BMCAS Air Show

It was hot.  Even spring in coastal Carolina can be hot. The heat seemed to radiate from the asphalt where the flying machines were resting. We were at the Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, for their 2015 edition of their air show. It is a great family oriented event. There would be several thousand people on hand.  One of the most interesting things we saw all day we saw as we entered the spectator area. As you would expect on a military base security was enforced.  At the entrance to the exhibition area the marines searched backpack and hand bags.  They also used a metal detection wand to scan each person.   We were asked to extend our arms out from our sides for this.  Just in front of us a young boy of about seven or eight years of age was to be scanned by the Marine. However, when the marine demonstrated how the boy was to extend his arms the boy ran to him and hugged him! He had thought the marine wanted a hug! It was what they once called a "Kodak Moment". (I don't know what they call that now. A YouTube moment?)  After passing through security we set up our chairs in front of an orange plastic barrier with a full view of the airstrip.

There was a large exhibit of various airplanes. These airplanes were not to fly in the air show. Almost all of the aircraft were of the military variety. On previous occasions there had been many more civilian airplanes. One of the more interesting was the Rockwell OV-10 Bronco.  Broncos were used primarily as forward observation aircraft in warfare.  Pilots of these planes would report enemy positions to ground forces.  All the Broncos I had seen before had been the military olive drab color. But this plane was painted blue and white NASA  color scheme.  There were several F-16 "Fighting Falcons" on hand as well.  These fighter aircraft had "Viper" and "Swamp Fox" emblazoned on their tails. I think that one of the interesting features of the combat jet is the position of the control stick in the cockpit. In most aircraft it is positioned between the pilot's legs but in the F-16 it is  positioned on the right hand side. Incidentally, the "Fighting Falcon" is referred to as the "Viper" by the pilots because of its resemblance to the "Viper" fighters in the television show Battlestar Galactica. There

were several helicopters of different types and a C-130 "Hercules" cargo plane. I had flown in one of those in the 1960s.  Two of the newest American aircraft were also there.  The F-35 "Lightning II" and the V-22 "Osprey".  The F-35 is the most technologically advanced fighter plane today. It can be used by the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. It has the ability to take off from short runways, hover and land vertically. The V-22 can take off like a helicopter then rotate its engines ninety degrees and fly like an airplane.  Also on display was a B-25 bomber of WWII fame. The polished aluminum really shined brightly in the Carolina sun.  Surrounding the aircraft were booths selling food and drink as well as souvenirs.

The flying part of the air show started shortly after eleven with skydivers landing with a huge American flag. We stood and sang the national anthem with hundreds and then it was show time.
Each show has its announcer. Sometimes a performer has their own announcer. Aerobatic stunt planes are airplanes designed for that specific purpose. They are relatively small and powerful.  The pilots of these aircraft subject themselves to tremendous "G" forces during their acrobatic manoeuvres.  We watched as they performed barrel rolls, loops, figure-eights and other stunts which defy description all to the sound of screaming engines and blaring music from the loudspeakers.  This type of flying is descendant from the flying circuses f the 1920s.  I does make ones pulse quicken to watch an airplane seemingly tumble out of the sky.  A ribbon was stretched across the runway less that twenty feet off the ground and an airplane, flying inverted, cut the ribbon with its tail.

The military aircraft put on a show as well. And the Marine Corps presented a mock pilot rescue.  This involved paratroopers, helicopters, and jet aircraft. It was exciting with lots of smoke and fire and noise from the aircraft.

The last event of the day was an exhibition by the U. S.  Navy's Blue Angels. They thrilled the crowd with their flying skills in their F/A-18 "Hornets".  See my video here.

But No Santa Maria

It was one of those beautiful spring afternoons when we sped across the Cooper River to the Patriots Point Marina to see reproductions of Christopher Columbus' ships, the Nina and the Pinta. They were not visible as we followed the signs out on the pier of the marina. Under a canopy was a woman and a man  sitting behind a table with a large sign saying: "Buy Tickets Here". Tickets were seven dollars each for senior citizens. We received a flyer with some information about the ships with our tickers. The young man gave us directions to the ships berths. I glanced at the literature and noticed that construction of the reproductions had begun in 1988.

"I'm sure I went aboard a reproduction of the Santa Maria in the tidal basin at Washington, D.C. in 1968," I said to the ticket seller. "And the Nina and Pinta were there too" I added.

"Those were the Spanish reproductions,"  he said, "they're now in Corpus Christi, Texas".


