What Happened In The Miami International Airport, Miami, FL., when en route to Ecuador

In Nov., 2009,an acqintance told me about his trip the month before to Ecuador,partially on business and as a tourist. It sounded interesting, but at the time I thought who wants to go to Ecuador? Well, in Jan 2010 one evening when I was bored I thought why not Google Ecuador. Well, I did, and that was my mistake. Before I knew it I had discovered an Ecuordian airline that had a special rate on that expired the next night. The airline was LAN, the rate...roundtrip...Miami to Quito, Ecuador, was only $399.00--couldn't be cheaper. Next thing I knew I had made a reservation and paid for the ticket all online. Then I discovered American Airlnes' commuter service called American Eagle was innagurating a flight two weeks before my departure which was April 19th that would take me nonstop from Birmingham to Miami, so I made a roundtrip reservation and paid for the ticket all online. Boy, was I getting brave having never been out of the States...well, except to Tijuana, of course, when I was in the USN in San Diego...oops, I forgot about the tour several years before that to Copper Canyon in Mexico. Anway here I was 83 years old, travelling alone, going to a foreign country...My friends thought I was nuts...maybe I wasn't far from it. The flight from Birmingham to Miami took less than two hours, arriving early in the morning. My flight to Quito was scheduled to leave at 4:30. I realized that I had a long layover but I didn't mind that. So, I found out which gate the LAN jet would depart from and meandered in that direction, which happened to be at the other end of this large airpot and on a lower floor. So, here I go with a tote bag and pulling my roller bag. (This event which is about to take place was after I had been in the airport for a couple of hours or so) I see a sign pointing out a Men's Restroom. Not knowing how far it would be to the next one, I thought maybe I better stop by. I noticed two uniformed policemen near me, each holding on to a guard dog....as I passed by, the dogs lunged at me. I froze in my steps knowing I had nothing on me unless somebody had slipped something in my tote bag. One of the policemen turned around, smiling and greeting me said, "Sir, do you have food in that bag?" I said, "Yes, sir, I have Oreos and Fig Newtons" Then he said, "Go, ahead, that's all right" Boy, was I relieved. The dogs are trained to detect food as smugglers have been known to put drugs inside food. All along there are benches where you can sit and rest. As I was sitting on one, I turned around where you could see a floor below and there was a man sprawled out on the floor. People passed and no one helped him. I got up and viewed him from a slight different angle and then noticed he actually was kneeling....yes, facing the East and saying his prapers...that's why no one stopped to help him......oh, mesodumb....I understand the Muslims pray five times a day, or more if they choose. So I have lunch...a green salad with ham and cheese.......and start out again. Before long I sat on a bench and nearby the tourist were having their bags wrapped with a cellophane wrapping machine.....which I had never seen before. When there was no longer anyone in line, I stepped over and asked the attendant what this was all about.He said these passengers were going to Cuba, and they do this to keep thieves from breaking into their bags. Well, I finally get to the LAN waiting area. The plane was to depart at 4:30. Best I recall it was about 3pm then. The waiting room is filling up...apparently the flight was a sellout. So to pass time, you speak to a few people, and they speak to you, etc. One man from Georgia was going to Ecuador to instigate buying (or renting??) land on which he would raise ferns for the florist business; he already had such a farm in Guatemala....well, before long it was time to load. Then the attendant announced there would be a short delay because, "They have to fix a broken part". Of all things to tell us. ( I would have made up anything except that; but then it wouldn't be telling the truth, would it? ) Well, this went on about every 30 minutes...still fixing the broken part...and then she says..about 20 minutes until 6pm..that if it isn't fixed by 6pm the flight will be cancelled. Then right at 6pm she says, "OK, the part has been fixed, let's start loading" Was I going to get on that plane?????? I think I was about the last one to get up and head towards the loading zone only doing so when I saw no one else was afraid the plane would have another broken part. It took 4 hours to get to Quito. I had a great seatmate who had an insurance business in Miami but was a native of Guayaquil..the largest city in Ecuador...where he also had an insurance business. I must say here that the flight attendants were great, the plane was clean, the food was OK...no complaints whatsoever. I would fly LAN again anytime and they keep sending me these temptations. So, this is what happended in the Miami International Airport when I was en route to Ecuador.

