First I talked to his boss, and arranged for him to have a vacation day on Friday. His boss went along with this, left his name on the schedule and told everyone not to say a word.
So - Friday morning when he got up to go to work, I told him he could go back to bed, because he had the day off and we were going to do something fun! He went back to bed, but of course not back to sleep and we were soon up for the day. I had him pack a bag and we were off.
After driving for about 3 hours, we saw this old cemetery on a side road and decided to make a little stop.
It was very old. The big stone here was from 1891. There were graves of civil war soldiers and many others that weren't readable.
The brown stone was the newest one we saw and it was from 1982. The sad thing was the condition of most of the stone. Most were tipped over. The grass was mowed, but it appears no one takes care of the headstones.
After 2 more hours, we arrived at our destination - Dayton Ohio.
I had reserved a room at a Holiday Inn Express there and it was supposed to be a suite - 2 queen rooms and a sitting room. We usually just get the standard room, but because of another surprise I had planned, I got this bigger room. Well, this room was probably the nicest room we ever stayed in. Not only did it have 2 queen beds, and a sitting area, it also had a kitchen with a full refrigerator, a dishwasher, a table, dishes, 2 tvs, 1 1/2 bathrooms and a washer and dryer! We didn't really use any of that, but it sure was nice!
Around 5pm there was a knock on the door and the other surprise arrived.
It was Andy! He drove up from Kentucky to spend the weekend with us.
After Andy arrived we went out to get supper. We went to a Chick-fil-A, which was a first for us. We don't have any very near to us and always wanted to try one. The food was good, but as we were eating it started to rain. We found there was a severe thunderstorm warning, and reports of hail and high wind. When the rain slowed, we made a dash for the car and headed for the hotel.
The next morning, I had a little prank gift for Bobs birthday, that could also be shared with Andy.
A while back, Bob had his DNA analyzed and one of the things it said, was that he had Viking ancestry. Well, I saw these crazy beard and Viking hats and had to order them. So, here are Bob and Andy in their full Viking glory! :)
That morning we left the hotel a little after 9 and went to the Air Force Museum. Bob and Andy both share a love of aircraft of any type. Andy spent 8 years in the army working on the Apache helicopter and still works on a base, as a civilian working on them.
I figured it was going to be a long day for me, tailing behind those two as they ooohed and ahhed over these aircraft!
I took over 300 photos here, so I had a hard time finding just a few photos to share. :) I picked out just a few of the things that stuck out to me.
Have you heard of the Red Baron from WWII? This is a replica of it. The original crashed with the Red Baron in it.
There was an exhibit on concentration camps that was very interesting and so sad. This is an actual uniform from one of the camps.
This is the actual Memphis Belle - a B17 bomber that inspired 2 movies. It was restored and only unveiled here 3 weeks ago.
This is the Bockscar - the actual plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki.
This is Apollo 15 - the fourth mission to land on the moon.
And this is Air Force One. This plane carried Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Bush and Clinton. We were able to tour it. We also got to tour the planes of President Roosevelt and Truman.
We arrived at the Museum at 9:45 and left around 4, so it was a long day, but very interesting!
We went back to the hotel, where it started raining again, along with hail and another severe thunderstorm warning! After it settled down, we went to the Olive Garden for a birthday supper.
Sunday morning, we had to say good bye to Andy and head back home. It was a wonderful weekend!
I am sure Bob was excited and happy at your plans for his birthday celebration. 60 is a big one for sure! Glad Andy got to spend the time with y'all too.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Bob!
ReplyDeleteWow you were CLOSE to me! About 25 minutes. The Air Force Museum is really cool, isn't it? So much to see!
Yes, we've been having a ton of rain! Still happening, too! haha.
