Hello Out There
Hey Everyone... I've figured out the internet thing here, so I should be online the rest of the week. Right now I'm going to post an entry I wrote on the plane yesterday, but I've got lots to catch you up on! I may attempt to write a bit more later (remember I'm 3 hours behind my usual time, so it's only 6 here!).
Most importantly I've started a Flickr photostream for the trip, I'm attempting to keep all the photos at a fairly high resolution, so please check out this link to see the whole group...
Okay, it's now way way later & I installed Firefox on the laptop. I can now actually edit blog posts...
Back to Sunday's Flight...
I’m considering the trip to have started last night, even though I didn’t leave till this morning. Last night was all about packing & going on a special outing. I knew the night was going to go well when this amazing sunset greeted me. It was clear & violet & all the colors of fire. Simply stunning.
Then followed the results of something I’ve been working on for a while, but haven’t mentioned here on the blog before. A few weeks ago when I was home sick I bit the bullet & joined eHarmony. So far I’ve found it very enjoyable & a great way to meet people (hey, what’s the harm of checking it out?). Well, after a week or so of guys who were nice but not right, I met someone who I think I clicked with. I think emailing him was one of the bravest things I’ve done, he was the only match I’d gotten who I was the one who made the first ‘move’ at opening conversation. Well, we emailed for a while & last night we went on our first date. Not a big hoopla kinda thing, just coffee, but what a great way to start a vacation. I think more of this dating thing may be in the works for when I get home.
So, after meeting B for coffee I headed back home to pack pack pack! I believe I only managed to forget one thing (bathing suit which sadly rules out the hot tub) & narrowly made the weight limit (only 2lb to spare & my expander zipper was already released to allow the bag to close, I’m going to either need to be very careful about aquiring any new yarn while I’m out there or ship it home…)
Fueled with a whopping three hours of sleep I embarked on the first leg of my trip. For those of you with smaller local airports may I say I highly recommend them. I flew out of Lansing this morning. Not a single person in line at the ticket counter, nor at security (in fact I had 3 TSA agents all jump up in excitement to see me walk up). My cheep kids scissors, knitting needles, plastic yarn needles, and both bags of assorted stuff all made it through security without a hitch.
Perhaps only the bumper sticker reading “ I read your email” on my brothers Laptop gave them a moments pause. My new laptop was so close to making it for the trip. The mail lady attempted to deliver it Saturday at my Dad’s, but his Dog was on the porch & she left (with the package) before my Dad made it down stairs. That’s okay, Nick lent me his for the week (bumper sticker and all). His laptop is a 14” which is a huge improvement over my old 9”. My Dad gave me the option for either a 15 or 17 inch powerbook, and I think I agree with the guys that the 17” just isn’t very portable. So far Nick’s computer is traveling great. In fact as I’m writing this we currently cruising on our way to Seatle.
So, leaving Lansing I was given a little scare. My connecting flight from Cincinnati to Chicago was canceled. Yips! Apparently there is a snow storm in Cincinnati (actually I can attest to the fact that there is a snow/hail storm there). The pooled together travelers from several airlines & put together a direct flight from Cincinnati to Seattle.
I got to see the most amazing view of Lansing as I left. I never had flown out before dawn before. The city is absolutely stunning in the dark. You get to see the whole pulse of the city. A few cars & street lights showing the roads. Clusters of brightness that form subdivisions. The dark veins of our many rivers that cut through town with a painterly curve and flow. The blinking lights of our beloved Winkin, Blinkin, and Nod (the power company smokestacks). We followed a Southern course out of town and a quilt of farmers fields, wood lines, and lakes laid out beneath us. My face was pressed to the window until we cleared the clouds & were left on our pillow of white.
Weather in Cincinnati extended our flight an extra 20 minutes & delayed my flight out a full 2 hours. I believe an hour of that was waiting in line to be deiced. (Oddly enough, because I now had a direct flight I think my arrival time should be about the same so no harm done). Once our plane was nice and soapy the accent once again began. This was probably the only time I’ve been a bit frightened on a plane. First the engine roared to life & a tiny funnel formed in the melted snow, a little twister that reached up joining our plane to the ground. The engine just got louder and louder then all a sudden a vast amount of white steam or smoke suddenly erupted form the engine. We broke free from the ground, but the engines just were much more loud and violent sounding than any others I remember. All turned out to be fine. I quickly got my camera out & ready because the sun was freshly up. Once again the views took my breath away….
I always had this deep desire to study clouds. I never could decide how to go about it though. Being a storm chaser always was near the top of my list, even before Twister came out. I was just a geeky little kid who loved science, math, and weather. The thought of those black clouds gathering in, the rain & hail pelting the chase van, then the hand of God reaching down in an all powerful funnel. Gets my heart going just to think on it.
Then I would go the exact opposite way and try to figure if I could make a living taking photos of clouds. Fluffy clouds on a blue day, storm heads clashing as weather fronts unite, purple & red clouds of a tropical sunset, and that special type from when you were a kid laying back on the grass watching them form bunnies & elephants who suddenly learned to fly.
But, the best part of this flight? Well, each one of us on the plane has a full 3 seats to ourselves. The next four hours are going to be pure relaxation lounging on my little private row. Just me, my new socks, an airline blanket, and probably a couple of sticks with some string~
