December 21
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We're on our way! Cheers! (Zack and Harry)
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
We're on our way to New England for
Christmas! My husband and I left our place around 7 a.m., arriving at
Zack (our son) and Melissa's place in plenty of time for the four of
us to take a cab ride to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), ride BART to
San Francisco International Airport, take the tram to Terminal 3,
walk to Gate 86, and board our flight with United Airlines. We are
packed like sardines in the plane, and we've been waiting on the
tarmac interminably here in San Francisco. The heat has been on,
blowing through the ventilation system, and it's stifling hot...wait!
Now there's cool air blowing. What a relief! And we're finally
moving...yay! It was interesting how everyone's inner thermostat
overheated at the same time, the sweaters and sweatshirts peeling off
in a choreographed and synchronized dance.
That was short-lived...we're waiting
again. The worst part of traveling is getting there and getting back.
As my son Zack says, “Oh! You mean...the actual traveling?” Yes.
That's what I mean.
I didn't get the super-friendly
pat-down at the TSA this time, thankfully, but trying to stay one
step ahead of my husband was a study in frustration and anxiety. I
wonder if he does it on purpose? Here's what I mean: We were waiting
on the platform for the tram to the terminal, four of us, with all of
our luggage. The tram arrived, people crowded on, and there wasn't
room for us. Three of us hung back, and one of us jumped onto the
tram at the last minute, just as the doors were closing. Guess who?
Luckily, I made it aboard, just in the nick of time, and was able to
tell Zack and Mel that we'd meet them at the terminal as the doors
slid shut, almost cutting off my derriere. Well, big deal, right? Of
course, Harry could have waited at the other end for the three of us,
no problem. But he didn't have his ticket on him (one of us was
carrying all four), didn't know where to exit the tram, and hadn't
paid attention to which airline we were flying on, even. So, you
see...it could have been interesting trying to find him while he was
trying to find us! Note to self: Make a copy of the paperwork for
each person to carry, and nobody gets on board anything unless
everybody knows what's happening and when. Seems pretty elementary,
now that I write it down on paper.
Yay! We're next on the runway! Here we
go to Chicago, where we'll change planes and head to Portland, Maine.
I'm very excited about meeting Melissa's family and seeing Maine in
the winter.
It's a beautiful, sunny, crisp day in
San Francisco. There was thick fog hugging the freeway when we left
home, but it cleared, and it's gorgeous out there. Harry's in the
window seat, and the view of San Francisco as I lean over him is
spectacular from the air. There are lots of ships (tankers,
freighters, etc.) dotting the calm, dark-blue waters of the Bay, and
the Golden Gate Bridge looks majestic as it stands guard in the
sunshine. Usually when I see it, it is shrouded in fog. It's an
impressive bridge.
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Our own tree. Note the fish on the wall.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
Upon our arrival in Portland, Maine, at
11:30 p.m., we drove an hour or so to Melissa's mother's place in the
fog and drizzle. Melissa is an excellent driver, and we all chatted
excitedly as we made our way to our destination. Sue and Jim live in
Oxford, Maine, and they couldn't have greeted us more warmly, even
though it was going on 1 a.m. Sue served us some of the most amazing,
absolutely scrumptious, dark-chocolate covered coconut candies that
she makes. They are like Mounds...only, of course, so much better!
We are happily ensconced in half of
Jim's fully-furnished rental duplex just down the road, having
unpacked already. It's so much quicker to unpack than it is to pack!
There were plenty of empty drawers for us to use, a pile of towels,
and...the fridge is full of goodies. There's Dunkin' Donuts coffee on
the kitchen counter, right by the coffeemaker, in case we don't want
to go to the main house for breakfast. What superb hospitality! Oh!
And there's even a decorated Christmas tree for us. Really? Really.
We feel very welcomed, for sure.
Jim's a former law enforcement officer
and an outdoorsman. It's pretty typical in Maine to be an
outdoorsperson, I understand. So, there are nice antlers up on the
wall, and the décor of the duplex is very masculine. It's his “man
cave” when it isn't being used as a guest house. Pretty nice man
cave, Jim!
Thoughts on today's flights: The film
being shown was “The Road” with Martin Sheen. Meh. But maybe
that's because it's a quiet movie, on a small screen, in a noisy
plane, with terrible earphones. So, it was impossible to hear the
dialog and enjoy the character development. Or whatever I was
supposed to enjoy just before I drifted off to sleep.
Both planes were full, and there were
many children on board. Bless them, they were all great kids. I
didn't hear a single temper tantrum...just excited anticipation in
their little voices. On their way to Grandma's for Christmas! Yay! It was at once astounding and
understandable that there were so many e-readers and DVD players and
laptops and tablets on the plane. It's obviously a great way to keep
the kids occupied and interested. Which is wonderful for a parent's
nerves. Peaceful coexistence. Ahhhh.....
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The welcome sign at Portland International Jetport.
Pretty neat, eh?
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
We had a two-hour layover in Chicago,
where we had a bite to eat at the food court. Come on, United. Get a
few more good restaurants in your terminal, already. Harry had a
pulled pork sandwich, and I had a southwest-style salad.
Surprisingly, the food was quite enjoyable.
Tomorrow (well, later today, as it's 3
a.m.), we're going to make Whoopie Pies! Jim said that these have
been officially (as in, there's been legislation) designated as the
official dessert of Maine. They couldn't be designated as the
official food of Maine, of course, because that would be
LOBSTER. Hello! Yummm... Oh, this is going to be a great foodfest
vacation, I can tell.
I'm looking forward to seeing the area
in the daylight. It's heavily wooded, and I understand there's a lake
to see nearby. It must be spectacular in the fall, when the leaves
are changing to brilliant colors on the trees! There's no snow, but
one still hopes for a white Christmas. Just like the ones we used to
know.
