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Whew!  Looks like we dodged the bullet on that one!

This instinctive feeling saved the lives of several Americans as they were entering a restaurant.  They didn’t stay and the restaurant was destroyed by a suicide bomber.

Today is September 11th.   9 / 11

This is the 10 year anniversary of the terrorists attacks on our country.  This is a reprint of my annual September 11th post because I actually had 5 of the terrorists on board my flights the summer of 2001 during their reconnoissance flights.  My comment to Mohammed Atta caused them to modify their plans from using all American Airlines planes to using two from United Airlines.  After I recounted my story to a working American Airlines Flight Attendant, she looked at me, gave me a hug, and said “You are a hero. You saved some of our planes and crews and passengers.”  I told her that “ yes, there were two less American Airlines planes, but two more United ones.  So I don’t feel like a hero at all.”  Of course, I had no idea that I had been conversing with the ringleader until well after 9/11 and I saw the terrorists names and pictures.   Here is my true story.

At the time, I was an active Flight Attendant for a major United States carrier.   Yes, one of the ones that lost planes, crew members, and passengers.  And no, I did not know anyone on board any of those historic flights and even though I lived in NYC for a number of years, I did not know anyone who was murdered in the attack on our country that day.

I was at home between flights thinking about packing for my regularly scheduled flight the following morning when the phone rang before 9:00 am.  It was my Mother calling to the midwest from her California home.  She did not greet me with “Hello.” But her anxious voice said my name, and then,”Is that you?  Are you home?’  Then with audible relief in her voice “Oh, thank God! Are you alright?”   I was puzzled and probably replied something like “Yes, I’m alright. Why wouldn’t I be alright?”

She then said “Don’t you know what is going on?”  I said, “No. What is happening?”  My mother then asked if I had the TV on.  When I said, no, she told me to turn it on.  When I asked her, “what channel?”, she said, “Any channel.”  I watched the attacks in unbelief trying to wrap my mind around what my eyes were seeing…. trying to process the visual information that just didn’t want to process mentally.   To this day, when I watch the documentaries of the attacks, I still cannot totally comprehend the magnitude of the events of that day.

It reminds me of my reaction to the plane crash in Sioux City, Iowa years earlier.    Over and over I watched the news reports trying to imagine the horror inside that plane as the plane tore apart while on fire .  You will recall, many passengers survived finding themselves alive in the tall Iowa cornfield that graced the runway.  The cool moisture of the tall cornstalks may have had a beneficial effect on the flames. Remember that whenever the fuselage of a plane ruptures you are provided another possible exit;  take advantage of it.    But believe me, no Flight Attendant will have to tell you that!

The attacks of 9/11 were very well planned .  I know that they were in the planning for many years and a lot of money was spent in their careful planning.  I  am convinced that I had six of the terrorist/hijackers on at least two different flights of mine and that I personally spoke to at least 4 of them on separate occasions during their reconnaissance flights prior to 9/11.  A chilling retrospective thought.

The first time was out of Florida.   This small-in-stature middle eastern man was a passenger in coach sitting about seat 10A on our MD-80 aircraft.   The flight was moderately light, about half full.  At that time we were still serving drinks and meals in coach!  After we finished the meal service, this man told me that he was in flight school in Florida and that he would like to go look around the cockpit.

When I inquired what type of aircraft he was training in he replied that he was going to be a Captain on a 767.  I found that almost unbelievable knowing how much our Captains have to go through in order to become qualified on the wide-bodied aircraft.  And the years of flying that were needed for them to become senior enough to hold a Captains bid with the major air carriers.

I politely told him that I would check with the Captain, but I knew the answer even before saying I would check with the Captain.   I asked him for his boarding pass so I could present it to the Captain and I remember his unusual name –Hani Hanjour.  I remember the conversation well, because it was such an unusual request.  Sometimes we would allow children to come to the cockpit during flight when there were none of the security cockpit restrictions that are now in place.   After making the Captain aware of the request, I told the man that he was welcome to stop by the cockpit after the flight to visit with the pilots.  He never did stop by the cockpit.  I confirmed that he was Hani Hanjour from the photos I saw later of the terrorists.

The other incident occurred out of Newark, probably in early August, 2001.  You will recall that one of the 9/11 flights departed from the Newark airport.   There were five middle eastern men on my Newark-St. Louis-San Francisco flight;  three in the rear of coach, one near the front of coach, Marwan al Shehhi, and one in First Class.   Same type of airplane – an MD-80.   I was working in coach and three of them had seats across from the back galley, but were very interested in the boarding process. They were standing up in and around the rear galley, blocking the aisle to the rear lavatories and just generally “in our way”.

