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It's also proof that I'm getting old (ish!).
They were impressive to see in their time. When I was at Lakenheath, they were based at Mildenhall. You could hear them spooling up for takeoff 3.5 miles away if it was quiet on base. Then you only had to look toward Mildenhall and see the familiar black shape pop up on the horizon, climbing out.
It's funny, I saw them regularly, stood in a hangar with one talking to a crew chief who showed me the darn thing leaking like a sieve on the ground. Now, 25 years later, they aren't around flying anymore. I look back over the years and think of the amazing aircraft I saw fly and never really thought much about it. Talking to young aviation fans now and hearing them say "Man, you saw a blackbird fly? That must have been awesome!". Looking back, I guess it was, but in those days, it was a common occurrence, so I didn't really see the significance of it then.