The Adventures Of Bette Porter And Sissee Gardner Schmidt After Howie (Part 3, Chapter 5)
PART THREE: SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA

Chapter 5

“You are about to have the thrill of a lifetime,” said the instructor in charge at the Lompoc Airport which was about an hour’s drive from Santa Barbara.

We were in a big hanger cluttered with equipment and people. Six of us were ready to try our first Tandem Skydive. There was Terry and his friends Duane, Randy and Carlos, plus Bette and I but we were all introduced singularly to our jumpmasters, as well as our individual videographers, which increased our numbers..

We had gotten up early that morning at the San Ysidro Ranch and ate a small breakfast at 8 a.m. It seemed like an appropriate time to have at least a Bloody Mary for a surge of courage but neither alcohol nor drugs were permitted prior to the jump. Both of us were uncommonly quiet as we dressed in comfortable clothes, looking like twin ads for Nike from our tops, bottoms and shoes.

Before long our three limos were back on Hwy 101, headed northwest for Lompoc. Everyone was so hung over in our vehicle that conversation was sparse. In fact, several of the girls slept most of the way.

Bette and I sat real close, as if there was comfort in touching. She had her thoughts and I had mine. I thought about my kids and then was surprised as we turned to the right of the Airport Beacon Tower at what was called, Skydive Santa Barbara, to see them come out of another limo parked next to our hanger.

That Terry was amazing. He had arranged for them to watch the jump, too. I was not sure if that was good or bad but they were there and we greeted them warmly, yet briefly then followed our divers into the hanger. Terry had said that arrangements had been made to have a barbecue lunch at the facility after we had all landed.

Everyone was in a festive mood but we jumpers. We were dead serious, listening carefully to what the instructor was saying.

“We have developed the safest and most enjoyable way for your first skydive and the weather today is perfect for it,” he was saying. “With about a half hour of orientation and ground instruction, you will ascend to skydiving altitude of 13,000 feet – or more than two miles above sea level with your USPA jumpmasters. Harnessed to them you will exit the plane on parachute equipment built for two.”