Happy Birthday to Bob! It sounds like a perfect weekend that my husband would enjoy. I've been to the museum with two of my kids. I wasn't sure how interesting it would be, but I found it fascinating. We got to see the plane that my dad flew when he was in the Air Force, and we all thought that was pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your Bob! You know what I love about your birthday surprise gift? You made it all about him! I bet he loved every minute. What guy wouldn't enjoy this? Outstanding details and great planning!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Bob! It looks like you gave him one to remember too! Love those wigs, they cracked me up. I've seen many Chick-fil-A's in the States but have never eaten at one. I thought they were only drive thru's.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun birthday you planned for Bob. My brother would love that museum. Thanks for sharing the pictures. Enjoy your day, Mari.
ReplyDeleteWhat FUN!!! I did the same thing for Dick’s 50th - arranged for him to have the day off work.
ReplyDeleteOf course the best part was being with Andy. He’ll never forget his 60th birthday.
What a special weekend for your husband, Mari. We love Chic Fit A here in the south. Our problem is that they are always COVERED up with people and we always have to wait. Decatur is getting a new one soon so hopefully that situation will improve. Loved the Viking Beards! I found out I have a good bit of Scandanavian blood but I think it is from the Vikings who troubled the Scots for years!lol
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB!!! I had to chuckle over the 'Vikings'. You know the journey that we are currently on, smiles. (you guys were about 8 hrs from us, lol)
ReplyDeleteHave a beautiful rest of the week, smiles.
The Red Baron! (...Is anyone not thinking of Snoopy when they read that name?)
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that the same plane was used from Kennedy to Clinton! Amazing. Do all planes last that long? Thirty years...
Love the viking beards. ;-)
Now that was a great birthday gift all focused on your man. You did good:)
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet time you made for the birthday boy. I know he really appreciated you, Mari. You're a good girl. :)
ReplyDeletexoxo
What a nice birthday surprise! That museum looks wonderful. Our next birthday's are 65.....hmm. Maybe need to plan a getaway:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun birthday celebration!! A nice surprise package for Bob, indeed!! Very interesting photos and history! My dad worked at Write Patterson way back in the early 1950s. He worked as a civilian for the Air Force, and also flew single engine planes. It is all pretty fascinating! Happy birthday to Bob!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome surprise!! Happy Birthday!! And it looks like the rain didn't dampen your plans at all. Perfect!
ReplyDeleteHi Mari! Just catching up after being gone from blogland last week. Yay to Bob! Happy belated to him. What a sweet surprise you planned and looks like it was a great time. ;) LOVE the viking hats!! Lol
ReplyDeleteBlessings on the rest of your week xoxo
That was a great birthday surprise for Bob. Andy must have really liked it too! We talk about going over to the museum, but so far, we haven't gone. We were there many years ago but they have brought in so many more planes and exhibits since then.
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say, Happy Belated Sixtieth Birthday to the multi-talented Bob, who is truly one of the good guys. There aren't enough like him left -- if there were ever any truly like him to begin with. What a fine Christian gentleman. I hope his birthday was as great as it appears to have been. How wonderful that Andy joined you in Dayton! And what a truly nice surprise you planned.
ReplyDeleteI assume that museum is at Wright-Patterson AFB? I better not tell TG that the Memphis Belle is there; he'll want to stop on our next trip through there for sure. And the Bockscar! Awesome. The concentration camp uniform is so poignant. You got some great pictures.
As for the toppled tombstones, only family members would be allowed to repair or replace those, and with graves that old, it's not usually going to happen. Now and then I see an old crumbling stone that has been reconstructed after breaking, but it's rare. Those who maintain the cemetery merely mow around them.
TG and Audrey and I were in a cemetery yesterday in the Atlanta area. It happens to be the one where JonBenet Ramsey is buried, along with her mother and step-sister and grandmother. I found a stone of a lady who was born in 1865 as the Civil War was ending, and died in 1946 just after the end of WWII. Can you imagine? Amazing time to have lived.
Again, happy birthday to Viking Bob! Haaahaha xoxo
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes. I had a fantastic weekend, Mari knows just how to treat me special. Jenny, thanks for the input on the cemetery, we were feeling sad over the neglect.
ReplyDeleteSo much fun! I know that was the perfect way for him to spend his birthday weekend - you did a great job surprising him!!
ReplyDelete