I think I can blame it on my dad, as he's the one who exposed us to airplanes early on. I know I've mentioned in the past the reunions that my dad put on for my grandfather's "WWII buddies". Airplanes became his life but they also had an impact on us.
For YEARS, we had the nose section of a Privateer in our driveway. We would trailer that thing to air shows and even to one of the reunions in San Diego. Speaking of Privateers, we sold these lithographs at the reunions and proudly wore our t-shirts with the litho printed on them. (Side note: each reunion had a different t-shirt and this print was on the t-shirt for the 1994 reunion in San Diego - 50th Anniversary of the Privateer.)
I loved going to the air shows with Pop, and have vivid memories of Moffett Field and the Blue Angels. While I didn't think it was cool then, I can now say that I was probably exposed to things most kids aren't and it helped shape me.
There were photographs of airplanes all over the house. I remember one time, my dad had asked my mom to make some copies of a few and while driving to the store, she had them face up on the ground. The naked women painted on the aircraft grossed us all out and she was annoyed by our immaturity and flipped them over. While I don't prefer pin ups naked, I do think it's a classic depiction of the 40's and 50's and I now appreciate them.
The Planes trailer also reminded me of Soarin' Over California, the ride at California Adventure. No amusement park ride has ever touched me the way Soarin' did. I'm talking like getting choked up and shedding a few tears. And never have I been more proud and grateful for the beautiful state in which I live. I can't even imagine how amazing it would be if they did one for the United States.
Even though The Lime kept asking where Lightning and Chick Hicks were, we are anxiously awaiting the release of the movie and I'm packing some tissue, just in case.
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