We made our way along the pier to where the two sailing ships were tied up. The water was fairly smooth in Charleston harbor and across the water we could see the giant Carnival cruise ship getting ready to disembark.  White sails of the College of Charleston Sailing Club's small boats were moving briskly in the warm breeze. The sailing vessels were black.  I was surprised because the reproductions I had seen before had been the color of natural wood.  These were black, painted with tar. Tar is waterproof and this has the effect of preserving the wood on the sailing vessels.  These ships were built in Brazil by Portuguese shipwrights using the construction techniques of the 15th century.

As we climbed aboard we noticed a small list of the ship. It seems most top heavy ships don't sit level in the water. Aboard the Nina we investigated fore and aft, that is the front and back. "This is the Nina, Christopher Columbus, favorite ship," I said to Claudette.

"Apparently your historical knowledge did not teach you the correct pronunciation of the ship's name," she said.

"What do you mean? It's the Nina!"

"Nina is pronounced Neenya! It's the Spanish pronunciation," I was informed.

"Okay, okay!  Now I realize that Zane Gray did know how to spell canyon.  All through his books he spelled canyon, canon.  Now I understand," I answered.

Looking up to the rigging, I said, "I wonder how many miles of rope are on this vessel?"

"I don't know," she said, "but saw the method by which it was made at Mystic Seaport."

The ships have lateen rigged as well as square rigged sails. This combination was efficient for sailing into the wind as well as sailing with the wind. The design of the ships are called a caravelle.

At the back of the ship which sailors call aft I grabbed the tiller.  This sturdy piece of hardwood was attached to the rudder at the end of its ten foot length which steered the ship. A

crewman told me that it only required one sailor to steer the ship. The Nina would have had a crew of twenty-four. They would have slept on the deck exposed to the elements. The cargo hold held provisions. The ship carried an assortment of live stock too. It was quite crowded. We were not allowed to go below decks.  I  can understand how the seven man crew of the reproduction needed its privacy. Top speed under sail was only 5-8 knots, slower than the average man can run.  Each of the reproductions has auxiliary diesel engine. The Pinta two and the Nina one.

We left the 65 foot Nina and boarded  the larger Pinta.  The Pinta reproduction is longer and wider than the original. Otherwise it is much the same. The additional space on the main deck is filled with saleable merchandise for the tourist. As I looked at both these watercraft I could not help but be reminded of the many splendid ship models and artifacts we had seen in the Spanish Naval Museum in Madrid.

Claudette and I enjoyed our visit to the replicant ships which were almost dwarfed by a huge Pershing yacht nearby. I think it could have been better if we could have gone below decks and if we had had a docent. The crew members knowledgeable but they did not share their knowledge unless asked.

Oh, for the stories they would tell...

" I pushed the middle button and the dentist's chair moved me within inches of the ceiling!" Bil Lepp exclaimed as he told his tale of a visit to his friendly dentist. We were inside Charleston's Second Presbyterian Church for Charleston Tells Storytelling Festival. It was the festival opening

performances. Lepp, one  of the National Tellers, kept us in stitches with his tales. This event was the third annual Charleston Tells and is sponsored by the Charleston County Library. Later, Michael Reno Harrell would talk and sing about being a southerner. While Charlotte blake Alston would regale us with her African-American tales and Corinne Stavish would charm us with stories of her Jewish grandmother.

Saturday dawned with a gray sky over the South Carolina Lowcountry. The Festival opened at 10 AM and we arrived about 11:30 after parking about three blocks away. The big white tents had been set up for the story tellers. There were two large ones and a small one for performances in addition to the church sanctuary. The venues for the performers were appropriately named Magnolia, Dogwood, and Live Oak. Each tent had a different story teller telling. Each teller would speak for about an hour. The tellers told a variety of stories and tales.  Some were stories of personal experiences, some funny and some not so funny.  Folktales from different cultures were also shared with adoring crowds. Some tellers had props and or musical instruments. As I was standing outside one tent peering in I saw a young man  with an elong. What a topic for conversation! He was Julian Gooding, a storyteller/documentary filmmaker/percussionists.  We discussed how some primitive musical instruments.  "I found this one and repaired it," he said.

"Do you use soft or hard hammers?" I asked.

"Oh you have to use soft hammers," Julian said.

"Why?' I wanted to know. I am somewhat fascinated by primitive musical instruments.

"Because of the wood.  The bars of this one are soft wood. Hard hammers would damage the wood," I was informed.

