Something a bit different.

I spent yesterday with my friend from the camera club.  This time we went to East Kirkby.  East Kirkby operates an old airport from WWII and was once home to 58 Lancaster Bombers.  Now they have one of the 2 remaining Lancs in England.  The one here can only taxy and the second is one of two in the world that can still fly,  the other is in Hamilton Ontario.  During the war my father was an armorer for the Lancaster and worked on the ground crew.  The airport is home to a museum which is dedicated to the men and women who worked there.  It was an amazing opportunity to learn a bit about what my dad's life might have been like.  We took a tour of the original base with a guide who was young at the time of the war and his descriptions of the sights and sounds was so insightful.  He brought empathy and wonder to the events that unfolded in 1943(when the base became operational).  I will have to research my dads papers when I get home to see which squadron he served in.  As well as visiting the museum there was a large model airplane demonstration going on and a motorcyle meeting. The bikes ranged from vintage to modern and the planes were jet and propeller.  Then the Lancaster was running and giving payers a taxy ride up and down the field.  And if that was not enough, a full size Spitfire made a few passes to wow the audience.

Just a model, you have an idea of the scale on the ground but once they are airborne forget it.

Model

Model

A model of the Lancaster in the air and the real thing on the ground.

Real, this is the Spitfire that visited.

The Lancaster taxying.

This time the angled shot really works.

The "Queen Mary", a 1940'3 truck with trailer that would have been used to transfer large plane parts but now it takes museum goers around the airport.

The bombs inside.

The large group of enthusiastic bikers.

Thought of Jim.

Looks as though it has not been cared for since the 40's.  I imagined many service men and women using this while stationed at East Kirkby.

Patiently waiting for a ride.

On the way home we stopped at the Bolingbroke Castle, birthplace of Henry IV.  This is a scene of a pond/mote and the church beyond.  Nothing is left of the castle but the foundation.

This was an entrance to the kitchen tower

Then this popped up.

Graham is a bus fanatic and I was happy to join him in this photo opportunity.