極品的妹妹.淼淼 162 46 22 C+

They fell in love three decades ago. Now they pilot planes together
Aave

On their first flight together, Joel Atkinson and Shelley Atkinson couldn’t contain their excitement. They enthused to the flight attendants. They posed for photos. They told passengers via a pre-flight announcement.

“We made a big deal about it,” Joel tells CNN Travel.

Then, right before take off, Joel and Shelley sat side by side in the flight deck, just the two of them. They’d come full circle, and were about to embark on an exciting new chapter.

“It felt amazing,” Shelley tells CNN Travel.

“As we prepared to take off, I was giddy, euphoric,” says Joel.

Joel and Shelley met as twentysomethings flying jets in the US Air Force. They became fast friends, then, over time, fell in love.

Today, they’ve been married for 27 years and counting. They’ve brought up two kids together. And now they’re both pilots for Southwest Airlines. They regularly fly together, with Joel as captain and Shelley as first officer.

The couple say working together is “amazing.” They treat layovers as “date nights.” They learn from one another’s respective “wisdom and judgment.”

And no, they don’t argue mid-flight.

“People ask us, how does it work, flying together?” says Joel. “We know a few pilot couples and some of them fly together, some of them don’t. I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh I could never fly with my wife or my husband.’”

For Joel and Shelley, working together is seamless – a joy that comes easily to them both.

“We’re best friends,” says Shelley.

“There’s just that unspoken bond,” says Joel.

They fell in love three decades ago. Now they pilot planes together
Aave

On their first flight together, Joel Atkinson and Shelley Atkinson couldn’t contain their excitement. They enthused to the flight attendants. They posed for photos. They told passengers via a pre-flight announcement.

“We made a big deal about it,” Joel tells CNN Travel.

Then, right before take off, Joel and Shelley sat side by side in the flight deck, just the two of them. They’d come full circle, and were about to embark on an exciting new chapter.

“It felt amazing,” Shelley tells CNN Travel.

“As we prepared to take off, I was giddy, euphoric,” says Joel.

Joel and Shelley met as twentysomethings flying jets in the US Air Force. They became fast friends, then, over time, fell in love.

Today, they’ve been married for 27 years and counting. They’ve brought up two kids together. And now they’re both pilots for Southwest Airlines. They regularly fly together, with Joel as captain and Shelley as first officer.

The couple say working together is “amazing.” They treat layovers as “date nights.” They learn from one another’s respective “wisdom and judgment.”

And no, they don’t argue mid-flight.

“People ask us, how does it work, flying together?” says Joel. “We know a few pilot couples and some of them fly together, some of them don’t. I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh I could never fly with my wife or my husband.’”

For Joel and Shelley, working together is seamless – a joy that comes easily to them both.

“We’re best friends,” says Shelley.

“There’s just that unspoken bond,” says Joel.

They fell in love three decades ago. Now they pilot planes together
Aave

On their first flight together, Joel Atkinson and Shelley Atkinson couldn’t contain their excitement. They enthused to the flight attendants. They posed for photos. They told passengers via a pre-flight announcement.

“We made a big deal about it,” Joel tells CNN Travel.

Then, right before take off, Joel and Shelley sat side by side in the flight deck, just the two of them. They’d come full circle, and were about to embark on an exciting new chapter.

“It felt amazing,” Shelley tells CNN Travel.

“As we prepared to take off, I was giddy, euphoric,” says Joel.

Joel and Shelley met as twentysomethings flying jets in the US Air Force. They became fast friends, then, over time, fell in love.

Today, they’ve been married for 27 years and counting. They’ve brought up two kids together. And now they’re both pilots for Southwest Airlines. They regularly fly together, with Joel as captain and Shelley as first officer.

The couple say working together is “amazing.” They treat layovers as “date nights.” They learn from one another’s respective “wisdom and judgment.”

And no, they don’t argue mid-flight.

“People ask us, how does it work, flying together?” says Joel. “We know a few pilot couples and some of them fly together, some of them don’t. I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh I could never fly with my wife or my husband.’”

For Joel and Shelley, working together is seamless – a joy that comes easily to them both.

“We’re best friends,” says Shelley.

“There’s just that unspoken bond,” says Joel.

‘A short and significant relationship’: How a piano in a pickup builds connections
Metamask

Dozens of internationally renowned recording artists give concerts in Vegas every year, but the musician who connects best with people might be a local troubadour who improvises on a piano in the back of his pickup.

The maestro, Danny Kean, calls his setup The Traveling Piano, and he has traversed North America sharing music for nearly 20 years.

