Saturday, October 10, 2009

Design in the Sky -- The Blue Angels

















[ Images found at http://celebrationsonthebay.com/ & http://www.flickr.com/photos/bike/2932848591/ ]


   Sometimes to find design, all you have to do is look to the skies. This week in San Francisco (in accordance with "Fleet Week") the Blue Angels from the US Navy flew overhead as crowds of onlookers gazed upon the skies as if heaven was opening up. It is tradition that every year I head over to San Francisco and take my place with the crowds of other people and watch in amazement as the jets fly overhead twisting, turning, diving, aligning, twirling, and all other words you could use to describe this fantastical event. I sit there in awe wondering how such feats can be accomplished (how do they even practice these moves?!). 


        Today I sat at home and thought to myself about how design is much more than anyone is able to define or even express ( I plan on seeing the Angels tomorrow). When I see wonders such as the Blue Angels I realize design is so much more; it is everywhere, everyone and all encompassing. This design of moves the Navy choreographed is one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen. The planes twist through the Golden Gate Bridge, spin around Coit Tower, fly high over Treasure Island and low over the icy waters of the San Francisco Bay. I have found that design can be found in unusual places. 


       The formations the planes take are beautiful displays and the jet stream of USA colors (red, white and blue) shooting out of the back of the plane is the signature on painting they just painted on their canvas - the sky. Not all art and all designs are meant to last forever. In this case the design is meant to last for a brief period of time but leave an impression that will last a lifetime. The people who go and watch will always remember this wonderful, spectacular event they have witnessed. Beyond the elements of designs the Navy reaches out to the public and society. We see the unification of the people who fight for our country and the people they fight for. The Blue Angels represent all of us who make up the design of our nation.  This demonstration not only exhibits the skills the U.S. Navy aviators possess but also the patriotism we hold in our hearts. The Blue Angels are the pinnacle of Design in Society. The designs they make for us, using their planes as their tools and the sky as their canvas; paint a picture of respect that all Americans are proud and honored to watch and relate to. 


       For those few minuets of time, time freezes. Everyone stops what they are doing and looks up to the sky. Except for the planes painting their designs in the sky, nothing else seems to be going on the world and the city seems still. The loud rumbles coming from the jet planes are the only things that can break the silence of the moment. Then once the moment passes or the planes fly out of sight, your mind beings to come back to the present, the “Ohhs” and “awess” coming from the crowds start to register in your mind. If you haven’t seen the Blue Angles they are truly one of the most amazing things one can experience. Ephemeral the Blue Angels may be, but forever in my mind they will last. 


Sad Note: The Blue Angels were cancelled today due to famous SF Fog ...

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