Spread My Wings And Fly!

Courage is a BIG thing to find when you are a little boy and any airplane looks ginormous! Well, sometime ago, when Zack visited me, we attempted to take Zack for a ride in this very plane. It was very intimidating and loud and he was sure he did NOT want to ride in the mechanical bird. Months have passed and Zack has stepped into the world of Kindergarten since that time. Wow! It is amazing how much change that particular transition makes in a little man. Let me share a phone conversation with you that I had with Zack when he learned they would visit for Thanksgiving.

Z: Um--uh-Aunt Laura? L: What? Z: Um--well, you know, um--um, when I was there last time, and-um--umm, you wanted to-um-take me for a ride in that airplane? L: Yes. Z: Well, um--do you, um, do you, um--well, do you suppose-um---do you suppose that-um........... L: Zack? Z: What? L: Are you trying to ask Aunt Laura for an airplane ride? Z: Yeah. L: Well, I'll have to ask the man who flies the airplane, but if he says that it's okay, then we sure can. Z: Umm-- uh--Aunt Laura? L: What? Z: Um-- do you-- um--d-d-do you, um--do you suppose that you could ummm--do you suppose that you could call me back and tell me what he says? L: I sure can.

Below is a picture of Zack with our friend, Randy Russell, the pilot of that red and white airplane. Thank you, Randy, for being so understanding of those difficult steps that a little boy takes in learning how to conquer big, bad fear! Your kindness was a gift to us and to Zack most of all. It was neat to see Zack "spread his wings and fly!"

Zack was very content and enjoyed his ride immensely. I think Zack's dad enjoyed the ride as well. Tom doesn't let you take his picture if he can help it, but he got caught in this shot. I love the expression on his face. Hey, Zack! You're sitting in the very same seat that Aunt Laura sat in when Aunt Laura and Uncle Mark flew over your house this past summer! I remember that you blinked the back porch light on and off so that I could find you in the dark while Uncle Mark talked to Mommy on his cell phone. You could see the blinking lights on the airplane. Do you remember what color they were?

Randy flew Tom, Zack, and Dad over our house so that they could see something they recognized from the air. Cooperstown is not very big and our church and home sit on the outskirts of the town. You can see that the setting is very rural. In the first picture, you can find our property by first finding the church on the left side of the photo just below half way. Our house sits to the right of the church, and you can see the driveway that splits and goes around the house on both sides to the parking lot in the rear of the church.

This is a rear view of our property. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you may see Mom and my sister Sherri with Zack's little sister, Natalie. They are standing at the back side of the house at the end of our driveway. Mom is actually out the farthest and is standing in the circular drive. Natalie giggled and giggled and waved and waved and giggled and giggled some more. Zacky was in that airplane. I think that Natalie enjoyed Zack's airplane ride almost as much as he did!!
I talked to Sherri on the phone and she said that after they left Saturday evening, Zack "jaw-jacked" for about a solid hour about that great plane ride! He made her put the pictures from their digital camera on their computer so that he could show his cousin the pictures when she visited on Sunday.