I recall that there was a lot of conversation ( in Arabic) between them and again, this is behavior out of the ordinary, so I remember it clearly, even several years later.   All of them did not speak English and finally one of them asked me if there were still passengers coming on board.  I told him that we still had twenty minutes before departure.    With a very concerned look on his face,  Mohammed Atta asked me if the “flight was going to be full? ”    I remember replying very matter-of-factly, “We are always full, if not overbooked out of Newark.” He replied something like, “even on Tuesdays?” I said “Every single day, every flight I’ve ever worked out of Newark has been full.”  He was very concerned by this bit of information and it prompted more intense conversation between the three men.

You will recall that 9/11/01  was a beautiful warm late summer Tuesday.   Even during the recon flights during the summer of 2001, they already had the date of September 11th established.

The rest of our conversation went like this:   He (Mohammed Atta) asked me about other American carriers out of Newark that flew to San Francisco.    I told him that I just didn’t have that information and that they would have to check another carrier.    I now firmly believe that it was my comment to Mohammed Atta that prevented the loss of one more American Airlines plane and crew.   I believe that my remark “Every flight I have ever worked out of Newark has been full.” caused the terrorists to rethink their plans and change from American Airlines to United Airlines.  I am sorry though for the terrible loss of crew and passengers of the United Flight 93 that the terrorists hijacked out of Newark.  By the way, United  Flight 93 was also scheduled to fly from Newark to San Francisco which is the same route that my flight took the day I had the terrorists on board for their recon flight.

Mohammed Atta was the ringleader terrorist and the reconnoissance flights in August , 2001 were their means of finalizing their terror plot.

You will recall that September 11, 2001 was a bright and beautiful Tuesday.  This means that they had their plan in place MONTHS before the actual attacks.  He actually asked about the loads on other air carriers and I told him he could check, but I had no way of knowing how full other carriers were on certain flights. You will recall that all of the hijacked flights were carrying very light passenger loads.

One of the men I spoke to on this flight was Mohamed Atta, the terrorist pilot who flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the first World Trade Building Tower.

Hani Hanjour was another of the  terrorist pilots; he flew the American Airlines flight 77  into the Pentagon.

Marwan Al Shehhi was one of the terrorists on my Newark flight’ he was the pilot that crashed the second plane, United 175, into the second world trade tower.

I never used to turn my TV on in the morning.   Now, I turn it on most mornings, just to get the news.

I will fly my large US flag on 9/11.  It is a day we need to honor our country and those who lost their lives.

Will you please fly your flag also?

Sedona Sky 1 by Pdxfirefly

 Portland Firefly took a trip to Sedona, Arizona several weeks ago.  Here are two of my favorite pictures that I took….. I hope you enjoy them.

Sedona Sky 2 by Pdxfirefly

 There was a lot of dark blue sky showing through high white fluffy clouds.  And then there was this incredible luminous full moon high in the sky with a nearby brilliant planet for an accent jewel.  It was beautiful!

Portland Firefly really enjoyed the evening and it was especially fun because I could see this entire heavenly view from the comfort of my living room, thanks to my great skylights!

Tomorrow is September 11th.   9 / 11

Where were you that day?   How was your world changed?

    At the time, I was an active Flight Attendant for a major United States carrier.   Yes, one of the ones that lost planes, crew members, and passengers.  And no, I did not know anyone on board any of those historic flights and even though I lived in NYC for a number of years, I did not know anyone who was murdered in the attack on our country that day.

    I was at home between flights thinking about packing for my regularly scheduled flight the following morning when the phone rang before 9:00 am.  It was my Mother calling to the midwest from her California home.  She did not greet me with “Hello.” But her anxious voice said my name, and then,”Is that you?  Are you home?’  Then with audible relief in her voice “Oh, thank God! Are you alright?”   I was puzzled and probably replied something like “Yes, I’m alright. Why wouldn’t I be alright?”

    She then said “Don’t you know what is going on?”  I said, “No. What is happening?”  My mother then asked if I had the TV on.  When I said, no, she told me to turn it on.  When I asked her, “what channel?”, she said, “Any channel.”  I watched the attacks in unbelief trying to wrap my mind around what my eyes were seeing…. trying to process the visual information that just didn’t want to process mentally.   To this day, when I watch the documentaries of the attacks, I still cannot totally comprehend the magnitude of the events of that day. 

     It reminds me of my reaction to the plane crash in Sioux City, Iowa years earlier.    Over and over I watched the news reports trying to imagine the horror inside that plane as the plane tore apart while on fire .  You will recall, many passengers survived finding themselves alive in the tall Iowa cornfield that graced the runway.  The cool moisture of the tall cornstalks may have had a beneficial effect on the flames. Remember that whenever the fuselage of a plane ruptures you are provided another possible exit;  take advantage of it.    But believe me, no Flight Attendant will have to tell you that! 

     The attacks of 9/11 were very well planned .  I know that they were in the planning for many years and a lot of money was spent in their careful planning.  I  am convinced that I had six of the terrorist/hijackers on at least two different flights of mine and that I personally spoke to at least 4 of them on separate occasions during their reconnaissance flights prior to 9/11.  A chilling retrospective thought.

