It must have been about 1965 when playing on the play ground at Lamar Elementary when I was eight years old, if memory serves. All the children's fingers pointed skywards towards the municipal airport. A silver beast was tacked to the sky, hardly moving with clouds moving among it. It was the Goodyear Blimp and it came to visit my hometown of Mineral Wells, Texas.
At home war birds fought in mock dog fights hung with string over my bed. Building models, planes, ships, submarines & monsters was my joy & captured many hours of my youth. So an aircraft that I had never known before whispered among the clouds of Texas sky, I was mesmerized.
My mom, the best mom, none better in the whole U.S. of A. pulled up nearby and honked a come along tune that excused me from my play. I checked out quickly and we headed towards the Air Ship and the Airport. We approached the parked vessel on foot, walking the length of it's under belly. Meeting with the crew which must have been about three, pilot included spoke with us that day. I could not imagine a dinosaur as big as this flying apparition.
The Mineral Wells Index, a local newspaper captured the event in photo and story but I relive that day sometimes in day dreams and remember how even this giant came not just to visit my hometown, but my childhood memories.
