Aransas Pass, Texas Great time, Great Birding

What a great time Gary and I experienced in Aransas Pass, Texas, also known as AP.  Gary and I attended 4 music jams with the largest having over 28 players/singers and the smallest 10.  Met a lot of new people and even sold some of our cds.
Gary fished with the guys and I ran around with the girls-what a lot of fun they are.  Went to the beach 3 times and, thanks to Marlene, got to fly a kite on the beach.
Lots of places to bird watch in Rockport, Fulton, Lamar, and Port Aransas, so Jan, Marlene, and I managed to get some good birding in.  Jan and I took a photography class-lots to learn.
I am posting some of my bird photos – for more click here.

National Museum of the Pacific War

Our second visit here was just as great as our first.  The museum has been enlarged and does a great job explaining Japan’s reasoning for starting WWII with us.  One of the thins that impressed me was the way the exhibits were set up.  The uniforms of many soldiers were displayed with the names of the soldiers who wore those uniforms-to me-that makes it more personnel.  If you have never been there, you should really try to go.  The museum is located in Fredericksburg, Texas.  Website: http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org

Worn during battle of Pearl Harbor

Pistol Pete’s cap

Japanese  Val

2 man Japanese sub

Pima Air Museum, hangar planes, 2011

Pima Air Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, is one of our favorite places to visit.  We arrived around 9:45 am, should have gotten there earlier, and took the 10:30 am guided tour of hangar 1 and then stayed with our tour guide for tours of hangar 2 and 3.  Our tour started at the replica of the Wright brother’s plane with our tour guide providing lots of information about the brothers and the first flight.  The tour was free and only lasted 50 minutes per tour.  Tour was well worth the time-so much information for our minds to process.  Sure wish I could remember it all, oh well, there’s always next year.

Phantom-used by Thunderbirds in aerial shows.  Our tour guide flew phantoms.

Viet Nam era

Tom Cat-  Tom Cruise was in the movie “Top Gun” which featured the Tom Cat.

Black Bird   Huge plane

Pima Air Museum, outside planes, 2011

Wow are these planes huge!!!!!!  Many planes to see outside. Tried to imagine myself sitting in the pilot’s seat trying to land one of those giant planes.  We took the tram tour, $7 each, first.  Our driver gave lots of info about the planes we passed by.  Afterwards, I took a walking tour and tried to take pictures of all the planes; but alas, I ran out of time. Gary called me on the phone 3 times to tell me they were closing the place down.  Oh well, maybe next year I can take pictures of the planes I missed.

NASA astronauts nick-named this plane the “Vomit Comet”.  This was used to get the astronauts used to weightless they would experience in space.

one of the many migs.

 

Ardvark

One of the many B-52s