Heroine

Another eventful day at Post Mills.

After a full day of flying, we gathered, as usual, for the Saturday cookout on the back porch. Also, as usual, there was a noticeable gender gap between the beer and burger contributors and those who provided interesting side dishes. The grill and the party were just getting warmed up, and Laurie was in the middle of explaining to the uninitiated how to construct a hummus-tomato-sprout wrap, when we heard a most disconcerting crunching sound from across the street.

Our friend Larry W had just suffered a control failure on takeoff in his MiniMax ultralight and crashed in the hayfield next to the taxiway. It was not a minor accident. Among the first responders, Laurie put her nursing skills to use and evaluated Larry's condition, comforted him, and kept well-meaning but unqualified volunteers from interfering until the ambulance arrived.

Larry headed off to Laurie's hospital with a couple of broken legs, and we all reconvened in a slightly more subdued mood to finish our cookout. When it was over, Laurie did the dishes.

All in a day's work, she said.