Sadderday

With Sage out of state on vacation, I felt it was a safe time to enter his neck of the woods to fulfill a 20+ year old dream.

As a kid, a nearby airport always had an air show once a year during the summer. I never went to one but every so often, I'd catch a plane from the show going low over the house. The summer of my 13th year, I had gotten to the point where I thought that boys didn't have cooties any longer. To coincide with this growth in maturity, I became initiated into the world of heterosexual women and their love of men in uniform...I got my first glimpse of the Blue Angels. I still remember just happening to be in the backyard when one flew over low. I was amazed that I could read everything on this plane as well as the brilliant blue and yellow of the plane.

Over the years, I've had to satisfy my love of the Blue Angels by watching the Snowbirds or the Thunderbirds. It was fun but not quite the same. I was satiated but not fulfilled. This year, I noticed that the air show that I drag Big A to every year as a birthday gift (this cuts down on his complaining ever so slightly about having to not only work with airplanes during the week but having to be around them on his days off) was hosting the Blue Angels (and on top of that, they return to the airport of my youth this upcoming weekend as well).

Yesterday was the show and it was great. Unfortunately though, having gone to air shows the last 3 years has turned Big A and myself into cynics for all the "warm up" acts that come before it. The plane with the idiot standing on the wing who was suppose to grab the bottom of a helicopter? We knew they wouldn't do it until the 3rd try. That plane doing the 'hammerhead'? He won't hit the ground. While keeping one eye on the events, I kept another one on the people. Quite an interesting crowd and judging from them, this is what I surmise about this area of the state: people like to wear their religion on their shirts, white girls like to have babies with black men, stores in the area sell clothes two sizes smaller than what women should actually wear and lastly, a severe shortage of babysitters can be found in southwest Michigan. Will a 3 month old really enjoy an air show? I'm guessing that no kid under 10 would really get true enjoyment out of it. On the other hand, air shows seem to be a hit with the Amish. There were quite a few that hitched a ride (I didn't see any horse and buggies so I'm guessing they either thumbed it or paid someone to drive them).

It was a beautiful day - upper 70's, sunny but with the occasional cloud to give one a break from the relentless sun and a gentle breeze. This year, I came even more prepared than usual. Along with some water, a chair in a bag (the patent owner of that idea must be filthy rich), binoculars and a camera, I brought along a Sage-like hat. Unlike him though, if hell freezes over and I find myself wearing it in the middle of nowhere and it has fallen into the river, I'm letting it go. It gives me a valid reason to go back to Target.



(The title of this post is Murf-speak for Saturday.)