The Writing in the Air

Air Writing

As fast as it came in, summer is now coming to a close. The Air and Water Show in Chicago always signals the end of summer for me, as it was always usually on the last weekend I was in town before returning to Turkey. This summer, I'm staying on- no bags to pack, favorite foods to cram into a suitcase for another year abroad... I'm settling back into the comfort of my hometown for another few more months and sinking back into its end-of-summer humidity. 

The Air Show and the idea of masses from the city lugging BBQs and coolers, gathering on the lake front to be awed by the precise formations and swirls of aerial stunt teams,  has always held a certain retro-like appeal for me. Watching the planes take over the skies, smearing the blue canvas with white streaks stacked like power lines or blank musical notation lines awaiting their notes- an airborne Jackson Pollock- is humbling and captivating. 

And so, on the afternoon of the Air Show, I added my open jaw to the rest of the city's as I put on a bathing suit melded into the beachfront crowd, where some friends had gathered, and enjoyed the speed and thrill of the event with childhood delight. Birds, dragonflies, and kites seemed to mimic the elegant swoops of the jets, as they also dipped and dove below. We bobbed up and down in the fresh waters of the lake, right off of the cement walkway, listening for the zipping roar of flight above and craning our necks towards the noise. And then sat out to dry on the warm cement, beer-filled red Solo cup in hand, soaking up the end of summer. 

Blue Angel

Found this little guy, who looks like a Dr. Seuss character