Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Saturday, May 9, 2020
B26 Marauder | The Most Advanced Mid-Range Bomber, My father in law was a flight engineer on one of these 1943-1945 Florida, England, France
At the beginning of WWII my husband's father worked in Baltimore at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Factory, on the B26 Martin Marauder, which flew with Pratt and Whitney engines.
In 1943 he went to Pensacola, Florida for training to be sent over to Europe as a flight engineer on the B26 aka Widowmaker. Obviously with already having worked at the factory in Baltimore, MD he would be ideal for this position.
The role of flight engineer was introduced in 1942 as the new heavy bombers required six or seven-man crews. The flight engineer controlled the aircraft's mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and fuel systems. He also assisted the pilot with take-off and landing. Plus he was a gunner.
He was stationed in England with the US Army Air Corp 9th Division, which saw him flying 1943 to 1945 bombing runs over Germany and France. He landed in France a few days after D-Day.
See my Instagram for photos of my father in law. Although no pictures of him with the B26.
Take care, be safe,
Christine
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." George Santayana
Hi Dear Folk,
The weather is crazy they've been talking about a Cyclone Bomb, I had not heard that terminology before, but this morning was in the low thirties Fahrenheit, it is cold and windy, but I think we may have missed the snow that will fall further north.
A bomb cyclone is simply a storm that intensifies very rapidly. Bomb cyclones form when air near Earth's surface rises quickly in the atmosphere, triggering a sudden drop in barometric pressure — at least 24 millibars within 24 hours.
I was looking back on the month of May from bygone years, some happy pictures from four years ago, son's graduation from Ithaca. Not to say we're not happy now, but we're not gallivanting.
The Lake in the distant background is Lake Cayuga, one of New York State's Finger Lakes. Mum and son. It's an area of great beauty, renowned for vineyards and some great wines.
With Mr. B. and I love those shell earrings I bought in Hawaii a few years back.
How are you all coping? I've been reaching out to family and friends. Had a wonderful Zoom meet with friends from forty years ago, some of which I have not spoken to in that long, who are now dispersed all over the States, Kevin in CA, Prince in Chicago, Jill in Charlotte, NC, Florence in FL and the others all in this area but a radius of fifty miles, so was great. We did have some laughs and reminiscing over old times, good for the soul.
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." George Santayana
Although the Spanish Influenza affected a different part of the population, mostly younger people with strong immune systems and Covid-19 affects more older folk, many parallels can be drawn. The actions of governments and individuals have a similar ring to them, lack of unity and disinformation.
The Spanish Influenza started in the January of 1918, not too dissimilar to the Corona Virus, but what was really distressing was the second wave that began in the autumn of 1918 and was far more deadly. I'm not a soothsayer, but this does concern me.
I think it's interesting that basically we can do no more than they did one hundred years ago, wear a mask and socially isolate. Of course we've got better follow up once in hospital but still. How quickly things change.
I enjoyed looking at these old photos of folk during the Spanish Influenza all wearing their masks, but they don't seem to have been as creative as our generation. But maybe they were and we just don't have a picture of their masks.
Take care, keep safe.
Christine
The weather is crazy they've been talking about a Cyclone Bomb, I had not heard that terminology before, but this morning was in the low thirties Fahrenheit, it is cold and windy, but I think we may have missed the snow that will fall further north.
A bomb cyclone is simply a storm that intensifies very rapidly. Bomb cyclones form when air near Earth's surface rises quickly in the atmosphere, triggering a sudden drop in barometric pressure — at least 24 millibars within 24 hours.
I was looking back on the month of May from bygone years, some happy pictures from four years ago, son's graduation from Ithaca. Not to say we're not happy now, but we're not gallivanting.
The Lake in the distant background is Lake Cayuga, one of New York State's Finger Lakes. Mum and son. It's an area of great beauty, renowned for vineyards and some great wines.
With Mr. B. and I love those shell earrings I bought in Hawaii a few years back.
How are you all coping? I've been reaching out to family and friends. Had a wonderful Zoom meet with friends from forty years ago, some of which I have not spoken to in that long, who are now dispersed all over the States, Kevin in CA, Prince in Chicago, Jill in Charlotte, NC, Florence in FL and the others all in this area but a radius of fifty miles, so was great. We did have some laughs and reminiscing over old times, good for the soul.
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." George Santayana
Although the Spanish Influenza affected a different part of the population, mostly younger people with strong immune systems and Covid-19 affects more older folk, many parallels can be drawn. The actions of governments and individuals have a similar ring to them, lack of unity and disinformation.
The Spanish Influenza started in the January of 1918, not too dissimilar to the Corona Virus, but what was really distressing was the second wave that began in the autumn of 1918 and was far more deadly. I'm not a soothsayer, but this does concern me.
I think it's interesting that basically we can do no more than they did one hundred years ago, wear a mask and socially isolate. Of course we've got better follow up once in hospital but still. How quickly things change.
Take care, keep safe.
Christine
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Planning The Great Escape; While Living Life
Hi Dear Folk,
How is your day? Just wanting to reach out and touch the world, hugs to all. I always liked what John Lennon said "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." I'm sure I've quoted it several times over the years on my Blog.
Days are merging together, but I think it's Wednesday. I woke up to dull skies and quite chilly. Last night I even turned my stove on in the Simla room/sunporch. To counteract the grayness of the weather I've put on a bright pinky peach jumper with black leggings, one thing for warmth and the other to have some colour.
That's where I am now in the Simla Room, because even though it's dull out there, still a lot of light in here. I listened to an interview with Tim Gunn and he said that he had been slumming around in PJ bottoms, T-shirt and a robe, if you can imagine that of Tim Gunn who is always so immaculately dressed. I don't feel so bad after hearing him say that. Prime is now airing all the shows of Making The Cut, which I have enjoyed, all that creativity and design.
