Excuse me, excuse me.
Madam Mode, can I ask you a few questions about your newest collection, Downpour?
Oh, oui, but of course.
What do you want to know, darling?
What was your inspiration?
We saw color.
We saw shape.
We saw a lot of umbrellas.
Oh, sad story.
One time, I went to a, how do you say, amusement park. and I stood in front of a water ride, yes?
The ride comes down the slide, doop, doop, doop, and suddenly I am all wet.
So I said to myself, Maude, you need to stop this madness, this sadness, this wet clothingness.
Well, your news collection certainly tries to solve this common problem.
Yes, well, I say, why be caught without an umbrella?
Why not make your clothing the umbrella?
Yes, tonight we saw an umbrella watch, umbrella shoes, umbrella belt buckle, umbrella backpack, umbrella knee pads, umbrella shoulder pads but what about your head?
Your head?
Well, I didn't...
Oh, no.
I just think... Sacre bleu.
I cannot believe I forgot to include an umbrella hat.
Launch plan L. Plan L?
I have dozens of umbrella hat ideas.
Mon dieu.
Why didn't I think to include them in my epic fashion show?
I am ruined.
Oh, no.
What's that?
We release dozens of lizards into the audience to distract from the lack of an umbrella hat.
Um, I think I should go.
Umbrella!
Ha!
I'm Joy Dolo, and this is Forever Ago, the show where we start at the beginning.
Every episode, we dive deep into the history of one thing.
And today is all about my favorite dome-shaped, water-repellent, fold-up-able fashion accessory.
AKA umbrellas.
Yes, and this is my co-host for the day, Bella.
Hi.
Hello.
Rain or shine, it's good to have an umbrella handy.
You never know when you might get caught in a downpour.
Or maybe you just want a break from the sun.
Today, we're going to travel back in time to learn about the origin of the umbrella.
But first, I want to hear a little more about you, Bella.
So are you the type of person that keeps an umbrella with you at all times?
Not really.
I usually just wear a sweatshirt and pretend like I have an umbrella.
It's like, yeah, I left my umbrella at home, you guys.
Yeah.
This is the one I have.
Have you ever been caught without an umbrella?
Uh, yeah, I've been stuck in the rain.
Yeah.
And what do you do in that case?
Um well, one time I was at a park and it started downpouring but I ran immediately into, like this tube slide thing.
Yeah.
Until it stopped raining.
That was your makeshift umbrella.
That's a smart way to do it.
You know, it's funny because here we have all four seasons.
Have you ever used an umbrella with snow?
No.
Have you?
No, but isn't that a good idea?
Yeah.
We should patent that.
I've never thought of that.
We should write that down.
Copyright Joy and Bella.
Well, let's get to the question at hand that we're here for today.
Where did umbrellas come from?
To find out, we're going to talk to our reporter friend, Josie Hong.
Where is she, by the way?
Hey!
Hi, I'm up here!
Oh, whoa, she's in the sky holding an umbrella.
Wait, what?
Josie, what are you doing up there?
I thought umbrellas were just for keeping dry.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Usually they are.
Umbrellas are a testament to how we humans try to protect ourselves from the elements.
They're kind of like tiny portable roofs.
But you know, when you have a super special magical umbrella like me, it can also be a form of transport like, let's say, a parachute.
All right, I'm coming in for a soft landing.
See?
Ah, that hurt.
All right, I'll admit it.
I am no Mary Poppins.
Do not try this at home.
Howie.
So, Josie, what can you tell us about umbrellas?
Yeah, how long have they been around?
Oh, yes.
Okay.
Well, umbrellas, they go way, way back.
Ancient Egyptians had this hieroglyph that looks like an umbrella.
And this was thousands of years ago.
But, you know, it's really actually easier for me to show you.
So here, you guys, each of you, take an umbrella.
Okay.
What for?
Yeah.
Well, umbrellas are not just great for travel.
They're great for time travel.
Oh, wait.
I don't think that's right.
Hold on tight.
We'll be traveling 3,000 years back in time to Egypt.
Just a warning, okay, about these umbrellas.
They go at warp speed, okay?
All right.
I'm holding on.
Me too.
Wait.
Whoa.
Whoa!
Whoa!
And we're here.
You guys doing all right?
I think so.
I'm feeling a little dizzy.
