Two Bombers That Once Introduced Me To Vanilla-Orangesicles

My earliest library moments marked the time, when I began looking for books with pictures of planes, especially those from World War I and World War II.

The pictures were so incredible, yet you never really heard about the stories about those young men, hardly having graduated from high school, riding in planes covered with fabric.

Shrapnel and bullets were dangerous, but the slow moving bombers were also targets for enemy fighters--especially at the beginning of the war.

Every time I went with my mother to Snowville's small "Mom & Pop Store," I walked my mother into one of those tasty orange and vanilla popsicles, and it wasn't because I liked the taste in the beginning, and it wasn't because it felt great in your mouth on a warm summer day a while before the advent of air conditioning.

It was all about the cards inside each treat. I collected the pictures of bombers, especially the B-17's and B-24's.

Much later there were movies. Memphis Belle, though not appearing until long after I was an adult, was an incredible glimpse at the world of those teenagers, who eventually returned home as serious men as a result of their service.

I later met several, who flew on those planes. Few were willing to talk about those times.

Like any war too many friends and associates didn't return.

Imagine my excitement, when I found about a second visit during the summer. The previous year brought them to Idaho Falls, but we missed the chance to see them. I made sure that didn't happen again.

There were no plans. We didn't go to California. We didn't go to Yellowstone. We jumped into the car and rode to Idaho Falls airport.

My first few minutes were frustrating.

I watched people climb up the stairs, and I instantly knew I would not see the interior of the plane, so I satisfied myself with a few looks at the view from the outside.

Then I became brave enough to ask if I could enter from the rear of the plane, where the steps were manageable.

Great things happen when other senior citizens collect the tickets. I entered and made my way into parts of the plane that were easily accessible.

And after that visit, I decided that I would wanted an ice cream bar with a picture of Betty Grable too.

And besides being a "babe," she wasn't altogether a stereotypical blond either. Like many in our day, she  made a name for herself.
I enjoyed a few quotes like these:

I have got two reasons for success and I'm standing on both of them.
Betty Grable



You're better off betting on a horse than betting on a man. A horse may not be able to hold you tight, but he doesn't wanna wander from the stable at night.
Betty Grable

Now I find it interesting how times change. I was never like a tomcat that disappears in the springtime. For me life was about making once choice and basically staying supportive and dependable. But I guess I am a boring type of guy in today's standards.


But then again I never cared much about what someone tried to stipulate as the "new morality" or the "new definition of marriage." 

I'm just an "old school" kind of guy that likes a plane, but yes, the babe on the front of the plane was nice too.