Oregon International Airshow

We attended the Oregon International Airshow for the second year in a row. Adah was actually the one who requested this event as part of our summer schedule. The weather this year was really great. Last year it rained off and on during the day, but this year we had sunny weather without it being too hot. That's good news since you spend all day walking on asphalt or dead grass, with the only shade to be found under a wing or inside a sponsor's tent.

Adah and Maggie each took a small turn at the controls of this medical helicopter. They did not get airborne. (They saved that for the bouncy castles--no photos, though.)

The big fun for the kids was the Lego tent. We spent lots of time there building at the tables and looking at the amazing display cases full of detailed Lego worlds. Did you know that there are 915 million ways to combine six eight-stud Lego bricks?

Did you know that the Lego minifigure represents the world's largest population of people? Over 4 billion minifigures have been produced in the last 30 years.

Did you know that being eaten by a Lego lion is the number one cause of death at airshows?

We saw lots of different planes flying, from old-fashioned biplanes to precision jets performing in unison. The final flight of the day was made by a Harrier jet. It was dang loud, and dang impressive. You can't tell from the photograph, but that baby is hovering. Big giant airplanes don't just hover. But this one did. It was pretty amazing that that thing didn't just fall right out of the sky.

All in all, it was a fun-filled and tiring day for us all. I was pretty proud of Damon and me for actually considering such a venture with our four kids. The night before I had started to wonder if we were crazy--a thought I entertain frequently these days.