I see a ton of desert, lots of palm trees, but no rain.
Oh, yeah, the earliest umbrellas, they weren't made for rain protection.
Good morning, Alexandria, Egypt.
It's another scorcher here in the Pearl of the Mediterranean.
You can expect a whopping 109 degrees today.
So stay out of the sun.
And if you do get burnt, make sure you rub on some maize salve from Pharaoh's Finest, where you can find any sundry goods under the blazing hot sun.
This weather report brought to you by Pharaoh's Finest.
To create shade, Egyptians used feathers and palm leaves.
That umbrella hieroglyph I was telling you about, it meant shadow or shade.
And in many ancient civilizations, shade was reserved for monarchs and nobility.
Like in Egypt, kings were treated as these divine beings.
It's not easy being me, a king god.
And the umbrellas represented the heavens covering the kings.
I vanquish my enemies on the battlefield.
I mete out justice for my people.
I rule over countless lands.
Get that sun off of me.
Where's my umbrella?
So the first umbrellas were for sun protection.
When did folks start using them to keep out the rain?
Well, in some parts of East Asia where it can be much wetter, they've been making umbrellas for thousands of years out of thin paper and cloth.
In China, they rubbed oil over umbrellas to kind of waterproof them.
European travelers to the east who saw these handy water-repelling umbrellas.
They brought the idea back home with them.
And that jump started umbrella production in the early 1700s in Europe.
Now, where in Europe do you think they could really use umbrellas?
Hmm.
Maybe where that Mary Poppins lady is from.
Yeah, England.
Always looks cloudy in pictures there.
That is so true.
In England, it rains over 100 days a year.
So, yeah, they really need umbrellas over there.
They actually have their own name for them, and they're called brawleys.
Speaking of which, grab on to your brawleys.
We're headed to merry old England.
I got this.
Whoa!
Whoa!
This is gonna take some getting used to.
So you guys, it might be hard to believe, but for the longest time the English would have rather gotten soaked to the bone than actually carry an umbrella.
That doesn't make sense.
Agreed.
Well, here's the thing about umbrellas.
Their status has waxed and waned over the years, and...
That's why I brought us here to London, 1750 London to be exact.
The United States wasn't even a country back then, and it wouldn't be, not for another 26 years.
It was still the 13 colonies of Great Britain ruled by King George.
And it was during this time that umbrellas hit this low point, just weren't cool to use, even though umbrellas would have helped to keep a whole bunch of wig-wearing English people dry.
Men associated them with women's parasols, you know, the kind that shade people from the sun.
And the upper classes.
They thought umbrellas were for servants who covered their masters' heads when they walked from their houses to their horse-drawn carriages.
Can you imagine how people try to stay dry without umbrellas?
Maybe a coat with a hood?
Maybe they went old school and they used newspapers.
Like, that's what I use nowadays.
Actually, that is a really good idea.
But actually back then, if people had to be out in the rain, they'd wear this cloak made of oiled cloth, or they would put on extra layers of socks or get this extra underwear.
Ooh, wet underwear.
Ick.
That does not sound like the best solution.
No, not at all.
But things began to change in the 1750s because of a guy in London named Jonas Hanway.
At your service.
Jonas was this man about town.
Who's the cat with the most style?
Jonas was a well-known philanthropist in his day, but today his big claim to fame is being the first well-known gentleman to carry an umbrella.
He most likely brought umbrellas back from his travels to the Middle East, but back home in London people made fun of him.
And you know who were the meanest?
The fashion police?
Maybe, but I know for a fact that the Coachmen were really, really brutal.
You mean the people who drove horse-drawn carriages?
Why would they care?
Well, in bad weather, people would pay for a carriage ride to stay dry, right?
But if they had an umbrella over their head... They wouldn't need a ride.
Exactly.
Coach drivers got so mad about losing business that people say they threw trash at Jonas or, as they say in England, rubbish.
And according to one account, one driver tried to run him over.
Are you trying to kill me?
You're killing my business, so yeah.
Jonas is said to have fought back with his umbrella.
Jab!
Left hook!
Left hook!
Jab!
Take that, Coachman!
You may take my life, but you will never take my umbrella!
Jonas carried around his umbrella for 30-some years.
And you know what?
By the time he died in 1786, umbrellas had become this commonplace sight.
