The boys and girls of the Navy and the Marines are in town.

Seattle, being an important port, is brimming with Sailors in uniform and the bars are exploding…

They voluntarily pose with anyone in the bars, streets, and I’m sure a good percentage got laid last night. If not, second chance tonight…

With that comes the Seattle Airshow called Seafair. As I am fascinated by flying and aviation in general, this could be a great thing to go see during the weekend.

They voluntarily pose with anyone in the bars, streets, and I’m sure a good percentage got laid last night. If not, second chance tonight…

With that comes the Seattle Airshow called Seafair. As I am fascinated by flying and aviation in general, this could be a great thing to go see during the weekend.

If it weren’t for the military jet planes. The Blue Angels, the United States Navy’s flight demonstration squadron are in town, too.

They fly amazing formations in their F/A-18 Hornets, an impressive demonstration of precision flying.

 

However, the sound just freaks me out. For the last two days they have been practicing over the city and Lake Washington, sometimes flying very, very low above my head, appearing out of nowhere with a screeching sound of and incoming rocket.

I’m having a very strong reaction to this: run, duck and cover.

I have made a fool of myself publicly a couple of times, in Volunteer Park or at the beach of Lake Washington.

I always expect to hear the sound of a bomb exploding…. Or to see those planes, flying at incredible speed at just a few meters distance between the tips of their wings… one error and that ends badly… especially over a highly populated city. I am not sure I’m in favor of this…

Though I am fascinated by it. The power, the sheer force behind it… knowing the US military could probably attack and incinerate pretty much any spot on the planet within just a few hours notice. There’s something very Top Gun about this all.

And I know, and as my US friends don’t forget to point out, my freedom and security as a Western European depended pretty much on exactly that display of force and determination, so I can’t really criticize it without being a hypocrite.

You feel the people are very proud of their navy boys and girls and marines.

On the other side, with Seattle being a pretty left wing city – with the first Socialist (!) city councilor recently being elected since 1916 – you also hear a lot of people are leaving town to escape the noise, the military, and the people from the ‘burbs who come in to enjoy the show.