Kean’s home base is Las Vegas now, and every time he plays, he invites passersby to climb aboard the truck and tickle the ivory for themselves. Even if people are shy or say they can’t do it, Kean usually convinces them to give it a try, inspiring total strangers to express themselves through the common language of music.

He estimates more than 100,000 people have played his piano since 2006.

For most of these impromptu virtuosos, the experience is cathartic — many of them step down from the truck in tears. For Kean, 69, the encounters nourish his soul.

“I enjoy sharing my music with others, but I enjoy having others share theirs with me just as much,” he said. “My goal is to connect with others by creating a short and significant relationship. Music is a great facilitator for that in every way and on every level.”

Kean does not accept fees or tips for these musical awakenings, giving away time and energy for nothing in return. He practices philanthropy in other ways, too, providing food and other necessities for the burgeoning population of unhoused individuals in downtown Las Vegas and around the Las Vegas Valley.

“I love the idea of strangers becoming less afraid of each other,” he said. “This love for humanity drives me to keep doing good.”

‘A short and significant relationship’: How a piano in a pickup builds connections
Metamask

Dozens of internationally renowned recording artists give concerts in Vegas every year, but the musician who connects best with people might be a local troubadour who improvises on a piano in the back of his pickup.

The maestro, Danny Kean, calls his setup The Traveling Piano, and he has traversed North America sharing music for nearly 20 years.

Kean’s home base is Las Vegas now, and every time he plays, he invites passersby to climb aboard the truck and tickle the ivory for themselves. Even if people are shy or say they can’t do it, Kean usually convinces them to give it a try, inspiring total strangers to express themselves through the common language of music.

He estimates more than 100,000 people have played his piano since 2006.

For most of these impromptu virtuosos, the experience is cathartic — many of them step down from the truck in tears. For Kean, 69, the encounters nourish his soul.

“I enjoy sharing my music with others, but I enjoy having others share theirs with me just as much,” he said. “My goal is to connect with others by creating a short and significant relationship. Music is a great facilitator for that in every way and on every level.”

Kean does not accept fees or tips for these musical awakenings, giving away time and energy for nothing in return. He practices philanthropy in other ways, too, providing food and other necessities for the burgeoning population of unhoused individuals in downtown Las Vegas and around the Las Vegas Valley.

“I love the idea of strangers becoming less afraid of each other,” he said. “This love for humanity drives me to keep doing good.”

‘A short and significant relationship’: How a piano in a pickup builds connections
Metamask

Dozens of internationally renowned recording artists give concerts in Vegas every year, but the musician who connects best with people might be a local troubadour who improvises on a piano in the back of his pickup.

The maestro, Danny Kean, calls his setup The Traveling Piano, and he has traversed North America sharing music for nearly 20 years.

Kean’s home base is Las Vegas now, and every time he plays, he invites passersby to climb aboard the truck and tickle the ivory for themselves. Even if people are shy or say they can’t do it, Kean usually convinces them to give it a try, inspiring total strangers to express themselves through the common language of music.

He estimates more than 100,000 people have played his piano since 2006.

For most of these impromptu virtuosos, the experience is cathartic — many of them step down from the truck in tears. For Kean, 69, the encounters nourish his soul.

“I enjoy sharing my music with others, but I enjoy having others share theirs with me just as much,” he said. “My goal is to connect with others by creating a short and significant relationship. Music is a great facilitator for that in every way and on every level.”

Kean does not accept fees or tips for these musical awakenings, giving away time and energy for nothing in return. He practices philanthropy in other ways, too, providing food and other necessities for the burgeoning population of unhoused individuals in downtown Las Vegas and around the Las Vegas Valley.

“I love the idea of strangers becoming less afraid of each other,” he said. “This love for humanity drives me to keep doing good.”

‘A short and significant relationship’: How a piano in a pickup builds connections
Metamask

Dozens of internationally renowned recording artists give concerts in Vegas every year, but the musician who connects best with people might be a local troubadour who improvises on a piano in the back of his pickup.

The maestro, Danny Kean, calls his setup The Traveling Piano, and he has traversed North America sharing music for nearly 20 years.

Kean’s home base is Las Vegas now, and every time he plays, he invites passersby to climb aboard the truck and tickle the ivory for themselves. Even if people are shy or say they can’t do it, Kean usually convinces them to give it a try, inspiring total strangers to express themselves through the common language of music.

He estimates more than 100,000 people have played his piano since 2006.

For most of these impromptu virtuosos, the experience is cathartic — many of them step down from the truck in tears. For Kean, 69, the encounters nourish his soul.

