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Breaking Barriers, in Particular the Sound Barrier
Jim Clash and pilot “Bulldog,” canopy down, ready to taxi for their supersonic F-16 flight. (Photos by Art Harmon) At Eglin AFB near...

Jim Clash
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Within Walking Distance
My granddad and I had a lot in common, including an uncanny proximity to famous race tracks Photos courtesy of Richard Friend Some of my...

Richard Friend
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My U-2 Flight to the Heavens
(Photos courtesy of Jim Clash) It’s extremely rare for a civilian to score an edge-of-space ride in the backseat of a U-2 spy plane....

Jim Clash
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Bowling... The Stressmaker!
A 1992 tournament was supposed to be a relaxing break from a tumultuous year. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. The year 1992 was a memorable one...

Richard Friend
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The Surreality of a Solar Eclipse Viewed from 30,000 Ft. Above Earth
All my life, I had wanted to witness a total solar eclipse. But it was always too cloudy, or I was someplace where the thing wasn’t...

Jim Clash
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More Than a Neighborhood
I frequently reminisce with my mom, who will be turning 80 this September, about my childhood in Laurel in the 1970s and 80s. And until...

Richard Friend
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The Adventures of Multi-Decade High School Class Reunions
My late father once told me something about class reunions: For the 5-, 10- and even 20-year get-togethers, everyone will be bragging...

Jim Clash
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Father’s Day Hits Different
Father’s Day hits a bit differently for those of us whose fathers have sadly passed on. My dad, Al Friend, passed away in 2018—which has...

Richard Friend
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Summertime Log Raft
Sometimes, back then, the summer was really hot. Even the dogs, normally running, barking, and protecting our house from who knows what,...

Jack Carr
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