home

Home > Dispatches > Daily Dispatches 2018 >Daily Dispatch #290

October 17, 2018: Homeward Bound, Bounding Homeward

It was a very long travel day for me. I flew from Buffalo, NY to Charlotte, NC to Seattle, WA, to Anchorage, AK. All total, today’s trip took 17 hours. I flew from Anchorage, AK to Portland, OR to NYC on my way east, all total, this trip took 8 hours. A big difference. I wish I had more direct flights on the second portion of my trip. However, this was the cheapest way to get home using air miles.

Ahh, but the return trip did have its perks. I flew first class to Charlotte and to Seattle. The first flight wasn’t all that much fun. It was just 2.5 hours so there was no meal. I had plenty of leg room, but being in the first row of seats, where there was no seat in front of me, I had to store my second carry on in the bin above me. The second flight was a lot more fun. I again had a larger seat, although again, my carry on had to be stowed in the bin above of me. But this time around, I was fed and was given free beverages.

It was a bumpy flight, so I did an experiment. Instead of taking my anti-anxiety medication (which I seldom do), I instead had two glasses of wine. This relaxed me. I felt very chatty, but did not bother the fellow next to me. Passengers do not talk to one another. I suspect that if I was young and beautiful that things would be different. Who wants to talk to a nervous old crone?


The view never changes over the wing


The best thing of all is that water is served in glasses rather than plastic cups. I really appreciated this, not just because of the recyclable aspect but because this has to be better for you. The window was smudged and it was overcast, so I didn’t see much outside.

It was back to the same old same old on the Seattle to Anchorage flight. No more first class travel. I was tired, so I messed up my seat assignment number. When finally, I pointed this out to the flight attendants, everyone was seated. This worked in my favor because the seat next to me was empty. A quiet, younger fellow wearing one of those neck pillows soon went to sleep, so I did not feel obligated to strike up a conversation.

The first part of the flight was extremely bumpy. And it was dark out, so I could not see out the window. For these reasons, this flight seemed to take forever. Add to this, we were told that the landing would be rough. I think that all, including me, were anticipating a turbulent landing because everyone was very quiet on the descent – usually, then, people are talking.

Most amazingly, it was a very smooth landing. I suspect that the powers that be can come up with a contingency plan when they know in advance of bad weather. I was, of course, very grateful for this and thanked the pilots and flight attendants as I passed them in getting off the plane.

I saw Pete before he saw me. He was reading a newspaper. I have never been so glad to see him. And once again, my first words were “Cheated death, once again!”

Next: 291. 10/18/18: Being an Adult

Horse Care Home About Us Dispatches Trips Alys's Articles