Today we spent a pleasant afternoon with my parents in Seattle’s International District; they hadn’t visited the new megaUwajimaya and Mom was in the market for some Vietnamese fish sauce. Viv and I had been to the store previously but hadn’t really wandered around it.

It’s huge. The fish they have on display in range and price was competitive to what’s available at the Pike Place Market, notably including sole for well under $5/lb. I ended up with a (non-oriental) barbeque grilling basket and a bottle of sale-price sake. Mom found her fish sauce and picked up food for the plane as well.

We wandered down the street and had pho for lunch, and foud some inexpensive ceramic bowls to use as cat food and water containers. Then we headed for SeaTac to see my parents off. The airport was not very busy, somewhat to my surprise.

In the morning the Blue Angels had been performing over our house, and in one memorable moment I experienced the sound and sight of an F-16 blasting full throttle from 500 feet away as the pilot stood his plane on end and began a loop. The tailpipes were pointed right at me.

On our return drive from the airport I noticed two miltary grey F-16s maneuvering fast, in following formation, and at about 300 feet over the freeway and nearby suburban areas. I immediately experienced concern. The jets continued to chase around our field of view, clearly distracting the freeway full of cars, for several minues, before coming low with gear extended in preparation for a landing at Boeing Field.

They were just a part of the Seafair festivities.

The day before I noted a military grey MiG flying low and south over our house at about 6 pm, presumably also coming to Boeing Field.

The Blue Angels retain their entertainment value for me; it was interesting to note how these unconventional airplane sightings, otherwise a source of joy for me in the past, provoked a more complex reaction this year.