He was a lonely little four year old boy spending the winter of 1929 and 1930 in Pomona California with his forty eight year old mother and fifty three year old father. Then just as surely as the winter ends, spring comes rushing in. It is the first of April and time to make the journey back to Ohio.

That means crossing the Rocky Mountains on narrow rough roads, driving through the sandy desert roads, on through the central plains and home. An older brother Carl takes a bus out to help drive that seven days of travel on what can be a tedious journey in the year 1930, driving a 1927 Chevrolet.

With a pleasant little break in their long day, his loving mother snaps a photo of her little boy as he enjoys sliding down a desert sand hill.

Driving through the plains, no one but the little boy seems to notice as they drive past the sign reading “Stop for an airplane ride.” As they continue on their journey his mother notices he is crying and when she asks him what is wrong, between sobs he says “I-want—to-ride—on-that—airplane.”

Well….his father knows how too take care of that little problem and turns the car around heading back for that sign along the road he had never seen. NOW, that lonely little four year old boy, accompanied by big brother Carl, makes for the SKY and became a very happy little trooper. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

The seed has been planted in that little boy’s head, fertilized and cultivated and that little seed grows like wild fire over the years with dreams of grandeur until becoming what you see in this picture below.

His HOME, AIRPLANE AND HANGER with a PAVED RUNWAY to the left, a gas pump to keep his plane ready for a quick flight and that little seed, planted on the journey home from California in the early spring of 1930, grew into a FULL BLOOMING REALITY!!!!!!!!

His mother took that photo above from the front porch of her home just across the road. Her pictures are taking on a professional look!!

That little boy is my parents “baby # 13” and is my brother Howard “Bugs” Rockhold. He, along with his lovely wife Mary, still lives in that home.

I don’t think that tank of gas from the pump by his hanger got them this far from home!  But WHAT A WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FRF ♥