Monday, June 1, 2015

Scavenger Hunt: May, 2015 ~ Rocky Mountain Airshow






Happy June, Everyone!
I hope you had fun,
finding May's items.














After a wet, cold, and grey May, 
we are finally seeing
warm sunshine on the high plains.






The High Plains in Eastern Aurora
Mount Evans is in the background.




On Saturday I attended the Rocky Mountain Airshow
and hunted down the items on May's Scavenger Hunt.
I had to stretch on a couple of photographs, 
but "Whatever works!" is my motto!







All the military services were represented,
but it was the Air Force's show,
because the highlight of the event was the thrilling 
performance by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.

























An F-16 Thunderbird Performing a Slow Fly-by
It practically hovered!
See the pilot in the bottom one!!



Had the Royal Canadian Air Force had more opportunities
for women when I graduated from high school,
I would have aimed for a career in the Air Force.
I would have proudly followed my parents
who both served in Canada's RCAF.



My Parents on Their Honeymoon



May's List

1.  Blue

What could be better than to start the list
with U.S. Air Force blue which these members
of the U.S. Thunderbird photography team are wearing.
They were saluting during the singing of the national anthem
shortly before the Thunderbirds appeared.
(Just one quick snap ~ That's all I did during the anthem.) 



The U.S. Thunderbird Photography Team



Their photography equipment is a little more sophisticated
than my little point-and-shoot Canon. 





Plus the airmen have advance knowledge on which direction
the Thunderbirds are roaring in from.
Head on, you don't always hear them coming.
They can change their angle in the sky and vanish.







2.  Crystal


It was a hot day (finally!) at the reservoir, 
and I hunted and hunted for crystal.
Fortunately someone dumped a cooler
and left a fast-melting pile of ice on the ground.






But I like the diamond sparkles on the water much more!






3.  Vintage

I sure hope I'm right on this vintage plane: a B-25,
and should I be wrong ~ please let me know!


 








The B-25 is a famous American bomber that played
an important role during World War II.
Many Allied air forces used it too, including the RCAF.



4.  Fluff


I thought that somewhere among all the food stalls,
I would find a vendor selling cotton candy for fluff.
I used to love watching cotton candy spun and twirled 
onto a long paper funnel in fluffy clouds of pink or blue.

It wasn't until I was trudging back to my car
because I didn't want to stand in the humongous line
in the scorching sun to catch a shuttle bus,
that I spotted cotton candy, pre-spun
and sold in a bag ~ no fun in that!





There were fluffy clouds everywhere,
but my favorite fluff was the giant heart
spun in the sky by the screaming Thunderbirds.







Forming the Bottom
of the Heart




5.  Global
The navy to the rescue with global!



6.  Mask


Remember that stretch I mentioned?
Three blown up Batman toys were the closest
I could come to mask.



7.  Bus



A traffic mess occurred when thousands and 
thousands arrived and left at the same time.  
One look at the huge line of people waiting 
for a shuttle bus had me and many others walking 
the mile and a half to the parking lots.

If you look closely along the right edge
you can see a bus heading back to the reservoir
to pick up another load.






8.  Frame
Aurora Reservoir Framed in Lots of Ovals



I found a perfect spot to watch the Thunderbird demonstration.
Oops!  I don't think I was supposed to be there.
I sat under a pine tree and hoped no one would evict me.




9.  Collection



Of course, this collection of planes appeared after 
I got in my shuttle bus and it started driving to the reservoir!
And, of course, my camera was in my purse!



10.  Poster




11.  Ribbon
Rocky Mountain Aero Squadron Member



12.  Whatever You Want

Guesses  Anyone?







That first photo shows the very tip 
of the front end of an F-16 Thunderbird.

The left photo is looking straight on
at the tip.  And the bottom, side on.





In the photo below, you can see the needle tip 
of the F-16s and the pilots.
I can't imagine what flying one feels like.








Seat


Cockpit


If you are wondering how a pilot fits inside this cockpit,
check out this beautiful and terrifying video!





