A Little Trip - Pt.2

The business part of the trip was educational, we learned a lot about policy issues in agriculture, and how the lobbying process works. Along the say, we met both of Iowa's senators, and a number of other top officials. We got the security process down pretty well, but it's always a kind of roulette game, you never know what each metal detector will trigger on.


On our free afternoon, we visited the Air and Space Museum, the American History Museum was closed for renovation. Seeing so many pieces of aviation and space history was a bit awe inspiring, especially looking at the primitive aircraft, and contemplating the courage it took to fly them. Of course, those machines were cutting edge technology at the time. It was interesting the see the number of international visitors there.

Although the fabric was replaced some years ago, this IS the original Wright Flyer, 105 years old. The engine is not the original, and the propellers are from a later Flyer, but it is the ONE that all of todays aircraft are derived from.

Later, we took the Metro out to Arlington Cemetery and visited the Kennedy grave site.

What would our world be like if events had unfolded differently on that day in Dallas?

I remember well the day it happened, the shock felt throughout the nation. The feeling that the world had turned upside down for a moment. That this sort of thing was supposed to happen elsewhere, not here, not in our land.

There were a number of school groups there, and we were a bit disturbed by the lack of respect exhibited by some of the students. Surrounded the graves of those who in some cases sacrificed all for our freedom is a sobering experience.