Back to the Museum

Today was the day that we were going to go watch the Blue Angels again in Pensacola but a rain front moved in. It rained during the night so we figured that they probably wouldn't be flying today so we didn't get up early to go. We wanted to go back and check out the Naval Museum in greater detail as we didn't get to do that last week so that is what we did today. The parking lot was packed with cars but once inside you didn't sense that there was that many people there. Very easy to get around to see the displays and what great ones they have. Linda and I think that this is one of the most well done museums that we've seen. And when you consider that it's free to get in....what a great place for people to go and experience history !

We watched a fascinating video on how pilots were trained during WWII to keep up with the rapid production of aircraft (one plane per hour was being assembled at one time) for war. Two large cruise style boats were purchased and the upper decks removed to make a carrier style vessel. These boats were placed on Lake Michigan and prospective pilots were sent there after basic orientation to get 8 take-offs and 8 landings in before being sent to combat. Consequently there were many mishaps...planes falling off the side of the ship...missing the deck and landing in the water, etc. The planes they used for training were ones that were "disposable"..... they had seen combat and could be sacrificed. Three of the rarer planes that had gone into the lake were recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan , restored and placed in this museum. It was a fascinating video and a part of history that I was not aware of.


Hey us RV'ers can relate to these "navy shower" rules....

There is so much content here and so many great displays to see that you can spend hours looking at all of it. We had a great time looking around and would highly recommend it.

On the way back through Foley, Linda wanted to stop and check out the Foley flea market. Upon first entering, I thought it was a really huge building filled with junk but once I got a quarter of the way down one aisle I started to see all of this ornate furniture that you totally do not expect to see in a place like this. The place is packed with it too. King size beds with ornately carved columns for legs and ornate canopies. Marble tables....leather sofas, etc. It blew our minds...The one bed was like $7000 and the likes I've never seen in any furniture store....let alone a flea market type place.

When we first entered there was this heavenly aroma that hit you. As I was leaving I went into this area off to one side of the entrance and there was this small Mexican bakery. They had an amazing assortment of goodies there and I asked the young lady to explain some of the different confections. In this picture, see the reddish colored item on the right...3rd shelf down. Strawberry filling inside two sides that had a texture a little more coarse than normal cake consistency. I took a little nibble but wrapped it up to eat later as we wanted to go to Summer Scoops" for some ice cream.
Finished off a great day "exploring" by going to "Scoops" and sharing a banana split with Linda. Got back to the truck and wondered why there was a shredded bakery tissue near my seat. Oh yeah...remember that little pastry item I was saving for later? The only remnant was the strawberry jelly on Schroeder's chin.....He's a rascal !

Blue Angels

Vicki and Bob came over and picked us up and we left around 7:00 this morning to drive to Pensacola so we could watch the Blue Angels practice session. Was still foggy as we crossed this bridge and the sun was trying to break through the fog.

Today wasn't a true practice for the team. Since the team just returned to Florida, today was a chance for them to do "spotting"....get the lay of the land and get visual landmarks to aid them when they do their maneuvers. There were only four planes up today. Usually there are six planes in formation.

Three of the four pilots today are new members of the Blue Angels. Next week they will begin their regular acrobatic practices with all six team members. We're coming back next Wednesday to watch them. The viewing area is held behind the National Naval Aviation Museum. A lot of people came out today to watch.

After the practice session the pilots went into the museum to sign autographs.
Here the commander of the team is getting ready to sign my program. Vicki asked him if his mother knew what he was doing since he appears so young. He said he's been flying for 19 years and she still doesn't like him doing it.

On our way back to the field to watch them resume flying, Vicki spied a camera crew from the local TV station off to the side and went up to them and asked if they needed to interview people for what they were doing. He said "Sure" and proceeded to set up, with his cameraman, and asked Vicki and Bob a bunch of questions while filming it. (It made it onto the news...She's a Star !)

After the autograph session we went back out to watch the pilots do solo flights. After watching that for a little while we decided to leave and go get some lunch. Went to Sonny's and had a wonderful lunch. I loved EVERYTHING that was on my plate...catfish, cole slaw,baked sweet potato and the cornbread was out of this world !

Started back to Summerdale and decided that we needed ice cream, after seeing a sign on the highway for "Scoops", to cap off a wonderful day. Found it in downtown Summerdale...


What a cute little place ! Done in an old time theme of neon, checked floors, red stools and the rear bumper of an old car on the wall, it makes for a nice stop to grab a sundae, ice cream cone or even a burger.
As we left Scoops, we noticed this young man in a nearby parking lot doing wheelies on his motorcycle. We weren't sure if he was practicing for a stunt show or just goofing around but we pulled in and watched him until the chain came off his bike and he was out of commission. What a full day and such fun. We can't wait to go back next week to get the full affects of the Blue Angels show as they do their aerial acrobatics. Will post more pictures next week....