Tanque Verde to Titan in a day!

Pictures a bit out of order but I liked this sign at the Titan Missile Museum - there were only 4 staff there on 24 hour shifts and they always needed to take another person with them in case something happened - not a bad idea at all no matter where you are.
At the Tanque Verde Swap meet there seemed to be a lot of knives, gun stuff right next to the toys, churros, candy and mini donuts!
After visiting the sobering Titan Missile Museum we stopped at the Tanque Verde Swapmeet - family owned for 27 years - we got the greatest sun hats for $4 - leather wallet for $5! Ice cream cone, popcorn, pop to round it out for lunch.
Loved this cart - I'm going to try roasted corn at home - it is served lots of places and looks wonderful....not sure what a corn cocktel is!
Started the day with the Titan Missile Museum Beyond the Blastdoor tour - made reservations several weeks ahead and it was full. The video says it was Peace Through Deterrence aka "mine is bigger than yours". There were 54 Titan missiles never needed - thank goodness - after that came Minuteman, ICBM and others...they are still in Grand Forks and Minot ND and other places. The German Werner von Braun developed the first missiles in Germany and he "allowed" himself to be captured by the US and developed what we have. Earlier than that missiles were in China. As this tour was special and less frequent it took us to the very bottom of the missile silo so we could see the entire missile and the sky above!
Launch control pad which required many codes, calls, bells and whistles and a call from the President to set it off - never needed it. However I am old enough to recall the Cuban Missile Crisis for 3 days in October 1962 - the closest the world ever came to a nuclear war. I think the "docents" were old soldiers. Bob for sure was as he worked in this silo for 3 years and loved to tell the stories. He said the US had more missiles than they had targets for them!..still have plenty of weapons.
Sign entering the museum - yes we are in Arizona!
Anybody know who count Ferdinand von Galen is??? I will have to google and fill this in. I do know that there is now a TV in the silo that can transmit live tours to Holland and I expect other places in Germany. This silo was in the movie Star Trek First Contact.

Interesting - this is the year I was born. I'm sure new parents at that time thought "What are we doing having children in these times?" Click on any picture to enlarge

Travel continues to show me how small the world really is. I was in high school in 1961when the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin was closed; I vividly recall President Reagan saying "Mr. Gorbachev take down this wall" - in 1989. And I was able to walk right through the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin just a few years ago. I'm beginning to love world history more and more.

Big winds and resulting sandstorms in the desert today - grit in my teeth and eyes. Looking forward to Athens on 4th Avenue tonight - maybe moussaka or Souvlaki with a little Milopita for dessert (would be called strudel in Austria:)