Canadian Snowbird Airshow

Directly after putting down the kidlets that weren’t in school for their daily nap, I read in the local newspaper that there would be a free airshow extravaganza this afternoon at 5:30 right over the edge of Lake Superior. It was to serve as a preview for some kind of large, expensive airshow that will happen later in the summer. I thought, why not go? We didn’t really have plans for the afternoon. It was an amazingly beautiful day outside. Mr. Sneaky Pants would get a kick out of seeing airplanes swooping upside down. And I’d never actually been to an airshow, so viewing a free one from the shores of Lake Superior seemed like a good opportunity.

It was worth the trip, even though the trip was fraught with chaos. For example, even though we left two full hours before the show started, parking was CRAZY. We were so lucky to find a spot in a grocery store parking lot not too terribly far away. I strapped The Banana to my back, and we walked down to one of the parks along the shore. We passed the only bathrooms around for quite some distance. I asked my children carefully and repeatedly if they needed to use the bathroom. I looked them in the eye with all seriousness. And they said, “No, Mom, we’re fine.” So we walked and walked some more until we got all the way down to the shore and found the perfect place to settle in. I was just about to take Hannah out of the backpack, when Mr. Sneaky Pants said, “Mama! I just had an accident!”

So, we pack everything up, and walk back to the public bathrooms, which we discover are not open for the summer season yet. There is one tiny portapotty with a very, very long line. I discover that the accident is a great deal messier than I thought. So, we walk all the way BACK to the car to get our extra clothes and supplies to change Mr. Sneaky Pants. I discover that there’s no plastic bag in the diaper bag or car to store the soiled laundry (which smells) so we have make do with stuffing everything into an empty wipes container.

We walk all the way back to the lake, just get settled in; I take The Banana out of the backpack and Mr. Sneaky Pants says, “I have another accident.” Ho hum. So we take care of that (again) and settle in with plenty of time for my lovely kidlets to climb around on the rocks.

That went very nicely until The Banana fell off a rock and into the water and got soaking wet and hopping mad. To make her feel better, the other two splashed around a bit as well. Things calmed down and I had a wonderful time sitting in the sun, my back snug up against a big rock. It was as comfortable as a lounging chair, but I’m glad I slathered everyone with sunscreen. As more people arrived there was the difficult situation of all the kids, not just mine (and there were a LOT of kids) NEEDING to throw rocks into the water. That got quite precarious with the lack of aim, so there were a lot of frustrated parents snapping at frustrated kids to stop tossing rocks. I was certainly included in this group. Sarah was frustrated with the state of her shoelaces and threw a little snit about that. I had to get mean with her about her attitude (which probably only made her meaner). One of my camera lenses rolled out of my camera bag, but was unharmed. (It made my heart beat fast, though).

Finally the airplanes arrived. They swooped. They flew precariously close. It was like fireworks with planes. Lovely. Admireable. Really.

After it was all done, I packed everyone up again. Mr. Sneaky Pants tripped on a big rock. Sarah nearly got lost in the crowd. There was crying. There was scolding. The Banana was heavy to haul back to the car. There were hungry tummies There was so much traffic that driving two and a half miles home took 40 minutes. But, upon actually arriving home, they were so excited to tell Daddy about their adventure (he got to watch from the hospital, another great view). I know that it is very likely that in a few years I will forget all the small, unsightly details of our afternoon and remember how much they really enjoyed the airplanes and their precise stunts. So, that’s why I’m recording the real story here.

A side note: It was pretty fun uploading the pictures to my computer tonight. When I clicked in really close, I could actually see the pilots in some of the shots!