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Dear Reader,
It was the best birthday I've ever had! What a day to remember.
To celebrate my 65th birthday, I wanted to do something fun, yet something that would take me a little outside of my comfort zone. So I booked an hour helicopter ride on my birthday. Just me and the pilot (Katie) flying over Sarasota beaches, following along side a group of stingrays in the ocean, then heading to St. Petersburg, and finally flying over the Tampa Sunshine Skyway Bridge and the pelicans, before heading back to Sarasota.
Katie, my pilot, had originally booked a two seater helicopter, with no doors on the side, for our trip. I was game, but she decided at the last minute we'd fly in a four seater helicopter with doors firmly attached, instead. (No complaints from me.) Extra seats meant two people from my family could have ridden along, but for some reason it was important for me to take the journey alone.
Ready for take-off Katie checked with the tower and we waited for instructions. Finally it was our turn and we had a gentle lift-off, but I will say the first sharp turn in the sky made me a little nervous. 'Yikes, I'm really doing this.' But soon I was captivated by the surrounding view. It was heavenly.
Katie and her husband own the helicopter company and in addition to flying tourists over Sarasota, she has a full schedule teaching students who want to learn to fly. Since I've lived in Sarasota for almost 30 years, instead of Katie's tour guide conversation, the two of us ended up chatting like two friends relaxing over a cup of tea. Of course I talked about my family, the book club, my bubbles and chocolate chip cookies. I told Katie my plan had been to bake some cookies to give to her after our flight, but unfortunately time got away from me. She assured me that if I felt the urge to bake, she was available any day to sample my chocolate chip cookies. (Indeed Katie is on my cookie list.)
Yes, it was the best birthday ever! To see photos, click here.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
This month's Penguin Classics book is THE STONEWALL READER, by the New York Public Library, and including a foreword by Edmund White. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.
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