Skydive

When Beverly was 8 or 9 or 10, the three of us went to Florida for a few days, staying here and there, one of which was Orlando. While driving, there was a funny looking building, and being a curious type, I flipped a U-turn and we went back and looked. It was Indoor Skydiving. There's a vertical tunnel, with 2-3 car tunnel exhaust fans drawing air out the top, creating a 100mph vertical wind. (They later told me that they were the 2nd largest user of electricity, after Disney World.) So we watched and then went down and signed up. You get a coverall so nothing falls out of your pockets (which you've already emptied and stored in a locker) and get in line with a few other folks. On one side of the 12'-15' wide vertical tube, there's a U-shaped, "waiting room" with doors into the chamber at each end, where we wait for our turn.

When it's your turn, the guy that makes sure we don't mess up too badly gets us from the door way. You stand there and fall forward, and the wind picks you up. (He's standing up, so there isn't much pressure on him.) He guides you, makes sure you don't flip over, pulls you back to the center when you head for a wall, etc. There are hand signals for communication, which I forget, 'cause you cannot hear anything in the chamber. Ya get 2 minutes, then he guides you to the other door and gets you to stand up, whild he goes to get the next person. It's actually surprisingly calm in that waiting room despite the 100mph wind right next to you.

On the evening before out last day, I told Beverly, "Tomorrow's our last day, and we can do anything you want. Disney World, Universal Studios, SkyVenture."

"SKY VENTURES". So I made a reservation for 15 minutes, just for the 3 of us. And we went. (If you ask her about the trip, I expect that'll come up first.)

Fast forward several years, and I've started hang gliding, and both Elaine and Beverly have also tried it, but decided after a few times, not to continue. But, I'm down at the training field in Holister, and noone's there, so I can't fly. BUT, there are skydivers who land at the far end of the same field. So I wander over to their office, walk in and look around. After a bit, the girl behind the desk says, "SO, are you going to do it?"
"Sure."
"Do you want to go tandem?"
I think a bit, "No."
"It costs more."
"Okay."
"And you have to take a 4 hour class."
"Okay."
(And her face fell. 'Not another one of those.')
So I took the 4 hour class, with the head of the place, I think, after which he said, "You did fine, but there are no more slots today, so you'll have to come back another day."

So I came home and asked several folks, "Would you like to go skydiving?" "NO!!!!"
Finally I asked Bev, "Would you like to go skydiving?" "Ya!!!!" (surprise, surprise.)
We both went down and took the 4 hour class (again) at the end of which, the same instructor said, "Well you both did fine but ..." (I'm thinking "oh no") "We only have space for 1 of you."
I let Bev go and, as you can see from the smile on her face (my Facebook pic) she did great.

She was in the middle of an EMT course at the time, and rumor has it that one of the guys at school, seeing the picture/video, commented, "She's got bigger balls than me." (Yeah, she's now an electrician apprentice.)