Sunday, September 14 — In at 9:30. Several bizjets on the ramp, beautiful sunny and cool. Took trash out. Copied pictures for some friends. Took TWO airplane pictures ALL DAY and kept one. John B. visited with aviation magazines and two boxes of VCR-recorded aviation history programs. He was in a rush; no time to chat much. Another visitor came and we talked for almost an hour. I knew Dan B’s father, 183d base commander and attended parties that his sister gave at the B house when I was in acapella choir in high school. Nice guy; fascinating fellow! Spent the rest of the day processing pictures from yesterday: the Alzheimer’s fund raiser and the reception at The Pharmacy. FINALLY went home at 8:05. A very productive day despite no work done upstairs.
Monday, September 15 — In at 5:55, cool, dark and quiet. Tidied office, filed Cessna articles in Research Room. Arranged some things in Process Room. Work was okay but not fun. Proofread some AAHS Journal articles. Very modest lunch. Rainy out, no customers; just George about 2 p and he drove me near crazy, startling me TWICE. Back at AKM . . . I was here when friend Vern visited but the computer was giving me a hard time and I departed at 6:50, semi-disgusted with the day. 😦
Tuesday, September 16 — Another rocky night. Awoke about 12, was up for 40 minutes, back to bed and had a hard time getting back to sleep. Awake about 7, finally out of bed at 8:35 and arrived AKM 9:10. Beautiful morning, Eclipse and Lear 45 on the ramp which I phot’d. Was dragging, putting things away, when a pilot of the Lear visited and we had an excellent but short conversation. He really appreciated the knowledge I shared with him. Turned me into an optimist! Work was okay. Started a list of donated TV programs and copied a lot. Phot’d Hangar 3, processed pictures and went home at 7:15.
Wednesday, September 17 — In at 5:50. Just the Eclipse 500 on the ramp, calm and cool. Logged finances most of the morning, accomplished a lot, but I’ve still barely made a dent in it. Talked with Rob who gave me a GO for the Chronology of Flight Room and another room for visitor reading and watching videos. Posted some pics of a Xenon gyrocopter, locally owned. Work was okay but I was very tired and almost drifted off to sleep a few times I had been up since 4 am! Logged the rest of the John B VCR tapes. Proofread some AAHS Journal material. Back to AKM for just a while to let the rush hour traffic diminish then at 5:35, went to south side grocer for food and Staples fand picked up six boxes of hanging files. Then home. Tired!
Thursday, September 18 — In at 5:10, cool and calm. Not a plane on the ramp. Worked upstairs until 9:40, getting out and setting up the lateral files, arranging and filling with appropriate materials, set up book cases and filled them initially. Will have to go back and fine tune things. Made labels for3the drawers in consistent format. Made excellent, concentrated progress. Work was fine with a few customers and moderate warm. Copied a BUNCH of pages of articles for $21 Back at airport, phot’d a transient BK-117 with crew — a married couple, I think — and a King Air pilot, excellent visit, last signature on page one of the new Guestbook. Phot’d Hangar 3 will all the roof removed. By 7:30 I was very tired, went home, ate and right to bed.
Friday, September 19 — In at 6:35, calm & cool out. Refreshed. The medical man with the Cheyenne IIB visited the office and we had a good conversation. He’s the first man of color with dredlocks to visit and I was happy to photog him. Nice fellow. Also phot ‘d the Cheyenne before they took off. Worked upstairs from about 8 to 10:30 and made very good progress organizing. To work and had a slow day. Accomplished a lot with putting copied clippings back together. Recorded another box of VCRs which will be stored out of sight until the viewing room opens. Late in the day there I REALLY began to slow down, couldn’t think very hard, lethargic. A customer who kept GJ busy (a rare occasion when he was around after 3 or 3:30) stayed late, and so did I though I punched out at 5, because I had promised to clean the bathroom and vacuum. With GJ”s permission after customer left I cleaned b r but didn’t vacuum. I departed almost lethargic and spent just an hour at AKM, mostly working in the Miscellaneous room and made good progress for 20 minutes, but I was dragging and sad. I don’t know why I’m sad, except for perhaps because a renter is leaving at the end of the month, and until I get the upstairs rented again, I will be losing a CHUNK of dollars! I’m not going to even advertise it until she is gone and the locks are changed. A friend who’s helping host a nearby hangar event for the Flying 20 visited briefly; had a fine conversation and at 6:40 I went home purty darn tired.
Saturday, September 20 — Another rocky night: up for a few hours in the middle of it after to bed about 10, then back to sleep about 4:30 until 7:30. As Lyle Lovett sings, “Ain’t it funny how the way things go.” into AKM at 8, overcast and quiet. Flying 20 flying club is having a 50th anniversary in the hangar here. I visited just as a presentation to pilots was starting mid-hangar 1, ate a donut, drank a cup of coffee, said hello to Mark Hanna, took a few pictures. Back to office and logged more finances. I am MAKING A DENT in it. I was a mite rattled by the rocky night, but I persisted and it paid off. Had some nice visitors too. No upstairs tours. I hated to go upstairs with all the passing traffic on the ground floor. Phot’d John Salz’ Xenon autogiro. Met the pilots of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner’s Falcon 50 — first 50 I’ve seen in a long time — and photog’d it. Did not see or meet the candidate who was in town less than three hours. One of his pilots flew AC-119Gs in Vietnam and then for Midway Airlines. Both crew signed the guestbook. NICE FELLOWS. Processed pictures from the day late in the day. Decided not to work upstairs; I’m just TIRED. Proofread some more of a challenging AAHS Journal article. NOT FUN; the author is about as lucid as an Irish Terrier. Departed for home at 7:05.
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Abe Lincoln's Air Force 