Page 47 - REALLY What A time Book IX

REALLY SO WHAT
What A Time

MY FAMILY

The bad news was either of the above, where the plane would
hit a rock or bump and tip over breaking a prop. Worst of all
would be an uncontrolled downward sweep where the plane
would nose dive into the ground.

Joe loved flying planes, and by the time he was 12 he was
designing his own models. He tried several flying saucers each
about 2 feet in diameter. To steer them he built them with
two tails and an elevator. They didn’t fly so well but, he wasn’t
daunted by it.
He had two other interests arise before we left Fairlington in
1950. They were both fish. Tropical fish and fishing fish.
During his bus trips to Washington he had seen tropical fish in
the model shops and liked them. Over a period of time he
talked Mom into his first 20 gallon fish tank, and double
Decker stand. Tropical fish need special equipment like filters,
oxygen bubbling through the water, environmental
landscaping (sand, castles, coral, plants), and stuff like that.
All of which was extra.

Once set up he bought a lot of fish. I can remember Guppies,
everyone has Guppies, Mollies, red and green, 2 Angle fish, a
cat fish, a couple of Kissing Gromies, and his favorite a black
Beta. These fish are all temperamental, and had to be put in
the tank after the water sat for 2 days.
Once the water was seasoned he would introduce each fish by
putting it in a plastic bag of water lowering it into the tank and
waiting until the temperature was equal. Yes, he also had a

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