How On Earth!: The Blue Angels Thrill Seattle

Speechless! I was downright speechless when I saw my beloved Blue Angels power across the Seattle sky in this formation. 

I had a such great afternoon during the Thursday practice show on August 3rd. Someone had suggested I check out Proctor Landing as a possible vantage point. When I arrived, the police told me that it was one of their temporary headquarters and sent me down the way to Slater Park. Boy am I glad they did!

As I was looking for a parking spot, I started talking to an older gentleman who was leaving his car. We talked about the Blue Angels for a minute and then I started walking toward the beach with my chair and camera. "You're going the wrong way!" he called after me. Huh? "The good beach is that way...put your stuff down next to the U of W chair, that's us." 

And there you have it. Another example of kindness from the strangers I have experienced in Seattle. For the rest of the afternoon, I chatted with Bob, Sue and Vincent. They were all Washington natives and had found this new spot after their old Seafair haunt became inaccessible. We all agreed that Slater Park was perfect. It's a patch of green tucked among the beautiful homes and has a perfect place to let your kids play in Lake Washington. I couldn't have invented a better photo (below) if I tried. Happy days are here again.

Sue asked if I liked living in Washington, as she handed me her sunscreen. Vincent tried to relate by telling me a harrowing story of the time he drove thru Michigan in the winter. And when the air show was over, Bob insisted that I tuck my camping chair into his rolling cart so that I didn't have to haul it up the hill. Kindness, and dare I say a familial warmth, that I find over and over again "out here." 

Yes, living 2,000 miles away is a big adjustment, but the citizens of Seattle have been rewarding me for my effort.

*And the Blue Angels fly over Lake Washington EVERY year! I count myself lucky.

Thunderbirds over Traverse City, Michigan

It was the perfect summer day for a Thunderbird air show: comfortable temperatures and a city full of spectators in town for the National Cherry Festival. The area swells by 500,000 the week of the festival and happy families lined the streets across from the bay.

I loved watching the F-16 scream across the blue sky. Traverse City is a terrific venue because Grand Traverse Bay gives you the space to enjoy the approach and fly by of the jets.

What a sight!

A beautiful formation.

 #thunderbirds #airshow #landofthefree #homeofthebrave #traversecity

Blue Angels Air Show: Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July, indeed! My all time favorite July 4th activity is watching The Blue Angels air show in Traverse City.  The Blue Angels come to the Traverse City National Cherry Festival every other year (although they didn't come in 2012 due to federal budget cuts) and they never cease to amaze.

They center their show over Grand Traverse Bay (above).

They fly in a 6-plane formation against the bright blue summer sky.

How is this formation possible?  The formations and proximity to each other blow my mind.  I love it. Love it. Love it. Love it.

Look at this awesome drive by (above) where you can see the pilots!

Look how close the 4 planes are to each other. I don't even want them to fly that close. 

When I went onto the Blue Angel website to give you a link, I noticed that they now have videos that you can watch to see 3 views of each special maneuver: inside the cockpit, from the ground and the pilot saying the verbal cues.

You really must go to one of their air shows if you can.  And wear ear plugs, it will be louder than you think.  But you'll love it. Love it. Love it. Love it.