Savannah Trip-- Part 5: Another Museum and Homeward Bound

TUESDAY, APRIL 9

Sadly, it was now time to go home.  I would be once again be taking two flights on Delta.  One from Savannah to Atlanta, then one from Atlanta to Milwaukee.  However, I didn't leave until late in the afternoon so Ed and I went over to the National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force in Pooler, Georgia.

This was one of the major units to bomb Germany during World War II and quite a museum.  Just like the other museums I visited, I'll want to return next trip as there was just too much to see.  We had an excellent lunch at Miss Sophie's Restaurant located on the premises.

I am happy to say that both legs of my return trip home went just like clock work.

So, I will fly once again.

--RoadDog

My Trip to Savannah in April

From Wednesday, April 3 to Tuesday, April 9, I flew from Milwaukee to Savannah by way of Atlanta and back for a seven day visit with my sister and her boyfriend.  I hadn't been on a plane for many years, but am thinking of flying more often now.

I am writing more extensively about the trip in my RoadDog's RoadLog blog.

April 3--  Wednesday

It was a rather eventful trip to Savannah and essentially involved all day after the flight out of Milwaukee on Delta was delayed three hours causing me to miss my connection in Atlanta and not getting to Savannah until after midnight.  Way past my bedtime.  This was a hard day of flying, but I will go on another flight.  If you want to know the fun details go to RoadDog's Blog.

--RoadFun

25 Ways To Know You're From Lake County-- Part 5: General Mitchell All the Way

17.  You have an annual subscription to the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.

18.  You know at least four different ways to avoid driving on Routes 120 and 176.

19.  You try to fly out of General Mitchell Field in Milwaukee because it is easier than it is to fly out of O'Hare.  Much cheaper daily parking and flights that actually leave on time.

20.  You can always find a seat on the Metra trains into Chicago (as you get on earlier).

--RoadDog

Back Home Again

JUNE 8TH

Driving around Goldsboro with my brother Bob.  Went to Trade-It, a favorite store there now that The Record Rack is gone.  Also went to the antique store where he has a booth (didn't buy anything), but was tempted and to several other places.  Met my cousin Joe at Wilber's for for some 'o that great Carolina BBQ.

JUNE 9TH

Raleigh-Durham Airport, connecting flight in Detroit and into Milwaukee.  TODAY'S GAS PRICES:  Gas in Goldsboro is $3.30 to $3.33.  Gas in Wisconsin is $4.16 to $4.20 and in Illinois $4.25 to $4.40.  Something mighty wrong here.  Stopped at Captain's Quarters and officially kicked off summer with the great R&B, soul band R Gang.

Always Good to Be Home.  --RoadDog


TOO PUNNY:  When cannibals ate the missinary, they got a taste of religion.

Arrived in North Carolina

March 20th

Drove to Milwaukee, stopping at the White Castle in Kenosha for our slider crave. Bought a Civil War book at that great bookstore in the terminal. Connected at O'Hare and through to Raleigh-Durham. Rented car at Thrifty and drove to Goldsboro.

MARCH 21st

Set up for barbecue at the Salvation Army in Goldsboro, then to Lenten service at the Presbyterian church and Bible study at the First Baptist at night.


MARCH 22nd

I really wasn't needed at the Salvation Army bbq, but was there if needed. Great Wilber's bbq, though. Afterwards, some work around the house and now, b-ball. Too bad Wisconsin lost.

Back in the Home State. --RoadDog

Just Got Back

Yesterday, I flew out of Raleigh-Durham Airport to Atlanta's Hartsfield then on to Milwaukee where Liz picked me up.

I had been visiting family in Goldsboro, NC, since Nov. 21st for Thanksgiving. Stayed at my mom's. My brother and his wife live next door, a good thing because Mom is 81.

My sister, her two kids and grandchild also visited. We got to visit with my cousin and his wife several times in Wayne Memorial Hospital.

Always good to visit with family as well as getting home.

Preparing for our big Bears party Sunday.

Too Much Fun. --RoadDog


THIS JUST IN:

The Supreme Court has ruled that there will be no Nativity Scene in the nation's capital this year. This is not for any religious reason. They can't find any Wise Men and have about given up finding a Virgin.

Down in North Carolina: Wednesday, Aug. 24th: Gettin' the Hell Out of Topsail

Sat out by the beach for a couple hours. Absolutely beautiful day, even with ol' Irene approaching the US coast. Lots (well, for Topsail Beach) of people out on the beach. If you're looking for uncrowded beaches, this is where you want to come.

Did some last minute anti-hurricane work at Graham's place and then at Mom's (more dadburn shutters).

After a lunch of left-overs from last night's feast at the Smokehouse in Holly Ridge, I was off for the Wilmington (ILM) Aitport. I took US-17 all the way past I-40 to Castle Hayne Road and then a few miles to the airport, much easier than the Wilmington traffic hassle.

Checked the Mazda 6 in at Thrifty Car Rental. If I ever were to buy a "foreign" car, this would be it. I really like the design.

They even have rocking chairs in the small airport, which was a training field name Bluethenthal during World War II (Wilmington wants to be America's first World War II city because of all the stuff that happened there during it (see my history blog.)

Nice and small also. Relaxing, if you can do that at an airport.

