For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for January 25, 2011

Been there, done that.

On a side note, a few years back we finally managed to get my sister-in-law on an airplane after many years of being too scared to fly. She was a little nervous at take-off, but ended up enjoying the flight and the view out the window. Everything was fine until we landed and the thrust reversers kicked in. The plane started to shake like it always does, but no one had warned Ruth. PANIC!!! I was holding on to her and telling her “it’s supposed to do that!” over and over.

They’ll know when they are approaching Toronto when Rush’s “YYZ” is played on the plane’s speakers.

Actually, could you imagine Lynn being bold enough to have a plane crash that the John and Elly were on? Not enough to kill two main characters, but enough to show that tragedy can happen to anyone. And perhaps someone that Elly had met either in line or on the plane losing their life. It might have been quite a dramatic moment in the strip. Otherwise, anyone ever remember Lynn writing about tragedy on that level in the strip?

She touched on it several times, and also brought up not only domestic violence (Gordon) but also how coming out of the closet can affect & tear apart families (Lawrence) both were well & tastefully done, nice for a family oriented strip.

Yeah, she’s helping them land, the same way I’m sure she helps John drive.

The time their first dog died was a sad, tender time for this strip.

Interesting that Lynn has her pilots license and they chose to fly commercially.

my sister likes to sit next to the wing so she can monitor it for the pilot…….

I remember the first time I ever flew. I had a window seat just behind the wing. The engines were mounted on the wing with that particular plane. Everything was fine until we started to land and condensation started running out of the engine, with soot in it so it looked like oil. Well, it wasn’t bad so I didn’t panic but then on the ground the thrust reversers came flying up and it looked like the engine was coming apart. My heart was in my throat with this until I saw them clasp together behind the engine and stay there. That’s when I realized what they were.

My first flight was in a pre-WWII military aircraft. I believe it was a C46 or C47. Commercially known as a DC3. I was a young Marine and sitting next to me was and old Sgt. Major with more hashmarks than sleeve. When the engines revved the wings literally flapped. Probably about 2 feet of play. I was alarmed but the old salt touched my arm and said not to worry, you only have to worry if they quit flapping. Flight went better then.

Avolunteer, I remember the upset when Lawrence came out, but not anything about Gordon and domestic violence. Refresh my memory please?

Also, there was the time John and another man (Elly’s brother???) were lost in the back country. A fishing trip, I think.

I had been flown the United Airlines for seven years with no problems at all. I sat the seat by the window and enjoyed seeing many tiny blocks of lands and tiny cites/towns with many tiny ‘ants’ which means that were for vehicles. After 1978, there were a lot of the problems with airlines for example, the airplane crashed in Washington, D.C. or somehwere else. Sghhhh! I was very fortunate that I flew the airplane with Angel Guardian always! :-)

My first flight was from Raleigh-Durham all the way to Charlotte, and from there to Charleston SC. Walked out of the RDU terminal to see a Lockheed Electra turboprop. For anyone younger than 60, they used to regularly have the wings fall off. A small plane had come in with no nose wheel, and was blocking the main runway, so we had to take off in the wrong direction. A 180, climbing at what felt like 45 degrees, ensued; I nearly passed out. Had a jet from Charlotte to Charleston. To clear neighborhoods in Charlotte, we climbed at what felt like 60 degrees. Then the thruster reversal in Charleston for the first time. What an adventure. Better since then, and now I love take-offs. But landings in Atlanta are always fun when it appears you are going to drop into one of the eternal construction sites, with recognizable faces looking up at you.

annamargaret1866 When Michael, Lawrence & Gordon were teenagers, learning to drive, Gordon took Ellie’s brand new car for an unintended ride in their driveway. Hit some trash cans, I think, but that was the extent of the damage. Ellie called his house to let his folks know what had happened. Gordon hid out at the Patterson house and tried to sleep in Ellie’s car rather than go home and face his Dad. Ellie found him and they took him home. The next morning (or possibly after the week-end, I’m not sure) Gordon showed up at school with bruises on his face and claimed that he had fallen off his porch while taking down Christmas lights. Michael told Lawrence that he’d been at Gordon’s house and they didn’t put up lights, so the inference was there. They decided to allow Gordon to keep up his facade. In later years, Gordon opened up a bit about his relationship with his father and admitted the abuse.

My husband’s a private pilot. There’s an old saying, something to the effect that the (2) most dangerous parts of flying are the take-offs and the landings.

Anyone ever fly into the Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia? Love those landings!! I always help the pilot slow down by dragging my feet….

I love flying. Period.

Another almost tragedy that happened to the Pattersons. April almost drowned, and Farley saved her. Remember that?