Monday Musings - Labor day Edition...

Welcome to a new month, a new week, and many of the same old problems in the world.
A chance of rain today in the Summit City (not enough of a chance to shut up the morons) with temps topping out in the 80s.
And then, it's back to normal tomorrow for the working class.
We'll be getting to my "excellent adventure" at the AIR SHOW in just a few, but right now, let's get the bad news out of the way.
*** First up, my "good deed" for the week.

Along our property, I found a "money jar"...the type you find at counters for children suffering from various problems...a DONATION jar, as it were. It was totally intact and had pictures of Chloe Felger of Ft. Wayne (they held events for her medical treatment payments last year). She's a very cute child, but it was odd that THIS jar was on my grass.
I figured someone ripped it off of some store nearby.

So, I called into the FWPD and explained the situation, The jar even still had dried adhesive where it used to sit on some counter at some store someplace in the city.
An officer was dispatched and he picked up the jar, along with the lid and a whole lot of colored wrist bands.
I know, if it were my daughter suffering a genetic disorder, and someone stole her donation jar (and money), I'd be pretty damn PO'ed.
Well...hopefully, some good things will work out for little Chloe and her family.
Moving on...
*** A 3 year old is struck by a van.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120902/LOCAL/120909926/1002/LOCAL

Now, it's alleged that the boy was on the sidewalk and the van backed up, hitting him.
The van was recovered, but the driver is still "in the wind". It was loaned to him by the owner.
The child had a 14 year old babysitter (mom was in hospital, no doubt having ANOTHER) and baby-daddy was out of town (probably on a felony charge). But we ALSO heard that the boy was taken to hospital by his "parents"...love the ambiguity here.
Again, we have more problems along OLIVER STREET...amazing, isn't it?

*** Here's what happens whenever you walk down a street on the city's...(...all together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE...at THREE IN THE FREAKING MORNING.
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/man-critical-after-being-shot-twice
You get shot...at least twice, by some perps in a CADDY (how stereotypical).
As usual...no arrests, no suspects, no hits, no runs, and no errors. Batter up?
*** A death investigation for a man found dead on the lower NORTHEAST side.

Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120902/LOCAL/120909931/1002/LOCAL
The man, who lived alone at the house/apartment in the 1500 block of Bayer Avenue, was in his 60s and police are not ruling out foul play (good idea, especially with the human flotsam you have infesting this city).
*** I awoke this morning around 0520 hrs, and heard loud music coming from one of the government-sponsored houses nearby (the garage, actually). In front of the 800 sq. ft. BUNGALOW were parked EIGHT vehicles...(helluva party going on, eh?)

So, I call the FWPD and within the "brief" span of FORTY MINUTES, they arrived and shut the moolies down.
Obviously, they didn't check for narcotics or alcohol (DUI potential out the ass), so it's just "business as usual" down here for the holiday weekend.
And speaking of the WEEKEND...
There's THIS:
*** Yes, I DID attend the Fort Wayne Air Show on Saturday...and I was not disappointed.
I arrived at Winters Rd (access to Saturday parking) around 10-ish, and we parked on a grassy knoll outside the air base.
From there, it as about a 1/4 mile "hike" to the gate entrance, and before that a checkpoint for people carrying things in that required inspection.

My binoculars (and case) got a "good to go, sir" from the Msgt there (fully outfitted with sidearm and M4 carbine).
After entering the gate, it was a couple hundred yard trek to the flight line and then...ALL that concrete to traverse.

The place is definitely HUGE inside, and that's aside from the hangar space OR the taxiways leading to the FW airport's main runways.

By now, it was around 1030 hrs, and since the air events wouldn't begin until NOON, I had time to meander about and check out all the STATIC DISPLAYS. And they had some pretty cool toys out there.

Do keep in mind that most all the time, people RARELY are walking from one end of the place to the other, and that's why they have VEHICLES to drive everyone's butt around, so you best have some comfy footwear.

The KC-10 tanker and the C-5 Galaxy cargo plane were especially intriguing, as I found out I now suffer from vertigo...on the damn ground!

I was looking up at the tail assemblies of those planes, each about FIVE STORIES OFF THE FLIGHT LINE, and I got dizzy (well dizzier than I usually am...lol). Those are some honking HUGE aircraft. You look four stories up, and there's this JET ENGINE mounted to the tail...

Anyway, I decided to take a walk-through of the C-5...and THAT took about 3 minutes to go from the aft section forward and out the nose door.

I told the Sgt on the way out that "she's STILL a big ship". He replied "That she is, sir".
Oh, btw I've never been called "sir" so much in ALL my life...and I've always worked for a living, so the whole "sir" thing never really applied...LOL.

