Children and Airplanes
I took the kids to the museum at Hill Air Force Base a couple of weeks ago. It was an attempt to buy Kathleen some time to nap or do chores. They behaved pretty well on the drive to Ogden, and then we had fun looking at all the planes. This picture shows Isaac and Charlotte next to the wheel of a C-124 Globemaster, a decent-sized cargo plane. Isaac liked the B-1 as well; he was fascinated by its bomb doors (of course). The planes outside were getting a little weathered, and some of them were unique enough to justify a little more attention, if the budget could be spared. The kids also enjoyed a nice F-89 Scorpion, a 
fairly unusual plane and one of my favorites.
We went inside to look at some of the excellent display aircraft, but the kids were getting a little restless by that point. If you get a chance, there is a very rare P-38, recovered at great effort from the Alaska. It’s been carefully restored and lovingly displayed. When they’re a little older, I think they’ll have a little better sense for what these machines really represent. Each plane is a lesson, and each plane has a story. Take the P-47s and P-51s on New Year’s Day 1945, or the amazing and gutsy Doolittle Raid.
We have a lot to be grateful for in this country, not least of which is a history to be proud of. I’m glad we live close to a place we can go remember these things.