Zoom Zoom

Though sore and bruised, I managed to attend the McConnell AFB Open House on July 14^th along with over 101,000 (good heavens!!!) enthusiastic souls and it was well worth the extra effort. After all the excessive rain and constant clouds we endured during the week, a sunshiny Saturday greeted the assembled masses. Nothing quite beats uniting with a huge (sweaty), happy crowd watching the talented zoomies do their thang. Decked out in my Cleveland Browns regalia complete with Browns earrings (that look similar to this), I accompanied my bro-in-law, his son, and sis to the action-packed show. I even got a “Go Browns!” within the first 10 minutes of arriving thanks to "wearing the colors." No airshow is complete without refreshing beer and though I snubbed the ‘lites,’ I thoroughly enjoyed downing several plastic cups of "Flying Monkey" from the Miller tent. Good job, guys! Also, thanks to the sweltering day, bottled water was passed out with abandon. You all know the drill. First you stake out your spot and plunk down the folding canvas chairs (fittingly, mine is a Blue Angels one) for maximum viewing pleasure. Then you head for the static displays and ooh and ah over their sleek power and macho image (the planes, silly, though this could certainly apply to the sexy flight suits snugly covering their flirty owners.) And while you would love to take the time to walk through the wide array of choices, time is of the essence and your selection must be pared down to a limited few. This year, sis and I picked the Osprey and the AWACS plane (out of Tinker AFB) to scrutinize. While in line for the AWACS, we naturally got to visiting with fellow aircraft enthusiasts patiently waiting to snake their way to the front. Darn if I didn’t hear a voice in the back saying, “Indians.” I whipped around to discover the guy directly behind me sporting an Indians ball cap! Apparently this spot was Buckeye Central as the guy behind him also hailed from my home state. Of course, this started the conversational ball rolling and we yakked away the rest of the wait time with him and his wife. After the informative tour, it was back to our chairs to catch those high-flying daredevils, the ever-popular Blue Angels. I may have viewed their air acrobats many times before but they never fail to thrill, amaze and leave me with shivery goosebumps. It wasn’t until leaving the grounds that the true ramifications of the relentless, beating sun hit me with full force and I thought I was going to pass out from heat exhaustion before reaching the car. Apparently I wasn’t the only one as I heard from another coworker who was there who said she’d been told the base hospital was full of affected spectators who had succumbed and been rushed to the facility. Though getting somewhat sunburned and certainly dehydrated, I still had a wonderful time and am counting the days till the next one. ; )