A Day-Trip with the Raines

Hello Everyone,

Probably a lot of you have heard of Bob Neff Tours? Well, our family doesn't go on Bob Neff Tours; we go on "Mark Raine Tours!" Our family and the Raine family have gone on many fun trips together (always historical in nature - we are all history buffs) and the latest was our visit to the National Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Virginia. It was certainly a long-anticipated excursion since we had to plan it three times before it ever occurred. The first time the Raines got sick, the second time the illness was our fault, and, even though we did actually go the third time, we all fell sick with the flu less than a week later! That is all past, however, and all we choose to remember are the many good times we had that day.

Weis Markets - a "wise" place to rendezvous with the Raines

(You will only get the pun if you mispronounce "Weis" as "Wise" like our family sometimes does :-)

Dad is briefed on the day's schedule.

After driving alongside a traffic jam in the opposite lane for several miles, we finally decided that it was an important enough part of the days' events to deserve documentation.

National Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

(Yes, we did, of course, go to the top of the "tower." With so many children along, we didn't even have to count the votes to settle the question; the adults were so obviously outnumbered!)

It's awfully gentlemanly of you and everything, Mr. Raine, but.....well....we normally don't go in the Exit doors!

Do you see those two binders? Our very THOROUGH personal tour guide printed out all that information in preparation for this trip! (Thank you for the very interesting tour, Mr. Raine! I really did enjoy it immensely.)

Like father, like sons. Just look at that folder under his arm!

Whatever it is, it is obviously a "guy thing" or at the very least a "Raine thing."

I kept stepping back and stepping back until finally I had the Enola Gay framed nose to tail.

Trivia: Who can tell me the historical significance of the Enola Gay? (Rules: No googling, and all Raines excluded! ;-)

Look closely. That is real moon dust on those gloves.

We had the unexpected privilege of seeing the USAF Honor Guard Drill Team perform.

http://www.drillteam.af.mil/drillteam/

Someone else's flash helped me out on this shot.


Signature session.

"Wow! I can't believe it: he actually gave me his signature!"

Mom must be pretty important! :-)

A modern instrument of photography versus...

...one of its ancestors.

I was having fun with propellers...

...and I seem to have had a partiality for biplanes.

Tired of them by now?

The Visionary

Pretty, Pretty Pigtails
Author: Maria Renee Kim

Pretty, pretty pigtails
waving in the air.
Pretty, pretty pigtails
bouncing here and there.
Rascally little smile.
Happy little hands.
Pretty, pretty pigtails
making my heart dance.

Mom gets a back rub.

Back outside in the parking lot, we spotted the real thing!

But then we spotted the REAL thing!

No matter how incredible and complex any one of man's inventions is, there is always something in God's creation that outshines it!

Supper Stop

"Pizza for supper! Mozzarella Cheese...Mmmm..Mm..Yummy!"

How many of you have listened to the Your Story Hour tapes? I used to listen to them all the time. Above is a beloved quote off one of our family's favorite stories.


A crooked grin if I ever saw one.

They brought us these lemons. What were they for we wondered. Appetizers? I quizzed Emma on which Civil War general carried lemons in his pockets. She sarcastically asked, "That would have been Grant? or Lee maybe?" We all laughed. Then we finally found the courage to try the lemons. They wished they wouldn't have! I contentedly sucked on the most sour one I could find, and, in honor to General Jackson, I didn't even grimace. ;-)

Candace inspired!

Along comes cosmopolitan Faith.

"Ahh, so that's what they're for!"

"All right, Carmen! This had better be the last picture or..."

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Obedient daughter that I am, of course I will end. ;-)
Thank you all for your kind patronage!
And "Happy New Year!"
~Carmen~