14 AMERICANWAY
OCTOBER 1 2007
in the LAX area (yes, there really is such
a thing!). After leaving the airport in our
rented convertible, I was having difficulty
locating the show. I finally pulledup to the
In-N-Out Burger and asked for directions.
When I returned to the car, Robinwas ly-
ing back in the seat with her bare feet on
the dash, watching the procession of 747s
and MD-11s during the morning’s “rush
hour.” She commented, “I could just hang
out here all day with a bottle of wine and
watch theairplanes land!” Since Iwas (and
still am) a certifiable airplane nut, that
was all it took.We got engaged a couple of
months later (in Saint Paul’s Cathedral in
London).
Keep up the good work! We always en-
joy reading
AmericanWay
whenwe travel,
LetterRip
We love letters.Maybe it’s because our grandmas always used to tape aquarter toour birthday cardswhenwe
were little,andwenowhave thisPavlovian thinggoingon.Regardless,wewant tohear fromyou.Singourprais-
es, bust our chops, or just tell uswhat’s on yourmind. Send your thoughts to
SWEETDREAMS
I felt welcomed on my comfortable flight
June29 fromJFK toLondon, onmyway to
Spain andMorocco. To help the time pass,
I tried theMensaQuiz in the June 15 issue.
I failed all but the Bonus Question (James
Baldwin).
I then tried Sudoku, but a nice din-
ner interrupted my progress. After coffee,
knowing I needed some sleep in order to
be alert inMadrid, I found your fascinat-
ingand funnyarticle “InSearchofKhan.” It
heightenedmy senseofmyown current ad-
venture. Ibecamean instantGenghisKhan
expert. And I slept just great.
Thank you for thegood reading.
DAVIDFRANCO,WILTON, CONNECTICUT
DEAR DAVID:
So let’s make sure we get this
straight — you’re happy that our articles
put you to sleep? We knew they were good
for something!
●●●●●
LOVECONNECTION
I work for AA in Tulsa and by no means
can be considered a roadwarrior, but I re-
ally enjoyed Sherri’s introductory remarks
about LAX airplane-watching in the July 1
issue. When we travel to Los Angeles, my
wife, Robin, and I always take the time
to grab a couple of In-N-Out hamburg-
ers and hang out in the little triangular-
shaped park where Route 1 cuts off from
SepulvedaBoulevard. In fact, that was one
of the deciding factors for us to get mar-
ried.
InJanuary2001,my then-girlfriendand
I had been dating for a year when I took
her toCalifornia for her birthday.Wewere
going toattendanairline-collectibles show
especially when something pops up that
we’ve seenor done.
JOHNC. BARON, TULSA, OKLAHOMA
DEAR JOHN:
That’s American Airlines for
you. Bringing people together one landing
at a time (of course, the bottle of wine prob-
ablyhelped too).
●●●●●
HEY, THAT’SMYSON!
I just finished reading the article in your
August 1 issue on ClubMed
[
“A Long Day
in the Life”
]
, which featuredmy eldest son,
BrianTranbarger.Whata treat toknow that
lots of people are reading about the good
thingsgoingon thesedays atClubMedand
about one of the great guys who is helping
tomake themhappen.
It has beenmy joy to beBrian’smom for
30yearsnow,andhehashadthatzest for life
from day one. The funniest thing is seeing
him up on stage performingwith complete
abandon.Hewouldnever evendance at the
school dances. His dad and I always knew
he was athletic and lovable, but when we
first saw him up on stage in Crested Butte,
Colorado, at theClubMed there,weweren’t
quite certain it was our kid! His inner en-
tertainerhadbeenunleashed.All thoseGOs
areanamazinggroupof individuals.
Thanks for the treatof readingaboutBri-
an and knowing that lots of people in the
worldnowknowa littlebit about him too.
BECKYTRANBARGER, REDBLUFF, CALIFORNIA
DEAR BECKY:
We hope Brian’s not upset that
the1.4millionpeoplereading this issuenow
know that he didn’t light up the dance floor
in school. But, hey, you’re his mom— em-
barrassingyourkida little isprettymucha
prerequisite for the jobasparent, right?
In our July 1 issue,
DAMON OSBOURNE
wrote about being so
inspired by one of our
articles that he decided
to emulate the writer
and take a taco tour around
Austin. To help guide him on his
next culinary adventure, we’re sending Damon the
SanyoEasyStreetNVM-4070PortableNavigation
System
. With text-to-speech guidance, turn-by-turn
directions, a long-life battery, and a traffic-message
channel, this device will never steer him wrong. To
learnmore, visitwww.easystreetnav.com.
At the current rate ofwarming, all the glaciers inGlacierNational Parkwill be gone by 2070.
}
It takes 90 years to grow a box of tissues.
}
Yo!
FreeStuff
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DAMONOSBOURNE
is the latestwinner inour
Favorite LetterGiveaway.
Want a chance towin
something aswell?
Write us a letter!
