My summer vacation was earlier this month, and the bulk of it was taken up by this year's National Convention of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA). The convention was held in Madison, Wisconsin, a day's drive from here in St. Louis.
My vacation from work started that Tuesday (16 July), which I used to finish packing and preparation for the trip. The next morning, Julie drove up to my house, where I packed my luggage and the three models I was entering the contest. Then, we began the trip to Madison in mid-morning.
After a stop for lunch and fuel in Bloomington, Illinois, we arrived in Madison in late afternoon. Julie and I reached the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, the venue for the Convention. There, I checked in at pre-registration, receiving my packet and getting the name tags for Julie and me. Then, I checked in my contest models, which I had registered online the previous weekend. After that, I placed my three models in their respective categories in the contest room. I had just completed a 1:48 scale F9F-2 Panther the previous weekend. It was entered in a Basic Kit Build (BKB) category. Two earlier 1:72 builds--a Bren Gun Carrier and a 6-pounder anti-tank gun--were entered in Military Vehicles.
After a brief check of the Convention site, Julie and I drove to Janesville, Wisconsin, approximately 45 miles (72.4 km) south of Madison. There, we checked into Baymont Inn & Suites. After unpacking in our room, we met with Julie's sister Dianne and her brother-in-law Dennis for dinner at Golden Corral. (Dianne and Dennis live in Janesville.) The four of us went to Dianne and Dennis' residence for a short walk and chat before Julie and I returned to our hotel.
The next morning (18 July), Julie and I drove back to the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. After spending a bit of time at the Convention site, we boarded the bus to take us to Oshkosh, which is 89.7 miles (144.4 km) north of Madison. We first arrived at the Military Veterans Museum & Education Center for a short visit. This facility had military artifacts going back to the Civil War and featured over 20 historic military vehicles. I found it most interesting looking at the various exhibits. I think Julie liked it as well.
After visiting this museum, our party returned to the bus for the short trip to the EAA Aviation Museum. It is located at the headquarters of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), which encourages and supports flying, building, and restoration of aircraft. Our group had the run of the museum, which has over 100 aircraft on display, ranging from pioneering machines to homebuilt aircraft and aerospace vehicles. There were also many artifacts on display relating to the history of flight. Julie and I sure enjoyed the aircraft and the interactive displays.
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