Hope Machine

Last week Grandma Sherry came to town and we all went to the seashore. D had been waiting for this day for a couple weeks; we had gotten him into the idea of taking a trip to the beach by re-discovering the book Amanda sent last year. He was all set to dip his toes in the icy cold waters of the Pacific and feel the sand between his toes. And D loves to have guests–each day he would check the guest bedroom to see if Grandma Sherry had appeared yet. And then one day she was magically here, so we packed up the vehicles (Stroller? Check. Pack-n-play? Check…).

The drive to the most accessible part of the coast is about 2 hours, and D is not used to sitting in the car very long. Although Gma and I were prepared (in our car) with lots of toys, books, and 2 pacis, D thought it would be funny to throw everything down where he couldn’t reach it, then complain about this fact. So we pulled over to retrieve the pacis (that were wedged under his leg!) and the spot we came upon was a meeting of the Willamette Valley Soaring Club. Imagine our excitement when we got out of our car just in time to see two gliders lined up, ready to be towed into the air! Amazing timing, and we were all astounded by the beauty of this sport!

We watched a glider get towed up by a plane with an engine, then get released to soar on the wind. It circled around then landed silently on the grass “runway,” as if practicing. I think I heard D say “wow.” As the instructor was towing the glider back to start again, he came to say hi, and asked if we wanted a closer look. Like someone who’s been asked about a million times by his grandchildren, this veteran reached out for D and yep, I handed him over to this stranger with a plane, and then I hopped the fence myself. Gma Sherry was terrified!

Don’t worry Gma, we’re not going up…just going for a tow ride:

Good thing D had his need Cars hoodie on–all set for speed!

Here is a video highlighting the best moments!

The song is Hope Machine by the Neil Cowley Trio.