Yesterday was HOT and humid, but Gail and I went out in it for a short while to see the WWII planes at the Mount Pocono airport. The Jeep corporation sponsored it, as part of a series of promotions called "Camp Jeep" - sort of celebrating the Jeep lifestyle, as it were. This event centered on a fly-in of planes from the Second World War, and the display of various Jeep vehicles from the same era, along with a hangar dance and musical acts on Friday night. I was contacted some months ago by the organizers to have our CAP squadron provide help with parking and flightline security, which we did.
The event was quite a gathering, in regard to the aircraft; the B-17 bomber "Memphis Belle" that was used in the movie, plus a bevy of fighter planes: A polished P-51 Mustang, a burly Marine Corsair, a rare twin-engined P-38 Lightning, and a pair of massive P-47 Thunderbolts. It made for a great display out on the ramp, along with the various olive-drab vehicles, and the tents and period posters.
My cadets did well at their work; I got glowing reports from the event staff on their contribution. They looked to be having fun yesterday, smiling through the sweat and sunburns. Gail and I took pictures, of course; she was trying out my old film camera, the first time in years either of us have shot film. (I guess it was in keeping with the historical theme! My Pentax K-body is older than I am.) It's funny how obsolete film seems already - you can't review your pictures? And you only get 36 exposures, rather than the hundreds we normally shoot? How did we put up with this?!?
The event ended at 3, and a very motivated guy from the event staff began chasing everyone out. We were grateful to get back in the air-conditioning in the car, and decided to go look for a lake to wade in to cool off. We picked up shorts and some very cheap towels in a frightening foray into the local Wal-Mart, and drove out to Gouldsboro State Park. I used to go fishing there when I was a kid, and I remembered the nice white beach there. Well, I was in for a shock; the park is still there - but the lake is gone! The fishing pier and boat launch are still there, but the water is just about all dried up. They must have drained the lake for some reason; the other nearby lakes are low in late summer, but nothing like this.
So we went back down the road to Tobyhanna State Park - luckily, Pennsylvania is full of them - and spent a while by the lakeside there.