We chatted a bit more and he told me stories of filming in exotic locals and I got a chance to inspect the elong more closely. An elong is a xylophone type instrument of West Africa which uses various size gourds for amplification. The instrument is  assembled with lashings.  No metal fasteners used.
Julian had to perform and we had to set up for his performance and we had to get ready for the Story

Swap  part of the Festival.  I was looking forward to this because I was going to tell a story. Rain was threatening and there was a stiff breeze. Story Swap is held under the giant live oak trees of Wragg Square. We arranged the folding chairs in a semicircle and Story Swap began. Four members of the Backporch Storytellers of Charleston would be telling stories and I was proud to be a part of that group.  As luck would have it the instant before I was to tell my story of Sunday mornings, cigars and A.R.P.s it began to rain. We reconvened in one of the unoccupied big tents. After a man close by finished driving an tent peg with a sledgehammer, my audience could finally hear me. They liked my story.

We heard a two more stories after Story Swap. We visited a friend in the Digital Storytelling tent. Digital storytelling is a relatively new idea or at least it is a new name for telling a story accompanied by photos, and music. Stories can be on any subject but very short. Our friend ron Alexander had a poignant story about the death of his brother during the Vietnam War.

The Festival closed at 5PM but we left a little early to meet some of my storytelling friends a Joe Pasta for some dinner. We'll be back next year to enjoy the entertainment and do our part to support the ancient art of storytelling.

Faded love

If you are like me some songs evoke certain memories. Just the other day I was listening to an old CD.  It was one of those with something scribbled on it with a Sharpie. I stuck it into the laptop and gave it a listen. One of the first songs was Faded Love as sung by Patsy Cline. I had never heard this version of the song being familiar with the Bob Wills version.  Actually, I am not a big fan of of Western Swing music but like some jazz I can take it in small doses. There was and is  something about the sound of those twin fiddles in the song that I really like. Incidentally, Texas or Western Swing music is dance music  Dancing is something I don't do. I've crashed and burned on all attempts. Yes, the song did evoke a memory.  It reminded me of a night we spent at Billy Bob's Texas, the largest honky tonk in the world. I don't remember exactly where I had heard of Billy Bob's but when I found out that we were going to Fort Worth, Texas, I knew I had to see the largest honky tonk in the world. And I did

I am big fan of what I call the "all alone at the end of the bar at closing time" songs.  These may be called "tear-jerkers". Many of those are country music songs of the old style country. Back when the lyric was more important than the beat. I guess some could be called "torch songs". I think the greatest torch song was  At Last by Etta James. If this song doesn't tug at the strings of your heart, go see  your doctor to get restrung! Some people associate a specific song with a particular event or events.  Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mack was the theme song of William Jefferson Clinton's quest for the White House. Many couples have "their" song. How many times have you seen it in a movie? She looks at him with dreamy eyes and says, "They're playing our song".  Once I was the part of one such couple. The song was Gentle On My Mind by Bobby Goldsboro. (I know Glen Campbell covered it too.) The song defined the relationship. When I lived in the Northeast a local radio station had a call in segment og Fridays for dedications. You could call in and dedicate the Johnny Paycheck song,Take this Job and Shove It, to the boss of your choosing. I never did,  But should have.  Songs often remind us of personal loss.  When I hear Bishop F.C. Barne's Rough Side of the Mountain, I'm reminded of Vincent, a fellow artist I sold art with on the streets of Charleston. It was sung at his funeral. 

Other songs bring back other memories too. Every time I hear  Need You Now by Lady Antebellum I think of hot croissants and night time on the Champs de Elysees. When we were driving around France several years ago it seemed that every other song played on the radio was I Need You Now. And in English!

Some songs remind us of films or television shows. The John Barry theme of the 007 movies is recognised worldwide.  Other well know music from the movies is from The Godfather, The Magnificent Seven  and South Pacific.  The Mash  and Cheers television themes are easily recognised. I like the gritty sound of the theme of Hell on Wheels.  I can't hear the theme from Star Wars without visualising "A long, long, time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." scrolling up the screen and a battle cruiser coming into view. Of course before the days of television there were the themes to the radio shows. I never the forget The William Tell Overture from The Lone Ranger.

And of course there are the commercial jingles. Is there a physiological reason why they can get stuck in our minds?  I've had some commercial jingles play for hours in my head. I think it was those cats advertising fat litter!



We are all touched by music...I think.

