Harley-Davidson Listens to Abe Lincoln

At Galesburg, Illinois' Railroad Days one of the main attractions was a Lincoln themed encounter. On the one hand the Lincoln Funeral Car replica was on display for the 150th anniversary of the funeral procession through several states. On the other hand 'Abe' himself with his wife Mary Todd addressed the crowd on the very topics that are in our news today - liberty, slavery, freedom, and the Union. Among the scores of listeners were two motorcyclists who sincerely enjoyed the actual words from a visionary President over 150 years ago.  

Flag Day 2015 from Iowa

Happy Flag Day 2015 from two locations in 42N country's Iowa. This flag site is from St. John's cemetery in Lisbon, Iowa. The cemetery road is lined with many, many of these flags which are flown on special occasions.

These U.S. and POW flags are located at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, Iowa. There is a giant U.S. flag, like you see at Perkins Restaurants, across the road from these flags but it doesn't have the POW component.

B-17 Aluminum Overcast Nose Art in Waterloo, Iowa

A close up view of the Aluminum Overcast left side nose art. This B-17G was built at the end of World War II.

The Waterloo Airport was filled today with long lines of people who wanted to experience the B-17 bomber. A few WWII vets turned out too.

B-17 Aluminum Overcast at the Waterloo Airport

Waterloo Airport was the scene today for the B-17G Aluminum Overcast World War II bomber. The plane is at the airport through 5 pm Sunday, June 14.

A close-up of the WWII-era nose art.

These engines are inspected several time daily for wear and damage. Yup that's me in the reflection.

Tail rudder and aileron of the back end of the bomber. I did some high f/stop work here.

 

These guys marveled how a very thin gunner would get in the bottom turret. They remarked how this extremely small enclosure was for 17-18 year olds of the 1940s but not of this era. They speculated that people are much larger now.

 

The walking tour inside the aircraft started with a climb up to the cockpit and then a walk over the bomb bay to the machine gun area amidship. Finally the tour ended at the back of the plane.

The plexi nose cone gave the bomber crew a clear view of any enemy fighters coming at them. The "G" model consisted of the addition of two forward pointing 50 caliber machine guns. Stop by to see this flying history aircraft. Read more tour stop details here.

A Mallard Fizz

A mallard duck drinks from a pool filled with nearly fallen rain water last Sunday. This particular bird is seen by many young kids who often sneek food to the always hungry fowl.

KCID to ORD on American Eagle

Today was humid, hot and windy. Cedar Rapids conditions remained pleasant for most of the afternoon. This American Eagle flight to Chicago was delayed at Cedar Rapids due to a developing front moving through the Chicagoland area.

Once cleared, the American Eagle took off to the west and turned to the northeast. With a strong tail wind this flight reached O'Hare airport in just 35 minutes. Conditions at O'Hare later developed into a 100 minute delay for departures as the front grew in intensity. Summer is just two weeks away but storm delay season in the upper Midwest is already here.

Looking at You for a Long Time

A seven year old giraffe looks my way at the Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley, Illinois near the Quad Cities. The zoo has been around from 1963 and is home to a wide variety of animals including four giraffes. Feeding times are at 11 am and 2 pm daily and offer you a chance to hand out lettuce leafs to these long neck animals close-up.

Where's the Enter Key?

No enter key, no function keys, no numeric keypad, no control, no alt, no delete keys and no print screen button. A simpler time on a Royal typewriter.