Friday, April 11, 2008

And, Anne Murray remains yummy, too


The Snowbirds are back!

For those who might not know, the Snowbirds are not Anne Murray’s first hit song (the babe still looks fabulous and desirable at age 94, or whatever she is), nor are they lucky Canadians who winter in Arizona, Florida or Hawaii. Well, all of those are snowbirds, but the Snowbirds I refer to are Canada’s crack aeronautic team that always spends the month of April in the Comox Valley, practicing their stunts for the forthcoming season of, well, stunts above awe-stricken crowds across the land and overseas.

For Americans, the Snowbirds are the equivalent of the Blue Angels.

There are those cranky souls who do not like the Snowbirds. They find them noisy (they are) and they don’t relish the fact they fly real low over residential areas, and they are especially miffed by the fact that they suck up massive amounts of fuel in a time when the rest of us are really being ‘hosed’ at the pumps. Some folk tell us we are being hosed due to petroleum shortages. In truth we getting a major shaft in our bank accounts due to hideously greedy petroleum companies (check their profits for the last year) who are in cahoots with assorted governments. That’s my theory, anyway, and I’m sticking to it. But, that’s another matter. Back to the Snowbirds.

Way back in 1999 I had a chance to go up with the Snowbirds. It was something I’d longed to do for years. An advantage of being a newspaper person in a military base town is that certain perks come with the calling, and one of them is spending a fair amount of time going up in airplanes and writing nice stories about them. I’ve been up in many, many airplanes, all the way from reconnaissance craft to jet fighters. It has always been a rush. But, I had never cracked the Snowbirds nut.

One day I got a call from the media liaison guy who told me my time had come. They had a flight for me on April 23rd. Hot damn! Then I mentally backtracked. I couldn’t do it. Damn! April 23rd was to be my wedding day to Wendy. It was all kinda booked. No point in asking if we could defer the nuptials for a day or two. Would not go over well.

So, as it was, I did get to go up in a plane that day. After our reception we flew off to Honolulu. And God, with an omnipresent sense of humor (everything about God is ‘omni’, by the way) deemed that we should also spend our wedding night at Honolulu International.

Due to a mistake in booking – our actual honeymoon was to be on Kauai – there was no late night flight to our favorite island. The first one was at 7 a.m. We got to Honolulu about 1 a.m. too late to book a hotel for a matter of about 4 hours sleep. So, our wedding night was spent lying on hard benches outside the terminal. Well, at least it was nice and warm there, if not conducive to normal wedding night revels. A hard bench plus no Snowbirds.

Some might think those were negative things. Not so. Now, nine years later, I still believe it was still the best honeymoon start a couple could have. Certainly the best one I’d had.

So, as the Snowbirds fly over, it comes to mind my anniversary is on the horizon. Guess it would serve me well to remember that.

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9 Comments:

Blogger laughingwolf said...

i'm with you, again... but those tudor 'trainers' need upgrading

1:03 PM  
Blogger Leslie Hawes said...

We have Davis Monthan AFB here. I love to have the planes fly over. They have their detractors, and they are noisy as hell, but it's a virile sort of 'noisy as hell', and I like it.
It's just flat out exciting, that's my theory, and I'm stickin' to it!
At least your anniversary is not the same time as When the Buzzard's Return to Hinkley.

1:19 PM  
Blogger jmb said...

Great story as usual Ian. Poor Ann Murray, she's probably younger than you! Well maybe.

I'm sure you got the better deal on April 23rd, 1999, despite the glitch. in travel plans. St George's day. Easy to remember your anniversary.

2:49 PM  
Blogger geewits said...

A tough 6 hours to spend, but what a great memory and anecdote to have for a lifetime! (And you were right not to take the offer of a Snowbird ride.)

11:22 PM  
Blogger Janice Thomson said...

These guys certainly put on a fabulous performance.
Whatever will you do Ian if you move from Comox - who will remind you then? LOL
I've never been in a Tutor jet but I have been in a Cessna in a freefall - what a thrill that was!
Great post Ian.

7:42 AM  
Blogger heartinsanfrancisco said...

Happy upcoming anniversary to you and Wendy, Ian!

The Blue Angels perform every year in the Marina of SF, where we live, so we usually ride our bikes to the Bay to take pictures. (Not that it's necessary to go anywhere. We can see the whole spectacle from our roof, or backyard, if we choose.)

I also dream of being in one of those planes. I hope you get to fly with the Snowbirds soon.

8:57 AM  
Blogger Echomouse said...

In case I miss it, Happy Anniversary in advance!

3:51 PM  
Blogger meggie said...

Great marker for an anniversary.

3:53 PM  
Blogger Dr. Deb said...

I am always amazed when I watch those aerial stunts. And Anne Murray still rocks. Her voice is so soothings and recognizable.

7:38 AM  

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