“I enjoy sharing my music with others, but I enjoy having others share theirs with me just as much,” he said. “My goal is to connect with others by creating a short and significant relationship. Music is a great facilitator for that in every way and on every level.”

Kean does not accept fees or tips for these musical awakenings, giving away time and energy for nothing in return. He practices philanthropy in other ways, too, providing food and other necessities for the burgeoning population of unhoused individuals in downtown Las Vegas and around the Las Vegas Valley.

“I love the idea of strangers becoming less afraid of each other,” he said. “This love for humanity drives me to keep doing good.”

‘A short and significant relationship’: How a piano in a pickup builds connections
Metamask

Dozens of internationally renowned recording artists give concerts in Vegas every year, but the musician who connects best with people might be a local troubadour who improvises on a piano in the back of his pickup.

The maestro, Danny Kean, calls his setup The Traveling Piano, and he has traversed North America sharing music for nearly 20 years.

Kean’s home base is Las Vegas now, and every time he plays, he invites passersby to climb aboard the truck and tickle the ivory for themselves. Even if people are shy or say they can’t do it, Kean usually convinces them to give it a try, inspiring total strangers to express themselves through the common language of music.

He estimates more than 100,000 people have played his piano since 2006.

For most of these impromptu virtuosos, the experience is cathartic — many of them step down from the truck in tears. For Kean, 69, the encounters nourish his soul.

“I enjoy sharing my music with others, but I enjoy having others share theirs with me just as much,” he said. “My goal is to connect with others by creating a short and significant relationship. Music is a great facilitator for that in every way and on every level.”

Kean does not accept fees or tips for these musical awakenings, giving away time and energy for nothing in return. He practices philanthropy in other ways, too, providing food and other necessities for the burgeoning population of unhoused individuals in downtown Las Vegas and around the Las Vegas Valley.

“I love the idea of strangers becoming less afraid of each other,” he said. “This love for humanity drives me to keep doing good.”

‘A short and significant relationship’: How a piano in a pickup builds connections
Metamask

Dozens of internationally renowned recording artists give concerts in Vegas every year, but the musician who connects best with people might be a local troubadour who improvises on a piano in the back of his pickup.

The maestro, Danny Kean, calls his setup The Traveling Piano, and he has traversed North America sharing music for nearly 20 years.

Kean’s home base is Las Vegas now, and every time he plays, he invites passersby to climb aboard the truck and tickle the ivory for themselves. Even if people are shy or say they can’t do it, Kean usually convinces them to give it a try, inspiring total strangers to express themselves through the common language of music.

He estimates more than 100,000 people have played his piano since 2006.

For most of these impromptu virtuosos, the experience is cathartic — many of them step down from the truck in tears. For Kean, 69, the encounters nourish his soul.

“I enjoy sharing my music with others, but I enjoy having others share theirs with me just as much,” he said. “My goal is to connect with others by creating a short and significant relationship. Music is a great facilitator for that in every way and on every level.”

Kean does not accept fees or tips for these musical awakenings, giving away time and energy for nothing in return. He practices philanthropy in other ways, too, providing food and other necessities for the burgeoning population of unhoused individuals in downtown Las Vegas and around the Las Vegas Valley.

“I love the idea of strangers becoming less afraid of each other,” he said. “This love for humanity drives me to keep doing good.”

‘A short and significant relationship’: How a piano in a pickup builds connections
Metamask

Dozens of internationally renowned recording artists give concerts in Vegas every year, but the musician who connects best with people might be a local troubadour who improvises on a piano in the back of his pickup.

The maestro, Danny Kean, calls his setup The Traveling Piano, and he has traversed North America sharing music for nearly 20 years.

Kean’s home base is Las Vegas now, and every time he plays, he invites passersby to climb aboard the truck and tickle the ivory for themselves. Even if people are shy or say they can’t do it, Kean usually convinces them to give it a try, inspiring total strangers to express themselves through the common language of music.

He estimates more than 100,000 people have played his piano since 2006.

For most of these impromptu virtuosos, the experience is cathartic — many of them step down from the truck in tears. For Kean, 69, the encounters nourish his soul.

“I enjoy sharing my music with others, but I enjoy having others share theirs with me just as much,” he said. “My goal is to connect with others by creating a short and significant relationship. Music is a great facilitator for that in every way and on every level.”

Kean does not accept fees or tips for these musical awakenings, giving away time and energy for nothing in return. He practices philanthropy in other ways, too, providing food and other necessities for the burgeoning population of unhoused individuals in downtown Las Vegas and around the Las Vegas Valley.

“I love the idea of strangers becoming less afraid of each other,” he said. “This love for humanity drives me to keep doing good.”