Airport Fun Again, 2018

Folks are almost always willing to put on a nose for a photo. 

Once again, traveling to Russia was all part of the fun and a great way to start my trip. The lady who checked me in at United Airlines, Nicki, was delightful and funny! I was standing in line waiting for an open spot. She hollered "OK clown, Come on down!". Her coworker next to her got a worried look on her face (especially with United's recent history), until she saw me of course :0). Then we all had a good laugh. I have nothing but good things to say about United. Nicki even arranged my seating around to give me window seats. Or maybe to keep me as far from the aisle as possible? Ha. Later when I was in line at security I heard someone call out "Mr. Daly!". I was a little nervous I did something wrong, but alas it was Nicki and a friend waving to me with big smiles.

Once I get thru security the fun continues. Michael came up to me, a little awkward and shy, and asked to take my photo. I happily obliged. I in turn asked him to put on a nose and take a photo with me. He gladly reciprocated.

Natural Clowns abound

A petite young blond woman asked me why I was dressed as a clown. This question is asked several times on my trips usually. It gives me the opportunity to talk about Maria's Children and the wonderful friends I have in Russia. It also allows me to ask questions in return. This particular young woman was fascinating to me. Her name is Amy Fearnside and she is the 3rd ranked wrestler in the USA in her weight class. She was on her way to an international competition. After she went to her plane, I googled her (with her permission). She seems to have quite an interesting story according to the World Wide Web. I love meeting people like that. You truly never know who you are talking to at any given moment, unless it is George Clooney or someone of that stature.

I played with 2 young Hispanic boys ages 6 and 9. Their mom joined in for a few minutes before they thanked me and went off to eat lunch. An airline employee came up to me and told me how nice that was... apparently they had just missed their flight and were going to have to wait 5 hours for another flight. I never know these details unless someone offers it up. I am just there to play with whoever is willing. These two boys and their mother were willing, and a language barrier had no bearing on the fun :0).

One young girl saw me on the plane ride from Helsinki to Moscow and proceeded to "play" with me for 2 hours using her stuffed animal as I used my bird puppet Freddy. When we deboarded, her mom asked if she could take a photo of us. As this 5 year old girl turned to leave me, she turned back and gave me a big bear hug! My heart always melts in moments like this.

As you travel throughout this great big world, remember to always have fun and enjoy the ride. You just never know who you might meet.

           Now Go Out and Hug a Traveler Today!!!