Coasters

I like to say that Barbara and I fell in love on a roller coaster. It is a slight exaggeration, but it sounds so romantic. Okay, maybe not to everyone, but if you are the adventuresome type, it does sound exciting. Of course there are the lame attempts at humor: "our relationship has experienced its ups and downs". "Our life together has been one long exciting ride."

In a very early blog I told the story of how my date, Nance, balked at getting on the roller coaster at Long Beach New Pike, and Barbara spoke up, saying, "I'll go." During our courtship and marriage we have laughed together on many different coasters. Now that I am 74 years old, I'd rather say "been there, done that." I have enjoyed my coaster career, but I have retired from that too. My Barbara Lu, however, still rides every coaster in sight.

When she was a teacher at Peninsula Christian School, the eighth grade "ditch day" was often a trip to Magic Mountain. Guess what? When you buy group tickets, they give a freebie to the chaperons, and BL was always ready to go. In fact the kids used to ask her to accompany them around the park because she was willing to go on anything, but some of their companions shied at steep, terrifying rides.

Because of an incentive package for listening to a time share sales pitch in Las Vegas, we got tickets to ascend the Stratosphere. You know, it's the tallest structure in Vegas, and it always is seen in the opening pitch for the original CSI show on TV. The observation deck is 105 stories up, and it is breathtaking to look over the rail from up there. It seems that some insane entrepreneur actually built a roller coaster on the roof of this observation deck! Of course my Barbara was ready to try it. I had to tell her that if she took the ride, I would have a heart attack. She only had to think a moment or two before deciding to refrain.