Aug. 23: Plinky ~ first plane ride

I haven’t done a Plinky prompt in a while. I like today’s, even though it took me all day to make time to sit down and write it.

What was the first plane ride you took?

Describe the trip – what was it like? Were you excited or scared?

Kathy and I flew from Medford to Portland in 1975. I was excited because we flew on a “banana jet,” one of the yellow-bodied airplanes I frequently saw flying over Medford. I don’t remember being afraid, but I must have been, as I was only six years old and everything scared me back then. My older and braver sister was with me, though, so I felt safe. I vaguely remember the moments just before takeoff, that I didn’t really like that my feet couldn’t touch the floor, and that Kathy was holding my hand.

We went to Portland to visit our dad, who had been transferred up north to a new job with Rodda Paint. My memory of the trip is fuzzy, but this picture is one of the few we have from it:

This was in the zoo parking lot. I love Dad’s snazzy plaid pants, my scary-short dress and my beautiful hairstyle. What can’t be seen here is the inflatable Minnie Mouse toy I had purchased at the zoo gift shop. I set her right between us before Kathy took the picture. When we packed to go back to Medford, I couldn’t find Minnie and was really upset; neither Dad or Kathy seemed all that concerned, and now I think they probably had destroyed it and thought I wouldn’t notice. Meanies.

I remember little else about the trip. Not anything else we did, how long we were gone, Dad’s house, or flying home. But, y’know, BANANA JET! Woo-hoo!