I Keep On Waiting . . .

This weekend was Fleet Week in San Francisco. If you don't know anything about Fleet Week, it's kind of a big deal around here. The festivities reach a pinnacle on Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 to 4 pm when there is an Air Show above the Bay. The biggest act in the Air Show is the Blue Angels.

This years Fleet Week was at risk of not even happening due to the economic down turn which resulted in the inability to secure proper funding to pay for the event. At the last minute CVS/Pharmacy came in as a corporate sponsor and provided the needed cash to keep the event going.

The first event of Fleet Week is supposed to be a parade of ships crossing under the Golden Gate Bridge at 11:30 AM. At 11:29 I perched myself in front of the window to watch the boats.

Off in the distance I could see a fire boat crossing under the bridge shooting streams of water into the air.

All right here we go!

The fire boat was followed by what looked like a small Navy vessel.

OK, maybe the big one is coming next.

Nope.

That was about it.

Kind of a let down.

The Air Show started at 12:30. This is my fourth time seeing the show and it is pretty much the same thing every year.

Some stunt planes, a blimp, a passenger jet, a couple fighter jets, some more stunt planes, the Canadians (as seen in the photo above.) You get the picture.

The truth is most people are only here to see the Blue Angels. They want to hear those jets roar across the Bay at 3 PM.

Finally three O'clock rolled around and it was time for the Blue Angels. Their performance always starts out with a larger cargo plane barreling above Van Ness Ave. heading straight toward Alcatraz Island on the Bay.

Car alarms began to sound due to the sonic vibrations this plane put out!

Woo Hoo here we go!

And then there they were, the Blue Angels had arrived!

People on roof tops across the City began to cheer in unison.

The Blue Angels made their second pass and came around for a third.

They were only about ten minutes into their performance when they disappeared into the distance.

Hmmm, I don't remember them doing that before.

And so we waited.

Me and the thousands of people who had lined the water front.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

I don't think they are coming back.

I ran to the computer to check the Fleet Week web site for updates.

"Parade of ships cancelled due to rough waters."

Oh, that explains why the ship parade was such a let down.

About ten minutes later there was a small blurb that said, "Blue Angels grounded due to fog!"

People were clearly upset.

I think they were not as upset because the Blue Angels were grounded; but more upset that there was never an official announcement that the show was over.

The one piece of silver lining was that weather permitting the Blue Angels would still fly on Sunday.

Well Sunday was even gloomier than Saturday.

Then SF Gate reported that the Blue Angels would still fly at 3 o'clock but with a modified version of their show.

Below is a brief video I took from the roof of my apartment building.

The Song Of The Day - Bye Bye Baby by Madonna