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| Serving Callaway County communities since 1875. | www.fultonsun.com | Wednesday, November 19, 2008 |
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Fulton woman takes to the air for 90th birthday celebration By ROGER MEISSEN The Fulton Sun
Fischer's family decided to mark the occasion with a present that she wouldn't forget - a ride through the skies in a hot air balloon. She painted a picture about the ride with her words, and it was clear that the experience made an impression on her. “The sky was just an azure blue and the air was just enough to take us along at a perfect speed,” Fischer said. “It was beyond my imagination; I told my kids ‘You'll never, ever buy me anything the rest of my life or even before that could give me as much fun and pleasure and delight and leave me feeling this loved.'” The idea was spurred last May by a suggestion that one of her granddaughters, Loretta McKeller, made on Mother's Day. Soon after, the rest of her family decided to pool their resources and treat her to the experience. Saturday the family brought Fischer and her sister - Joy Underwood, who will turn 76 on Sept. 19 - to southeast Columbia where they all participated in preparing the balloon. Fischer and her husband Marvin have two children, seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, and they all helped unfurl the balloon and fill it with hot air. "That's why we wanted to do it,” Fischer said. “All the little ones could help unload it, unfold it here and get it all stretched out. Soon, it was ready for the sisters to board and take off for their sunset flight. In the basket, Fischer said she could feel the warmth on her back from the burner as pilot Janice Sines heated the air to make the balloon rise. “As we were going she flew really low and we could pick leaves; I've got two oak leaves out of the top of the trees,” Fischer said. “We were low enough that I could lean out over the basket and talk to people below when we floated over. “I would say ‘I'm up here for my 90th birthday and they'd sing ‘Happy Birthday' to me as we floated over.'” They finally came to rest near Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia, where they celebrated with sparkling grape juice and a birthday cake decorated with air balloons. It will be a birthday that Fischer said she will always remember. “It was out of this world,” she said. “It was one of the most wonderful things I've done in this whole, wide world and I haven't come down yet.” |
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