PBW: Another Air Show

In 2005, I went to my first air show. In 2006, I returned with a better camera. This past weekend, for Photo Blog Wednesday, I went once more to the Jones Beach Air Show, with the same camera, the same friends, and a larger crowd.

It took me a half hour to get through a toll booth and find a parking spot. If it wasn't for cell phones, I would never have located B13. Real estate was scarce, and even when we found an open plot of beach, people still walked through. When the tide came in and I tried to move back, a woman warned me to not let my umbrella fall on her kids, who had busied themselves digging a trench directly behind my chair. When I folded up and carefully tried to find a path, another lady first beckoned me, “well walk through now!”, then as I edged along careful not to step on her towel she shook her head and muttered, “Unbelievable.” I find people in general are best in small doses.

In spite of claustrophobia, it was a nice day. Between my umbrella and sunblock, I managed to burn only my ankles, exposed beyond the umbrella's reach of my lounge chair. I'm good as long as I don't pull up my socks or wear tight jeans. I didn't feel the need to shoot every plane that flew by, because I was comfortable and because a lot was the same as the previous years. I did get some good video footage to switch things up a bit, although at one point I hit the record button too many times and ended up catching some dialogue between flights. For all the annoying people and repetitious performances, I still enjoyed my annual escape from an office to the shore. Sure, I do make it into some form of nature with my camera nearly every week, but not like this, not like this...