Mom's Log
Day 44
Sunday, July 10
California
10 a.m. flight around Santa Ynez with Gordon Brown in his 1942 DeHavilland Tiger Moth. He did a super-smooth loop over the countryside.
The DeHavilland planes were designed by a man who was interested in moths’ beauty and collected them. He named his planes the Tiger Moth, Gypsy Moth, Hornet and one other?
At the “Wings and Wheels” she rode with 20 others in the back of a big army truck (1906-1930) and for 3 or 4 hours toured the countryside in a long convoy of old jeeps and Army trucks [and antique touring cars and Model T Fords]. They stopped at an old mission where an Irish priest, dressed as a monk welcomed the gathering with a brief, humorous speech and a serious prayer, then served donuts and juice. Afterwards they all drove to another pretty spot for a box lunch. Driving back to the airport the pilots rode in different antique cars. On the ride back to the airfield, Martha rode in a 1910 Model T with four other people.
When the aviators and antique car owners brought the pilots back to the airfield, the exchanges for airplane rides started.
M met Fess Parker, (actor who played Daniel Boone) and his friend, Morgan Woodward with his Cessna 170. Morgan Woodward flew her around the area.
Martha met approximately 50 more people after landing and gave them the pledge. Kyle Abello 8 years old gave Martha a rock and a boy named Travis same age – builds model airplanes had his picture taken with her.
Highlight of this day—
Kent Blankenburg, co-publisher of a large publication landed in his silver Lockheed Electra 12. She visited with him - only 3 or 4 left. They flew it, leaving airshow with Stu MacPherson in one of the back seats to Camarillo, California (between Ventura and Thousand Oaks). Martha took the controls of the plane for 15 minutes over and through the passes. It took them 35 minutes at 160 mph from Santa Ynez.
Kent told Martha he has let only one other person besides her ever to fly it. He sounded serious, but she was not sure if he really was. She felt immensely privileged.
Another air show was on at Camarillo. When they got out of the plane someone remarked to Martha, “Gee if I didn’t know any better I’d swear you were Amelia Earhart.”
Kent’s business card has a picture of Cessna 195 with a great description of the plane. He showed Martha the 1938 original sales brochure of the Lockheed Electra which was in perfect condition. He put Martha’s post card in the brochure.
Dave Pyeatt flew into Camarillo in his Waco where it is hangared. From there he flew his Bonanza to Torrance Airport. His father-mother-sister were at Camarillo. His family has five other planes. He is an aerospace engineer -freelance - solves problems. At Torrance his friend drove Dave to his apartment at Manhattan Beach. Joe Sand drove Martha in a jeep down the coast - beautiful ride - past movie stars homes (Johnny Carson) and she took pictures of roller skaters [at Muscle Beach].
In evening Joe – Dave - Martha went out on a pier and Martha went on the beach to at least put her feet in the cold Pacific Ocean. They ate at a very interesting Japanese sushi bar with four cooks that put on a fancy show, making the food in front of the customers at an elegant, very modern diner-like bar. [This was Samurai Sushi Restaurant in Hermosa Beach, California, close to the ocean. Here I was introduced to California rolls and the proper method of eating them, which is to pick them up with chop sticks and put the whole big piece in your mouth at once. I had never before been in a sushi restaurant, nor had I seen or eaten raw fish. Dave and Joe assured me that I’d like it. I did, but not so much the raw part. A word of caution to anyone going to a sushi place for their first time: the green food substance that looks like avocado – isn’t!]