By now, I was almost at the other end of the flight line (several football fields at least in length), and I got some pictures of a Tuskegee P-51 Mustang, a Lockheed "Harpoon" (naval version of Lockheed's Ventura - a development from the Hudson bomber), and of course, plenty of A-10 Warthogs that are the pride of the 122nd ANG "Blacksnakes".

They had displays of the engine, and weapon system (those GAU-8 30mm gatling cannon barrels were as long as our COUCH...and a lot deadlier).

After checking this out, it was rolling up to 1115 hrs, so I figured I have time to wander through the hangar...(another few football fields away), and inside there was a local man with more models on display than I think I built in my entire life.

Suffice it to say, we hit a mutual accord and chatted for a bit.
Since I had no breakfast, I was feeling a bit on the hungry side, and it was there that found out it's been QUITE some time since I attended anything like this. The prices were shall we say...interestingly as high as the aerobatic pilot maneuvers I would be seeing later...!
It was $3 for a soda..or iced tea...or bottled water. Food was higher still.
We're looking at "ANGELS EIGHT" for a hamburger, or chicken wings, or sausage, but I did find hot dogs for ONLY $4...so I snagged me one and an iced tea.
Now, with ANY good event, you definitely have to "score some swag", and I consider myself a champ in that department.
I stopped by the F-22 Raptor Demo Team booth and got me a shirt ($20), and a poster (another $10), but...I got it AUTOGRAPHED and had some jaw-jacking time with one of the "drivers" of the planes.
That was worth the expense (to me).
From there, I scored two patches from the 122nd ANG and the Air Combat Command (another $7), so that was a good haul.

As I worked my way BACK down the light line (yes, a couple more football fields later), I came upon a WW2 B-25, named "Panchito" (a Disney character from that era). Got to speak with the pilot of the plane, and we spoke about that landing gear failure they had a few months back...did a great job getting the ship back together, too.
I mean, it's not as though you can bop out to an PARTS PLUS joint and snag a new landing strut for a WW2 plane...right?
And there's not that many folks that "just have them lying around their basement or garage", either.
By now, it was time to grab a good spot near the taxi way so I could see the AERIAL EVENTS...it was 1200 hours at last.

The Army's Golden Knights took to the air and performed some cool star burst parachuting, landing right smack dab in front of me.
( BTW, Miss Ball State sung the National Anthem and does she have a set of pipes on her...she's a little shorter than I am, too - and yes, she's a cutie...sorry, I might be married, but I ain't blind yet)

After that, some aerobatics in a WW2 trainer (Stearman biplane), and more from "experimental" aircraft (single engine) that had me smiling from ear to ear. We even had a drag race between one stunt pilot and a motorcyclist...both hitting speeds of OVER 150 MPH on the runway.

One gentleman brought in another P-51 Mustang and sat about running up the engine before parking off the line.

That sounded SWEET...nothing like a Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engine to get my heart racing.

Then, I began to feel some light rain...(un, oh).
I also noticed that as it was rolling up past 1345 hours, my dogs were howling at me, and my legs were getting very tired.
If there's one thing you don't do when attending an event like this, it's BURN YOURSELF THE HELL OUT.
And since I didn't want Wifey to get a call from me at some place OTHER than the air show, I thought it might be best to head outta Dodge.

So, I grudgingly made my way out the gate and back to the car, but NOT before I was overflown by two A-10s, making mock strafing "runs" at staged pyrotechnic targets...you could hear the WHUMPS and see the smoke rising, as the jets zoomed over the parking area.

I knew I was going to miss the F-22 flight demo, but when your body says "knock it off", it's best to heed the advice. Besides, I caught a couple views of the Raptor on the way home.
Leaving the place was a breeze, even on the increasingly dampening ground...hardly got ANY mud on the Wifeymobile.
Traffic OUT was very light, but there WAS a mile-long line heading INBOUND to the parking area...a bit late, I think.
Later one, after I got home (safe and sound of course) I heard they actually cancelled the show (part of it anyway) due to rain, and the news said that getting out was horrible...didn't see that way at all to me...guess I "missed the rush".
Goes to show that when your body speaks...you LISTEN, because it might be saying more than you think.
(and the angel on my shoulder doesn't hurt either...LOL)
Here's two good links to the air show:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120902/LOCAL/120909931/1002/LOCAL
And here (with GREAT video):
http://news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120901/NEWS/120909955/1005/biz

So, all in all, it was a fun (if tiring) time for me...sure not the teenager that used to go with Dad all those years ago...not any longer.
Would I go again?
Damn straight I would!
All the events were held Sunday with no hitch - the rain held off on the day it was SUPPOSED to arrive...gotta love the "predictability" of weathermen...right?
But, I got my SWAG...bwahahahaha.

And I got some nice pictures for all of you that were there in spirit, right along side me.

So, you have yourselves a great Labor Day...and a good week ahead.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...

Stay SAFE out there, America.