Tuesday, December 29, 2009





In Memory of Donald Schockling 02/11/32 - 4/25/89
and Harry Portz 12/20/33 - 9/30/09
6913 RSM
The photo's here were taken by my Dad, Donald Schockling, while he was in the Air Force in 1953, 6913 RSM, Baker Trick. The descriptions for the pictures I will write are the notes my Dad made about the pictures.
Click on the pictures to see a larger version.




Camp Kilmer, New Jersey May 1953



Portz & Spike, Camp Kilmer, N.J.





Portz, me and Strop. Showing off the crew cuts.
Ha ha. Whose looks worse? Camp Kilmer, N.J.





Portz, me and Strop. Camp Kilmer N.J.




On Ship, U.S.S. Patch May 1953

Leaving New York, May 16, 1953 for Germany.





Ransome a bit Sea sick. Probably from the chow.
Check the crew cuts.




"The Crew" Portz, Spike, Strop, me and Casper.
On ship May 1953.





The Rough House Gang. Me, Ransome, Portz, Strop.
and Casper. What a gang. Casper went to Landsburg
and is no longer with us. May 1953 on U.S.S. Patch.




Me, Strop, Ransome and Portz.



The Destroyer at Bremerhaven when we were
pulling into dock. May 1953.




Band under rigging playing for us when we
docked at Bremerhaven. Port of ? Emarkation (B.P.E.)
May 1953.





Bremerhaven, Germany






21 Gun Salute on July 4, 1953, out back of barracks. Note Canal at low tide in background. Houses in background are the type of apartments and buildings here. All the roofs are made like this.






Big ship going up canal in back of barracks. August 1953.





Room in the Barracks.

This is our little apartment room in Germany. Haha. Buck is still in bed, Harry is sitting on his bed and "old Dad" is at the desk writing , Guess who? This picture was too dark, but you can see our cozy little corner. The desk we bought, the lamp and my radio. Get a better one next time. How do you like it? August 1953.


You see everything from horses to bicycles to
cars and Model T Fords on the streets of Germany.
This is a vegetable truck. Note very slanted roofs on houses.



Bremerhaven Square.





One of the many wheeled trucks that the Germans
use. Note all the bicycles.





One of the many banks bombed out during war.
A few ruins remain yet. This is all that was left
of this bank.



Gerry Shields, Harry Portz and Bucky Ransome
on Hafen Straffen.




Amsterdam, Holland August 1953.







Here you see the Courthouse in Amsterdam, Built in 1620.






The top of an old church in the Gothic
style. Amsterdam, August 1953.










Spike on a drawbridge at ? Manikadamn, Holland.

An old church we visited in the background.





One of the government buildings
of Holland in Amsterdam.









Spike and Harry in the courtyard
of the Palace at Amsterdam.





This is the town clock on top of the City Hall.
Built in 1620 as you see on the tower. Notice
the road signs and red light on the right.




Harry & I in front of the Queens
palace in Amsterdam. We are
standing in the courtyard. Spike
took the picture.








Marken Island, Amsterdam, August 1953.






Children going to school at noon on
Marken Island, Holland. Notice all
the dresses are the same.





Spike, the camera fan. He was taking
a picture Harry and I while I took his
picture un-noticed.




Harry Portz on a street on Marken Island.
Notice the old lady in the background.


This is the front yard and flower garden
of one of the nicer houses on Marken Island.





The harbor of Amsterdam from aboard
the Steamboat coming back from Marken Island.






Harry and I at Manikadamn, Holland
on our way to Marken Island.
Pretty sharp, huh, ha ha.





Spike & Harry on "Tourist Row" where all the
souvenir shops are found.




Thursday, August 20, 2009

Praying Mantis Egg Sack Hatching

Here is the Praying Mantis Egg Sack Hatching. It was very interesting watching it hatch. The little Praying Mantis come wiggling out and they are shaped like a worm. Then when they wiggle out of the sack, their eyes start to bulge out on the sides of their heads and they pull their legs away from their body. It was so neat to watch them hatch.


Wednesday, August 19, 2009

A Day at the Zoo

A Day at the Pittsburgh Zoo!


































This is my favorite picture of the day. We were in the Water's Edge, where they have the underwater tunnels and I took a picture of the shark as it was swimming above me. So the shark looks like it is swimming in the sky.