Overall, the show was good, but when I arrived at 10:50 a.m., I discovered that they had shut the gates 30 minutes early, and walking among the planes that participated in the show was no longer possible. There was no access to the bombers or the Tora planes. This year, the jump team got to jump, which was nice, but I would have rather had access to the planes. Around noon, the Big Ugly (a B-52 bomber) showed up to do its flyby. This was more or less when the solar eclipse was at its fullest. I didn’t get any photos of the solar eclipse for two reasons. First, I didn’t care; second, putting those glasses over a camera, or even a phone camera, was a chore I wasn’t willing to do. I have many photos of the lunar eclipse, which you can check out at the links below.  For a solar eclipse, you can try the following trick. Stand under a tree and behold all the crescent suns on the grass or the pavement. Through the tree’s filtered light, you will be able to see the eclipse without the pain of staring at the sky and going blind. Heads-up: there will be another solar eclipse in 2024.

The wind and the cool temperature were great for us sightseers, though not so much for the pilots. The Tora show went ahead without a hitch. They know what to do, and the Pyro Crew is always competent in creating an explosive side for the show. This is the reason I attend. The B-25 Mitchell bomber Yellow Rose flew as a B-17 trying to land during the Pearl Harbor attack. I thought that the B-17G Yankee Lady wasn’t going to fly in this fantastic reenactment, which kind of looks like a free-for-all of World War II planes gone wild. By the way, glad to see the P-40 showed up this year! Another treat was when the B-25 Mitchell bomber Doolittle Raiders flew after the Tora show. They added the story of the Doolittle Raiders taking off on the USS Hornet in early 1942 to bomb Tokyo.

The Yankee Lady did fly, along with the C-47 That’s All Brother and the B-25 Devil Dog. I’m glad that they just let the bombers fly by themselves and did not have another parade of smaller planes flying at the same time, as was the case last year. I’m no expert in aviation safety, but I do have the common sense to know that you shouldn’t put two shows on at once. Last year in Dallas we found out that doing so is a bad idea!

I have a few issues with the airshow, but I’ll keep them to an “If you were there to hear it.” Weekend warriors on their phones with no clue and locked gates in the parking lot—I digress. It’s all good. The FBI hasn’t reached out yet; I’m just saying. Next year I’ll show up at the break of dawn, so I won’t have to deal with petty BS.

The third annual Historic Magnolia Cemetery Tour was this week, and I want to thank all who were involved in the planning and the research for it, as well as the grounds crew. You made this event a success and did an excellent job! For those of you who attended, I hope you had a great time. When you think back on your experience, you can thumb through the free program you received when you signed in. Kudos to those knowledgeable volunteers who actually put this together. Technology nerds rock!

Speaking of technology and someone who is a rock in the community, Lynn Simon was supposed to explain the history of Woodson Pipkin and the Pipkin School but was unable to attend on Saturday, so he made a mini documentary. He included not only Reverend Pipkin and the school but also a few people who are interred in the Pipkin area of the cemetery. A mini cemetery tour, if you will. Lynn is a wiz at this kind of thing and did a superb job in creating another way to get history out to the masses. Those who know Mr. Simon will agree that he has a wealth of knowledge and helps on serveral projects in the community.

I continuously learn new things about Magnolia Cemetery as well as other cemeteries in Jefferson County and adjacent counties. I will not get into the spooky side of things this week, but I will say that I was told some stories and have found a few articles about hauntings, gypsies, and things going bump in the night when you least expect it. That’ll be for next week.

Until then, Catherina was Dutch!

Tot volgende week!

Wings Over Houston 2023: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAYykP

Lunar Eclipse 2019: https://flic.kr/s/aHskQS3gxh

Lunar Eclipse 2018: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmdpLbdY

Lunar Eclipse October 2014: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4pnSod

Lunar Eclipse April 2014: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjX69oPV