Flying Home. --RoadDog


UNIVERSAL TRUTHS: We call our GPS, the English-speaking gal, either Sally or Nancy, depending upon which name comes to mind first.

Horrible Experience at JFK Airport

I started blogging about one of the l-o-n-g-e-s-t days of my life, June 21st, when we flew from Cairo, Egypt, to London, England, to JFK, New York City, and then to Raleigh-Durham, NC.

Counting the changes in time zones, we were in the air or on the ground 30 hours before arriving back in Goldsboro, NC.

We had a mess in Cairo where they said they couldn't find our tickets in the system. Then, there was a a five hour layover in London. But the absolute worst experience took place at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

I wrote about it on today's entry at the http://roaddogsroadlog.blogspot.com blog.

It Was a Day I'd Rather Forget. --RoadDog

New Airline Charges-- "Onion-style"

After American announced they were going to start charging $15 for their first checked bag because of soaring fuel prices thanks to Big Oil's Greed, The Onion, one of the funniest papers around, had their own little column about new charges we can expect from other airlines.

UNITED-- $25 seatbelt rental fees for passengers who don't bring their own.
MIDWEST-- $35 to sit in the passenger compartment
JETBLUE-- New fee structure for wait times on the runway: $150 for under two hours, $75 for under 4 hours
FRONTIER AIRLINES-- $20 penalty if passenger is not wearing coonskin cap
CONTINENTAL-- $100 reduced-fare tickets for standing-room-only passengers
SOUTHWEST-- $10 to touch the captain
VIRGIN-- $30 fee for booking a flight with another carrier

How about $2 for that REALLY, REALLY little bitty pack of nuts or chips.
$5 an hour chair rental while waiting for your delayed or canceled flight.
Five bucks for a warm, in-flight beer. Wait, they already do that. Never mind.

The really sad thing is that it is about really getting this bad.

Those Funny Folks at THE Onion and Airlines. --RoadDog

Iron Butterfly and Canned Heat at Galt Airport

McHenry's Galt Airport hosted a psychedelic concert a couple weeks ago with two of the better-known 60s bands: Iron Butterfly and Canned Heat. I didn't go, but would have liked to. It was billed as a Celebration of the 1967 Summer of Love. They had posters out that looked like those you would have seen out at Haight-Asbury back in that year. They were psychedelic.

There was a bit of a proble leading up to it as the airport owner did not want to hire off-duty McHenry County sheriffs and police at the rate of $50 an hour. Hey, I would sure work for that!!!

I was able to get a poster at the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce a few days after the event.

Of course, Iron Butterfly is sometimes referred to as the first heavy metal band. Their biggest hit was 1968's 17 minute-long "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida" which is supposedly an alcohol-slurred version of "In the Garden of Eden." Then, there's the seven-minute drum solo. They were supposed to be at the Woodstock Festival, but got stuck at an airport.

I have an original album by them. but it is somewhat worn. I couldn't get enough of that song. Just hearing it takes me right back to that period of my life.

Bryan Wawzenek had an interview with bassist Lee Dorman in the Northwest Herald. He said the group had never played the short version of the song, which was made by a deejay in Detroit. They had other songs, but "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida definitely overshadowed all the rest of their efforts. He didn't join the band until the fall of 1967 after a tour of duty in Vietnam.

Canned Heat formed in Los Angeles in 1965 is is considered a blues-rock-boogie band. Bob "the Bear" Hite was the lead singer and harmonica-player. They were at the 1967 Monterrey Pop Festival and Woodstock where I always thought Hite wasn't too with it on the song that was chosen for the soundtrack. They had two great ROAD SONGS: "Going Up the Country" and "On the Road Again."

Take Me Back to the Sixties. --RoadDog

"Fly Me Away"-- O'Hare Airport and Me

Over the years, I have been to O'Hare Airport many times. Sometimes to go somewhere, others to pick some one up or drop them off. It generally is not a pleasant experience, especially when dealing with traffic and lines and a quickly approaching take-off times and there you stand in a LINE with no choice. We live about an hour's drive northwest of it.

My first job out of college in 1973 was to drive business people back and forth from the Sheraton Inn-Walden in Schaumburg, Illinois. They weren't big tippers, I can tell you that--usually nothing. Later, after I got my teaching job, to make some extra dough, I did the same to O'Hare from the Holiday Inn Wheeling/Deerfield for several years.

I still fly out several times a year, mostly to NC, and have been lucky enough to find a bus that goes from nearby McHenry to the airport for $18; it was $16- thanks a lot Big Oil!! If Mom will just find out about the bus from Goldsboro to RDU, we'll have it made.

The other day, while doing an obituary in the other blog for Edward Corboy, who had a large part in the renaming of Chicago's Orchard Depot Airport to O'Hare, I looked up some information on Edward O'Hare and it was very interesting stuff. He was quite the WWII hero, single-handedly shooting down five of nine Japanese bombers intent on sinking the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. I have seen the fighter plane they have recovered from Lake Michigan that they have in honor of "Butch" O'Hare. You can find out more on the June 11th posting at www.roaddogsroadlog.blogspot.com

The reason your luggage checked to O'Hare has ORD on it is for Orchard Airport.

Get Me to the Airport on Time!!! --RoadDog