This is the mosquito. My French Husband's Boeing 101. Notice how my fingernail matches the thing. I used Photo shop fingernail polish. Pretty stylin' doncha think? But I bet you want to know more about "The First Flight" then you do about my fingernail polish.
Mosquito's tire is as big as my foot. Not reassuring. But I kicked it anyway for good luck and then used it as a stepping ladder to get inside. My heart was beating so hard I thought I was going to vomit.
I wasn't scared.
I was terrified.
Not because I did not trust my husband's flying ability. (Because after going up and then down Stelvio Pass on the back of a motorcycle with him… he can take me anywhere and I will follow….even with my eyes shut!) Rather the idea of sitting inside of something that felt like a paper plane was mind boggling. I had a hard time getting my head around the thinness of the elements, and the enormous space that was going to be underneath me. It really is amazing to be as light as a feather, to be a speck of nothingness in the great blue, to feel the sense of the world beneath you and most of all not being able to hold on to anything but the adventure.
The red arrows give you an idea on the thickness of the so called wall. Less than an inch.
The A————-B (bad graphics n'est pas Francabolla?) is the distance between French Husband's door and my door. Literally arm's length. Before I got inside I thought to myself… the motorcycle has more seat space than this.
Did I tell you I was terrified. Would you have been?
But my God the view! Once I focused on that and not the actually fact of the matter I was better.
Taking photos proved to be difficult due to the lack of space, the direct sun, the seatbelt that plastered me to the seat…. and the incredible awe of the experience.
Awesome doesn't describe it.
Everything seemed so small, so distant, so unimportant. Not that it is… I guess what I am trying to say is that when flying I sensed the bigger picture. The movement of nature, the constant change of texture, creating, becoming… Creation. Life.
Flying erased the distraction of unimportant things. It was freeing.
And to end this lovely tale of finally flying with that French Husband of mine. Finally climbing inside of the yogurt cup called Mosquito, and finally letting go of my fear. I saw the Joy in the stick.
I could make a million jokes and puns, and well you know fun of the Joystick.
But instead all I am going to say about that is….. Thank God.
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