Life: Through the Lens

Big, beautiful and loud, an air show is a daily occurance at Oshkosh AirVenture. Death-defying acts and magnificent flight demonstrations are part of the excitement of the event. The shows last a couple of hours, and range from wing-walkers to aerobatic displays to formation flying. Enjoy a few selections from the numerous acts we saw.

You have probably heard people say something is as "big as Texas," and a number of variations on that theme. Texas IS big, and Texans are very proud of that. This was in evidence at Oshkosh, believe it or not, in the form of an exhibit the Texans brought to share. It was a rather random promotion, in my opinion...but it was pointed at aviation as well as tourism. Because my daughter and her family live in Texas I also thought this was a fun photojournalistic aspect to share with you. It made me chuckle.

I absolutely love when something old is renovated, or renewed, or given new life. At events such as this AirVenture , sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association, there is a lot of emphasis placed on education....and on history. Take this Douglass DC-3, for example. These planes were early airline transport and used widely in WWII. They are renowned for durability and dependability, with most flying thousands and thousands of hours. AND, they are still used today. Duggie is in use in a number of ways. At the air show he took jumpers up to altitude so they could jump from a perfectly good aircraft to be part of the air show demonstrations. Duggie is also an educational tool, showing school children about air planes, and encouraging their interest in aviation. Check out the web site on the first photo. If you have children, share the site with them, as well. There is a lot of information as well as activities. As you can see, Roamin ' sure enjoyed his time on the aircraft. I...

Oshkosh AirVenture 2009 First, the planes arrive. All shapes and sizes. Some people come for the day, and some stay for the week. Some families rent a house in the area, and some sleep under the wing. The commonality of the event is the feeling of comaradarie pilots and their families have with each other. It's a family, a huge one, but a family none-the-less. Some pilots bring their planes to enter in competition, in diverse categories. This Grumman Widgeon, a fabulously restored 1942 aircraft, is entered in the Seaplane category. The person who owns this aircraft is a friend, and his father owns one as well. Like father like son. Not every one competes; some come for the sport, the adventure, the forums, the presentations, the air show itself. Others network, or purchase supplies for their airplanes. Some come just to look. Us? We love it all. Daryl and I get different things out of the event. I love to photograph, soaking in colors and sites and smells and tastes (ice cream is a...

The first part of an adventure is usually exciting, and nerve-wracking. All that preparation and planning and then you "go." It seems like a race to that starting point, and then you head out and are exhausted. But the expectation of the journey is exciting and once finally underway you can begin to unwind and look ahead. Leaving Michigan by boat was very exciting. We took the Badger across Lake Michigan, deciding to opt for less driving in order to arrive at Oshkosh, WI fresh and ready for the Airventure activities. What a great decision. The crossing was smooth, though a bit chilly, and beautiful. There are always characters to watch and conversations to listen to. We particularly enjoyed watching one of the deck hands listen to his IPod and dance to his own drummer through out most of the 4-hour voyage. He'd willingly dance with who ever wanted to join him, as well. This particular trip took four hours, and the company made a great decision to make sure all passengers...

Meet our Roaming Gnome. He's busy looking at the map and helping us get ready to begin our adventure across the northern part of the United States. We leave Friday morning, and our house is a total disaster as we decide what we need to take and what we can leave behind. It's a camping journey - tent camping. We have not done this in ages and are a bit nervous about it. But we're prepared: tent, ground cover, sleeping bags, camp stove, cooking tools, food, clothing (well, after the laundry is finished), maps, books, notebooks, camera gear, bug spray, camera gear, sunscreen, camera gear - you get the picture:). This little gnome caught my fancy. I do believe you recognize him from some Travelocity commercials, though I haven't compared them side-by-side. He came with a passport, and a little history of garden gnomes and their journeys. It seemed so appropriate to have one, as a garden gnome begins in the country, in the garden, and then takes a journey away from that saf...

I love heart-warming stories, stories of community spirit and hope. This is just such a story. A small town bakery was going out of business. If you know anything about Michigan's economy this is not an unusual story. The downtown areas of some of our little towns are starting to look like ghost towns. Empty store fronts are the norm. One little town near us, Clare, is no exception. There is something else about small towns that needs to be told, and that's community spirit. Clare has spirit. The police department didn't want one more business to close, and grouped together to change that. The entire 9-man police force went together and bought the bakery. Yes, bought it. And renamed it "Cops and Doughnuts." Why "Cops and Doughnuts?" It's a cliche, don't you think? An old pairing: the tired and hungry policeman walking his beat, looking for a place for a cup of coffee at an hour of the day when most businesses are closed. For some reason doughnut...