6:15 am, Saturday Morning, SFO... Too damn early
We are boarding in about 5 minutes... But folks are in line... When you check in Southwest gives you a boarding number... Getting in line early does not change the boarding order... But line up as early as you can just in case...
Out side there is a near total lunar eclipse... But no one seems to be paying attention... They are in airport mode... They need to find their next line...
I am off to Tuscon... T's big sister is getting married... T and Stephan are already there... I had to work last night so am a day behind...
Work has been busy... Christmas weekend (3 weeks before the day) followed by a couple of day of Tiny tots... 3 year old's and their parents... Then two days of tours and our Christmas evening event last night... (2 weeks before the day)... We are down to 6 more days of tour over the next ten days, before we can say it over and put away the trees... The too many trees and too much Christmas in a big old historic house... Then Christmas will be over... A week before it occurs...
Dawn breaks as we take off... It is a spectacular hazy soft dawn... Pastel reds and oranges to the east... Soft blues and grays... There are benefits to getting up early... Too soon the sun rises, and the mood changes... The magic fades...
To get to Tucson you must first go somewhere else... A classic case of you can't get there from here... I am headed for San Diego where I have a bit over an hour to find something to eat, and with luck a wifi signal... It wasn't working at SFO this a.m.
About an hour and a half latter, on the ground in San Diego... I have just about an hour before The Tucson flight boards... I was thinking about breakfast, but the options near the Southwest gates were limited to a bar (doing a lively business at 8:20 am) pizza or Qusnos... I ended up with a Starbucks coffee... Mean tine I am fantasizing about Mexican food in Tucson...
It is surprising cold in San Diego, the pilot reported it was in the low 40's as we landed, (not that I have to deal with it inside the hermetically sealed building). It seems to be cold everywhere right now... Brian, in school in Florida had us send down his cold weather gear...
Now headed back to our hotel... for now home... The sister in law is wededd... We have met and welcomed the new in-laws... We have eaten and drunk... Both the required champagne toast and bottles of wine while sitting about talking. Steph, I, and two nephews end up in the hot tub...
The next morning we gathered for breakfast. It was good family time... I hung out with the niece from DC (my eastern headquarters) and a nephew, recently escaped from the Army... Iraq, Germany, and Afghanistan (at Texas too...)
We (T and Steph and I went to the Desert Museum, a cross between a botanical garden and zoo, finding the new in-laws there... We toured and saw animals... We all watched their Harris Hawks as they soared and played and hunted small game. Then lunch and more socializing before heading for the airport and home...
We are flying Southwest again... Home via LAX... Both legs have not really been late, but both were not quite on time... This seems to be a function of SWA's quick turn policy... Great for aircraft utilization, and as a result profits... But creating a sense of urgency, and a feeling of rushing to line up, rushing to board, rushing to put away our too large carry-ons into too small over head bins...
On the way in to LA the cabin crew announced we were preparing for final approach 200 miles out, just past the Colorado River... And locked down the plane... Seat backs in the full upright and locked position... Tray tables up, electronics off.... On this flight they started beverage at 200 miles out...
The pilot just announced we are beginning our decent, at 100 or so miles out... Apparently it is raining in "SF" (at least he didn't call it "Frisco") Outside the clouds are hiding all... No lights... No land marks.
We will be on the ground in 20 minutes or so... And home in 40 or so... To too many cats.. And work... And for Steph it is finals week... Oh to be young again
Bye for now, Randy
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