What Color Is Your Parachute?

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Parachute!

Flickr photo by Rolye
Ever since I did Monday's post on dandelions, I've had parachutes on the brain.
You know, this kind.

Flickr photo by Trev Grant
Do you know where the word parachute comes from?
It's French, mes amis.
Para (against) + chute (French for fall) = parachute (against the fall)
I just LOVE it when the world makes sense.

I like the non-dandelion fluff parachutes too, though I sure hope I never have to use one.
Yep. I'll go skydiving when pigs fly!

Photo by BossysFeltworks.etsy.com
I guess I better get ready.
Given my fear of heights, you might be surprised by the number of parachutes I've encountered in my life. And not just the felted pig on etsy kind.

I don't suppose this parachute trio counts as a true encounter, but I remember the splashdowns just the same. Are you old enough to remember them too?

Public domain photo
No? Maybe you remember this parachute instead. Perhaps in reruns?

Those parachutes always remind me of the jellyfish I'd find washed up on the beach.

Flickr photo by thebrockmeister
See what I mean?
They're much prettier drifting through the water than as beach globs.

You can't do this with a beach glob.

Flickr photo by TomFlikrPhotos
Have you ever run underneath a parachute? You should try it. When I was little, my mom had a real parachute for us to play with. No, she wasn't a skydiver either, although I would call her a daredevil. She used the parachute with her preschool classes for years and years. (What? You say preschool teachers aren't daredevils? You've obviously never spent much time with a dozen three year olds.)

My mom sews too. Come to think of it, she could have made my wedding dress out of that white parachute.

Flickr photo by stlouiemeg
(If you've got time, click on that photo and read the story behind that dress.)

Speaking of weddings, see the parachute I wore a couple of months before my big day?

Look at those young lovebirds! Where are my crow's feet? That photo was taken back in the dark ages, when Todd was in the Air Force in Texas and I came for a visit. I got to ride around in a T-37 with a parachute on my back. I'm afraid all we did was taxi around the runway. They made me wear the parachute in case I had to eject, but we never even took off.
Want to know a secret? Staying on the ground was fine with me. I couldn't breathe with that oxygen mask on my face.

It's a good think I didn't have to taxi around with da Vinci's parachute on my back. It wouldn't have fit in the plane.

Flickr photo by StovadinovicP
So those are my only parachute memories. Do you have any more exciting ones?

These days, the only parachutes I see are the ones in the dentist's treasure box.

Flickr photo by be-kk-ie
Ahh. Much less anxiety. As long as we brush and floss!
Have a wonder-full Wednesday, y'all!
Love, Becky