Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2016 15:13:26 -0400 From: Eff Del Subject: Oak and the Ash 18 *The Oak and the Ash- Chapter 18* *By Eff Del* Nolitimere156@gmail.com *Very little (if anything) has advanced civilization without discovery first.* *You may think that you understand something without ever seeing it, but truly, that is presumption.* *Only after seeing it and experiencing it do we have discovery and the beginning of true knowledge.* *This is how we learn in life.* *Sadly, most people lack the bravery to discover.* *They will not venture out far enough that they lose the view of the shore.* *They will not believe and will not sail out to discover new land when all they can see before them is ocean.* *They are all missing the point.* *The joy of life is not; `that you were born', the joy of life is finding out `why you were born'.* *That is your voyage of discovery.* Captain Lucas informed us that flying over, in or near DC airspace was always a tricky thing. As we began our slow and careful descent into the small airport that was our destination, we got a rather interesting view of the city that was actually not a city nor a state it was unique in the world because of its neutral position in that regard and for all intents, it was the center of the planet. I'd explained to Sean that the District of Columbia was established in 1790 primarily because the thirteen states couldn't agree upon a location for the nation's capital and eventually Virginia and Maryland had agreed to cede what they considered worthless land north of the Potomac river to the nation so that a capital city could be constructed. It was mostly dismal swamp land and back then who had the slightest idea that it would eventually become the most important city on the earth. The city has a population so large that the district ranked 49th among the 51 states; the population being larger than Vermont and Wyoming and yet...by law, none of its citizens had the right to vote or have voting representation in Congress. We touched down and a company limo was waiting for us as we got off the jet. Although I owned a luxury penthouse in the city, one of our clients was currently occupying it. Since we were only going to spend the night, I decided not to disturb that accommodation and I'd booked two rooms in the Hay-Adams. It is an elegant five star hotel that was built in 1928 and actually overlooks the White House. We walked past the columns and marble façade, into the warm and graceful lobby adorned in rich wood and majestic marble and tile. I checked in and we soon were escorted to the top floor. Our rooms were smaller than we were used to, as were the bathrooms but they were wonderfully furnished to the point of elegant luxury and we were only staying overnight so, they were quite acceptable. We quickly got settled into the rooms and met down in the lobby. The car was waiting for us and we drove to the National Mall. Both Sean and Doctor Mo were awe struck. As they turned around. There were so many historic buildings and monuments that they'd only seen on television or in movies. I smiled. "We'll all come back another day and see everything but today, we've got one objective; the National Aerospace Museum." The museum was the second most visited museum in the world. No museum would ever beat the Louvre in Paris. Opened in 1976, it housed 61 aircraft and 51 large space artifacts as well as over 2,000 smaller items. The museum owned and tried to display the largest collection of historical aircraft in the world. In front of the museum was a sculpture that resembled a stiletto pointed to the sky. It had a plaque that named it `Ad Astra' that translated as; `to the stars'. The building was showing its age. The green marble façade was certainly the worse for wear. I knew that a multi-million dollar renovation was scheduled to begin soon and I was glad for that. The museum had an annex near Dulles Airport that housed a large number of other planes in the national collection but we wouldn't have time to visit it today. This was just a quick trip to spark Sean's imagination. As we walked through the doors, I felt Sean take in a deep breath and I hugged him tightly against me. He'd become quite the student of flight and he recognized everything he saw displayed as we surveyed what was spread before and above us. "It's all here Dad. Are they all real?" I smiled and rubbed his shoulders. "Yes Sean, they're real. That's why I wanted for you to see this." Doctor Mohamed softly interjected; "If you don't mind, I'm just going to stroll around and do some sketching. Shall we meet back here in the lobby in about three hours?" Perfect planning Doc. Have fun." The museum is set up so that you are quickly drawn into the drama of flight and beyond. My boy was unabashedly holding my hand as we walked. "Up there is `Flier' the Wright Brother's first plane and the acknowledged first airplane ever. It looks more like a box kite than a plane doesn't it? Its first flight wouldn't have gone from home plate to center field at your ballpark...You've hit bunches of home runs farther than that first flight but, that's how it all began." He giggled but I knew he understood what I was talking about. We walked around and viewed other historic craft. "That's the `Spirit of Saint Louis'. I know you know about this plane. A lot of people think that this was the first plane to make a non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean Sean, but the truth is eight years earlier, Alcock and Brown...a British pilot and his navigator made the trip in a Vickers Vimmy in 1918 powered by Rolls-Royce Eagle engines. They dumped nose down into a swamp in Ireland. However, they survived and the flight was successful. That airplane hasn't survived sadly although a replica still exists in flying condition in a museum in England." Sean nodded because he knew this. Flight was his passion and he'd studied it thoroughly. "Yeah, but Lindbergh's flight in this plane was important because it was the first solo crossing proving it could be done Dad." "Oh, I'm not putting the Spirit of Saint Louis down Sean; I was only making certain you had it in historical perspective. I see that you do and in fact, you could probably teach me a thing or two." Almost joined at the hip, we walked through the vast space taking in each individual aircraft. Despite what I expected, he was far less interested in the space artifacts and vehicles. Sean's interest was most definitely on airplanes. "Dad! Is that what I think it is?" I smiled