Wet, with wet spells
I arose at 8.35, and we had breakfast as the previous day, albeit somewhat earlier. We left at 9.45 and took the Governor Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge across the Patuxent River. On the opposite shore, we came into the town of California, and turned right to go to the neighbouring town of Hollywood -- one wonders whether these names cause significant confusion with their more famous namesakes out west.
We were due to go to the airshow with Jeff's colleague Dean and his mother, and went into their house while they got themselves ready and attended to the needs of a rather nervous cat and a very energetic dog.
The turnoff onto naval airbase is around nine miles to the south in the town of Lexington Park, and occupies several square miles in itself, though it is nothing in comparison to the size of the military areas out west. We started out at the airshow in light drizzle and walked around for a while looking at various exhibits parked on the ground. These included a prototype Joint Strike Fighter from Lockheed Martin (eventual successor to the Harrier), and the V-22 Osprey ``tilt-rotor'', able to fly both as a helicopter or as a propellor-driven plane, and to switch modes in mid-flight.
As we walked around, we saw a C-130 Hercules transport plane landing, but shortly afterwards the heavens really opened. We had two tickets between us for the VIP hospitality tent, but wanted to stay together. Jeff and Dean went in to see whether they could find colleagues inside with spares, and after a few minutes they had managed to track down a couple, allowing us all inside. We were glad to get under cover and to take advantage of the buffet lunch.
Out on the runway, conditions were not suitable for much in the way of displays. The air-sea rescue service were in their element, and some eccentric with a collection of jet-powered vehicles was able to put on a limited display, although standing water on the runway forced him to keep speeds down. We were able to see a jet-powered Dodge Ram truck (Ram jet, naturally), and a ``jet-powered outhouse'', but would rather have seen some flying displays had the weather permitted.
Having been fed, we took a look in a large hangar in which large numbers of people were sheltering from the weather, but it was somewhat lacking in interesting exhibits. After hearing the passage of a Stealth fighter but seeing little sign of immediate improvement in the weather, we decided to leave.
We returned to Dean's house to pick up Jeff's car, said goodbye and then left. Jeff then drove back down to California, taking a detour around to the ARINC building where he works -- externally much like any other modern office-block. We then went to Staples so that Jeff could buy a laser printer, before returning to the flat.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon there, setting up the printer, making a couple of phone calls to England, and showing Jeff a sample of my digital camera photos.
By the evening, the rain had stopped, allowing us to walk to a nearby restaurant, the ``Naughty Gull''. I chose to sample the local delicacies in the form of crab soup, and followed it with a chicken breast. Afterwards we returned to the flat and spent the time chatting and watching television before going to bed around midnight.