We've been waking up early to take care of the Mustang, and even if I'm not the one getting up, in a trailer this size you will hear someone moving around and getting ready in the morning, and once I'm awake, I'm awake. This morning since I was already showered, I just got ready and watched the morning sun through my front window while I went online to look up today's scheduled events. Since I had a good connection for awhile, I went back and spell-checked my previous entries since I hadn't had a chance to do that before. ;)
This morning, Kaylee, Maggie, Judy and myself went over to KidVenture, which is at the Pioneer
Airport with the EAA Museum. It's a neat place, set up just for kids of all ages. Kaylee and Maggie entered a drawing contest where they drew pictures of an airplane. They were the first two to do it, and the first two pictures hung up on the wall. While I was taking a photo of them by a wooden airplane, an EAA photographer said "Oh, that's too cute, will you do that again for me?" So I shrugged and set up the girls and did it again while he took video and/or photos from the back side of me and Judy taking photos of the girls; then he walked over to our side and took video/photos of the girls' faces. Who knows where that may end up, but they were photographed more than once by the EAA photographer guys in the hangar too, working on projects. We wandered around in there sitting the girls in the cockpits of various airplanes from Cubs to Mustangs to F-100s. They made a kite out of paper that they colored, and played around in and under a DC-3. We didn't do the helicopter rides this year; too much money for too short of a ride with too long of a wait. We'll do them again sometime, but this year neither Judy nor I were in the mood.We walked from KidVenture over to the EAA Museum by crossing the active grass runway. The museum has another KidVenture area in it that is there year round. It's a very scientific area,
and a fun one too. They have a hangliding simulator where you sit in a hanglider seat with a bar and have three huge screens around you, and you try to follow the glider in front of you and land on a target. Kaylee actually did really well on this one. They have a hot air simulator as well, and an area where you can learn about all sorts of things relating to aviation, airplanes, aerodynamics, etc. There is also a cardboard cutout of a dude in a flightsuit with a helmet under his arm and a wall of sky and airplanes behind him. Judy and I took pictures of the girls with their heads in that slot--and then when the girls went away, we took each other's photos in there too. Just to be goofy.We'd worn ourselves out and been there for four hours when we decided we were hungry, so we stopped in the cafeteria to eat hot dogs, brats, sausages, chips, drinks, etc. I was standing in the coke machine line for my first caffeine of the day when suddenly the fire alarm in the building went off. This was a very slow line, you understand, and I'm right by the exit anyway. I look around, and people are hauling out of the building in a quick and steady stream. No panic, but plenty of fast-movers. Kaylee comes up to me a little bugged out, and I tell her to leave with Judy and Maggie who are on their way out. Meanwhile, I stay in the Coke line. Like I said, it was slow moving. A few other guys did the same thing. Just as I was getting up to my turn at the machine, everyone came trickling back in. False alarm. Like I said, we were right by the exit, and I made sure my kid and my camera were out of the building first. ;)
We ate and got ready to go, when Kaylee slipped on the wet painted concrete floor by the cafeteria, and went down hard. Ironically, she wiped out right in front of the admin office and the First Aid office. She was bawling on the floor, unable to walk, and I was cleaning up the water on the floor and helping her get to her feet, when out came the representative asking if she needed medical attention, very concerned. I reassured them that she would be fine (no lawsuits here, folks), and carted Kaylee off. She whispered in my ear "I don't want to go to first aid Mommy, that's why I quit crying." Anyway, she got a bruise on her knee and one on her toe, but will naturally be just fine.
This whole venture tired us all out, so we went back to our individual trailers and had Quiet Time for awhile. I worked on the computer while Kaylee rested, and then I looked at the clock on my laptop and thought "Hey, it's time to go!" I dragged up Kaylee and took off in the golf cart, then walked through the Fly Market on up to the Forum area, so I could hear a lady named Diana give a talk on her Grass Strip Tour of the US. She had stopped at Glenndale and I've met her a couple of times now and we talk online now and then. The only problem was, I arrived huffing and puffing only to realize that my laptop time is set up on Kokomo time, and I am now an hour and 15 minutes early for her forum. So instead I sat in the shade in there and learned all about painting aircraft. Common mistakes, common issues, how to do it, how not to do it, various techniques of things, etc. Not my usual interest level by any means, but I have to admit I did learn a few things against my will. ;)
Finally it was her turn, and she had a packed tent. I was really glad for that-it's one reason I went, to show support and make sure there was a friendly face out there. I need not have worried. There were lots of people there, including people from three different online pilot message boards. I got to meet several of them in person for the first time, which is always kind of weird, but interesting. Diana did a good job; afterwards I talked to a few people and then went on back to the trailer where Steve and Nathan were sitting there waiting to go to the Seaplane base.
We gathered up the kids, stopped at "Andy's and Ed's", which is a restaurant that opened up in 1942. To this day it's drive-up only, and the girls come out on roller skates and black skorts and take your order and hang it on your window old-style. Their burgers leave a little to be desired, but their shakes are killer. :) Anyway, we ate, then we headed over to the seaplane base.
You know, Nathan's been coming to Oshkosh since it moved from Rockford, IL, and we've come off and on since the mid 1990s. But none of us have ever made it over to the seaplane base. I'm
really glad we made it today. For one thing, it's beautiful. You hike through some woods and end up at a pretty lake surrounded by trees with a bay holding dozens of float planes. The sun was getting low in the sky, the air was calm, and several of the float planes were taking off and landing out there, and it was just a really pretty sight. We sat on a bench and watched them and relaxed for a long time. It is like being in a whole other world away from the hustle and bustle of Oshkosh. We've decided we could camp out there instead and be happy. :)When we finally left, it was time to come back to the trailer and light the fire. Tonight it was my duty to be the fire starter. It was a difficult job, but someone had to do it. ;)
So, all in all it was another busy but enjoyable day. This week is going by really fast; I can't believe we'll be headed home in just a few days...
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