{"id":4068,"date":"2010-05-06T06:40:43","date_gmt":"2010-05-06T11:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/?p=4068"},"modified":"2022-06-13T16:55:23","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T21:55:23","slug":"first-helicopter-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/first-helicopter-ride\/","title":{"rendered":"My First Helicopter Ride"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I’d never been in a helicopter until yesterday. It was one of those minor life accomplishments that had been gnawing at me for the longest time. I’d had plenty of opportunities to take care of this before. Somehow the timing wasn’t right or it was too expensive or I was tired or I wanted to do something else that day or whatever. I always had a dozen excuses in my pocket ready to pull out conveniently when the time came. Still, it remained an unchecked box or an unscratched itch. Or whatever overused metaphor applies to a situation that I had to complete solely for the sake of completing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hello Opportunity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Air<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was looking for something to do after working all day in Orlando. Readers of Twelve Mile Circle gave me some great suggestions but I didn’t have enough time. Then I spotted a sign for $20 helicopter rides near my hotel as I walked back-and-forth to various events. I knew the price was a bit of a come-on because it had an asterisk next to it. In teeny-tiny lettering almost too small to read it said, “kids under 12.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I walked in on a whim and prepared to walk directly out again if I couldn’t get a price at least reasonably close to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n