   The first time was out of Florida.   This small-in-stature middle eastern man was a passenger in coach sitting about seat 10A on our MD-80 aircraft.   The flight was moderately light, about half full.  At that time we were still serving drinks and meals in coach!  After we finished the meal service, this man told me that he was in flight school in Florida and that he would like to go look around the cockpit.

   When I inquired what type of aircraft he was training in he replied that he was going to be a Captain on a 767.  I found that almost unbelievable knowing how much our Captains have to go through in order to become qualified on the wide-bodied aircraft.  And the years of flying that were needed for them to become senior enough to hold a Captains bid with the major air carriers. 

      I politely told him that I would check with the Captain, but I knew the answer even before saying I would check with the Captain.   I asked him for his boarding pass so I could present it to the Captain and I remember his unusual name –Hani Hanjour.  I remember the conversation well, because it was such an unusual request.  Sometimes we would allow children to come to the cockpit during flight when there were none of the security cockpit restrictions that are now in place.   After making the Captain aware of the request, I told the man that he was welcome to stop by the cockpit after the flight to visit with the pilots.  He never did stop by the cockpit.  I confirmed that he was Hani Hanjour from the photos I saw later of the terrorists.

     The other incident occurred out of Newark, probably in early August, 2001.  You will recall that one of the 9/11 flights departed from the Newark airport.   There were five middle eastern men on my Newark-St. Louis-San Francisco flight;  three in the rear of coach, one near the front of coach, Marwan al Shehhi, and one in First Class.   Same type of airplane – an MD-80.   I was working in coach and three of them had seats across from the back galley, but were very interested in the boarding process. They were standing up in and around the rear galley, blocking the aisle to the rear lavs and just generally “in our way”. 

     I recall that there was a lot of conversation ( in Arabic) between them and again, this is behavior out of the ordinary, so I remember it clearly, even several years later.   All of them did not speak English and finally one of them asked me if there were still passengers coming on board.  I told him that we still had twenty minutes before departure.    With a very concerned look on his face,  Mohammed Atta asked me if the “flight was going to be full? ”    I remember replying very matter-of-factly, “We are always full, if not overbooked out of Newark.” He replied something like, “even on Tuesdays?” I said “Every single day, every flight I’ve ever worked out of Newark has been full.”  He was very concerned by this bit of information and it prompted more intense conversation between the three men.

  You will recall that 9/11/01  was a beautiful warm late summer Tuesday.   Even during the recon flights during the summer of 2001, they already had the date of September 11th established.  

   The rest of our conversation went like this:   He (Mohammed Atta) asked me about other American carriers out of Newark that flew to San Francisco.    I told him that I just didn’t have that information and that they would have to check another carrier.    I now firmly believe that it was my comment to Mohammed Atta that prevented the loss of one more American Airlines plane and crew.   I believe that my remark “Every flight I have ever worked out of Newark has been full.” caused the terrorists to rethink their plans and change from American Airlines to United Airlines.  I am sorry though for the terrible loss of crew and passengers of the United Flight 93 that the terrorists hijacked out of Newark.  By the way, United  Flight 93 was also scheduled to fly from Newark to San Francisco which is the same route that my flight took the day I had the terrorists on board for their recon flight.

  Mohammed Atta was the ringleader terrorist and the reconnoissance flights in August , 2001 were their means of finalizing their terror plot.

     You will recall that September 11, 2001 was a bright and beautiful Tuesday.  This means that they had their plan in place MONTHS before the actual attacks.  He actually asked about the loads on other air carriers and I told him he could check, but I had no way of knowing how full other carriers were on certain flights. You will recall that all of the hijacked flights were carrying very light passenger loads.

  One of the men I spoke to on this flight was Mohamed Atta, the terrorist pilot who flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the first World Trade Building Tower. 

  Hani Hanjour was another of the  terrorist pilots; he flew the American Airlines flight 77  into the Pentagon.  

 Marwan Al Shehhi was one of the terrorists on my Newark flight’ he was the pilot that crashed the second plane, United 175, into the second world trade tower.

   I never used to turn my TV on in the morning.   Now, I turn it on most mornings, just to get the news.

   I will fly my large US flag on 9/11.  It is a day we need to honor our country and those who lost their lives.

  Will you please fly your flag also?

   I’ll try to give you a little synopsis of what has been going on. 

   This summer, Portland Firefly took not one, not two, but three trips and when you add the little trip to Branson in April that makes four trips in about four months.  No wonder I am tired!

   My doctor did say that when I went off of Chemo the end of February that this next year could possibly be my best year ~ so I took that to heart and scheduled several trips.

   The first one to schedule was my annual Harmonica Convention which was actually the last trip I took in August. 

