Air Force One and the POTUS in RI

President Obama flew into T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, RI to attend a fundraising event in Newport yesterday.  Given the fact that my top (and most unattainable) bucket list item is riding in Air Force Once coupled with the fact that my boys are avid history buffs, my oldest being very interested in Presidents, we decided to go to the airport to view Air Force One fly in.

My own fascination with Air Force One began after I saw the movie of that same name featuring Harrison Ford as the President and Gary Oldman as one of the terrorists who hijacked Air Force One.  Since that day, I've dreamed of seeing this fantastic plane that only a few have the privilege of traveling in.  Even though I know it will never happen, I've never taken it off my bucket list!

There would be no motorcade as President Obama would be flying on Marine One (helicopter) to get to Newport, RI, but we still wanted to see the plane even though there would likely be no sighting of the President.  Ordinary people like us don't usually get the opportunity to meet a President, not with a $15,000 price tag to attend these fundraisers.  My sons would be thrilled to meet a President of the United States, as would I, but we most likely will never be afforded that opportunity, so we were content to be in Warwick getting a glimpse of the POTUS fly in on the plane.

The coast guard helicopter was in the sky as the Warwick Police patrolled the area in cars and on motorcycle.  

Obama was scheduled to come in at 6:10.  A few minutes early, a plane flew  by in a different direction than the runway.  I took a photo and zoomed it in on my camera viewer and saw the American flag on the tail.  

Once Air Force One landed, we could make out people descending down both the front and rear stairs.  Several minutes later, Military One, another helicopter and three military helicopters flew off to whisk the group to the Newport fundraiser.  

Though it wound up being the smaller of the 2 Air Force 'Ones', my sons and I were thrilled to watch the plane fly in.  And I still retain my bucket list dream of sometime riding in this gorgeous plane!

Where Has The Summer Gone?

There's a cool breeze out today for mid-August.  It actually feels like autumn today.  We are finally home and I spent this past weekend organizing the literally thousands of photos from this summer, reliving the fantastic days that have flown by.  I realize that as we get older, time seems to fly faster, but this summer passed by at warp speed.  There were only a couple of days of rain during our month at the beach, which was filled with sun, sand, ocean, sunsets and fun (except for the whale watch when we all got sick)!  

We saw old friends, made some new friends, watched the super moon rise out of the ocean, set off fireworks for Fourth of July, made s'mores but more importantly made wonderful, heartwarming memories.  

After the beach, my family went on our yearly trip to Vermont.  Again we visited with old friends as we trekked all over the state to visit some favorite spots and discover new places we hadn't yet seen.  We ate great food, watched the dragon boat festival in Burlington and spent an evening on Lake Champlain for a beautiful sunset sail.  The antique car show in Stowe fell on our weekend to leave but we found a last minute cancellation and extended our trip so we could attend the show.

  

As I unpacked from Vermont, I simultaneously packed for a couple of days to spend with my daughter who recently rented a house on Yirrell Beach, a private beach in Winthrop, Massachusetts.  My friend Linda, my sons and I took a train up to Boston, then the T to avoid the crazy traffic and got there in just over an hour.

We toasted marshmallows, celebrated my daughter's birthday with a lobster dinner, searched for sea glass and walked around Deer Island.  We watched a red moon rise over the ocean and then set our alarms to get up and watch the sun rise the next morning.  

Everyone is sleeping in this morning.  School starts in a week.  I will be working on my summer photo book soon, but for now, I am sipping my coffee and wondering where has the summer gone?