Every Day is a Gift!
After I chose a few images of birds in flight for Lisa’s Bird Weekly Challenge I realized they were all flying over water. Then I remembered that Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge: Water in the Details. Thank you both for the inspiration for this post.
This post is dedicated to the memory of my father and all of the other men of the U. S. Army Air Corps who flew American bombers in Europe and the Pacific during World War II.
When I first saw Tina’s challenge “Taking Flight” my first instinct was to feature the hummingbirds and Monarch butterflies that are flying around my yard right now. But then I thought about my Dad and how he dedicated his life to flying airplanes for the U.S. Air Force. I decided to focus on his story instead.
My Dad grew up on a small farm high up in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. After high school, he left the farm to find work. He had a job installing sprinkler systems which involved traveling to different locations in the U.S.
He was working in Alabama when he enlisted in the Army after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was told to go back to work and he would be notified of when and where he was to report. He was working on a job in Florida when he received his orders to report for Basic Training.
After completing the training the men were rated according to their ability. Dad was rated a Bomber Pilot. After flight training in various places around the country he received his wings in the Army Air Corps.
During World War II he was assigned to a base in Italy where he flew 50 missions flying the B-24 Liberator shown at the top of the page. Dad returned to the states without injury after he completed his 50 missions.
After the war, Dad made the United States Air Force his career. He flew various other airplanes throughout his career including B-52s in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He retired in the early 1970’s after about 30 years of service.
Flash forward to 2002. Dad and I had an opportunity to go to an exhibition which featured a restored B-24. My Dad was a big man and I was amazed at how small the inside of the plane actually was. I could only imagine how difficult it must have been for him to be in that plane for those long missions.
I’m so grateful Dad and I had that day together. He loved seeing the plane and talking to people about his experiences.
Whenever people would thank Dad for his service he would always say “I was just doing my job.”
WILD BLUE YONDER
Off we go, into the wild blue yonder,
Climbing high, into the sun;
Here they come zooming to meet our thunder,
At ’em now, give ’em the gun!
Down we dive, spouting our flame from under,
Off with one helluva roar!
We live in fame or go down in flame. Hey!
Nothing’ll stop the U. S. Air Force!
The U. S. Air Force Song, Updated Official Lyrics 1 May 2020
Many thanks to Tina for this Photo Challenge: Taking Flight. Please be sure to visit her original post at Lens-Artists Challenge #144: Taking Flight
Photo credits: Black and white WWII B-24 Liberator and B-52 images taken by my Dad. All others by me.
Lisa has challenged us to show birds we’ve seen in the past two weeks. All of the ones here are from this week.
I’ve been enjoying the variety of birds that have been coming to the feeder in my back yard this week. They are eating the seeds as fast as I can fill the feeder. Some days I just sit and enjoy seeing them without running to get my camera. In addition to the birds featured here there were also Carolina Chickadees, Cardinals, Doves, and a male Painted Bunting in my yard. One day I spotted a Great Egret pruning in the marsh.
Shared with Lisa’s Bird Weekly Challenge Birds seen in the past two weeks.
Spring is emerging with colorful flowers all around my yard in coastal Georgia.
I was late planting seeds this year so only a few flowers are blooming in the butterfly garden. I have spotted a few Monarch butterflies but have not been able to capture a photo yet. The Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds have come back to the feeders but I haven’t been able to capture them, either.
Right now purple and orange are the only two colors in the butterfly garden. The milkweed in the garden will soon be blooming. I’m looking forward to adding a few new plants and watching the plants emerge from the seeds.
Most of the azaleas have dropped their petals but a few late bloomers are still showing off their brilliant pink color. Tiny white blossoms stand out on a huge rosemary bush.
We are adding some green to a flower bed in our front yard by adding three citrus trees. Our granddaughter and I had fun getting muddy when we planted a naval orange tree on Easter. The tree is small now but hopefully will grow quickly and produce fruit in a few years.
Many thanks to Amy for this weeks Lens-Artists Challenge #143: Colorful April
Thanks also to Marsha for her challenge Sunday Stills: Emerging
Ann-Christine’s choice for the challenge this week is “You Pick It”. My topic is Spring has Sprung!
I’m not a cold weather person and winter just lasts too long for me. All winter I look forward to seeing the colorful blooms of azaleas and Dogwoods signalling the beginning of spring. Usually by St. Patrick’s Day the azaleas are in full bloom and the vibrant pink blossoms are on display all over town. They were a little late this year but to me they seemed more beautiful than ever.
The blooms on Flowering Dogwoods are another sight I welcome each spring.
I also welcome the signs of spring in the animal world. Egrets, Wood Storks and other long legged wading birds like to build their nest in the spring and a great place to see them nesting is in the trees at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Alligators are coming out of their hibernation in the spring and if you are lucky you may even spy some baby alligators at the refuge.
Happy Spring Everyone!
Many thanks to Ann-Christine for this weeks Lens-Artists Challenge #142: You Pick It
Wandering Dawgs 