Vanity Thy Name is Amelia

The island that Amelia Earhart crashed landed on has finally been determined. For years, researchers have scoured the Pacific Ocean for hopes of her plane or remains. A tiny atoll, Nikumaroro, is now believed to be her final destination.

Yet no DNA or other identification has been found. Instead, it was her freckle fade cream that led researchers to realize it was Earhart.

Earhart's final flight was doomed in several ways. An inexperienced co-pilot, faulty navigation systems, poor communications and low fuel contributed to her crash. Somehow she made it to the small atoll and must have lived for a while. Researchers discovered a piece of her freckle fade cream glass jar next to the skeleton of a turtle, apparently used as a tool or utensil to eat it.

I am a cream lover, too, Face, hand, elbow, feet, neck, cuticle, hair--I have them all. My journeys, while not as adventurous as Earhart's, always include a trip to the local apothecary. On a trip several years ago to Prague my friends endured a side trip to Dr. Botanicus for creams and potions made from ancient recipes. My  husband knows the neon "green cross" sign in Europe can only mean one thing--me, lugging bags of products back to the States.

After all that went to Earhart's journey, she didn't leave her cream behind. What woman would? I can only imagine her, flying across the world, worried her freckles were getting worse from so much direct sunshine. Exhausted but making it to shore but bringing freckle cream along, instead of provisions. Scrapping the last bits of the cream out to put the jar to something less useful--like eating.

I would have done the same thing, I'm sure. Except my carry on would have been limited to 3 ounce bottles in a large plastic bag.