The Liberty Gazette
June 2, 2009
June 2, 2009
The View From Up Here
By Mike Ely and Linda Street Ely
Mike: The 260 horses of Commander Two-Seven-Papa-Whiskey carry Jon, Linda, and Rocky, the Pomeranian who runs the roost, up and away to aviator escapades. “We’ve had some really fun times in that plane,” Jon added. He especially loves the XM Weather feature, “it helps us fly safe,” he says.
Linda: Linda DuBois remembers family vacations in her family’s Piper Cherokee 235. “Dad and my brother were the two pilots in the family, and were always arguing over half a degree on the compass. I got to sit in the back seat–so I guess my early lessons about aviation were by osmosis.” She took her first solo flight at the age of 19 in a Piper Tomahawk, but soon thereafter discovered sailing. She earned her 100-ton USCG Captain license, became a PADI dive instructor, and managed yachts in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida. Her love of boats is how she met Jon.
Jon DuBois owned a 62-foot sport fishing boat. Then a retiree (well, for the first time anyway), there was finally time to discover some things he’d always wanted to try. But living a single life isn’t always easy, especially when the single person doesn’t cook. Tired of restaurant fare, Jon commented to a friend, “I’m going to hire me a cook.” That led to the answer to our question, “how did you two meet?”
“You can always find a deckhand,” Jon told us, “but you can’t go diving by yourself.” Besides, he needed a cook. Through mutual friends, Linda heard about Jon and came to talk to him about exactly what he was looking for. “When we met and I saw her credentials including dive instructor, I thought, ‘Okay, you can wash my boat and cook my meals and dive with me.’” Linda interrupts, “I cooked his goose all right,” and Jon tries to proceed through his contagious grin, “So one thing led to another.” But Linda jumped in again to clarify, “Real fast.” But back up a minute. Her first reaction to his 14-point list for interviewing potential hires (yes, 14 points; she’s saved it and I’ve seen it) was “Are you kidding me? I’m a 100-ton USCG licensed Captain and you want me to cook for you?” Well, yes, that was one thing on the list. But then she let it slip. “Well, I really do like you, so, okay.”
Mike: Not so fast. Jon said he had to think it over. He sent her on her way after the interview and told her he’d be in touch. By the time she drove the six miles back to her house, her phone’s message light was blinking. She got the job!
Jon whisked her off her feet, making his marriage proposal during Linda’s parents’ 50th anniversary dinner at the Monument Inn, and in less than 30 days they had a beautiful wedding aboard Jon’s boat. That list of 14 things may have grown, but it's no longer work, it's love.
Come back next week for Part II of the DuBois Tales of "Boats to Planes" and More.
Mike and Linda can be reached at Texasavi8r@aol.com.
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