Suddenly, everybody, rich or poor, woman or man, they all had the means to stay dry.
Can you imagine how umbrellas changed people's day-to-day lives in a rainy place like London?
You know, it's probably easier to get around and you don't dread going outside with the weather.
You can combat the weather with this new tool, right?
Yeah.
What do you think?
They will stay dry from their clothes and their coats, and all their gear will stay dry with the umbrella.
They won't have to come to work wet.
Yeah.
Oh, totally.
Umbrellas were this great democratizer.
It meant... everybody could stay dry, whether they were rich or not rich.
They also paved the way for other inventions in rainwear too, like there were modern raincoats and galoshes.
But up until now, umbrellas haven't really changed much since the earliest designs.
They have this sleek, symmetrical shape, kind of like an upside-down raindrop.
And that is actually a very efficient way to keep rain off of you.
But that doesn't mean we don't keep trying to improve on the old design, which we'll hear about in just a little bit.
But now it's time for First Things First.
It's the game where we try to guess the order of three inventions.
Like, did microscopes or telescopes come first?
Does lasagna predate ravioli?
Or was it the other way around?
Okay, Bella, do you want to read today's three things?
Yep.
It's rubber rain boots, weather forecasts, and windshield wipers.
Hmm.
Well, what do you think?
Which is the oldest and which is the newest?
I think that weather forecasts was the first, windshield wipers was the second and rubber rain boots was the third.
That makes sense.
Because I think, you know, weather forecasts, you've probably been doing that forever.
Yeah.
You know, since the beginning of time.
And I wonder, you know, windshield wipers, I don't even know when those were invented.
Yeah.
They're for cars.
Yeah.
I feel like they could have been invented when cars were invented.
Yeah.
They could have been added right away.
Yeah, I think that order makes sense.
It seemed like it would be the newest version because it took us so long to figure out when umbrellas would be useful.
So rubber rain boots were probably invented a couple years ago, in 2016.
I agree with you, Rhoda, too.
I think the oldest is weather forecasts and windshield wipers and then ending with rubber rain boots.
All right, brace yourselves for some more extreme weather coming up.
Forever Go will be right back.
Did you know that the residents of one of the rainiest cities in the US consider it decidedly uncool to use an umbrella?
Oh my gosh, Becky.
Did you see Sally walk in here with an umbrella this morning?
Wow.
Is she even from Seattle?
How embarrassing.
That's what hats are for.
Not all Seattleites spurn the umbrella.
I don't see what the big deal is.
Raincoats, hats, umbrellas, they all get the job done.
Um, have you ever heard of accessorizing?
It's called fashion.
Look it up, sweetie.
But the voice of the anti-umbrella movement is a loud one.
If one more person bonks me in the head with an umbrella today, I swear.
Ah!
My eye!
So, folks, what'll it be?
Umbrellas are useful.
Umbrellas are rude.
And a Wintour wears an umbrella.
No!
Or you could just move to the desert.
Ah, not a drop of rain in sight.
Excuse me, sir, I think you could probably use an umbrella to protect you from the sun's harsh rays.
Uh, I think you mean a hat.
No, umbrella.
No, hat.
Oh, dear.
Welcome back to Forever Ago, the show where we go way, way back.
Today, we're traveling in style.
Like Mary Poppins.
To find out how umbrellas got their start.
Before we brave the elements again, it's time to finish our game of First Things First, where we guess the order of three inventions.
Yep, it's time to reveal the answers.
Today's three things were rubber rain boots, weather forecasts, and windshield wipers.
And Bella, do you remember what we guessed?
We guessed weather forecasts, windshield wipers, and then rubber rain boots.
Yeah, we were both on the same page for that.
Do you have the answers, Bella?
Yep, here's the envelope.
This is always the most exciting part when you rip it open.
Oh man, I have a feeling we were right.
In my heart, I feel like we were right.
Here we go.
Oh, no way.
We were not right.
Oh.
The very first one was rubber rain boots.
Oh, that was our last one.
I know, but it was the first one invented.
1853 was when it was invented.
An American named Hiram Hutchinson makes these rain-ready boots out of a special rubber invented by a rubber-obsessed guy named Charles Goodyear.
I can't believe that one was first.
Yeah, yeah.
Do you know the Goodyear tires?
Have you heard of those?
I don't think so.
