Where Is Jay Leno When We Need Him?

We do not mean to make light of anyone’s passing. But we had to laugh at an unfortunate headline accompanying a story about the funeral arrangements for Robert Byrd, the iconic U.S. Senator who passed away earlier this week.

The point of the story was that Byrd's body will lie in repose in the U.S. Senate Chamber, a high honor. But the headline read:

Byrd to Lie in Senate

A somewhat lesser distinction.

Balloons as Economic Indicator

We reside in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, frequently referred to by the residents (and the Chamber of Commerce!) as "Heavenly Hunterdon." It is a nice place to live.

One of the more pleasant features of the area is the regular appearance of hot-air balloons. There are a number of balloon companies in the area offering rides for birthdays, anniversaries, or any special occasion, and there is, not too far away, the Festival of Ballooning held each summer at the Solberg Airport in Readington.

But, in today’s economy, the number of balloons we see in the sky has, if you will forgive an unfortunate word choice, plummeted. Where in better times we would see balloons passing overhead quite literally every day, and where we would see multiple balloons aloft at any given point in time, today a balloon sighting is rare. A victim, clearly, of the miserable economy.

Balloon travel is purely a luxury, a leisure activity that is not inexpensive. As a result, it is an activity that is currently not on most peoples’ list of priorities. We are saddened by this, not only because we no longer enjoy the colorful and relaxing sight of balloons drifting by, but also because it clearly represents lost income to the balloon owners. Some of them, we fear, have gone out of business entirely.

Whatever signs the economists may use to evaluate the status of economic recovery, we will know that things are better when the balloon traffic increases.

No Such Thing as "Too Old"

The man in the photograph is John Fitch, and the photograph was taken when he was 87 years old and about to attempt to set a new speed record at Bonneville in the vintage Mercedes-Benz "Gullwing" next to which he is standing.

Take that, youth-obsessed culture!

It is now several years later, and John Fitch is far from retired. In his 90s he is still pursuing things that interest him, one of which is highway and racing safety. His interest in the subject was galvanized by the immense tragedy at LeMans in 1955, where his teammate’s car became involved in a horrific crash that killed more than 80 people. Fitch has been an inventor and advocate for safety ever since.

But John Fitch is much more than that. A World War II pilot, a former POW, a championship-winning driver, a vehicle designer. Google him. He is a fascinating individual, and a true American hero.

Used Cookies?

Used Cookies is a blog inspired by a sign -- no longer present -- along State Highway 10 in New Jersey, promoting a business where, we surmise, one could pick up a plate of fresh-basked cookies while perusing a selection of used books. A nice idea, but with an unfortunate sign. "Used Books and Cookies" made us laugh out loud, but did not inspire us to stop in.

It did inspire us to name this blog Used Cookies. It is a blog about whatever comes to mind, and has no greater ambition than that.