We spent the last five days on a wonderful family vacation along the Emerald Coast which included Pensacola (where we picked up Julie Anna), Destin (where we had the time share condo) and Panama City (where we left the boat). So here are some of our interesting discoveries.
The National Naval Aviation Museum on the
Pensacola Naval Air Station - checking in through the security gate reminded me of my summer days in college working at the Cherry Point Marine Air Station. The lobby of the museum is a 7 story open atrium filled with historic aircraft. We saw the first sea plane to cross the Atlantic. It was amazing to us that the propellers were beautifully polished wood. Since the plane did not have radar or electronic navigation systems, they lined up ships across the ocean so that the planes 
could navigate visually by seeing flares from the sailors. Three plans left the US towards England. One had engine trouble and ditched in the ocean (crew was rescued). The second one, with mechanical problems, landed 90 off the coast and the captain declined rescue. He had his crew stand on the wings as ballast and they floated to shore. The third sea plane arrived safely at its destination and is the one in the museum. These seaplanes used a new 24 cylinder engines. 
These engines showed up after the war in high speed boats used as rum runners in the Caribbean. We also saw an amazing IMAX film about a “red flag” training activity carried out by the Navy Air Wing and the Air Force. I missed my Daddy as we walked through... He worked for the Marine Naval Air Rework facilities after WWII until he retired.
Saint Andrews State Park – We went back to the park by car this time. The weather report was high winds for Saturday
so we decided not to take the boat out. I can hardly bear to mention it, but Tom and I were deeply saddened by the deaths of the 3 NFL players who drowned when their boat overturned that day, 50 miles of the coast of west Florida. That day we walked on the white sandy beach and watched the surfers ride their boards in the heavy surf.
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