    Then my girlfriends were going to spend a week in Paris and knowing that I wanted to go there ‘again’, they invited me along.  At first I refused because they were going to be in Paris the end of July and the beginning of August ~ the very hottest time of year ~ and the height of the tourist season (I hate tourists) and also the time of full passenger flights (I travel on standby).  But as the summer approached, I changed my mind and decided to go with them in spite of all the negatives.  And I am glad that I did because I had a fabulous time!

  Then, after I had scheduled these two trips (and fairly close together because the dates were dictated by others), Portland Firefly received notice that there was an annual Ovarian Cancer Convention in Washington, DC.  I was granted a scholarship to pay for part of my convention expenses and so I went to that one as well! 

   Three big trips in a six-week span.  That might be enough to wear anyone out!  But there are lots of stories to tell and hopefully I’ll be able to share some of them with you.   And pictures!!!  I took 600 pictures on my Paris trip so I’ll be sharing a few of them with you.

   The Oregon Air Show is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Hillsboro Airport.    For those who live in the area, please be aware that there will be increased traffic and some roads will be closed during certain aerial performances.

   Some of the performers are the Marine Corps Harrier Jets, the US Patriots Team, F/A 18 Hornets, Sons of Legends, and many more.

   This is one of the best events around our fair city and the weather should be perfect for a day ‘looking up to the sky’. 

  For more information click on the following link:  http://www.oregonairshow.com/

   When Portland Firefly was a child, every year during the ‘dark of the moon’ in the month of August, we would take our Family vacations camping in the great outdoors of the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains.   We had a very special campground that we would retreat to and there were several wonderful cold water trout filled lakes nearby.  I loved these vacations in the fresh high altitude outdoors surrounded by the beauty of God’s nature. 

   And it was usually when were sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows or on the dark nighttime drive through the desert that my little child’s eyes would look for all of the ‘shooting stars’ in the darkness of the milky-way night sky.  I was never disappointed.

    This meteor shower gets the name “Perseids” because it appears to radiate from the constellation Perseus. An observer in the Northern Hemisphere can start seeing Perseid meteors as early as July 23, when one meteor every hour or so could be visible. During the next three weeks, there is a slow build-up. It is possible to spot five Perseids per hour at the beginning of August and perhaps 15 per hour by August 10. The Perseids rapidly increase to a peak of 50-80 meteors per hour by the night of August 12/13 and then rapidly decline to about 10 per hour by August 15. The last night meteors are likely to be seen from this meteor shower is August 22, when an observer might see a Perseid every hour or so.

  And so this childhood ritual continues with tonight being the night of greatest ‘shooting stars’. 

   Be sure to make a wish!!!!

   While getting ready for a recent trip, I looked in many different types of stores for a travel size of my favorite deodorant. Since it is a ‘all natural’ product, I even searched the pharmacy sections of  my local health food stores .  No Luck.  Oh they carried the regular size, but the TSA allowable 1 quart bag per passenger is so tiny and I have so many things to put into it, that I needed the smaller travel size so I could fit everything into that TSA allowable bag.

   In desperation, I called the product’s toll-free phone number.  The customer service representative was very nice to me and informed me that stores rarely stock that travel size anymore.  I groaned.  She said that they do have a few in the warehouse and that she would be happy to send me one.  I gave her my address and was about ready to get off the phone when I realized that it would not arrive in time for my trip.  She then offered me what I consider to be the worlds greatest kept secret and a super travel hint.

   She told me that I can ‘make my own’ travel size if I have an empty container to put it into.  I told her that I did.  This is what she told me to do.  

   Take what is left in the bottom of the deodorant container and microwave it for just a few seconds.  I found that 5 seconds was enough.  Be careful, It can be hot and spill easily!  Then you just simply pour the now melted deodorant into the smaller travel size container.  Let it set for a few minutes and you have now made your own travel size deodorant!

   It was so cool, money saving, convenient and best of all, I get to use my favorite deodorant when I travel.

    I love the Max;  Portland has a terrific public transport system and I always enjoy watching the humanity on the train.  This trip was no exception. 

   Leaving the airport, I visited with a businessman who is an expert on tumor marker blood tests.  I had just come from a conference where we had a session devoted to this topic.  What are the odds of that!  After he got off at his stop, I just enjoyed the  ride for a few minutes until the train stopped for the passengers at the Zoo. 

  In the dark tunnel that is the Max’s Zoo stop, onto the train bounded Ezra.  He was so full energy and so talkative that I was a little concerned.  But he was a very likeable young man, 20 something , with a wild, messy ponytail of dark soft almost curls sort of sticking out everywhere.  He started talking to me — telling me how he was taking the train to Wilsonville where he planned to hitch-hike to  Bend to gather his belongings.  As his story goes… his friends took all of his stuff to Bend and refused to bring it back to him.  All of his clothes, his (probably meager) possessions, including his wallet with his ID in it were in Bend.    This talkative, small in stature, compact bundle of energy told me that he had quit smoking two months ago and he was very proud of this accomplishment.   He went on to comment that he didn’t realize just how improved his health was until he had to run several blocks to catch this train, yet he was not the least bit winded.  I complemented him on it as well. 

