Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog

Made it back home to the sweltering state of Florida... Had a great, but pretty long day. I started off by going to work with David. While he did his thing as a paralegal, I sat in the conference room and surfed the net. At the same time, I was able to meet his boss, an attorney with a practice in family law, mediation, and arbitration. She spoke highly of David, not only as an employee, but also as a friend. Really made me proud of him and his accomplishments.

He took me to the airport, where I had a last chance to grab two Wisconsin favorites--a Usinger Bratwurst washed down by a Sprecher's Root Beer. Surprisingly, as I was in line to board the plane, I saw a Quaker friend of mine, Stan Weldy, who was headed to a company meeting in Washington, DC. We were able to talk for a little bit as we made out way down the jetway. The plane left on time and made it to Detroit in pretty good time. Getting off the puddle jumper, I found that I had to make my way to the main terminal. The only way was through a tunnel that goes under one of the tarmacs between the two terminals. It was quite a distance--probably close to a quarter mile. Fortunately, there are two moving sidewalks in either direction, so that made it a bit easier to take. Caught the elevated tram to the far end of the concourse where, at the north station, was Gate 68. Glad I didn't have to walk any further.

The flight from Detroit to Atlanta was quite pleasant. The plane was only about 2/3 full and there was a vacant seat between me and the lady next to me. We had a nice visit with each other. She was from Erie, PA on her way to Columbia, SC and her granddaughter's "Grandparents' Cupcake Day" at school. She had never been to the Atlanta airport before and was a bit apprehensive about finding where she needed to be. Ever the gallant man, I saw that both of us had to go to the same concourse, so I had her tag along with me. We took the subway and, once we got to the top of the escalator, we parted company, she to the left and me to the right (directionally speaking, not politically).

The flight to Sarasota was 180 degrees from the prior leg. The plane was jammed packed and most crowded and uncomfortable. Even though I "recycled" the last of my Sprecher's before leaving Atlanta, nature called once again. Seated next to the window, I hated to inconvenience the young couple next to me, but I had no choice. While I was in the head, the flight attendants had started serving beverages and I was stuck behind them. It was a blessing in disguise because, rather than being crammed into an uncomfortable seat, I had to stand in the aisle for about 10 minutes or so while they made their way down the aisle. Having a Wisconsin Badger T-shirt on, the fellow seated in the first economy row was returning from his high school reunion in Madison, so we had a rather nice conversation while I was waiting.

As noted above, I knew I was back in Florida as soon as I stepped off the plane. Heavy, humid air was the order of the day. My good friend, John Steinmeyer, met me and brought me home. I am happy to be home, but my work is not yet done. I have to pick up the cats from the vet's office tomorrow by 10:30. While I was planning on driving down to Miami to pick up Pam and the dogs and returning on Friday, she had suggested to me that I catch my breath and come down to get them later. Sounded pretty good to me, so I am planning on driving down to get them on Monday and return on Tuesday. That will do it for my travels until October when I go to North Carolina to celebrate the 50th anniversary of North Carolina Wesleyan's opening in 1960.