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Memories Made
By: Stu Cooper / Happy Destinations
am a man of my word. Almost three years to
I the day that our grandson Jake was born, I
promised to take him to Disney World. We (the
three generations) made our first "adventure" to Florida.
It been over thirty years since I last took two toddlers to Disney. Yes, Jake
has a little sister.
The memory does fade as to the challenges encountered when taking
toddlers to Disney. Safe to say it was a very good thing that our daughter
Jessica and son-in-law Craig came along for the ride.
From Grandpa's point of view, it was an absolutely fantastic and
memorable trip. I'm not so sure Grandma Sharon would agree, since she
and our daughter were tasked with the diaper and clothes changing, as
well as chasing after the little ones.
I forgot that toddlers have a mind of their own and a huge amount
of patience and flexibility is required by us adults. Dinner plans at 5
pm, changed to a late lunch at 3. Walking by a puddle from a recent
rain shower requires a stop and a jump or two (or three) in said puddle.
Walking in and out of a glass sliding door can easily be a fifteen-minute
detour.
Once we understood the rules it got a little easier. My chief role was
to push a stroller now and then, sit with them on just about every
toddler friendly ride, take them to the hotel pool and most importantly,
take pictures of them with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto,
September 2017
Chip and Dale and any other character that crossed our path. It's these
activities where memories were made and I will always cherish.
And as I have said for as long as our family has been in the travel
business, trips like this are all about making memories. There are many
more memories to make.
*WOW, WOW, WOW!!! We have over 150 people booked on our
Carnival Splendor, Mexican Riviera Phat Pack Cruise January 27 -
February 3, 2018. Space is almost sold out. If you are thinking about
joining us call ASAP.
**Our next Vegas Voyagers meetings are scheduled for Sunday,
November 12 th 9 am at Buckman’s at the Revere Country Club in Sun
City Anthem and 1 pm at the Sun Coast Hotel in Summerlin. Please RSVP
to info@vegasvoyagers.com or by phone: 800/698-1101.
Balcony
$1,199.00
Fares from
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Are addition are
VEGAS VOYAGERS
800-698–1101
Email Fairtravel@aol.com
Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses up to $75
are additional and subject to change
$899 $75
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President Holds God’s Power
By: Kathy Manney / Around Our World
In October 2012, I wrote about the Cuban
Missile Crises through my lens as a young
Air Force wife whose husband was on high alert
during the two-week Cuban Missile crises. In 2016, I saw a newspaper
article titled, “Abandoned Cold War base has stories to tell” with a subtitle
“Wisconsin installation stood guard during Cuban missile crisis”,
that town - Antigo, Wisconsin.
Few have heard of Antigo, though it is home to our son and his family.
Our daughter-in-law was born and raised there.
The article began “The radar base is abandoned, overgrown with weeds.
Buildings with broken windows and sagging walls . . . obscured behind
trees and bushes.” In 1952, a military radar squadron opened near Antigo,
to protect Americans against the threat of nuclear attack.
The improbable materialized as the Cuban Missile Crisis. If you are old
enough to remember the Cold War, especially the Cuban Missile Crisis in
October 1962, you know this was an extremely alarming event.
The United States and the Soviet Union stood-down over nuclear-armed
missiles. Six-weeks before, sixty-six intermediate range missile launching
pads were spotted under construction in Cuba and more than 600 Soviet
ships heading toward Cuba were identified by American U-2 spy planes.
All-out nuclear war was imminent.
Seventy-Five B-52’s from several air force bases stayed airborne 24/7
during this national emergency. Small remote missile bases, like the one
in Antigo were fixed to launch their missiles toward Cuba.
My husband remembers, “There was an intense sense of team and
mission. Everyone working on the flight-line was lost in their own
forbidding thoughts. This was a global game from both governments’
perspectives.
“Top priority at B-52 bases was to launch planes on 15-minute notice.
To have fresh crews flying round the clock, two flight crews flew on board
each aircraft. One crew slept while the other crew flew the plane.”
During the missile crisis, the President “held the power of a god and
the responsibility of a man.” If he stumbled, he could bring about the
obliteration of half, if not all humanity. Fifty-five years after the Cuban
Missile Crisis, that still holds true.
Kathy Manney enjoys visiting interesting places and being an
Adventure Diva. Her “Must See” travel journeys continue - always
with enthusiasm.
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