   He had all of his things in a ripped plastic bag that he had set on the seat between us.  I couldn’t help but to notice it and I wondered if the tattered plastic bag would make the trip without spilling its contents all over somewhere.

   We continued to visit about things that mattered to us.  He asked about my cancer and told me that he knew of two young women who had a type of gynecological cancer.  He then added that he would never consider marrying either one of them.  A family was too important to him. It mattered not that they might be beautiful, employed, and wonderful in every other way;  he would not consider them.  He then went on to tell me all about his name ~ a biblical one ~ and about his parents, both his adoptive as well as his biological ones.  I was shocked at his piercing comments to a stranger regarding such personal matters, but he probably figured that he’d never see me again and he is probably right.  This openness only added to his likability and charm.

   Earlier that morning in Dallas I had packed a plastic bag into the side zipper of my carry-on suitcase.  “One never knows when one might need an extra sturdy plastic bag,” I told myself.  Well, I was almost home and I knew that I would not be needing that bag.  I reached into my carry-on bag and withdrew the untattered, untorn piece of recyclable material and offered it to this interesting young man.  He was happy to have it because it did look as though his ‘suitcase’ might not make the trip all the way to Bend.

   We parted at the next stop wishing each other well.

      When that happens, you just go to the gate where the next flight to Portland is leaving  and you sit and wait there to see if you can get on that flight.   Well, while doing  just that, I started to visit with the people across the aisle from me as they were in the same situation.   During our conversation, I heard someone say my name.  I was perplexed because I had not yet shared my name with these people and I couldn’t imagine who would know my name. So I turned toward the voice. 

     There was a thin grey-haired woman looking at me and wearing a striped two-toned teal tee-shirt with a teal blue jacket.  Well, since I was just returning from my Ovarian Cancer Convention where everyone wore teal, I immediately thought that she was one of the convention attendees.  By the way, Teal is the color of the Ovarian Cancer Ribbon (now you know), wear teal! 

     Seeing only the teal top she was wearing, I asked her,  ”Were you at the convention?”  Her puzzled expression caused me to desperately try to place this face standing above me.  She then said “I’m Eleanor.”  It took me just a second looking at her face, seeing my own blue eyes looking back at me, when I realized that it was my cousin whom I have not seen in 8 years.

     I rose and hugged her immediately – astounded by the coincidence that God had afforded us.  I quickly explained to my neighbor travelers that she was my cousin and neither one of us knew that the other would be here at the airport today!  Writing this, I am still amazed at the coincidence.   The Dallas Fort Worth Airport is HUGE with four different terminals and hundreds of gates.   This airport is so big that there is a monorail system (yes, like Disneyland) to take you from terminal to terminal!  She was leaving from a nearby gate and for some reason, she recognized me from a distance!   That amazes me also, but she explained that even though I was wearing a turban, my facial features were still recognizable (even after 8 years) to her.  

     She had taken Amtrak from her hometown to the airport and was on her way to attend a music workshop with her sister, who is also my cousin.  All three of these sisters were/are accomplished musicians and Eleanor plays numerous instruments at  church as well as for weddings and other events.   My two cousins will be attending a string (violin) workshop near where her sister lives in California. 

    Well, we sat and visited for the few minutes before she had to board her flight and it was a wonderful serendipity.   We both stood up as her boarding group was called and hugged again.  Then, the solid Christian woman that she is,  she grabbed both of my hands in hers and said that she wanted to pray for me before she left.  She reads my blog and has been praying for me all along, but we were not going to miss this personal opportunity to pray together.  We just stood there holding hands as she prayed a potent prayer for my healing from cancer.  I was not self-conscious or embarrassed by this or anything and felt very honored that she would pray for me.   At this point in my life, if people don’t like something, too bad for them! 

      We then hugged again and said our goodbys as she walked toward her gate. 

      What a wonderful gift to meet her at the airport!

  In order to be safety qualified to work a particular piece of equipment (aircraft),  you must first learn all the safety features of the airplane.  No big deal, you say?  No, it isn’t if you only have to learn one aircraft; but for every aircraft that you are qualified on, you must take a FAA safety exam and pass the exam with a grade of 90% or better.   And you must do that every single year, not just one time.  In thirty-five years, I’ve taken a lot of FAA exams and passed every single one of them ~ many with a grade of 100% .  Don’t ever think that your Flight Attendant is a ‘dumb blond’!   Many women that I’ve flown with over the years had Bachelor’s Degrees, Master’s  Degrees, Doctorate Degrees and even culinary Cordon Bleu Degrees.  It was quite a varied and multi-talented work force. 

