Class Reunion - Renee in Vette - Travel to Nebraska

June 22nd - This post represents my last two days in Indiana and my travel to Nebraska. - - - What a fun time I had!...even without power in many locations. - - - To start, I was able to reconnect with some of my high school friends. Lana (shown in the 1st couple pictures below) was also one of the leaders that helped set up our 40th (yep 40th) high school reunion. I went to Lana and Terry's home before the reunion; had a nice lunch; and got these pictures of them with the Vette.

Terry and I posed with the Vette for a nice picture, but then he wanted a little better picture, so I had to step away from the car.

Although the picture below is not that good (from a quality standpoint), Terry (in my opinion) knows more about racing than I could ever hope to know. In their basement, he has a museum with artifacts from 100s (if not thousands) of races he's attended. In the background, you can see just a few of the many full-size figures he has of various racers. AMAZING!

Billie was the other class leader that put together our reunion...so of course I had to get a picture of her in the Vette too.

Billie and Lana pose for a picture at the reunion.

I also got a chance to see a couple other good friends...Butch and Mark. Mark is pictured below but for some reason, I don't have a picture of Butch.

Most people that know me, know that I'm most always looking for a funny picture. Marti may have been getting bored near the end of the evening and she placed her name tag on her forehead. Not wanting her to feel alone, I slapped mine on my forehead, then posed for the picture. We agreed to share the wealth "IF" the trend caught on and we could market it.

Renee, who is married to my Nephew Jon, took a ride in the Vette, and we decided that a picture, with Pine Lake (which is in my hometown) would make a nice background. Also, although you'd have to know what you're looking for, a person can zoom in on the picture and see their home on the opposite shore. - - - Question: Why is it that the car always looks better when there are ladies sitting in the driver's seat. - - - While I love taking people for ride, I particularly enjoyed giving Renee a ride. Each time I accelerated with most all the horsepower, she let out a laugh that made me laugh too. I loved it. (Another example of Corvette fever!)

Just had to have at least one picture of me in the car to prove I was there.

June 21st - Drove about 540 miles from Indiana to Nebraska. I did NOT like the weather! While the car performed well, going through 3 weather fronts (with lots of rain), the high heat and humidity left me drained by the time I got to my Step-Son (Marcus') house. I recovered nicely though after having a nice cold beer; some grilled steak; some potatoes, onions and mushrooms; then watching a movie in the theatre room. - - - After the storms cleared out, I was in western Iowa and saw a lot of the same type wind generators I saw in Indiana. (The size just facinates me!)

To give everyone an idea of the landscape in Iowa, I took a couple longer range pictures. Everything was SO green from all the rain this year.

These next 3 pictures were taken about 15 miles before I got into Nebraska. The picture on the left shows the Missouri River valley...the one on the right shows where I just drove from in Iowa...and the 3rd shows the Corvette parked in the scenic-view area where I took the pictures.

Just thought this was sort of an interesting picture as I was getting ready to cross the bridge into Nebraska.

I have to say that I'm sort of sad that I'm on my last stop of my amazing trip. However, I'm definitely looking forward to getting home; seeing Barb; seeing Max (our puppy); then catching up on all the "honey d0" items that have piled up since I've been gone. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my time with family and friends...and the College World Series.

Visit to Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

June 22nd - I apologize for not updating my blog as frequently as normal, but I actually have an excuse. After returning home from my Niece's graduation in Manassas, VA, there was a terrible storm that went through Indiana and my home town. Reports I heard indicated winds were gusting between 68 and 90 mph. The winds snapped big trees like they were twigs and sent many of the flying into power lines and homes. At my Nephew's home (where I was staying), they were without power for around 36 hours...but many places didn't expect to get power for up to 2 or 3 days later. Very sad! - - - Anyway, I did have more pictures from my trip to Virginia and the Air and Space Museum. This was my first visit and I strongly recommend it to anyone who likes aircraft and the associated history. - - - While I don't recall ALL the names and types of aircraft, I do remember details about some. Hope you like them.

(Above - F14 Navy Fighter - like in Top Gun)
(Below - X35B Strike Fighter)

Navy F4 Phantom fighter.

Several pictures below are just a sample of many items on display.

These next 2 pictures are unique in the sense that my Brother-in-Law (Bill) works for the Company that built many parts of the vehicle in the background.

These next pictures show some of the space-related vehicles. This first picture is of the Gemini VII capsule that was launched in December of 1965.

As the 2nd picture indicates, this in the Apollo 11 capsule that landed on the moon on July 24th, 1969. (Where has the time gone?!)

The Shuttle "Enterprise" and examples of the engines unsed.

The "Nemisis" is the world's most successful aircraft in racing history. It won 45 of 48 competitions in years of 1991 to 1999, when it was retired.

The 2 pictures below show the SR-71, which I think is one of the most amazing aircraft ever built. I always heard stories about the power developed by the 2 engines and how fuel would leak from the tanks when it was on the ground...because it had to be able to expand when it was flying. I also had a somewhat unique experience when I was in the Air Force as I was chosen (with several other Airmen) to guard the plane while it was on the ground (after an unplanned landing at a base I was stationed at).

I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

June 13th and 14th - On June 12th, I hopped on a flight from Indiana back to the Manassas, VA to attend my Niece (Megan's) graduation celebration. - - - The first picture shows Megan and my Sister (Kathleen) as they were preparing for the pre-graduation party.

There were plenty of good things to eat and these pictures show just a couple of the tables of great food.

The picture below shows Megan as she was ready to leave for the actual graduation ceremony.

These next few pictures show the proud parents, and lots of the family members, in the Thai Dye shirts Megan had made to previously raise money for charity.

Here's the family AFTER the ceremony.

I have a lot of other pictures, but thought I'd add some videos to this post.

This 1st video shows the family arriving at Ceremony.

This next video shows Megan arriving on stage during the processional.

My Sister Kathleen will probably smack me for posting this next video. I'll just say that she's not the camera hog I'd be. LOL

This next video shows the moment Megan's name was announced to graduate.