It got me to thinking about this moment in time and how we have bought clothes. Mostly one buys clothes to go out, and to be around the house, well! One just wants, easy and comfortable. But is easy and comfortable stylish? I do think you can make it so by what you were with it; which led me on to the thought, if I made a piece of clothing just for home, what would that be?
Thinking back to the fifties my mum never wore trousers, so all housework was done in a dress, over which she wore, what we called an overall, that may have had long sleeves even, or a pinafore that covered everything but no sleeves. Now thinking to my stash of patterns, I do think I have a vintage pattern for making one of those old pinafores, and I that's what I'm going to do.
Going back to my heading Planning The Great Escape. Isn't it the most ironic thing that there is no Great Escape. Could I buy a little cottage in rural France, plan a trip to PEI, or my dream vacation New Zealand and Australia. I heard it will be a long time before they let flights and people in from the USA, because we are the worst hit in the world, not per thousand, but overall. I'm going to live life, a combination of cleaning, clearing and creativity. The cleaning is not inspiring me, the clearing is lightening my soul, but the creativity feeds it.
On the cleaning front I cleaned out under the kitchen sink at 3:00 am the wee hours of the morning. Actually I've been sleeping quite well, so that was a bit of an anomaly, although I hear many people are not. Also big change around of my glass and cottage ware in the dining room, plus a purge of some glassware, I did post photos on my Instagram. I want to put things on Facebook Marketplace, now I've figured out how simple it is to do that, but this is probably not the best time to do porch pickup, no indeed not, although my neighbor seems to be busy that way. On the other hand if people are not working and have limited resources one cannot judge. Think about contact guidelines, which I'm sure will be in practice for a long while. Tim Gunn did mention he was on a clothes purge, which is what I am planning, I have already done some of that.
Mr. B. put up some lattice work for me, four panels above our already existing fence, along the top. I had one panel up, and it's been up so long ivy is growing all though it and give us wonderful privacy, so I think the other panels will do so too. I plan to plant clematis and other climbers. Mr. B. mentioned trumpet vines and wisteria, but I said no, because they become so woody and can pull down what they climb on, and I don't want my fence pulled down. Any suggestions on flowering climbers? I stained one panel, but have three more to do. I am a slow painter, but meticulous, so it took a while, and I was frozen through by the time I finished and could not get warm for the better part of the evening even with the stove on.
Later today more crochet on my lace diamond shawl and watch Maudie.
Stay safe, be good, keep well,
Christine
How is your day? Just wanting to reach out and touch the world, hugs to all. I always liked what John Lennon said "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." I'm sure I've quoted it several times over the years on my Blog.
Days are merging together, but I think it's Wednesday. I woke up to dull skies and quite chilly. Last night I even turned my stove on in the Simla room/sunporch. To counteract the grayness of the weather I've put on a bright pinky peach jumper with black leggings, one thing for warmth and the other to have some colour.
That's where I am now in the Simla Room, because even though it's dull out there, still a lot of light in here. I listened to an interview with Tim Gunn and he said that he had been slumming around in PJ bottoms, T-shirt and a robe, if you can imagine that of Tim Gunn who is always so immaculately dressed. I don't feel so bad after hearing him say that. Prime is now airing all the shows of Making The Cut, which I have enjoyed, all that creativity and design.
It got me to thinking about this moment in time and how we have bought clothes. Mostly one buys clothes to go out, and to be around the house, well! One just wants, easy and comfortable. But is easy and comfortable stylish? I do think you can make it so by what you were with it; which led me on to the thought, if I made a piece of clothing just for home, what would that be?
Thinking back to the fifties my mum never wore trousers, so all housework was done in a dress, over which she wore, what we called an overall, that may have had long sleeves even, or a pinafore that covered everything but no sleeves. Now thinking to my stash of patterns, I do think I have a vintage pattern for making one of those old pinafores, and I that's what I'm going to do.
Going back to my heading Planning The Great Escape. Isn't it the most ironic thing that there is no Great Escape. Could I buy a little cottage in rural France, plan a trip to PEI, or my dream vacation New Zealand and Australia. I heard it will be a long time before they let flights and people in from the USA, because we are the worst hit in the world, not per thousand, but overall. I'm going to live life, a combination of cleaning, clearing and creativity. The cleaning is not inspiring me, the clearing is lightening my soul, but the creativity feeds it.
On the cleaning front I cleaned out under the kitchen sink at 3:00 am the wee hours of the morning. Actually I've been sleeping quite well, so that was a bit of an anomaly, although I hear many people are not. Also big change around of my glass and cottage ware in the dining room, plus a purge of some glassware, I did post photos on my Instagram. I want to put things on Facebook Marketplace, now I've figured out how simple it is to do that, but this is probably not the best time to do porch pickup, no indeed not, although my neighbor seems to be busy that way. On the other hand if people are not working and have limited resources one cannot judge. Think about contact guidelines, which I'm sure will be in practice for a long while. Tim Gunn did mention he was on a clothes purge, which is what I am planning, I have already done some of that.
Mr. B. put up some lattice work for me, four panels above our already existing fence, along the top. I had one panel up, and it's been up so long ivy is growing all though it and give us wonderful privacy, so I think the other panels will do so too. I plan to plant clematis and other climbers. Mr. B. mentioned trumpet vines and wisteria, but I said no, because they become so woody and can pull down what they climb on, and I don't want my fence pulled down. Any suggestions on flowering climbers? I stained one panel, but have three more to do. I am a slow painter, but meticulous, so it took a while, and I was frozen through by the time I finished and could not get warm for the better part of the evening even with the stove on.
Later today more crochet on my lace diamond shawl and watch Maudie.
Stay safe, be good, keep well,
Christine
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