Above and Beyond (the amazing balloon rescue)

Okay, I just have to record this story. I was a doubter...but John was a believer...and he made our little Coop's day. So...we had just checked into a Disney hotel on Cooper's birthday, and we were walking to our bungalow...and it was a bit of a walk through the beautiful grounds of the Port Orleans riverside resort. Kennedy had hooked Cooper's birthday balloons to her suitcase and was pulling it behind her. We were almost to our room, coming down off a little bridge, when Kennedy's suitcase fell over, and while she was putting it upright...the balloons came unhooked, and floated up and AWAY! The lodged in some very high trees. I think we all made the sound "ohhhhhh noooooo" because we knew how much Coopy loved those balloons. We just started walking forward, trying to distract Cooper, thinking there was no more to be done...but all of a sudden, here comes John, looking all determined and heading for the balloons. They were far too high for any sort of "high jump", so i didn't know what he had in that head of his. Then I see him rumaging through the brush for a stick. He finds a stick...a long one...but no where near long enough to touch the balloons. But then I realize he had something else in mind. He starts throwing the stick like a spear toward the balloons. First try...no where near the balloons. They are too high. Second try...same thing. By now we kind of have a small crowd around us all watching the "amazing balloon rescue...attempt". Well, finally John spears the ribbons of the balloons, and the balloons start to be pulled down. But the "spear" breaks free and the balloons float up higher. So John continues. Soon the "spear" gets stuck up in the tree as well. Balloons and spear dangling from this huge tree. But does John give up? No. He finds another smaller stick and throws at the bigger stick...to dislodge it. Again... I had no faith in this action, and when the second stick also gets stuck in the tree...I surely though this was over. But no. John finds another stick, knocks down the original stick (wow), and starts to throw it like a spear toward to ribbons of the balloons. After a few tries...HE DOES IT. THE STICK GETS TANGLED IN THE RIBBONS, AND THE WEIGHT OF THE STICK CARRIES THE BALLOONS RIGHT DOWN INTO JOHN'S HANDS. John is met with an astounded look on my face, and applause from his children and small crowd. I even hear a man next to me say, " Wow...impressive...I was betting against him". He hands the balloons off to Cooper and Cooper is beaming. This whole thing probably only took him about 3 or four minutes...but so worth it. And to think that Coopers uncaring mother was going to leave those balloons stranded in that lonely old tree. John was the hero of the day!