Sunday, August 31 — Spent 8:10 to 9:32 mowing my front and back yards for the first time in a few MONTHS. It NEEDED the mowing. Trimmed shrubbery on the west side of the house. I have the materials and intention to kill all the plant life on that side of the house and on my driveway borders, but it’s been raining so often, and threatening to rain in 24 hours or less — and I’ve had so much to do at the Museum, I have not done the work. And it’s been hotter than blazes. I intend to stab at all this at least a half hour day when the lawn isn’t wet. At least I can finish TRIMMING. Showered and into AKM on a cloudy, slightly warm day at 11:00. Worked on pictures . . . . . . At 1:00 I stopped to buy office supplies, and when I returned discovered a visitor, Brandis, had left boxes of magazines flight movable plotters, technical materials and a duffel bag that included a USAF hard flying helmet! SORRY I missed the person. I talked to the crew of the T-45 on the ramp and took pictures. ONE became the SECOND person to sign the new guestbook. Four other people visited from a Citation II, here to attend the motorcycle race and a Beech F.33 Bonanza pilot from Creve Coeur, Missouri. It was a very busy, distracted day but FUN. Departed for home at 7:00 to work on yards a little more before dinner and bed.
Monday, September 1 — In at 7:45. Didn’t touch the yards because I wanted to have the most productive day I could out here, and I’d be draggin’ if I did yard work, showered and came to the airport. Weather will be mid 80s and threatening rain. There was no rain. Met some nice people who were flying their Cessna Citation 2+ from New Hampshire to Ellington, TX their home. They visited AKM and signed Guestbook. Josh at the Horizon counter agreed to pick a number between 1 and 10 and put it onto a piece of Springfield Air Rendezvous note paper and insert it into a Lindsay olive jar which I sealed with Tamiya modeling tape and placed on a shelf in my office. When visitor guestbook signer signs the book, I will give that person one of every postcard in the inventory now and notify the person who matches the number picked today my book Springfield Aviation. Walked across and bought a six-inch sandwich from Subway, a Coke and two cookies. Enjoyed the sandwich, but next time I’m getting a footlong with more veggies. Also visited by a Phenom 100 pilot who loves it; photog’d the airplane before he departed. Processed pictures. Worked upstairs from 4 to 6, arranging things. Spent 20 minute sitting down in office before returning to work upstairs from about 6:20 to 8:45. Returned to office, checked Fb and e-m and departed for home at 9:05, tired but satisfied with the day.
Tuesday, September 2 — In at 5:25. Rainy and calm. Took donated USAF clothes upstairs to tidy the office. Did a lot of catching up in the office and for more than two hours logged check records. MUCH progress there. But the person (Chamber member) who told me she’d visit AKM at 9:30 did not. Still, I accomplished a lot before going to work at 10:50. It was uncomfortably hot but not terribly hot. Made good progress culling articles from the Brandis donation, but I’m simply sad there. Back at AKM, worked on logging checks. A visitor who flew Do-228s and Brasilias from this building for Air Midwest visited and I took a picture. Nice fellow now flying for Delta. Posted the AKM Gallery of Flight pictures from the MV-22B visit. Departed for grocer and home at 9:00.
Wednesday, September 3 — Had a night’s decent sleep and in at 6:35, clear, cool and ground fog low. Processed pictures until Brian, cameraman Chris and sound man Dave arrived to tape for a fundraising video. Initial shooting was me talking on camera, then close ups and broad shots of material in the WELCOME Room. I unlocked all the rooms upstairs and they worked without me while I worked in office until they were done. Accomplished a lot of culling articles from donated magazines at employer. Briefly to IPA/SPI chapter meeting but it was another UNHAPPY SNAFU. This is my last meeting with them I think, though I will continue to write the newsletter. To grocer on the way home and home.
Thursday, September 4 — Slept okay last night, did three loads of laundry and went directly to employer where it was another HOT DAMN DAY, though I did accomplish a lot culling articles. I was pretty solemn with the heat getting to me. I believe I perspired every minute I was there. Back to AKM and the wonderful air conditioning. Photographed Hangar 3 which is being renovated and processed some pictures. Departed for home at 7:40.
Friday, September 5 — In at 6:10, cool, breezy and clear. Forgot my glasses, dang it! I’ll get by without them, dang it. Not a plane on the tarmac. Happy birthday to me. Processed pictures from last night and took some things upstairs. Then had to leave to pay insurance bills and picked up my glasses at home. WHEW! Glad I got them. I’m more confident with the glasses. Back to AKM and waited for NK to come over to discuss postcards. He didn’t come. Work was HELL, HOT, HUMID, SLOW. BUT I culled a lot of articles for AKM. No time to read anything. I didn’t breathe a word of my birthday to a soul at Horizon or at work. I felt it would be akin to holding out my tin cup and asking for pennies of three word phrases which is the usual and that’s okay. Facebook posts the news and many friends responded over the course of the day, and that was noce. HOT HOT HOT at work. Almost went to sleep in my chair; combinatiion of fatigue and depression. HOT when I left at 5 for the airport. A storm was approaching from the west. Phot’d a short fuselage Mu-2, despite the bad angle, not having a clear view of the nose. Storm hit hard about 6 and there was a Horizon lobby full of pilots waiting it out. It lasted half an hour and everyone flew away when things settled down to very light rain. The 10th Guestbook signer signed: Jim Holley, a King Air pilot from Quincy. Josh wrote 7 on the paper placed into a Lindsay Olives jar las Saturday and sealed with Tamyia modeling tape. My friend Jay Bruninga who also signed Friday was #8.
Departed in light rain for my birtday dinner of KFC from the same place I’ve purchased it after leaving AKM for the past four years. I was WAAAAAAY disappointed with the chicken and buscuits, but the slaw was okay, and except for awakening about 2:00 and fiddling around on Facebook and e-mail about an hour and hitting the wine pretty hard, I had a pretty good night.
Saturday, September 6 — Up at 7:35 and into AKM at 8:30. Very cool and overcast, light wind. Picked up around the office. Processed pictures until Brian Crodson and Rich Scott delivered two book cases, two lateral files and three office chairs. Took pictures, later posted them. Departed to meet an estimator who will probably clear the overgrowth behind my backyard privacy fence. N ice guy, but he wants more than $500! Back to office and processed pictures. Departed about 3:40 to meet another estimator for the overgrowth removal — $300 to do a lot less and he can’t get to it until November. I will probably go with the high guy. Did NOT return to AKM. Had dinner about 6, read and to bed by 8:30, up from 1o almost 5a watching YouTubes of Jerry Reid’s life and music. Finally back to bed.
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Abe Lincoln's Air Force 