Thursday, May 25, 2017

"Well, Hello There! Mind If I Drop In?" #MFRW Authors #21

'Childhood Memory'....wow.....so many, which one to choose?
-Going To Florida to see grandparents and Disney World (Click here)
-Bribing my dad to take me to see Star Wars 28 times the year it came out (I'll recap it next month on my other blog)
-Practicing my flirting skills on two older boys I met on the beach in Florida (July 1979)
-Spending two weeks in Colorado with friends, and ending up with my 1st official boyfriend (June 1978)
-Getting my 1st kiss (on the cheek!) at age 12 (August 1978)

But the one I'll share happened the summer I was fourteen.

We'd gone to Cyprus Gardens in Florida, and enjoyed seeing the water-skiing show.  However, during the finale of the show, something went horribly, horribly wrong.

After the Pyramid skiers completed their pyramid and skied past us, the guy in the hang glider suddenly hovered above us in the main viewing section.  Thinking it was part of the act, we waved and smiled at him....then suddenly he and the glider entered the stands and crashed a few seats above us.  We ducked, then my mom, a registered nurse, jumped up to help those who were injured.  No one was seriously hurt; simply scrapes and bruises, but it was definitely a memorable end to that show!

Two hours later, we returned to see how the show was supposed to end, and this time the boat with the hang glider went the OTHER way around the lake.  The only hiccup at that show was the 'barefoot water skier' didn't have his feet properly placed, and the gag was ruined.  We'd seen that bit already (the real one was skiing around the back side of the lake), but anyone new to the show didn't get a fair shot of the humor.

We also toured the Ringling Brothers Museum in Sarasota that year, though I longed to visit Circus World.

Want to read about other authors childhood memories?  Go here.

I'm heading up to Indianapolis for the 101st running of the Indy 500 on Sunday, plus setting up at the opening day of our local Farmer's Market on Saturday, before driving north.  I'll catch up on everyone's blogs on Monday:)  Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can see how this would be memorable, and even more so because your mother was able to help the injured. Here’s my memory.

Anonymous said...

That would definitely be an experience to remember. I'm always grateful in situations like that for people like your mom, who are able to help.

Meka James said...

Man that sounds scary! Glad no one was seriously injured in that accident. I can see how something like that sticks with you over the years.

Unknown said...

Glad no one was seriously injured! That would stick in my mind as well.

Alina K. Field said...

You're going to the Indy 500? I'm so jealous!

Linda McLaughlin said...

So glad no one was seriously hurt. And I'm jealous, too, that you're going to Indy! My husband would have loved that.

Cathy Brockman said...

I am glad No one was seriously hurt! Enjoy your trip to the Indy 500 I m jealous!

Kenzie Michaels said...

Thank you everyone! Sorry I've not had time to get back with everyone; we left the track after the race, and was stuck in traffic for several hours trying to exit. The rain hit about an hour after we reached the car, and after we began moving, were directed in the opposite way from where we wanted to go. Left the house at 7:15 am and returned almost exactly 13 hours later. Sunday was a VERY long day!

Helen Henderson said...

Sounds scary. I worry when people take children to an air show and don't have a "what if" plan on how to explain when the unthinkable happens. The same for the circus. The danger is the thrill, but life can get in the way. Your post brought back the research I'd done for an article for a grandparents magazine... that and seeing the Blue Angels and Canadian Snowbirds fly above my head the other weekend.