FIRST AIRPLANE FLIGHT - MINOLTA 7000i - DAD AND THE CORVETTE

I have blogged about my first airplane flight, but when I wrote that, I had not found a picture of that day. Looking back this morning for that post finds that I apparently have not put that information in one of the main blog headings so, a little re-write here.

My wife and I have officially started a full home clean-out, starting with the office closet. We have 20 years of stored documents and photos. At the end of the day yesterday, another hand full of sorting old photos found one of the ones I have been looking for that day of my first airplane ride. 

The fellow in the above photo was a good friend of my parents and was on his way to Alaska. He planned a refueling stop at Bowerman Field and a quick visit with my folks. 

We drove to the airport for that visit and my parents tried squelching my excitement that just maybe I might get an airplane ride. He was, of course, on a long cross-country flight and most likely would have the time to take me up. "Do not be disappointed if he does not have the time to take you for a flight."

Well, he did and from the look on his face, was also as pleased to give a first airplane ride to a youngster who was overly excited and who have never been in an airplane. 

It was that ride that cemented my love of flying. From that moment forward, my childhood dream was to find some way to become a pilot and fly. 

In 1965, I joined the Army with a signed guarantee for helicopter flight school. I never ever looked back. 

I have stared at this photo quite awhile here.

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ANOTHER GREAT FIND WAY BACK ON THE TOP CLOSET SHELF 

I have disliked my current camera bag since I purchased it years ago. Hard to get into, close back up and it always fall over and down on the camera/lens access pockets. 

In the back of my memory was this old camera bag, not remembering the older camera stored in the bag. To my surprise was finding this old Minolta SLR film camera that I picked up over 20 years ago inside. I remember that I got a good deal on this camera  and, at the time, it was an upgrade. 

As I sort through a myriad of old photos, it occurs to me that this was most likely the camera I was using for many of the photos I am coming across. The bag contained 6 fresh rolls of color film and a new camera battery.

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DAD AND THE CORVETTE

I have come across many photos of my dad driving the 1963 Corvette I left behind in 1967 when I went to Vietnam. I had purchased the car during my final months of training in Alabama, drove it home after graduation from flight school and told my dad to drive it and take care of it in my absence. 

I remember he was hesitant to drive it, at least that was what he had told me. "Yes" he would take care of and watch over it; maybe "drive it a little." 

The old photos I have come across this past weekend tells me mom and dad had a lot of fun traveling the Oregon/Washington Coast and inland drives to Eastern Washington in that 1963 Corvette. 

The smile on my dads face tells it all. It is the same smile I had every time I drove that car. Top down and cruising in a classic sports car.

 

This photo to the left was most likely taken on the road from Grayland/Tokeland to Raymond, Washington.

There are photos of dad washing the car and proudly standing next to the "vette" while friends stopped over to visit. 

There are also a few photos of mom in the car and standing next to it and those photos tell me she also enjoyed riding and traveling in that sports car while I was over seas. Does my heart good. Yep, dad and mom truly loved the car in my absence that year.

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Short post this week. Probably more old photos and a few memories in the posts ahead. Thanks for the visit.