Howie and Larry’s Pastimes…..

You know by now that Marj and I enjoy shopping. Our particular favorite is nosing around antique shops…..to us, that is the same as touring museums! I can’t tell you how many times one of us has picked something up and said, “Remember…..we had one of these on the farm” – or “Wow! I had one just like this when I was a kid!”

Howie and Larry, not so prone to shopping, enjoy going to the real kind of museum. While we were in Wilmington, North Carolina, they were excited to go onboard the USS North Carolina battle ship. They reported that it took over 3,000 men to run this 700+ foot war time vessel which carried nine 16″ guns in three turrets, twenty 5” guns and a variety of machine or anti-aircraft guns for a total of 44 guns. It was considered the greatest sea weapon when it was commissioned in 1941. She only lost 10 men during the entire war. Senior admission was $10.

And below deck……

The next museum opportunity presented itself in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The guys were eager to view the Military Aviation Museum (aka MAM) which is privately owned. It houses WWI and WWII aircraft. The planes are privately owned and on display – all the airplanes are flown at least once a month. There is a machine shop to make parts as needed. There are five hangers and a runway. Flights are offered in some of the planes for a fee but the guys passed on this option. Volunteers walk the grounds to answer any questions you may have while touring. The senior admission rate was $13.

Their third museum was the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. As it turns out, this was the favorite of the three for both Howie and Larry. The museum features Pennsylvania’s railroad history from the 1800’s and 1900’s. It has 100 locomotives and railroad cars on display and it also has a huge operating model railroad. They guys liked it because they could actually see the evolution of the locomotives and passenger coach. Additionally, there was a lot of railroad paraphernalia with explanation. Across the street was the Strasburg Railroad on which you can actually ride for an additional fee. Admission for seniors was $9.

And finally the ultimate museum….Gettysburg. The guys drove almost 2 hours to Gettysburg where they went through the museum, watched the film and did the car tour. They learned that Rbt. E. Lee made a big mistake that cost him the battle….that being he was advised by his commanding officers not to attach because they were outnumbered. He went ahead, attacked and lost! It was a big day for the guys but they both said it was a very educational, in-depth look at the battle of Gettysburg.

That’s all the museum’s for now….if I know Howie and Larry, I’ll be posting a “Part II” in the future. Until then…..HAPPY TRAILS!