Charley, Melissa, and Phil.....thanks. I'm really not sure why this story about an old airship grabbed my interest but it seems as though all through my life the story of the Shenandoah has continued to come up again and again. Karen just shakes her head at me but thankfully understands these fits of passion for strange subjects.

I guess part of the allure for me with the Shenandoah comes from her many ties to Ohio but even more she represented a time when there was magic in so many things. If Titanic ended the Victorian age, Shenandoah was perhaps one of the earlier examples of what we now see every day---Technology outmoded and worthless almost before its used.

That is the theme of our current times but back then people didn't see it. The march of progress wasn't quite as fast as it is today and people had time to wonder at the magic which put something so large in the air. Plus, there was something majestic and beautiful about the rigids. Blimps still are enjoyable to watch at football games and races and other events but they are fractionally the size of the big "Zeps." I remember one day seeing a Goodyear blimp up close while it was moored at the Chattanooga airport. I was struck by the sheer size and proportion of it, completely amazed and in awe.   Considering the length of the largest Goodyear blimp is less than one third that of the Shenandoah, I might have become orgasmic over seeing her in the same way....LOL....Perhaps not orgasmic but you get my drift (speaking of LTA craft). It was a different time and we had not yet become jaded by the expectations of technological wizardry.

Spaw