Saturday, April 17, 2010

not exactly VFR


Robin perched on a tie-down at the Plum Island Aerodrome

Coffee of the Day: French Roast Sumatra (mm, mm, gooooooodddd!)
Bird of the Day: American robin
Weird Wrack Item of the Day: actually, none -- I wasn't on the beach -- too rainy
Invisi-bird status: no info today


Yup, it kept raining last night and this morning. I went to the refuge anyway. I think Gatehouse thought I was insane. She told me to go home. I went birding (mostly from the car). For some reason, American robins were walking in the road all up and down the refuge. None perched in trees. None flying. Everybody walking in the road. Robins have suddenly started acting like mourning doves. Weird.

No fly-in at the aerodrome but I went to the 100th anniversary festivities anyway. Ted Russell gave excellent history. Lots of folks, mostly pilots and/or history buffs, showed up. The historical signage that will be placed on the refuge was on display. The diorama of the original airfield is really cool. So is the time line of Daily News headlines about the airfield that surrounds the diorama.

Pilots and history buffs in the museum looking at the new diorama

Ted Russell (right) and the new historical info signs

The upper sign will be placed at the current Plum Island Aerodrome (2B2). The lower one will be placed on the refuge near parking lot 2, the site of the actual first New England flying field.

Cool flying outfits on teddy bear and cardboard guy


Aeroplanes at the Aerodrome

The centennial event was covered by the Daily News and by the Globe North, so I suspect y'all will see stuff about it in those papers tomorrow. I had great airplane geek and photography geek conversations, one of which was with the coolest elderly woman who had trained as a Navy pilot at the end of WWII (she said the Japanese heard she was coming and surrendered :-)). Another woman pilot I talked to was looking to buy a plane for herself and her husband, both up there in years way beyond me. Cool people. I talked to so many cool people today that I wish I'd recorded it all.

After the airport festivities, I hit the art show at the refuge visitor center. It was not as well-attended as the airport thing. I found myself talking up the airport to the artists, many of whom did not know the historic significance and had no idea there is a wonderful museum in there. Maybe I should've gone back to the airport and talked up the art show to the pilots.


1 comment:

Hilke Breder said...

Hi, I stumbled across your blog and was looking for some profile info - nothing. It would be nice to give your name in your blog. I keep wondering who this "I" is who's talking :-)