Air Show

My wife wanted to go see the EAA Air Show 3 hours away.  We decided this could be good family bonding experience.  My family doesn't get to do much together because we work opposite shifts.  It doesn't help that the kids are as little as they are also. I hope to change our life styles soon to help my marriage. 

I was surprised and happy how well the children took the long car ride.  There was a park near by with a splash pad.  We wanted the kids to go to the bathroom before we got to the airport.  We had a couple hours to spare and luckily my wife packed their bathing suits.  They got to play and run through the water with all the other kids.

Dane didn't want to leave but we told him he didn't want to miss the airplanes and big jets.  He likes Big Jet from Disney's Little Einsteins.

When we got there we needed to find a place to park.  8 dollars.  Then we had to get into the airport and get 2 adult wrist bands and 2 bands for the kids.  75 dollars.  Whoa.  I hope I had enough money to get through the day with the 90 degree heat.

Now what?  We walked around not knowing how to get to the air show.  We went outside and there was a line of people waiting for buses.  That is how we get there?

Dane was hungry so we got 3 hot dogs and a bottle of water.  He wanted catsup but I didn't want him to get messy. I told him that catsup was cooked into it and he didn't need to put any on.  A little white lie on my part.

On the bus a nice guy let my kids sit in his spot.  Allyson was excited about her first bus ride.

When the bus stopped and we were on the airfield I figured the kids would be okay to walk.  I wanted to get Danes picture next to a Bomber jet but he knelt down and didn't want his picture taken.  He was already pre exhausted from the heat.  We went back and got the last 2 seater wagon for 15 bucks deposit.  They needed to hold on to my drivers license.

We looked at a lot of big cargo planes and helicopters.  Dane got to sit in a helicopter but didn't seem to excited.  He looked like he was going to have a heat stroke.

I thought that sonic booms were going off because of the planes taking off but they actually were dropping bombs.  That was cool.

My wife went to get us some more water and a veteran pilot gave Dane and Ally stickers while the next planes were flying in formation.

After the final bomb which was a wall of fire that the announcer said, "Changed the war," a big, black cloud was rolling in.  I was expecting a torrential downpour so we wanted to get out of there.

We were walking faster and faster trying to get back to the buses and I looked to the right.  A big mess of dust and gravel was coming at us.  We tried to make it inside a tent but it was already there.  That wind must have been 60 mph.  People were scattering everywhere looking for shelter.  We got to the side of the tent and knelt down on top of the kids.  I put the kids hats over their faces to protect their eyes from flying debree.  Another boy asked his father if that was a tornado.  Dane was so frightened and couldn't tell us how scared he was.

We got back to the wagon rental station and their tent was blown over.  I needed to get my license back and people kept budding in front of me.  Finally a nice old man asked if those were my kids.  I was the only one in the line with kids.  Everyone was returning motorized karts.  He let me get in front of him.  All the licenses were messed up because the wind knocked over their file cabinet.  People were getting distressed because they wanted their cards back.  I thanked the man and we finally go my license back.

Dane fell asleep on the ride back home.  When we got home he was still shaking.  My wife said she'd take him for a quick drive to calm him down.  I'm like, "We just drove 3 hours."  It worked.  She got back and Dane settled down a lot.  She took him around the park and he told her a bit about the ducks there.  A little one on one bonding seems to help even if it's for a short drive.