It’s 8 o’clock in the morning (well, actually 5 minutes after - the bugles blew Reveille at the top of the hour) and I’m standing on the tailgate of my truck with my smart phone camera in hand. Note: I’m still learning my smart phone (smarter than me by far) having recently switched from my trusty flip phone (which I secretly miss). Anyway, I’m on the tailgate so as to have a better view.
We’re parked on a dirt berm, in a farmer’s field, outside the security fence at the end of the runway the Blue Angels apparently use. There are at least a dozen trucks and cars parked just like us and we’re all waiting to see if the rumours are true and the Angels, the real team, are about to take off and practice their skills for the upcoming show. Kathy and Sue are all set up in their folding camp chairs with cameras in hand. John’s not with us for this run. It is indeed early but the sun is starting to warm us and the sky is a brilliant blue. There isn’t a cloud to be seen.
Right on cue, the show begins with the jets all rolling out to the far end of the runway and, without any hesitation, the first four scream down the runway aiming right for my truck! Seems the space I had squeezed into between two other trucks in line was the premium spot, right in line with the runway.
Yup, one after another the jets thundered (and I mean thundered…so loud the vibrations came right through my whole body and shook the very ground we were parked on) over my head - so close my carefully styled hairdo was in danger (just kidding my ‘do’ didn’t change much - never has 😀). And then they carried on over the fields, up into the sky, working in groups and as singles, dispensing trails that blended together and/or fell apart, creating circles and other works of art while they entertained us with their skills for over an hour.
It’s fascinating how the ‘loud enough to endanger your hearing’ sound of the jets follows them and you actually don’t hear them coming until they’ve passed and the thunder of their engines then blows you out of your shoes.
I mentioned I had my camera ready. Andy, I did try to follow them and click stills but I missed them almost every time. What I did do was click the video button on my camera and a few of those turned out. We’ve included some still shots here and will share the videos with you in the next post. Stay tuned!
I’m really glad we went out to the field and saw the show. I expect we saw more than we would have if we’d spent a lot of money and had to sit in the stands watching from afar. They say the Angels really appreciate us locals coming out to the fields and they make a point of parting our hair and working over top of and around us. Many of the folks there are professional photographers and the coverage provided is good for promoting the actual shows. So that was a big TICK on our tudu list.
The rest of our days since I last wrote have been great. The temperatures are warming up (still very cold at night). We seem to be much busier than we had expected to be what with golf (still getting our moneys worth…more exercise than real golfers), dog walking, shopping, reading, and good intentions to play pickle ball (hopefully we get to the courts before it’s time to leave).
Like all of you, we’re following the news; so much going on in the world, not much of it good. This is one of those times you just have to fasten your seat belt, keep your head down and your hands clean, and wait for those that can to sort it out. I believe the human race is still basically good - the small percentage that have run amok…well, their time will come. For now we must do our best and support each other as best we can.
As I write these posts I think of each of you I know, and those of you I haven’t met yet, and I thank you for taking the time to read my words. I wish you all a warm and loving day. TTFN (tata for now). ❤️ CJ