Tatts

I wanted one. My momma didn't like them. I thought they were cool, although I don't know if I would have used the word "cool" in that  way in the late fifties. Before I had seen a real one I had seen a picture of one in an advertisement for Marlboro cigarettes on the back of a Life magazine.

The first time I saw a real one was on a doffer named Jimmy.
I was probably about eighteen years old at the time and had my first full time job. The textile industry was the most common type of manufacturing where I lived. My job title was"material allocator".  I moved bobbins of yarn from one place to another.   One of the jobs in the manufacturing plant I worked in was that of a spinning frame doffer. A spinning frame doffer removed bobbins of yarn from the spinning frames. Doffers were usually relatively small thin men, but Jimmy was different.  He was short and muscular.  He looked sorta like "Mr. Clean" but was only partially bald. He had one, or rather several, tattoos. On one of his arms, which looked as though it had come from a box of Arm and Hammer baking soda, was tattooed "Mom".  The other arm was the most interesting, however.  At his shoulder was tattooed "Jimmy loves". Under that were three black rectangles.  Beneath the bottom most rectangle was tattooed "Kathie".  The three rectangles covered the girlfriends that preceded Kathie. There was another guy there with a tattoo, but I didn't know him very well. He worked on the loading dock and didn't have much to do with other folks. I was in the canteen once and happened to notice some crude writing and a skull and crossbones on his forearm.  I asked someone about it, and they said he was a tough guy and had been in Federal prison. They said they were called jailhouse tattoos.

When I was in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam war I saw a lot of tattoos on sailors. Actually, the first Navy tattoo I saw was while I was in boot camp. We all showered together there, and I could not help but notice this one particular tattoo.  This sailor from North Carolina, whom some said had been a carnival worker, had this tattoo of a rabbit running up his back. I'll let you figure out where the rabbit hole was. Once aboard ship  I found out how sailors had spread tattooing throughout the world. Although there have been tattoos found on the remains of humans from 5,300 years ago, British sailors, some of Captain Cook's, brought the idea back to Europe after visiting the South Seas.  The process was simple. The skin was pierced or cut and ink was rubbed into the incision.*  After the wound healed the ink was visible through the skin.  The men of the sea are also responsible for myths and superstitions attached to certain images tattooed on their bodies. Here are a few of the betterknown ones.

• Swallows--for good luck
• Turtle--means the sailor has crossed the Equator
• Pigs or roosters --to keep from drowning
• Anchor--means the sailor has crossed the Atlantic Ocean
• Golden Eagle--means a sailor has crossed the International Date Line
• Christian crosses on the soles of feet --to ward off sharks
• Five-pointed stars --to prevent getting lost at sea

When I was a sailor I saw a number of these and became familiar with the superstitions attached to some of them.  Sailors seemed to have an affinity for tattoos of the nude female form. I never found out what superstition was attached to these. I do remember one sailor getting his nude female tattoos removed in order for some young lady to accept his hand in marriage. However, I did see my first tattoo on a female form in the Philippine Islands. She had "sweet" and "sour" tattooed on her upper body. I'm sure you can figure out what parts of her anatomy had these labels My shipmates on the Bon Homme Richard preferred two rather unique tattoos.  They favored either "US PRIME", like the blue stamps on Bonnie Dick steak (roast beef), or lip prints. Either of these were visible through a sailor's white Cracker Jack pants. I was told these tatts were chick magnets. Of course to get a tattoo a person must be willing to withstand a certain amount of pain. But there are specific libations that have a dulling effect during the application of tattoos. Maybe that explains these lines in a Jimmy Buffett song.

"It's a real beauty,
     a Mexican cutie,
and how it got there
    I haven't a clue!"

The modern twin-coil electromagnetic tattoo needle was patented in 1891 by Samuel O'Riley, an Irish-American tattooist working out of a barber's shop in New York City. The tiny needles on a modern tattoo device puncture the skin over 150 times per second.  There can be as few as three or as many as 15 needles puncturing the skin simultaneously. 

Tattoos are extremely popular now. According to a 2008 survey 40% of those Americans aged 26-40 had tattoos.


Personally, I've never  gotten a tattoo. I'm quite surprised that I did not get one while in the service. Perhaps I dream too much of Ray Bradbury's Illustrated Man.

* The native people of New Zealand are said to use gunpowder instead of ink. I, however, find this difficult to believe, because the Maoris were tattooed when Cook first saw them, and he introduced them to gunpowder.