Traveling from Austin to Lubbock yesterday I was struck by several thoughts. First in the Austin airport, I saw a little old lady that reminded me of my grandmother. She was walking through the airport after having gotten off her plane ... coming to visit her grandkids. Mimi used to do the same thing only on buses. I wonder if Mimi were still alive if she would be flying now. I wonder if air travel then had been what it is now if she would have flown. After watching this lady greet her grandkids, I looked around and realized that the airports of today are much like the bus stations of yesteryear.
That got me to thinking of airports of the past. When I was growing up, I had an aunt that lived on the East coast. I remember going to the airport to pick her up at least a couple of times back in the early 1960's. If we were early, we would wait in the cafe which had windows looking out on the runways. Back then, you met your traveler on the tarmac. I have a very clear picture of the airplane, silver and seemingly huge! stairs rolled out to the plane, people dressed up coming down the stairs. (no one dresses up for travel on a plane now) I remember my aunt coming through the door and pausing, looking around and then seeing us and waving before she started down the stairs. In my memory, she was wearing a full length mink coat, high heels, a very stylish suit and carrying a round make-up case. Who could ever have been more sophsicated!
As my plane was making the descent into Lubbock, I looked at the fields white with cotton and mostly unchanged in the years that have passed since the 60's. I wondered what my aunt, on seeing this so many years ago was thinking. Was she, like me, thinking what a dismal, flat place Lubbock is? or was she glad to be coming home?
1 comment:
I really liked this "piece." :)
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