Talk about a spectacular day hunting for photos!
I wanted to go back again yesterday,
but the Ever-Patient talked me into watching
the Thunderbirds from our deck
and then dragged me up the hill to Black Hawk.

Happy hunting in June! 

June's List:
J is for ?,  Rust,  Smooth,  Imagination,  Classic,  Similar,
Parallel,  Socks,  Bead,  Mug,  Post,  Whatever you want.


Thanks to Jill (Greenthumb) 
and her Made with Love blog 
for setting up the scavenger hunt.


33 comments:

  1. Well done with the scavenger hunt! Some of those people also classify as fluffy. And the Thunderbirds put on a great show.

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    1. Thanks, Alex! And you know I thought of Byron and Aden and the Cosbolt when I was working on this post. Your fighting scenes in space and on planets in the Cassa trilogy and Dragon are so vividly real! Have a great week!

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  2. That sure looks like an awesome time. Captured a lot too. Umm err Batman seems to be wanting some loving from Superman. That last one has such a pointy end haha

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    1. Bad Pat! LOL! I had a fabulous time! It had been 18 years since the Denver metro area had a jet team performance. I've had to content myself with watching the F-16s from Buckley Airbase fly by ~ little black noisy specks in the sky! I had to leave out so many photos, including a bush plane on exhibit. Have a great week!

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  3. Your excitement and enjoyment of the day is apparent through your commentary and wonderful photos. What a great opportunity to take Scavenger Hunt photos. I have enjoyed seeing the Snowbirds at the Comox airport so know how thrilling such sights and sounds are. http://comoxairforcemuseum.ca/tag/snowbirds/ Loved the heart in the sky, too, and how proud you must be of your parents. Nice photo of them.

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    1. Thanks, Glo! I had the best day! I just wish my parents could have been with me. It was a scramble (and a late night) to get the photos and writing done, but it was worth waiting until the end. I have seen the Snowbirds perform here in Denver. It was before Denver International Airport opened in 1995. There was a huge airshow at the site before construction was finished. The Snowbirds (Canada), the Red Arrows (Britain/UK), and the Blue Angels (US Navy) were breathtaking. I will never forget the Snowbirds bursting up over the edge of the prairie with the Front Range in the background and rising into a maple leaf formation. Stunning! I will check out the link you gave me!

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  4. Replies
    1. Thanks, Debra! I had a blast hunting them all down. The highlight of the day for me was touching a Thunderbird. Its tailplanes are so thin! I don't think the edges were an inch thick where I touched them! How I love planes! Have a great evening!

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  5. These are great, the thunderbirds are cool!!! The heart they made is beautiful! That ribbon photo of the Parachuter is very very clever, I love the movement of ribbons!xx

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    1. Thank you, Kezzie! Those trailing ribbons were spectacular! Listening to the Thunderbird jet engines scream and watching their maneuvers as they made the heart was thrilling! I could watch them over and over. Have a good one!

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  6. Number 9 was cool. All the formation pics were great. Kind of scary to watch...

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    1. Thanks, Susie! Scary, but exhilarating! Have a great evening!

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  7. Thanks for taking part in this months scavenger hunt. So many great photos, I really like blue, vintage, frame, mask and whatever you want.

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    1. Thanks, Jill! I had such fun! The Scavenger Hunt has pushed me to try things in photography I might never have attempted! Thanks so much for hosting this! Have a good one!

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    1. Thanks, Linda! It was a wonderful day. Terry decided not to come, which was smart because the horrendous traffic would have had him tearing his hair out. That left me free to move throughout the venue and do whatever I wanted. Terry is very patient with my photo shooting ~ beyond patient, but sometimes he is happy for me to go solo and be totally free to go where my camera pulls me. Happy Tuesday ~ and hugs to you!

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  9. You had a great day out and captured some wonderful shots. I can sense the excitement in your commentary and it was a good opportunity for scavenger hunt finds, as always very inventive. I'm afraid I take the list too literally so I'm learning a lot from the other 'hunters' with their interpretations and presentations! Ha Ha!

