New Cumberland, WVA and beyond (June 15-16, 2021)

My wife and I went on a road trip, and these are the first parts. We were headed to New Cumberland, West Virginia. We made a stop along the way at the home in New Concord, Ohio of John and Annie Glenn. 

John Glenn was a Mercury astronaut and the first American to orbit the Earth in Friendship 7. Later he was a Senator from Ohio and even later he got back into space aboard a space shuttle. He was an amazing man and had an amazing life. 

Here is my wife as we enjoyed lunch at Coleman's Fish Market. Some of the most amazing fish sandwiches I have ever had, and very fine people serving them. We always stop there along the way. In fact we spent some time in Wheeling, but that will be in the next blog post.

We stayed at Mountaineer Casino in New Cumberland, WVA. Nice area. Enjoyed watching the horses run at the racetrack there. There also are casino games. Nice hotel and really enjoyed the stay. We ate at Connie's Corner in Chester, WVA and had a really good breakfast. It was so good we came back for dinner. While in Chester we got a photo of the World's Largest Tea Pot, and also visited the local VFW where we really love the military displays outside. That B-52 model is remarkable and its huge (not as huge as the actually plane, but impressive none the less).

We were blessed with wonderful weather and a great time. Had not been there for some four years, but looking forward to the next visit and hopefully it will be sooner.        

 

A Tuesday in June (June 9, 2021)

No particular reason for these specifically, though did find them interesting photos all in the space of a day. Took these the evening of June 8 and the morning of June 9. The sunset was very pretty and I enjoyed the color. The C-17 doing flight ops from the nearby Air Force Base made a number of passes over our house. I love aviation and enjoy seeing and hearing these aircraft. It is like a dream come true for me to have these sights in my backyard (and a great aviation museum just a few minutes away.

As for the bunny, it was in my backyard and watched him for quite a while just after I got up. I really enjoy them, they are gentle creatures. 
 

Spring Winding down in the Miami Valley

 

I really enjoy living by the lakes. Always interesting things to see, including the new life. Robins put a next on my porch, I left it alone and these four little guys are there. Fun to see them, and the parents are really working hard keeping them fed. Lots of amazing birds to be seen here, some raising families. Geese are really protective and let you know if you get too close. 

The aircraft photo (those are C-17s by the way) was taken when I was heading in the car to Fairborn which is where Wright Patterson Air Force base is located. The Bunny I took in my yard, always enjoy watching those gentle creatures. Finally a family of geese crossing the road in my neighborhood. Summer is just around the corner, with Memorial Day being the "Unoffical" start of the season. Will soon be firing up the grills and enjoying Summertime here in Ohio.  

Graceland (May 10-16, 2021)

Amazing first time trip, Debbie and me drove to Memphis, TN to visit Graceland. Amazing house owned by a remarkable man...Elvis. Got a few photos of the house, his grave and just a few of the toys and items from his career. This is just a small fraction of what can be seen there, it was an amazing visit and had a wonderful time. In fact Memphis has a lot more to offer and will be returning to that city in the future!

We also spent an overnight in Louisville, KY on the way there, and coming back had a couple of days in Rising Sun Indiana. It was a fantastic trip.  

   

 

North Dixie Exploration (May 15, 2021)

Had some business in the area, dropped my wife off at Hollywood Casino and did some exploring at some of my favorite places...motorcycle shops on North Dixie Drive. This at left and the two photos below is Joe's Cycle. They are a Triumph and Yamaha dealer (they also sell Zero Motorcycles). I have had work done there since coming to this area, and have nothing but good things to say about them. Fine people and so far at least have gotten nothing but first rate service and quality work. Nice shop and a fun place to visit from time to time.  

This is Buckeye Harley-Davidson. I had never been there, and certainly was impressive for sure. Most Harley dealerships are really something to see and this one was no exception. They have a good selection of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and a nice looking shop area. No prices on the motorcycles, I guess if you have to ask you can't afford them. Lots of employees and they were eager to ask if I needed anything. I have never had a Harley in all my years of riding but I do admire them from a distance. Know some people who ride them and they speak well of them (mostly).  

Finally, got a couple of photos of the Dixie Drive-In. I used to love to watch movies at drive in theaters back in the day, and good to see at least on a limited basis that day is still upon us. 

As you can probably see in the photo below, there are two screens there, so you have a choice of movies. I have seen that a few times in the modern Drive-ins and this was no exception. Apparently they are going to have a concert there, or a concert movie. Not sure as this is still the age of Covid though that is rapidly going away at the vaccine is out there now (and I have gotten mine for damn sure. Nice to see things getting more back to normal and people able to get out again. Science is a beautiful thing indeed     

 

Huffman Prairie Flying Field (April 26, 2021)

This field was actually the World's First Airport (or at least that is what one of the info signs say) which is Huffman Prairie Flying Field. Now a part of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (which can be seen from the field) . This field from 1903 to 1905 was where the Wright Brothers perfected their invention as they moved from the Wright Flyer of Kitty Hawk fame to the Wright Flyer III which is considered the world's first practical airplane. While both 'flew" and were controllable the Wright Flyer III was much easier to fly and could easily cover greater distances.

There is no admission charge to visit this site, and there you can see replicas of the hangar they built there as well as the replica of the catapult they designed to get the plane in the air. As Ohio did not have the winds of Kitty Hawk, NC they used that device to launch the planes into the air. It worked remarkably well. I have a few more photos on my "Racing with the Wind" motorcycle blog page.       

 

Play Ball (April 25, 2021)

First time to see a sporting event since 2019 which was the Cincinnati Reds in that fine city. Today, went to the home of the Dayton Dragons to watch a high school matchup between Tecumseh High School and Troy High school. This was the first visit to the field for Debbie and me and we had a great time. A lot of developement has and is going on around the ballpark, and I am looking forward to returning again. Finally with vacinations, the world is opening up again !