10/10/16, Fleet Week

Hi Everyone,

I hope everything is going well for you. I’m in the swing of my fall schedule, writing up a storm, keeping very busy, with a family wedding in less than a week. And looking forward to the holidays, making plans for that too. The weather is a little crazy everywhere, which happens at this time of year, with a last burst of warmth (in San Francisco), or a sudden chill (in New York), and fall weather in Paris.

On Columbus Day weekend, in San Francisco, they have Fleet Week. Before cutbacks in government spending, it was an even bigger deal than it is now, with the Bay full of Naval ships, and a major air show by the Blue Angels, the Navy pilots who do fabulous demonstrations all over the country for special events and holidays. There are fewer ships now, but some battleships still come to the San Francisco Bay for the weekend before Columbus Day. They come into the Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge, in single file procession, with the fire boat leading the way with a spray from the firehoses. It’s a pretty sight, and always very impressive. And on Thursday, the Blue Angels begin to fill the skies doing practice runs over the city and over the bay. It used to make me very nervous, in case there was ever an accident, as they flew over the residential neighbourhoods. They were allowed to fly VERY low. They don’t flow as low nowadays but it is a VERY impressive show, by our jet fighter pilots, and the incredibly able, skilled Blue Angels pilots flying in formation literally only inches apart, and low enough to impress everyone. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday they put on a full air show to dazzle the locals and any tourists in San Francisco at the time. People love to see it, and they fill the skies for 3 or 4 hours every day. It’s a VERY noisy event, and despite how impressive they are, there is a wartime feeling to it, which is always slightly unnerving. But one can only be impressed by what talented pilots they are.

I’ve known a few people who have been invited to go up in the planes with them as VIPs, and without exception all of them have either fainted from the G force, or thrown up, or both. There’s an invitation I’m not begging for!! I would be terrified, and am perfectly content to watch them from the ground. All the small boats in the San Francisco area fill the bay during the days of the air show, to get a better view, or people stand on rooftops all over the city so they can see it. But you can see their performance from just about anywhere. It’s a very patriotic event, and one that most people in the city love (if they don’t mind the noise!!)

Other than that, I’m busy planning Halloween, looking forward to the family wedding, have started my Christmas shopping, and am working on several books. Keeping busy!!! I hope you have a great, happy, peaceful, productive week!!

much love, Danielle