Yeah, it's a huge brand of, like, tires for cars, so they also make rubber boots.
Hutchinson was the first to make rubber rain boots, but there's evidence that long before that, Amazonian people were dipping their feet in rubber from plants and baking them over a fire to make durable foot covers.
Would you ever do that?
Would you ever dip your feet in rubber and then put it over a fire?
No, I would just suck it up.
It sounds easier.
Like, I think my feet are just going to be wet.
Yeah.
So rubber rain boots was first.
And then next up was weather forecasts.
That was second.
And that was in 1861.
The word forecast was actually coined by British-born Admiral Robert Fitzroy.
In 1861, people looked at the behavior of frogs in jars or bulls in a field to predict the weather.
Well, my grandma says sometimes when dogs start eating grass, that means it's going to rain.
Also, like when the storms are coming up and like dogs bark and, you know, cats run all crazy.
So there might be something there with animals.
Fitzroy thought he could do better with science.
He used thermometers that measured temperature and barometers that measure atmospheric pressure to predict weather in England.
And people were kind of skeptical at first.
But Fitzroy's predictions started beating the frogs and bulls and he became famous.
So there we go.
Rubber rain boots, weather forecasts, and then finally, windshield wipers.
Now that kind of makes sense.
That they were the newest one.
Yeah.
These ones were in 1903 by an American woman, Mary Anderson.
Yeah, women.
Woo!
She was visiting New York City on a snowy day and riding a streetcar when she noticed that the driver had to keep stopping to clean off the windows, which seemed super annoying.
So she was inspired to create a device that cleaned the windows for you, and she padded in it.
That's cool.
Yeah, yeah.
Unfortunately, carmakers didn't buy her design and car windows remained wiperless for about another 20 years.
Whoa.
Well, everyone.
She'll be driving by with her windshield wipers wiping her car and everyone will be like um, we have to wipe those ourselves.
Exactly.
Where did you get those from?
Well, thanks for playing with me, Bella.
Anytime.
Before the break, reporter Josie Huang was taking us on a slightly bumpy ride through umbrella history.
Agreed.
Yeah, sorry, I guess I haven't been taking you guys to the places with the best weather.
You were telling us about how the umbrella caught on in England?
Yeah, so by the mid-1800s, stores in England had finally started selling umbrellas.
And they were often seen as these luxury items, kind of like walking sticks.
And this went with the look of the era when men wore top hats and long jackets.
I don't know, think Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol.
Mr. Bah Humbug.
That's right.
That's a very good Bah Humbug.
Thank you.
It's strong.
Around this time, inventor types began to think of ways to make umbrellas lighter and cheaper.
And they were a bit unwieldy because folding umbrellas did not exist yet.
These smaller improvements came first.
They went from whalebone frames to steel frames, which were lighter, and then from oiled cloth to lightweight and water-resistant alpaca hair.
Alpacas are kind of like llamas, right?
That's right.
They're the shorter cousins of the llama.
Anyways, inventors eventually came up with synthetic materials to replace the alpaca hair and make umbrellas even lighter.
But they also set their sights on getting umbrellas to be smaller and more convenient.
So let's go see how, shall we?
Grab on to your umbrellas again.
Okay, here we go!
Oh, man, it's raining again.
Where are we?
So we are in Vienna, the capital of Austria.
It's 1929, and this was when radio was a new invention.
You could hear people playing music from their homes and trendy young women of this time.
They were called flappers and they had short hair and they danced in short dresses.
This was also when daredevils were starting to fly airplanes.
Charles Lindbergh had become the first pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean by himself, and this was just a couple years earlier.
But as for the umbrella, people were having trouble perfecting the design.
Hey, do you guys see that woman over there?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Standing over by the brick building, shaking her umbrella.
Yeah.
That's lava doldick.
Ugh, I hate this big clunky thing.
Why can't someone invent a small umbrella?
Something that I can fold, something I can put in my bag.
Someone should be me.
Slava was a trained sculptor, so she had these mad design skills.
She built this prototype using watch parts, and she wanted to keep her project a secret.
So she made sure to buy the parts from different shops so no one could figure out what she was doing.
Come on, what would you do?
This idea is too good to risk someone stealing it.
Now, others had already tried making foldable umbrellas, but her design was described as particularly elegant and simple.
It had this telescopic shaft made up of these different sections that slid into each other to save space.