  The comprehensive FAA exam covers items such as the location and pre-flight of fire extinguishers (and don’t get mixed up with the next aircraft or you’ll fail), door operations (There are 5 different types of doors that I can think of just off the top of my head after being retired for 5 years!), operation and pre-flight of oxygen bottles (two different kinds), safety and medical procedures and emergency evacuation procedures.

  Portland Firefly was hired by TWA, the premier United States Flag Carrier Airline.  This means that TWA had the flag emblem of the United States emblazoned on the tail of each of their aircraft.  Pan Am (Pan American) was the only other carrier allowed to have the flag of the United States displayed on the tail of its aircraft.     Because you are supposed to light any flag if it is flying at night, the tails of every single TWA airplane had a light on them at night.  We were the only carrier in the world to have aircraft with a light on its tail at night.  It was really cool to be watching planes land and even when overseas or from a great distance, you could tell which aircraft were TWA’s because of the tail light.  In some ways that tail light was a beacon that said to me “You’re home.”

   Some of the aircraft that Portland Firefly was FAA Safety qualified on are: Boeing’s 707,727 stretch, 727 regular,747,757,767; Lockheed’s Constellation & 1011; McDonald-Douglas 80 regular and stretch, DC 9.   Within each category, such as the 747, there were many different configurations due to the fact that TWA would purchase aircraft that were originally ordered by another airline to that airlines specifications and would therefore have a ’different’ safety locations from those of our TWA aircraft.  We had two MD-80s that we purchased from Alaska Airlines and they were set up completely differently from the TWA configuration including Galley location and equipment.

   I was originally hired by TWA to work the new 747 Internationally because I was fluent in a foreign language (not Spanish).   I did love the 747, but eventually that beautiful aircraft became the workhorse of the fleet and had numerous problems.  I doubt if I’ll ever forget sitting on my jumpseat being able to see all of my passengers and look out the big window on my emergency door and see the landscape as it fell away from us on take-off or came closer to us for our long-awaited landing.  The 747 was my second favorite aircraft to work.

     I want to tell my readers the reason for posting this particular story today, July 27th. 

    It is because today is 7/27.  And the 727 Stretch was my favorite aircraft to work on in the entire TWA fleet. 

     Why did I love that aircraft so much?  I think it was because it was so spacious yet had an intimate feel.  The first class was really classy (for those days).  The lavatories were big enough to actually turn around in! And the galleys had plenty of space for all of our cabin service supplies.  There were designated places for the crew to stow their luggage and the cockpit was really nice and big with three pilots,  a Captain, a First Officer, and a Flight Engineer.  Today, most aircraft are designed to fly with only two cockpit crew members.  The cabin seating configurations changed many times over the years and even one time TWA removed seats in the middle of the aircraft and installed (YES!) a piano!  Yes, a piano lounge in the middle of the airplane.  What was corporate thinking??!!  There were the ‘blue chip’ flights from NYC to ORD.  Then there was the ‘more leg room in coach’  campaign and now the airlines just have us all jamed in there as close together as they can get us.  But nothing can compare to the glory days of the 727 and I was there!

  And so today, on 7/27, I am thinking of my favorite aircraft ~ the Boeing 727 Stretch.

It was one of those ‘airport golf carts’ that transport passengers from one gate to another because they have a special need.  Well, if ever someone needed the cart this day,  it was the woman I saw in the cart. 

   The thin black woman was from Ethiopia, I guessed, and surrounded by children.  Sitting softly tall in the cart’s back seat, the beautiful mother had an African ‘baby sling’ wrapped around her complete with infant.  She was also struggling to hold a restless child about 16 months old.    Close in next to her was another boy about 3 years old who was mesmerized by what was happening all around him, yet not willing to leave the safety of his Mother’s side. He was seeing things he had never seen before and I wondered how this trip would affect him.  Absolutely his life will be changed for the better, but what of this trip will he remember? 

  Then my gaze advanced up to the center seat — another boy identical to the two behind him, but about 5 years old sat with his mouth open looking mostly ahead of him.  And in the front seat was the cart driver along with ‘big brother’ who was probably about 7.   Again identical to his three brothers; there was no doubt that he was part of this same family. 

   I have seen such families before when working as a Flight Attendant.  I believe that they ‘win’ some sort of lottery to come to America .  And come they do.  With nothing but the clothes on their backs.  Literally.  No checked luggage. No carry-on bag.  Just their paperwork and maybe a few possessions in a white plastic bag with blue lettering. 

  This Mother had a large white / blue lettered plastic bag (about the size of our grocery bags) sitting where the luggage goes in the cart and that is how I confirmed my inclinations of their status.   There is a very distinctive emblem on the bag and that plastic bag is ALL that she brought with her and 5 children to America. 