The Only Time My Father Ever Whipped Me

THE ONLY TIME MY FATHER EVER WHIPPED ME WAS: Because I did not want to be in a picture being taken of relatives in our frontyard, but why? After having thought about this recently, I am now 99.9% sure of why. My maternal grandfather died August 2, 1934. Relatives from WVA came and stayed at our house. They had a son, about age 12, (I was age 7) that had a severe hairlip. I had never seen such before. He wanted to be nice and play with me but he scared the living daylights out of me--I was terrified. I would run and hide to keep out of his sight. (I never told anyone why I did this then or later). I recall, too, that same day I had escaped to the shop building and my brother, seven years older, found me and said, "Come on, Fred, it's time for dinner (lunch)" I understand later this cousin had his lip repaired, earned a college degree in chemistry and worked for years for that big chemical company that is not so popular in the news right now. He, his wife and son are no longer living. As I grew older, I became less frightened of the unknown...guess that's just part of growing up. (PS: The next time there was a picture to be taken guess what: I was the first in line. One whipping lasted a lifetime).

When I Nearly Got Shot By....

Early one evening this past Spring while I was in the living rooom eating supper from a tray, watching TV news and talking with a neighbor with whom I share my evening meals, a gunshot rang out across the room. "Did you see that?" "No, but I heared it", he responded. We were flabbergasted. How dare anyon disturb our evening meal. Well, we looked towards the windows on each side of the fireplace--no holes or cracks there. Then our eyes searched the wall thereabouts with no sign of damage there either--just a cobweb or two....maybe three...Then we inspected the rooms adjoining the living rooom--no one there; followed by going outside to see if anyone lurked thereabouts...nothing. So, we resumed our meal wondering if we were going to be shot at again. I went to bed a little uneasy that night. The next evening while eating alone as my neighbor was out of town , all of a sudden a gunshot came straight towards me. I looked up at the mantel across the room thinking it came from that direction. Slowly I crept over there, and what did I find on the mantel...among other things..three wisteria bean pods that had dispersed their seeds by forming a gas and upon imploding had shot their seed several feet away...after all it was Spring and time for planting.(Later, a friend told me if I didn't clean that room up, those wisteria seed were going to come up and the vines would choke me!)The wisteria bean pod, when maturing in the Fall, is a fuzzy velvety brown color. I had picked several (the first time I had ever seen any) and put them on the mantel forgetting about them. If you care to see what they look like, Google 'em, but none look as interesting as one in your hand. If you were to go out looking for some now, look deeper in and higher up on the vines as they will be among the older, darker leaves...not on this year's growth which is lighter in color. Now, go to my Facebook page and look at the pic I posted yesterday showing two new pods growing.

When, Why & How

In January, 1846, William (Billy) Cornelius of Blount County, Alabama, was notified by authorities inn Manchester, TN that they were holding a Negro slave who said he belonged to said Cornelius. He was told to come up, identify him, and take him back. Mr. Cornelius, a widower, went there, but there was a delay in relasing the person to him (we think he had to send back for his Certificate of Ownership). Meanwhile, he stayed at an Inn operated by a Mr and Mrs. Bostick. The Bostics had a widowed daughter and her five young children living with them. Before it was all over, Mr. Cornelius, a widower, needed a housekeeper, and she needed help in raising the children, were married in Manchester in January, 1846. Mr.Cornelius brought his new family to his farm in Blount County, AL., and raised them well. He did not adopt them, so they kept their Ingram name, being children of Council Brewton Ingram and Sarah Bostic Ingram. The children were: Caroline, Mary, Robert, Rufus and Augustus (latter later known as "Capt Gus"). William (Billy)Cornelius and Sarah had one child by their marriage, William Bostic Cornelius. Here I stop with family history for the time being.....needless to say, now many offspring reside in all four corners of the World........well, the World does have four corners, doesn't it??? "Mesodumb". I am a descendant of Rufus Alexander Ingram. Thanks to the runaway slave for allowing me to be born in good ole Blount County, Alabama!!!