Oh Nancy

While searching for new music to put on my blog, I was fortunate enough to type in Nancy Sinatra. I am so glad that I did. I picked up a few classics but also found her web site. What an interesting human being she is and I had no idea how much time and effort she has put in for all of these years supporting our military including her involvment with the "Rolling Thunder" ride to DC. I encourage you to go to her site and take a look. This lady is amazing! I have provided a link in my link section.

SAM 970

We have established that I enjoy history. If I could make a living out of visiting historic places and things I would do it in a heartbeat.In February 2007, I made a trip to Seattle, WA and visited a remarkable place, Boeing’s Museum of Flight. I had been there before but the aircraft I had stopped by to tour had not yet arrived. SAM 970, the first jet powered aircraft to be used as Air Force One had been delivered to the museum, on loan from the Air Force Museum after its retirement in 1996. The aircraft sits among other historic aircraft outside, and across the street from the main building. Personally I think it should be undercover. It is easy to see the elements taking its toll on this beautiful machine.

The aircraft was delivered to the Air Force for use as the presidential plane in May of 1959. President Eisenhower took his first jet ride in SAM 970, in August of the same year. His destination was Europe.
September of 1959 Nikita, Khrushchev, used this aircraft while touring the United States.

January 20th, 1961, SAM 970, becomes President John F. Kennedy’s Main transport aircraft.

October of 1962, SAM 970 makes way for a new sister. Replaced by the even more famous 707, tail number 26000.

February, 1963, with the assistance of The First Lady, a new color scheme is introduced to the presidential fleet. The amazing white on blue over silver colors that she sported until President Jimmy Carter came to be. He felt the color scheme was too showy and had it toned down a bit. Heaven forbid that the aircraft with such a significant purpose be too flashy.

SAM 970 remained a faithful servant and was used by Vice President Johnson, to fly into Love Field, Dallas Texas, November 22ND, 1963.

1970 to 1971 the aircraft was used to transport Henry Kissinger to Europe and elsewhere for secret talks where plans were made to disengage from the Vietnam War.

1972 SAM 970 was part of the official fleet that flew President Nixon and company to China.

All in all it was a pretty long and important career with the U.S. Government. If only the walls could talk. She sits now, waiting for visitors from around the world to come aboard and get lost in her history.

All images by Randy J. Cole

Four Nuts in a Bag

For us older farts it is easy to look at this photo and say, “prize my ass,” or, “look at the tiny nuts that were in that sack,” and even more disturbing is the fact that there are only four, well maybe five if you consider the tiny one stuck to the other. I remember when you would open a box of Cracker Jacks and the amount and quality of the nuts made it worth the wait, eating your way down into the box until you found the treasure of nuts at the bottom. Granted the package here is only a 1 1/4 oz. bag. They didn’t have those back when I was a kid. The prizes have changed drastically as well. You can look forward to a square piece of paper with some goofy little exercise to do. Back in the day the most anticipated prize was the coveted little compass, just like the one that Slim Pickens had to swallow to keep the Japanese submarine crew from finding their way to safety. (movie, 1941) He swallowed it and as a result ended up tied to the toilet seat in the sub. At this point, the line that still leaves me rolling on the floor is spewed from this great actor’s mouth, “You boys ain’t getting shit out of me!” Great line but really I suppose the fact that you could put it in your mouth and swallow it is why we have been deprived of those cool little gadgets, and now are reduced to tearing the end off of a paper square to look at unimaginative game. Some kid probably swallowed one and he too had to be strapped to a toilet awaiting the arrival of true north. No real point to this story except to say that so much of our past pleasures are going away in this country and going away fast. We should have prepared better decades ago and as I recall there were warning signs but we as Americans we just could not give up our right to drive ourselves to work as opposed to riding with someone. I know this is true because I was as bad as the next guy. The speed to which the changes are coming are actually frightening. A barrel of oil jumped by eleven dollars today. If that doesn’t scare you it should. The cost of living is rising and in the back of the minds of our elders I am sure that they are thinking, recession will be the best case scenario. In some ways it can be said that some good will come out of this shakeup. I think people will end up spending more time with family members. You will see homes being shared by three generations of families, this will be done as a cost saving measure, which I might add is something practiced in many Asian countries, although they do it more out of love and respect than convenience. I also see many people turning to worship, seeking refuge and comfort from the situation that arises. We the people, are in for a big test over the coming years. I guess maybe I should be happy that there is still four nuts at the bottom of that bag!

RJ