   They are sponsored by a family somewhere and that is where they will be living.   The mother may decide to take ESL (English as a Second Language) classes and the children should begin school soon.  Usually they settle in communities with similar families for common encouragement and because they can communicate with them until they learn English. 

  Anyway I still have the picture in my mind of this beautiful contemporary Madonna with child plus four more in the airport golf cart.  And yes, Portland Firefly prayed a special blessing for this brave mother as I passed by.

   Looking up, I see the plane through the misty rain and I am quickly transported to the interior of a MD-80.  We are on final approach to Lambert Field in St. Louis, Missouri and I am sitting on the galley jumpseat strapped in for landing as I hear the rain hitting the fuselage.   This  particular jumpseat faces aft and you are looking at the galley coffee pots and the ovens and the beverage service carts facing you as you sit on the bulkhead seat.  I make another careful mental check of all the storage latches.  Yes, everything is latched down tight and proper as it should be.  

     The plane is in a rainstorm as it approaches Lambert Field.  This is not uncommon, but today the rain sounds particularly hard.  “Hu-u-m-m,” I think” perhaps we are in a little hailstorm.  There were a lot of grey clouds outside just before I sat down and strapped in myself .”  I look at my passengers (watching to see my reaction and for reassurance) and smile.  I am not concerned.  I am just noticing the fact that it is raining…. maybe a little hard…. no need to worry.  I know these pilots and have flown with them off and on many times during our long careers.  The plane sort of bounces a little bit in the air.  I’ve lived in this air for so long, I can feel that the pilot has complete control and that everything is ‘normal’ for this type of weather.  I feel the plane descend even more and soon we break through the clouds and I know by the passengers actions that they are looking at the ground below us.  I think it is always a comforting sight, exciting and exhilarating at the same time to see that we have almost arrived at our destination.    The plane wiggles ever so slightly as the pilots manuever into position for the runway, the rain still audible in the now quite interior.  Planes get quiet in ‘inclement weather’ as passengers stop talking to listen and observe what is happening around them.

   I am calm and at ease, however I am also very attentive.  One never knows when she will have to use the years of Emergency Training that she has had.  Years of flying also tell me that so far, this approach has been routine.  I again smile at my passengers, as I wait and listen to the sounds of the engines.  The engines sound fine.  I tighten my shoulder harness and seat belt again just before the plane touches down.  It is a habit that I have developed over the years and I will continue to make that safety belt as tight as I can stand it for landing and take off…even when I am a passenger.

  This landing, like most others is solid and routine.   Once again I am ‘grounded’  for a short while.

  I finish planting the petunias and turn on the watering hose to give them a good solid drink of water before I go in the house.  Somehow, it seems silly to be watering plants in the misty rain, but the dirt was dry before I started planting and it isn’t raining hard enough to soak the new plants roots.  Now every time I look at my petunias I think of that misty airplane sighting and the memory it provoked.

  I had my surgery last May and I remember it was so hot that my plants had to be watered twice a day or they would die.  That was something that was difficult for me to do after my major surgery and it was areal struggle to keep them alive last May. 

   This May was the opposite story.  I had to keep them out of the rain for a few days so that they wouldn’t drown!!!   The three-month sustained release fertilizer that I incorporated into the soil around my pansies was ‘released’ during one month!  Oh, are my pansies tall and full!  Then the rain beats them down and now they are getting all leggy!  But I have enjoyed the bright colors that they have added to my world this dreary rainy May!

Today, May 18, 2010 is the 3oth anniversary of the Mt. St. Helen’s volcanic eruption.    Here in the Pacific North West there will be many television retrospectives recounting the event.  There are also special ceremonies up on the mountain itself which Portland Firefly wanted to attend, but her low energy level prevents this and so she will watch the TV presentations.

This is the Wikipedia link for getting more info about Mt. St. Helens.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens

Here is the Federal government link to the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.   http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/

   People who have never been to Branson have asked me what it all about and the best description that I can come up with is this:  “Branson is like a Christian Las Vegas in that all of the shows are absolutely Family Friendly and it is surrounded by natural beauty.”  And that is a Portland Firefly quote!

   We attended several shows.  We saw ‘Noah, the Musical’ which was pretty cool because at the beginning of the second act, you are inside the Ark and surrounded by all the animals ~~ some of which are animatronic, some were real, and some were just stuffed!  I bought a cute umbrella for my Grandson there!!

  One of our favorite shows is the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede where a dinner is served inside a huge arena while you watch and participate in a horse show.  We arrived early so we could walk around and see all of the beautiful horses.  One of my friends used to own and ride and train horses, so it was especially enjoyable for me to look at the horses with him and get his observations about the horses. Wow, what a great horse education I received in a very short time!!!