Her work was actually put on display at the 1931 Spring Fair in Vienna and news reports called it the magic umbrella of the sculptress.
One company began a line of umbrellas based on her design and called it The Flirt.
Things were going awesome for her.
Slava was making good money from her umbrellas.
But then the Nazis invaded Austria.
Slava's family was Jewish, and they were persecuted by the Nazis.
So she fled the country with her husband and baby daughter, and they eventually made it to Australia.
And she'd been pressured by the Nazis to sell her umbrella design to a German company, but she managed to hide the prototypes from them.
These creeps aren't getting their hands on my designs.
My prototypes are coming with me.
Down under!
So Slava would go on to live the rest of her days in Australia.
She ended up sculpting and teaching art to girls.
And sad to say, kind of, but her umbrella-making days, they were over.
But, you know, she forever left her mark on the world with her design.
I mean, today we see variations of her small, collapsible umbrella pretty much everywhere, right?
I mean, have you ever had one like that with that telescopic function?
I have.
It had a little Minnie Mouse on it.
Okay.
Yeah, it's a great invention.
They fit in your backpack and you can buy it pretty much everywhere, like at the grocery store, the pharmacy.
Yeah, I feel like everyone has the same kind of umbrella.
Yeah, foldable or not, the umbrella is just so iconic in its design.
It's given us a way to defy the weather and to stay dry when the skies are pelting the rest of the world with rain.
That's kind of magical when you think about it.
I mean, how would it affect you if umbrellas had never been invented?
Like, is it rainy where you guys are?
Yeah, it rains sometimes, but mostly snow.
A lot of snow.
Here we get all four seasons equally.
And with all the seasons, it rains in all of them.
So we get a little bit of it a lot.
Well, guys, my friends, I think it's time for me to marry Poppins my way out of here.
Oh, before I forget, here's your time-traveling umbrella back.
Oh, yeah.
Here you go.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
You guys, I want you guys to keep them.
Really?
Really?
Yes, yes.
I found a great deal online.
You buy two flying time-traveling umbrellas and you get the third one free.
I totally knew this would come in handy.
Yes.
Thank you so much.
Oh, yeah.
No problem.
All right.
I'm headed back to Egypt.
I really need some sun and some vitamin D after all this rain.
I'll catch you later.
And as fast as she came.
She was gone.
It's hard for me to imagine improving on the modern umbrella.
Like, I hold it over my head, it keeps me dry, end of story.
And thanks to Slava Dual Dig, we can fold them up too now to make them extra portable.
Yep.
I say stick a fork in it.
Done.
But... Wait, there's a but?
Yeah.
What if there was an umbrella that had apps on it that you could play on while you were waiting for your bus stop or Uber ride?
Just like an Apple Watch.
I love that idea.
And then maybe you can also like order food off of it, too.
Oh, yeah.
You can play your game and then while you're there, like you can order a pizza.
I think we just invented something.
Well, I wasn't the only one who thought the story of Umbrellas isn't quite done.
We asked our listeners for their ideas, too.
And here's what they had to say.
When someone doesn't have an umbrella, you click a button, and it shoots out another umbrella.
Like, you would have an umbrella, and it would probably be, like, really small.
Then, like, you just press a button, and it, like, pops out, and then, like, shoots.
Like, you open the umbrella, and it's, like... see through but you can't see the person.
Like you can just press one button and it will just close.
You can do like that Kingsman Secret Service, where they push the button and he comes with a big shield and then when people try to hit you you can just block it with the umbrella.
He's so awesome.
Inventors are always coming up with new designs and new materials, all in hopes of creating the next big thing.
But will any of these umbrellas break through to become the umbrella of the future?
Like the weather, it's kind of hard to predict.
Hey, Sandon.
Hi.
Sandon Totten is one of our producers and an umbrella enthusiast.
An umbrella trend forecaster, to be exact.
Ooh.
What exactly does that mean?
Is that even a thing?
It's totally a thing.
My business card says so.
It has to be a thing.
I stay in the know on all the most exciting umbrella technology.
You know, some of it already exists.
Some of it's just in the idea stage.
Would you like to hear what the latest umbrella technology is?
Sure.
Oh, yes, I'm all ears.
Okay, get ready to have your minds blown.
Ready.
Yeah.
Okay, here's a little something that's still in development.
