of Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, one of many on display.


Jerry's One Man Band performs each year.


Bob's cousin Charles Anthony and his companion Lucy drive up from Brooklyn, WI to visit with us for a day. Chuck is celebrating his 80th birthday in about 1 week.



Popeye parked in Camp Scholler.



Our friend Brooks Erdman camped near us again this year. It's always great meeting friends and enjoying their company. What a great time we all had.

For further information: EAA Airventure

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Greenfield Village

From Greenfield Village

Attempting to find 20 representative pictures to depict our visit to Greenfield Village is pretty impossible. We spent but a few hours here, where days would not have covered everything to see & do.

From Greenfield Village

This fountain is located at the entrance, and the picture of the girls with the colorful dresses sets the mood for our adventure.

From Greenfield Village

The village is divided into 7 historic sections, with Railroad Junction, celebrating the cross continental expansion, being one of the major divisions. Due to limited time, we opt not to ride any of the railroads or historic cars, which are plentiful in the village. (Whoever is in charge of keeping them in running condition certainly has job security!)

From Greenfield Village

The fabrication shops are fascinating, with most of the machinery in running condition.

From Greenfield Village

Still pictures do not show the machines actually running, but the overhead rods are actually turning leather straps which attach to various machines on the floor.

From Greenfield Village

And the Fords do drive by! It's fun to see the entire village filled with running cars, and not just a few on exhibit.

From Greenfield Village

From Greenfield Village

This beautiful brick building is an example of what can be found here.

From Greenfield Village

This morning, it poured as we left Popeye. The windshield wipers on our little del sol were on high as we drove the terrible roads to the Henry Ford. (You would think the roads once off the freeway would be great, but not so!) Fortunately, it is now a beautiful afternoon with puffy clouds.

From Greenfield Village

Detroit had the second power plant ever built by Edison; and this is it! Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were good and close friends.

From Greenfield Village

We sit on a bench waiting for the clock to strike two o'clock. It did, and it is fun watching figures hit the bells with their pallets.

From Greenfield Village

Yikes! We get caught playing hooky and have to go back to class. The teacher drags everyone she finds inside & makes sure we all learn our history lesson.

From Greenfield Village

Just outside the classroom, this sextet performs for the crowds.

From Greenfield Village

Don't you just love this American setting with the pickup and bicycle?

From Greenfield Village

The sky still isn't sure if more rain is on the way.

From Greenfield Village

They snuck a little piece of England in the village as well.

From Greenfield Village


These two are exceptional story tellers, explaining the meaning of the old Brear Rabbit Stories - I never knew that!

From Greenfield Village

Slaves in America are also depicted, this lady working on a quilt.

From Greenfield Village

The town Library.

From Greenfield Village

On our way out, I find this windmill with the sky grabbing my attention. The other historic districts, not all of which are shown, include the working farms, Edison at work, porches and parlors (the American home), craft works, main street, and the Model T. If you enjoy the slide show which follows, I strongly suggest you go to the right, click on web albums, and see them in full screen size - far more satisfying!



For further Information: Greenfield Village