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    1. I did have the best day, Linda! You are a wonderful photographer, and it would be lovely to have you joining in our hunt. It's challenging because everyone leads a busy life these days. It's fun to find the photos, but it is as much fun seeing what other participants find with for the shots. It's always fascinating to see what creative ideas they come up with and how they solve the items perplexing them. Some people, me included, sometimes dip into the archives and use older photos for the month! Have a great day!

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  10. Wow, stunning photos of all the activities at the air show and how well you did to catch all you wanted for May's list on one day. You have interpreted the topics so well. Happy hunting in June to you too:)

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    1. Thanks, Rosie. I was a little anxious about leaving everything to the 30th, but I so wanted to hunt during the airshow. Both my parents were in the RCAF, so I felt very close to them as I chased all the planes in the sky. When I was little, I could identify so many planes in the sky ~ thanks to my dad. My mom loved airs and told me repeatedly of the time she was a passenger in a little plane doing loop de loop acrobatics over Toronto. Me, I get scared on the Dumbo ride at Disneyland, LOL! Have a good one!

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  11. These are such a great collection of pictures you shared. I've never been to an air show but my brother who is a avid plane buff loves going to them. It's really quite amazing all that is happening. The scenery is beautiful, too. It was so nice to meet you.

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    1. It's nice to meet you too, Pat! I love air shows, but I don't get to them very often. Everywhere I looked there was something interesting going on! The high plains are especially lovely this spring because we have had a record amount of rain in May. Enjoy the rest of your week!

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  12. My city is the proud home of the Blue Angels. My dad was an Army Air Corps pilot during World War II. He wanted one of his five daughters to be an Air Force nurse. I wish I had been the one, but none of us joined the Air Force.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Hi, Janie! I love the Blue Angels! I saw them perform here in Denver aver 20 years ago and haven't forgotten the thrill. They appeared with Canada's Snowbirds and Britain's Red Arrows. You must be so proud of your Dad! That was one of my choices with the RCAF: be a nurse or a secretary. I was quite unhappy with the Air Force recruiter who spoke at my high school. One regret I have is that I never served in one of the forces. I know that I would have loved it, and I admire those who have served greatly! Hugs!

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  13. Hello, surely you must have had an exciting time watching the fabulous and breathtaking air show. Fantastic photos taken with great precision and skill. The smoke design in the sky is awesome. Excellent write up which made the blog post come alive and real. Such a small cockpit to manage a very powerful machine.

    Your parents were a lovely, happy couple.

    Best wishes

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    1. Hi, Joseph! Thank you for your kind and encouraging comment! I'm so glad the post felt real and alive for you. It was very exciting to see the airshow! When I saw the cockpit up close, I couldn't figure out how the pilot got his legs in. That video showed me. That pilot is basically straddling a rocketing needle enclosed in glass. My heart would probably stop if I rode in one! Have a great day!

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  14. My 6-year-old grandson and I LOVED viewing the Blue Angels You Tube video!! We were mesmerized as we watched the dangerous maneuvers from inside the cockpit. Thanks for posting.

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    1. I'm so glad, Susan! Isn't that amazing! What training, skill, and courage that must take! Hugs, my friend!

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  15. Realy enjoyed the visit to the air show, you managed to capture the atmosphere so well and did the hunt as well amazing! By the way, Jill has changed one of the categories for June - poster (which we did for May) has been changed to post. x

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    1. Thanks, Julie! I changed the list! I started to comment back to you yesterday and got distracted by one of the number of times our tornado siren went off. Wild and wacky weather day, let me tell you!!! But all is A-Okay! I hope that you are enjoying your Saturday! x

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  16. Another brilliant collection! I love air shows (haven't been to one for a few years though!).

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    1. Thanks, Louise! I love air shows too! Have a good one!

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  17. Black Hawk? Is that next to Central City? Been a long time since I've lived in Colorado. The air show certainly did proffer a good lot of photos for you. The blue was perfect. Enjoyed it.

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Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them very much.