because it was still so impressive. "Well little man, if you think that's a `Blackbird', then yes it is. This was the ultimate spy plane and it flew unarmed. It could fly higher and faster than any pursuing fighter could and it outran any missile. It was actually untouchable. Over there is another plane that made history." He turned with me and I smiled as he scrunched up his nose trying to figure out what he was seeing. I didn't blame him because the craft looked so very different in real life than it did in photos. "That my boy is `Glamorous Glennis'. It's the Bell X-1 that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in for the first time ever." He wrapped his still slender arms around himself and smiled. "Thanks Dad. This is so special. I know this trip is s'possed to be about you, but this is really special for me." I leaned down and kissed the back of his neck. "Anything that is special for you is special for me Tiger Cub." He smiled and hugged me and we continued walking through the vast museum. After about an hour, we were finally back at the lobby. "Time for a coffee. How about you?" "No thanks Dad. If it's OK with you, I'm going down to the gift shop and pick up some stuff for my brothers and Mrs. Edwards and a few of the other guys." "Of course Sean. I'll be right here people watching." The lounge was under the nose of a 747 that seemed to be bursting through the wall. Very well done I thought. I got my coffee, which was surprisingly good and then examined the books available in the lounge area. I selected one titled `Into Flight' and decided that I needed to buy it for my library. I quietly enjoyed my coffee and my book while occasionally glancing at the people passing through the museum. Most of them were families and I smiled with pleasure as I watched their shared excitement. This was an exciting place and enthusiasm was almost required. Families of every color, race or nationality came through the lobby with faces bursting with excitement and expectation. Not too long later, a smiling Doctor Mohamed strolled up to me with a cup of coffee in his hand and his sketchpad tucked under his arm. "Well, you certainly know how to pick destinations." He said as he sat down next to me. "This is an astonishing collection of aircraft and I understand that it's just a small part of the actual collection. I'm amazed." "Were you able to get some good sketches Mo?" He smiled and offered me his pad. "Some of these will be the basis for paintings and some will not." I turned the pages in total appreciation of the man's skill. "This sketch of the Wright Brother's `Flier'...I'd like to buy from you. I want it for Sean... to hang on the wall of his room. It's exquisite and it perfectly presents the spirit of flight and Sean's personal joy in it." He grinned back at me. "There is nothing to buy Eric. I offer it as a gift with great pleasure. For now though, leave it in the pad and we'll carefully remove the page and keep it safe for framing." I smiled. "Thank you Mohamed, I suspect that he'll treasure this for his entire life." I saw Sean walking down toward us and he had a big smile on his face. "That looks like a well stuffed bag Son." His grin indicated that I was right. "Yeah Dad but there's a few more people I need to find things for. A guy told me that there is a wonderful gift shop just around the corner from the end of the Mall. Sounds like I'd find something special for Mrs. Edwards an' Jenny. Could we stop there please?" I reached over and squeezed his knee. "Of course we can Little Man. There seems to be a coffee bar right out on the street there, so, you go shop and Doctor Mohamed and I will enjoy a coffee out in this wonderful sunshine." He smiled and bounded off into the big inviting shop. I enjoyed the view of his ass tightly packed into his cargo shorts as he ran through the door. For the `gazilionth' time I took a deep breath and realized that, there wasn't anyone in the world that I loved more than him. Doctor Mo and I grabbed our coffee and a plate of lovely cookies and took a small table out on the sidewalk. For the first time during this trip, he commented upon my condition; "You've seemed to recover quickly and well Eric. I believe that your choice to bring Sean with you was a very good idea." I nodded my head. "Sean is the beacon that lights up my life Doc. I don't think that he has any idea how important he is to me." He smiled and said; "I don't think you know how important you are to him." I smiled. "Well, it's certainly true that our love for each other is pretty intense. The love between me and the other two boys is also incredibly strong, it's just that Sean was the first into my life and the one that started all this. I think what we'll do, is in the morning, we'll fly to Boston. I haven't walked the `Freedom Trail' since I was a teenager and then, we'll rent a car and probably drive up the coast to Bar Harbor in Maine, spend a day exploring Arcadia National park, eat lobster like crazy people and plan our road trip. It will last for about a week before we head home." "Sounds good to me. From what I've observed, you seem to be quite recovered and ready to get back so, an enjoyable trip through New England might be the perfect way to end this little venture." I smiled and helped myself to a delicious chocolate chip cookie. As I took my first bite, I noticed that there was a police car down at the far end of the building with its lights flashing. I wondered what was going on not that I was very concerned. "I was thinking that we might cross over to New Hampshire, and drive up Mount Washington and stay the night at the hotel. It's supposed to be the windiest place in America. I don't know we probably should review our options after we get to Boston." I was suddenly aware that a large grey clad man was standing at my elbow. I looked up at him inquisitively. "Launcelot, please excuse this intrusion. I'm level 10 Frank. I'm the leader of your current Skuggor trail team. We've been around and behind you since you arrived in the city and up until this point, there's been no problem. However, as you know, we're not allowed to interfere in civil matters." "Well Frank, that certainly sounds like there's another shoe to drop." "Yes sir...Sean has just been handcuffed and placed under arrest." ******************************************* As always, very grateful thanks to those of you who have taken the time to respond to this story and I'm sorry that my health has prevented regular responses. I hope you understand and forgive that.