We've been planning a couple of trips and pricing plane fares, and I started thinking about some of my experiences with flying. One year at the Heart of Illinois fair, Joanne Billings and I, having saved our pennies, took a helicopter ride over the city. This was my first experience flying. The copter went from the fair grounds off of north University to downtown probably in about a half hour in all. It was pretty exciting and about the only thing I can remember is how many swimming pools there were in that area.
For one of my birthdays, I think it was the 30th, we were on Cat vacation in Missouri and as a surprise, Vern and b-i-l, Claude Young - one of my favorite people - planned to take me on a plane ride. Claude had a friend who had a four seater small plane. Vern's sister took care of all ten of the children and we traveled to a Springfield flying field and we went up. Claude and Vern in the back, me up front. I loved the adventure and we flew over Mary and Claude's house and even Vern's family farm thirty miles north. As I remember it was pretty cool and I can still remember the smiling looks on Vern and Claude's faces because they had pulled off such a great surprise.
I think the first commercial flight I went on was to Washington, D.C. I was selected to go to the National Leaders Conference for 4-H. That is another story, a good experience. There were three of us going and we were in the waiting room when an announcement came over the intercom: "Would Norma Mall please come to the ticket counter" Of course, I thought something had happened to one of the girls and I hurried towards that area. I turned the corner and there sat Gail Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Rathbun, Phyllis Calliss and Linda Nieukirk (and maybe some others) dressed in their bathrobes, slippers, shower caps holding towels and who knows what else. They said they just remembered I was leaving and left in a hurry to say goodbye. Crazy, crazy ladies and, I'm not sure what the other two women I was traveling with thought of this tribe. Lots of fun times.
The first time I traveled alone, was to Kansas City. Brother Russ and his wife were going to a convention and they asked me to come and stay with their three kids. The trip was on Ozark. I loved Ozark airlines, (remember how noisy those old planes were?) and went a couple more times on Russ's nickle to babysit.
When Mary and Gregg bought their travel agency, several times we were able to travel first class to California. Vern loved traveling first class, he always ordered champagne and by the time we made it to the west he had a nice glow.
In 1993, when my friend, Rita and I went to Europe for the first time - coach - I did not get comfortable on the whole trip over but loved, loved the hot wash cloth before we landed. We flew on Virgin Airlines. And I remember coming back, and one of those traveling with us, said: "Look, Norma, we are now over the United States". Lump in the throat time!
When we went to Italy in 2011, a client of Mary's gave me points enough to travel first class. (Thanks again, Elena) What a way to go! I had my own little cubicle that made into a bed and I slept coming and going. I think my traveling to Europe has ended, don't think I would want to go any other way and cannot afford it on my own.
Haven't I had some wonderful adventures, a lot of them provided by others. I am blessed.
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