   Then we saw The Shoji Tabuchi Show.    For many years this show has been touted as one of Branson’s best.  Portland Firefly was disappointed. I felt that the show was entertaining, but lacked the piazza that it should have had.  It was ‘tired’.  The restrooms at the theatre however are something else.  The Women’s restroom is absolutely ‘over the top’ with wisteria-like crystal chandeliers and ornate gold mirrors everywhere.  There is even an attendant that will squirt hand lotion on your hands after you dry your hands!

   But the best show we saw was the last show we saw.  It was The Haygoods show and consists of seven brothers and one sister all of whom are extremely talented.   They presented a fast-moving, high-energy polished performance that was enjoyed by the multi-generational audience.  And to my delight they presented for the first time ever, their rendition of ‘Firefly’. 

   All in all it was a wonderful week spent with wonderful friends having a wonderful time!!! Truly another trip for my memory book.

    My first trip was a short weekend jaunt to visit family and to attend a special ‘by invitation only’ dinner at my old alma mater.  Next I was off to Hawaii, the Big Island, where the clear fumes and odorless gasses of the active volcano made me quite ill.  I however persevered and had a great time there.  Much credit goes to Dee, a special school mate of mine, who went out of her way to make sure I had a great time.  And we both did!!!

   After being home for a few weeks, it was time for another week-long trip!  This time to Branson, Missouri with some dear friends. 

   Now that I’ve been home for a while, all of my travels have caught up with me and Portland Firefly has a cold, sore throat, cough, and general malaise.  It looks like I’ll be staying in this week, so maybe I’ll do some more writing and hopefully bring you up to date on what is happening!!

  This woman had the same hair color and style that my Mother generally wore.  And she was the same size as my mother and dressed in a fashion that my Mother would have chosen.  

   Initially I saw this woman from the back and I automatically headed in her direction. It took me a minute before I realized it was not my Mother!  I remember thinking “Why is my Mom here?”.  “How did she get here?”    ….And then I realized it was someone else.   

  It doesn’t matter…. that woman gave me a gift… A chance to see in the flesh once again my Mother.  It was so good to see her again — even if it was not really her!!!!! 

   I didn’t realize just how much I have missed her.

   But, when we stayed in Burbank we had a favorite  restaurant where  we would go to eat.  This was a Chinese restaurant ‘up the hill’ from the hotel.  Our favorite item to order was their delicious Chinese Salad.  It was so large that we always had enough for our lunch the next day when working our flight back to St. Louis.   It had lettuce, chicken, some other goodies, a clear crispy rice noodle that I loved and a fabulous dressing.  I was never able to find a salad anywhere that compared to it.

    Until I moved to Portland……………………..

    And began to shop regularly at Trader Joes……………..

   And one day I picked up one of their ready-made salads …. a Pasadena Salad to be exact.

   I was ecstatic!  I had found my ‘Burbank’ Chinese Salad! 

    The Trader Joe’s Pasadena Salad has a little packet of almonds and clear crispy rice noodles that you get to add to the salad when you are ready to eat it. The dressing is a  ginger dressing. 

 I had found my salad after all these many years!!  And it is still  my favorite salad!

 But I never really understood the term ‘riptide’ until I was at the Waipi’o Valley Overlook in Hawaii and could see one from above.   The riptide shows up as the lighter colored water in the center of the beach.

A current generally goes along the shoreline, but a riptide travels from the shore out to sea.   Swimmers get exhausted trying to ‘fight’ the riptide by trying to swim into the shore which is against its strong outward pull.  It is generally not very wide (maybe a hundred feet) and that is the reason you should swim ‘parallel to the shore’ in order to swim out of it.

Portland Firefly was really excited to see a riptide and is grateful to Marcus for pointing it out to us!

    On  my recent trip to Hawaii, my girlfriend picked me up and took me on a tour of the Big Island. 

   Our first stop was one of the many beautiful beaches that mark the western coast of Hawaii. 

 Then it was up and across the island to the well-known overlook at Waipi’o Valley.   This valley has been  inhabited for centuries and with the fresh water and fertile soil, the inhabitants were self-sufficient.  

 There is a beautiful ever-changing beach and the entire valley is protected by cliffs that are at least 1500 feet tall and straight up! 

It was here that a local offered to take our picture.  Marcus is a former Southern Californian surfer who is now a writer living just a few yards from this remarkable overlook.   He is very knowledgable about the valley and his command of words as he described the various geographical points led this writer to ask him if he was a writer.  He acted surprised and told us  about the (very technical) book that he is working on.  He has had writers block for  several months and has been unable to write.

  We continued our conversation and he invited us to have a lemonade with his wife and mother in law at their house.      We had lot of things yet to see this day and Portland Firefly was not  anywhere near 100%  of her desired energy level.  We were perhaps a little too cautious at this invitation and politely declined.   However, if I return to the Big Island and Marcus invites us to visit his family this time I will not decline the invitation.  Soon after our conversation, Marcus left and disappeared to his home.

  My friend said that we had released his writers block and he had hurried home to once again write!  We continued on our sightseeing day adventure!