It's called the forecast umbrella.
So this umbrella comes with a built-in Wi-Fi receiver to track the weather and blue lights in the handle.
So the more likely it is to rain, the brighter the handle glows.
What do you think?
Useful?
Far-fetched?
Good for 2018 since everyone's always on their electronics.
That is perfect.
And now you can light up so you know when people are using it too.
Five out of ten.
Okay.
Okay, okay.
Well, here's another one.
The chiaro.
Don't you hate it when you come in from a rainy day and your umbrella it's just covered in water.
It's dripping everywhere.
The chiaro umbrella comes with its own custom sheath that collects the water, so you can pour it out later.
Maybe, you know, water your plants or something.
Ready to buy today.
Well, what do you think about that one, Bella?
That one isn't as cool as the built-in Wi-Fi for the 2018 generation.
Yeah, it doesn't even light up.
I'm going to have to say 3 out of 10.
2 out of 10.
Ooh, Bella, you so harsh, girl.
Okay, well, here's an umbrella for the social media savvy.
The Pileus can take pictures while you're walking and upload them to the web for you.
It also projects pictures on the underside of the umbrella so you can see what your friends are up to while you're out and about.
Would you use something like this?
Well, I mean, if you want to get wet every time you upload a photo.
I would give it 6 out of 10.
7 out of 10.
All right.
Why not me?
All right, guys.
All right.
We're getting closer to something you might actually buy.
Well, okay.
What if you forgot your umbrella at home and you're waiting for the bus in a rainy street?
You're standing by a street lamp.
You better hope it's equipped with a lamp-rella.
This invention sits on the streetlights and when it senses rain, it expands to become a large umbrella and several people can stand under it at the same time.
Do you think this could catch on?
If you wanted to walk there and get to the pole without being wet, it wouldn't work.
I think this one has a lot of thinking through we still need to think about.
All right.
Any ratings?
Six out of ten.
I would say 5.5.
Oh, we're getting into decimals here.
Okay, I saved a real wild one for last.
It's called the AirBlow 2050.
What if instead of fabric, you blocked rain with air?
The AirBlow 2050 is a shaft that sucks up air from the bottom and shoots it out at the top.
When it rains, hold this device up and a force field of air will simply blow the droplets away.
Could you imagine trading in a traditional umbrella for one of these babies?
Oh, yeah.
That is awesome.
That is incredible.
It's like a force field around your body to stop you from getting wet.
I think that's genius.
I give it 9.5.
I'm getting into decimals, too.
I would definitely give it a 9.5 as well.
This might be something that I would definitely buy.
Well, I hate to be the one to have to rain on our rainy day parade, but this one was actually put into Kickstarter and a lot of people funded it and it kind of disappeared.
Apparently, holding a large electronic stick in the water while it's raining is a little dangerous.
So this prototype failed hard, and we're not sure if we're going to see it come back anytime soon.
All right.
Well, thanks for that futuristic umbrella forecast, Sandon.
Yeah, thanks.
Sure thing.
Whatever the weather, the future is looking bright.
See ya.
Bye.
Bye.
Phew, I think we've had enough weather today for a lifetime.
Yeah, we went from scorching hot ancient Egypt to rainy London.
We visited Slava Duldig in Vienna, Austria.
And some very opinionated people in Seattle.
Yes.
Do you have an idea for an umbrella that will change the course of history?
Head over to foreverago.org and tell us about it.
Forever Ago is brought to you by Brains On and American Public Media.
It's produced by Alyssa Dudley, Molly Bloom, Mark Sanchez, and Sandin Taunton.
We had engineering help from Eric Stromstad and Drew Jostad.
Production help comes courtesy of Lauren Dee.
Our fact checker is Ryan Katz.
We'd also like to thank Eric Ringham, Christina Lopez, Taylor Kaufman, Jonathan Shifflett, James Kim Misha Youssef, Arwen Champion-Nix and Tom Kelly.
Is there anyone you want to thank today, Bella?
Anyone that made umbrellas.
Thanks, Rihanna.
All right, it's time for us to get out of here.
Hey, how about we use our new favorite mode of transportation?
Some sunshine would be nice.
And maybe a change of scenery, too.
I guess I could deal with a little motion sickness if we got to go to the Bahamas.
Done.
Hold on tight.
Bye!
