The Land Of The Free, Because Of The Brave

We took in the Arctic Thunder Airshow last weekend. It was amazing. I am not generally a big fanatic about airplanes, but this show was something else altogether. We went with Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa) in to Anchorage to the Air Force Base there, and spent the entire day with our necks crooked up to watch the aerial acrobatics. Or else we were climbing around the aircraft they had there for display, peppering the servicemen and women with questions about their jobs. The weather was great, the show was very cool, and it was just fun to spend the time with the fam.

I came away from the show feeling pride in my country, and a reverence for the people and machines that protect us at home and away. It is always awe-inspiring to get a tiny peek into the world of our protectors. Makes me truly proud to be an American. And very thankful, as well. Mostly thankful, to tell you the truth.

I took this photo at the insistence of Chris and Dad, although I know I don't really appreciate the coolness of the fact that these two planes were flying together. It's an F22 and P51 in flight together.

The glory of the show prompted Brian to declare that he might want to be a pilot now instead of a bio mechanical engineer. Whatever you want, son. He could have stayed there for days.

While the crowds covered their collective ears to protect from the thundering jets overhead, Abby slept like, well, a baby, in my lap with ear-protection on. It was a long day, and I was glad she could rest. Still, it was kind of funny that she just zonked out like that. (For the record, Casey did the same thing when she was little.)

The Thunderbirds were performing this year. Can't say enough about how smooth their show was. The kids got a few autographs at the end of the day from some of the pilots. Casey was excited because one was a girl.

If you'd like to see more photos from the day, click here or here. It was just a cool show. I hope everyone gets the chance to do something like this sometime.