Thunder Over Louisville

Thunder Over Louisville is a big fireworks show (reportedly the largest in the country) and air show extravaganza that essentially opens up the two-week Kentucky Derby Festival each spring in Louisville. Sometimes - due to trips out of town, Vincent’s big 16th birthday party, bad weather – we’ve skipped it. But this year – with Vincent linked with us for at least three more days- we essentially reprised what we did three years ago. In both years – with good weather – we parked our car in front of my old Phoenix Hall apartment, walked the 1 ½ miles to the Presbyterian Center, retrieved some folding chairs I’d stored in my office (having paid $30 in advance to be able to get into the office – most importantly to use the bathrooms), and sat out on a blanket and chairs and watched the air show, wandered off to buy food, and then watched the fireworks. Frisco accompanied us both times (even though he doesn’t particularly like the air show’s loud noises). This year – as I was aware of – we had less of the Center’s lawn to work with. Of course, we ran into some Center people. And – inevitably – we ran into some other people (when there are close to 1 million people, on both sides of the river) – including Vincent, who is of course not allowed to stray from home or us and not allowed to run into friends intentionally. Above is the view of the 2nd Street bridge - closed since Thursday, where some of the fireworks were to be fired from, and behind it the $500 million indoor sports arena being constructed. Below, Frisco and Vincent have already settled on in our front lawn spot, with the Center parking garage (which obstructed our view from this particular perch) in the background.

Stephanie took some pictures with the digital camera, including this one (below) of me looking up into the sky during the air show.

Vincent (who had to be with at least one of us at all times - I even walked to the bathroom with him) and I went down to the Chow Wagon, even closer to the Waterfront, to buy food. We bought extra Pegasus pins and got a bunch of not so good for us fair food to bring back.

We reprised the dish Stephanie had gotten last summer at the state fair, hot beef sundae (pictured below).

Frisco only got a few scraps.

Vincent tried some of the blooming onion (which we weren't able to finish).

It's hard to capture ths air show - hard to even snap pictures of the planes, hard to capture the experience without the loud noise - but a few pictures are below. There are loud, fast supersonic jet fighters, lumbering transport planes, biplanes and other prop planes, and even helicopters. A Facebook friend of mine protested the military nature of the air show, in that some of these air show planes essentially mimick bombing runs similar U.S. government planes make in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The four of us walked briefly along the river - from which many more people would be watching the fireworks than on Witherspoon Street - and we got a hint of the throngs that constitute that 1 million people figure.

On house arrest, Vincent is forced to do things with us if he is going to get out of the house. After getting us to take him to a movie last night, Vincent did some of his laundry and chores this morning, came closer to finishing up his on-line social studies class, and then headed off to Thunder with us, late. Later he did something he hasn't done with me in years: threw frisbee and (even later) a football. My back/shoulder/neck hurts, which limited my football throwing range.

While Vincent and I were back again at the Chow Wagon, buying dessert, Stephanie snapped some more air show pictures

As darkness began to settle, we got a little punchy.

Eva was one of my Center colleagues and - in this case - church mates we talked with (a couple of hours after seeing and talking with her children).

We tried going up to a rooftop stairway landing/patio, but it was too crowded. So, while Stephanie watched the fireworks from another landing, Vincent and I stood and sat on the proper observation point at the front of the building. Not only is the display (at 30 minutes) singificantly longer than most and not only do you have a great physical and cultural environment for the show (the Ohio River) but also everything happens in double during the shows - there are two identical, parallel, and simultaneous displays - less than half a mile from each other, on the river. I got pictures of fireworks coming from the western end only.

During the long walk home, we met more acquaintances of Vincent - in this case, a former school mate).

Just to give you an idea of Frisco's ability to bark at all flying objects click on the video below.