Vandrea Does America: Day 342 (Friday 6/28/13)- Delaware

We saw the best of Delaware today and though a fairly small state it was a little sad that the highlights can be done in a day.

Our first museum was small and not so interesting but the staff were so friendly that we felt we had to stay longer.

The next museum gave me chills and not because the A/C was on too high. This intimate yet amazing military flight museum might have been the most interesting of it's kind yet. A volunteer ex-pilot taunted both Isaiah and I as we crashed and burned in flight simulators and then unprompted led us on to the 9th plane that dropped paratroopers on D-day. That in itself would be enough but what happened next blew me away.

Discovering that the couple accompanying us on the plane's tour were not just soldiers but the man a paratrooper, the excited volunteer went on to talk lingo and it soon turned into a compliment war over who was more of a hero; the old man who had served in the Vietnam War or the young man who served in Afghanistan. The mutual admiration filled the entire space and was intoxicating.

Stopping by the plantation home of John Dickinson (known as the Delaware representative who refused to sign the Declaration of Independence but apparently because he wanted to wait until the American troops were better prepared) we had a somewhat awkward tour with a sweet but very thorough tour guide learning about how Dickinson went on to serve honorably during the Revolutionary War.

Our favorite stop was at the Vitrola museum (named for creator Victor with "ola" slapped on the end for effect). Having a one-on-one tour through the small but fascinating two floors we learned all about the early record player that revolutionized how music was heard. The earliest design had no volume control and thus people literally "put a sock in it" with the later design allowing you to "put a lid on it," forever popularizing these phrases. Early recording artists had a long lasting effect as well like Nellie Melba who was such a diva that she required the crusts to be cut off her sandwiches giving birth to Melba toast. The company also had the first trademarked character, Yipper the dog who loved the sound of "his master's voice" on the Vitrola.