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Friday, April 22, 2011

Bang, zoom, To the Moon!

It was a busy day for us! In the morning we visited the Holy Family Chapel, then the little side tour of the Lied Platte River Bridge, a stop for lunch at the local Crackle Barrel Restaurant, then on to the Strategic Air and Space Museum located in a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska.

The building was pretty impressive looking from the outside....


and the inside wasn't bad, either!

SR-71
This was the sign by the SR-71.


Another plane just "hanging" around.


In one of the hangars I noticed a large quilted American flag hanging on the wall.


The flag was made up of 686 fabric squares hand painted by children from local schools plus seniors from various senior centers in the area. Each square depicts "What America Means to Me."

Here are some close-up photos.



This Star Wars display was kind of neat.



pod racer

We couldn't get in any of the planes, but they were still impressive in size alone.


This display was quite interesting. This suitcase was found in a soldier's attic.


The suitcase was filled with medals and badges that the soldier had earned,


plus newspaper clippings


and other memorabilia.


What makes this so special is that the soldier was Ed Mauser, who served in the 101st Airborne, Easy Company during WW II, and was a member of the famous "Screaming Eagles" which was depicted in the HBO series "Band of Brothers". These items are on loan from his family to the museum. They were found stowed away in that suitcase in an attic.

Another interesting display....



This funny stubby-looking plane is called the "Goblin". Only two were ever manufactured.


"The goblin was a good idea that never quite worked. The aircraft was designed and built to work as a 'parasite' escort fighter for the B-29 Superfortress and B-36 Peacemaker bombers when they were beyond the reach of land-reached escorts. The Goblin would attach to the parent bomber via a hook and a trapeze arrangement and be released when needed from the larger aircraft's bomb bay."

The Goblin could be released okay, but the problem arose when it tried to be reattached. The program was cancelled in 1949.

Although this museum really wasn't my cup of tea, I knew Jim was interested in it. Usually when we get to a new area, we gather all the information of sites we are interested in touring. Then we sort through them all, narrowing down our choices using time, money, and personal choice as a guidance. Sometimes one person wants to see something more than the other; usually the other person gives in and makes the sacrifice. This museum was interesting, and when I got tired, I just sat down while Jim wandered around.

It was a full day and my feet were aching me. It was finally time to go home and rest.

The following day was full of touring!

17 comments:

Sunny said...

What a great place to tour. I'm kind of a plane nut! or is that plain nut? haha!
The quilted flag is amazing.
LOVE your header :)
☼ Sunny

Unknown said...

What an AWESOME quilt! I want one!

Anonymous said...

You seriously go to all the best places...luv it :)

Teresa said...

that is awesome! love the quilt.

one of my cousins is in black hawk down - ray dowdy. amazing stories of sacrifice.

Unknown said...

What a great place to visit...love the photos. But I especially loved the flag. Thanks so much for sharing that with us!

Brian Miller said...

oh this is so cool....so showing my boys when i get home...they will love the podracers...while i loved the planes...that quilt though takes the cake...

Country Gal said...

Awesome photos ! Thanx for the trip ! Have a great Easter.

Bossy Betty said...

Great pictures and you were a good egg to go with Jim knowing he would enjoy it!

Maude Lynn said...

That looks like an awesome place to visit!

Valerie said...

Hubs would have loved that tour, Pat. I probably found it more interesting following your photographs than walking round. I really liked the dedication to those who lost their lives. How true that freedom is a costly thing.

SquirrelQueen said...

This looks like a really interesting museum Pat, I too have a "thing" for old planes and the memorabilia related to them. I'm going to have to show my hubs the Goblin and see if he has ever heard of it.

Happy Easter!

Betty Manousos said...

Definitely a must see! What an interesting place.

love your pictures.

B xx

Carletta said...

Another interesting spot!
I kinda like the little Goblin.
I'm not one for this type museum either but I could go for lunch at Cracker Barrel.

Lynda said...

That flag/quilt is beautiful and very creative! It is so sweet of you two to work together to make the stops on the trip enjoyable for both. That's what makes for a good relationship.

And am playing catch-up - - - loved the post with the pedestrian bridge, too.

Prettypics123 said...

Pat I really like your header photo. And the pictures of quilted flag are great. Would love to see it myself. Hope your feet are feeling better!

labbie1 said...

I LOVE the bourbon idea! These are some really great planes and artifacts. Thanks for sharing!

becky said...

You do get to see a lot of cool places. I think I had mentioned a while back that you should write a book... seriously, you should! "Travels w/ Big Blue!"