Surprises in Leesburg, FL

Rick has been playing golf a couple times a week and last week, as he and his group approached the first green, found a group of sandhill cranes on the green.

It was pretty clear that these guys thought they were in charge and were not shy at all. In fact, they did not want to move so that we could putt the ball toward the hole! Slowly, they decided to ease along, making very load squawks to show their displeasure! We enjoyed seeing these large, beautiful birds.

We were shopping the other day and as we went out to the car, Rick heard a great sound as a four engined plane cruised overhead. Wow -- a B-24 on approach to the local Leesburg airport. We quickly traveled to the nearby airport and found that the Collins Foundation was in town with their flying collection of WWII aircraft! This B-24 was perfect and really was incredible to see.

Collins brought three aircraft, including this perfect P-51 Mustang fighter. This plane was a remarkable sound in the air and can exceed 400 mph. This plane protected bombers as they flew from England to Berlin and back -- imagine sitting in this small cockpit for hours -- and then having air to air combat with German fighters. Gives us pause to consider that.

Here is Rick's favorite -- the B-17. Imagine seeing these great aircraft on approach to the airport. Collins keeps these aircraft in perfect condition and tours the country to acquaint folks with the history of aviation in WWII.

While these planes were huge in the WWII era, they are very cramped and small inside. Rick has toured inside them and was amazed at how tight they are; of course, they were designed to carry a heavy bomb load and not provide luxury accommodations!