<p>Brothers Richard and Matthew Banks and their three nephews were anxiously awaiting President Bush's visit on Friday, but not just to see the country's leader.</p><p>They wanted to peek inside Air Force One.</p><p>Richard Banks, 38, from Atlanta, and Matthew Banks, 34, of Augusta, and nephews Lorenzo Banks, 16, Jonathan Banks, 12, Chris Stallings, 9, were treated to a special tour of Air Force One. The Banks' cousin works security on the president's plane.</p><p>"We just want to see all the gadgets, to be honest with you," Matthew Banks said.</p><p>Several families toured Air Force One as it was parked at Hartfield-Jackson International Airport during the president's visit, but others were happy just to get a glimpse of the president and his mother, Barbara Bush, who was already on the tarmac to greet her son when the plane touched down shortly after 10:30 a.m.</p><p>Joseph "T.J." Smith of Lawrenceville and his family were among the lucky few to tour Air Force One, thanks to a good friend whom he said works as a flight attendant on the plane. Smith, a 20-year Air Force veteran, said the experience was "awesome."</p><p>___</p><p>MOMMA'S BOY: Bush's visit with mother Barbara to the Wesley Woods senior center left a clear impression on some of the 15 seniors he met: The president is a momma's boy.</p><p>"They are so cute together," said Louise McDonald, who last saw a president when Lyndon B. Johnson swept into town in four decades ago. "She tells him what to do _ and he's the president."</p><p>McDonald and the other seniors were surprised early Friday with a personal meeting with the president, who asked the residents to be ambassadors to other elderly on the benefits of his new prescription drug plan.</p><p>"It was bigger than my Sweet 16th party," joked Jean Bainbridge about meeting the president.</p><p>Bush's arrival will be the talk of the complex for weeks to come, and now that it's over, residents sighed it will take a while to return to their daily routine.</p><p>"That one goes in my books," said John Vernet. "It will be hard to get back to normal life once I am back down to earth."</p><p>"I wonder if we can give out autographs," quipped Ruth Rooney.</p><p>___</p><p>CHICKEN KING: Before the president arrived at the civic center to deliver his speech, the biggest star in the house was a man passing out coupons and wearing a tie emblazoned with the words "Eat Mor Chikin."</p><p>Truett Cathy, the founder of Chik-Fil-A restaurants and an outspoken social conservative, was surrounded by well-wishers complimenting him on his food and his support of Republicans.</p><p>Cathy, who lives in Jonesboro, was laughing and handing out a stack of coupons for free chicken sandwiches.</p><p>He said he was excited to hear Bush.</p><p>"He's talking about senior issues. I don't understand why he'd invite me _ I'm only 84," Cathy joked.</p><p>___</p><p>FLIP-FLOP FLAP: Flip-flop shoes may not be appropriate for the White House, but they were well in attendance at Bush's Atlanta speech.</p><p>The casual shoes recently raised some eyebrows when several women's college sports teams were photographed with Bush at the White House wearing flip-flops.</p><p>Newspapers around the country ran the pictures and asked whether flip-flops were acceptable as fancy footwear, or whether they remain more suited to the beach.</p><p>At Bush's Atlanta visit, 19-year-old volunteer Yoo Jin wasn't apologetic for her choice of flip-flops with a skirt and white shirt. Her job was to hand out water to people waiting to get in _ and the midday thermometer topped 90 degrees.</p><p>"It was much more comfortable for me to wear flip-flops than heels," Yin said.</p><p>But she added that her footwear decision likely would have been different if she was going to meet the president: "I usually wear heels to important events," she said.</p><p>___</p><p>WHO'S GOT A GOLDEN TICKET?: All 4,000 tickets or so to the president's speech were free _ but some were more equal than others. Most attendees, who appeared to get their tickets because of their volunteer work with the Republican Party, had red tickets, putting them in the back of the auditorium.</p><p>A few hundred _ including Cathy and state lawmakers _ had green tickets, which put them at the front. And a few dozen got gold tickets, putting them right on stage with the president and state congressmen.</p><p>Asked how one would go about getting a gold ticket, one usher shrugged and said, "Your guess is as good as mine."</p><p>___</p><p>DAINTY DEMONSTRATORS: Outside the civic center, some 100 protesters chanted catchy anti-Bush slogans and unfurled banners slamming the president's stance on the war, abortion and even Israel's treatment of Palestinians.</p><p>For Dana Munson, the protest wasn't just an anti-Bush rally, but a chance to bring her 5-year-old twins to their first political demonstration.</p><p>The twins, Maeve and Brenna, weathered the sweltering heat with plenty of water. But that didn't seem to chill their anger for Bush's policies.</p><p>Brenna called Bush a "stinker."</p><p>"And he doesn't tell the truth," she added.</p><p>___</p><p>VOLUNTEERS HONORED: During his stop, President Bush presented Bill and Nina Hartman of Jonesboro with the President's Volunteer Service Award for their work at the Clayton County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, where the couple have served for the 10 years.</p><p>The two help seniors by teaching them how to operate the cardiovascular equipment and free weights at the Riverdale Senior Center. The volunteer program is managed by Georgia State University.</p><p>Bush later recognized the Hartmans during his speech, saying, "They are taking time out of their lives to help someone else."</p>
