Leaving Pensacola, we travelled through the panhandle, Alabama and into Mississippi. For many years of our life, we vacationed in Bay St. Louis, Ms., several times a year. A beautiful vacation spot, gorgeous RV park, and close proximity to New Orleans, Biloxi and Gulfport. Katrina destroyed it all. We returned in ‘07 when the park was reopened, but only stayed 3 days. The park was almost the only thing reopened except casinos in all three Mississippi towns. There was one restaurant in Biloxi and not many more in Gulfport.

Below, Kemah, Texas Boardwalk at sunset.

We drove through the region again and saw little improvement over the previous year. They are trying, but the devastation was so incredibly horrible! Last year, we had discovered a new vacation spot, Kemah, Texas, and spent several months there from December to March. Then on to New Orleans, which at least in many areas has returned to normal. We stayed there for 4 days, went out with Gil and Sydney Gonsoulin and had a great time. We had scheduled into Kemah, TX after leaving here, but hurricane IKE took that out! Talk about bad luck with vacation spots and hurricanes! The Texas Highway Patrol would not allow us on I-10, so we went through Shreveport to I-20, then over to Dallas and south to Austin. We arrived there at another beautiful RV Park, east of the city on the very outskirts of town. We visited with Bob Bethea, a good friend, and spent the day talking models, modelers, best Austin restaurants, hobby shops and so on.

Click on photos for a larger image.

We spent the next week exploring Austin and dining out at some great restaurants. We also visited some hobby shops, most notably, King’s Hobby, one of the best, if not THE best, in Texas. Rudy, the owner, was a really great host and took us to lunch at the best BBQ place in Austin, Rudy’s! No connection to this Rudy.

We knew Rudy from him being a good customer of Legacy Distributing. Susan talked to him and took his orders frequently over the years!

Of course, as always, I had to buy several kits and accessories, as I do  anytime I am in a hobby shop. Just think, less than two years ago, I owned a warehouse with around $4 million dollars worth of model stuff, and I haven’t stopped buying models since I sold VLS! Go figure! After a week , we had to go back to Dallas to attend Mastercon 17. Due to illness, we missed Mastercon 16 last year in Dallas. That was,of course, the first Mastercon we ever missed. (See Mastercon News off the Home page for photos of Mastercon 16). We arrived in Dallas on Wednesday before Mastercon began on Thursday evening. We went to Squadron/MMD and visited with our friends there. For 6 months after the sale of VLS to MMD, we worked with MMD employees moving the fixtures, equipment and merchandise to Texas and came to know many of them. It was an overwhelming task!

VLS had a lot of assets. For those of you who were never there, here is a photo from 2003, and that is just part of the warehouse! I don’t remember how many semi-loads were involved in the move, but it was a lot!

Of course, you can’t go to Texas and wear sneakers, so I donned my cowboy boots for the occasion! My feet will never be the same!

Mastercon 17 was small as it had been the previous year, but with the same “feel” to it as all those years in Missouri. I don’t think I will ever find another show that is quite the same, and we have heard that from so many others. Mike McMahon puts on a class show. Everything was first class at the beautiful hotel/convention center. The warehouse was opened to the show attendees, and everybody left the warehouse with their arms full and stacked high, including me! This is me and Terry Barrow, a Mastercon regular on a break from the buying frenzy in the Squadron warehouse!

Mike McMahon, the owner of Squadron/MMD/VLS has a comfortable office with lots of interesting memorabilia scattered throughout! I even saw a few pieces of furniture from VLS!

Meanwhile, back at the show, some of the Mastercon regulars were downing a few beers and talking models or whatever. From Left to right, Mastercon regulars, Bill Roberts, Richard Poulson (Tamiya Rep.), Rick Justice and Bob Waltman.

John and Maureen Bowery, John has attended all Mastercons, and Maureen has been to all but one , besides being a terrific couple!

Gil Gonsoulin, who has never missed a show, and Bill Chilstrom, noted sculptor and modeler extraordinaire, both guys are very close friends!

 

Alex De Leon, retired Border Patrol, incredible modeler and a wild and crazy guy!

David Harper worked with me for many years at VLS and now works with Mike McMahon in Texas. Dave is also a very dear friend of mine and Susan’s and has been for many years.

At the banquet, the food was awesome! The talk was fantastic, the drinks were flowing, what more can I say! From left to right; George Redden, Terry Barrow, Susan, Bill Chilstrom, Rick Justice, Alex De Leon, Gil and Sydney Gonsoulin.

Left to right; Me, Dave Harper, Susan, and in the corner, Terry Barrow!

Mike McMahon and I at the Saturday Roundtable Discussion. He decided to have at least one more show next year as I announced it would be the last one. Hell, what do I know!

Some of the model tables at the show. Figures/Busts.

Aircraft.

And Armor.

The attending Grand Marshals ran the show, Left to right, Brian Joslyn in the traditional Marshals hat, Bob Waltman, Master of Ceremonies, Fritz Swanson, Mike McMahon, who awarded the Big Eagles, and Gil Gonsoulin behind Mike. John Bowery was also present, just not in this photo. Hal Sanford could not make it due to an illness in the family.

Mike McMahon awarding the “Best Master’s Division” trophy to Alex De Leon for his, as usual, incredible model, “The Reaper”! Check out Fritz Swanson in the background.

See, I told you it was incredible and completely scratch built even!!!! I believe it was 1/9th scale.

From Dallas, we went on to Lubbock, Texas, some good hobby shops, then to Tucumcari, N.M., no hobby shops at all, and on to Sante Fe NM, to visit friends there. We then started the return trip to St. Louis, stopped in Amarillo, TX, more hobby shops, and to Springfield, Missouri, our home town. In 1962, I was a 22 year old cop there and dated a hot 19 year old Marilyn Smith, who was a secretary for the P.D. Marilyn was very special to Susan and I as she was Susan’s room mate and that is how we met. Marilyn has been with the department for well over 43 years and the current Chief’s assistant. This is was taken outside her office. Susan and I owe her a lot!

Along the way back, Susan and I stopped at the World’s largest McDonalds. It spans both sides of I-44, near Tulsa, OK. 43 years ago, Susan and I spent our honeymoon in Tulsa, we were pretty poverty-stricken in those days, and stopped here for Big Macs in ‘65 as it was having it’s grand opening!

We had a wonderful time! God, retirement is great! We plan many more of these trips! We covered about 6000 miles on this one and will probably do another next Spring. We could be coming to a neighborhood near you! Remember National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? We might just pull up in your driveway one morning, BTW, do you happen to have a nearby storm drain by your house?!

Photo credits to Susan. I should have never bought her that digital camera!