"Oh Yeh... You're The P-47 Guy"...

My Plein Air painting of a WWII dive bomber, the Dauntless!

This guy with a big smile and a cap that read, "That's All Brother!" comes up to me while I was struggling to finish my SBD painting before closing time and asks, "Ben Bensen?"

So, I replied in the affirmative. The cap with the saying,"That's All Brother" stitched on it, was from the name of an aircraft, a C-47 Skytrain, that was performing at the airshow. But, the cap gave me no clue as to who he was. I could not understand how he knew me, but I didn't know him. 

I hate when that happens! 

Actually, I really don't. It is rather flattering to know someone knows you, and has some kind of effect, be it negative or positive, from your being alive. But, his bright smile, surrounded and accentuated by a mustache and goatee, seemed to dispel any suspicious thoughts that may have entered into my "dome."

"Hi, I'm Zack Baughman!" You know me from Facebook," he said.

"Facebook, I thought... hmmmm!

Now, all day, folks were coming up to me and my aviation artist friend, Marc Poole, and introducing themselves for one reason or another. ( Both of us got hit up to donate our painting for a "good cause!" ) It truly was a blast and the ultimate ego inflator!

But, this guy, with the infectious personality, really had me stumped until I saw his tee shirt. It was  completely brown with a very familiar, silhouetted picture of a plane silkscreened on it.

"Oh yeh! Yeh... Zack Baughman... I'm sorry. You're "The P-47 Guy!"

( It seems, Zack, has been seen all over the world, and Facebook,  seated in, or standing on, or cuddling up to what is left of the few, big and burly WWII fighter... the P-47 Thunderbolt. )

He politely accepted my goofy reference, and we both had a good laugh before spending the next half hour, or so, chatting away like two long, lost brothers!

Copyright 2015/ Ben Bensen III

"Money Laundering... I'm Once Again, Guilty!"

At least, it is clean money!

Good morning, all bodies. It's a Thursday, the last time I checked.

Once again, I'm guilty of money laundering. You'd think by now I would have learned my lesson, but to my surprise and horror, as I walked out of the parking lot to meet some friends, Pat and Bobby Zeller, for breakfast at Russell's Marina Grill, I noticed my wallet was no where in sight.

LIke a good New Orleanian, ( and after a momentary panic! ) I decided to not let relying on the "kindness of strangers"... or friends, ruin the possibility of a great breakfast and good conversation.

I had been ensconced for over four months in St. Francisville working on a film project, and all I could think about, every morning at breakfast, was eating at my favorite place in New Orleans for breakfast. 

"I'll worry 'bout 'dat, lay-dah, I thought to myself."

And I did, until we returned home late yesterday evening. In between innings of a horrible Cub's performance, I raced around searching for the ever elusive wallet, and found it somewhere between the seventh and eigth inning... 

IN THE WASHING MACHINE!

I'm so embarrassed. A special thanks to Bobby Zeller, who completely believed my story, and treated Tee and me to breakfast. I owe you one, Pat and Bobby!

Second cup...!

Copyright 2015/ Ben Bensen III