I was home at the Volvo Cave with Air Volvo unloaded, and the bags and suitcases in the house by about 11:15. The drive in Air Volvo was startling after driving 75-80 in Michigan for a week to keep up with traffic. Also, Air Volvo’s handling and seats are quite different from the Ford Edge, which I drove for a week. I liked it better than Air Volvo, though the acceleration was slow when driving in the city (and not that great in Air Volvo). Something to think about when a high-end one is about $44, which is below the starting price of a low-end XC60 Volvo. I did have a car slow down, which forced me to slow down and then change into my lane, but that was the usual passive-aggressive low-speed Beaverton driving. I definitely knew I was home when that happened.
(Returned to the new wooden floors. Wood for return. Carpet for leaving)
My flight left Detroit only a few minutes behind its planned 8:10 time. I had a terrible seat just behind First Class, seat 15E, in the middle—tiny. The steward then pointed out that we had entertainment and trays built into our seats, like Biz class, but I decided to read my book and listen to classical music. With entrainment options, it was not as bad as I first thought.
I spoke to the guy beside me (sorry, I forgot his name) and discovered he works for Nike in retail and uses SAP. We talked a lot about his work and the folks we knew. He praised my old system, and I directed him to my friends who designed the new system and still work at Nike by name to see if they had a fix for his issue on the latest SAP system. I recognized the problem and thought a solution was discussed, but I am not involved in inventory handling and do not know if there was a resolution. I suspect there was an alternative, and, as often happens with software development, it may not have made it to the front lines. He also makes vodka in his own distillery. I read and chatted until we landed.
Our airport, PDX, has been remodeled, but the work is not entirely done. PDX still requires a convoluted path to baggage claim, which helped me gain more than 5,000 steps for the day. Detroit helped with that, too, as I walked the length of ‘A’ to reach gate 72.
I delivered Air Ford (Edge) to Avis without issues. It was about a ninety-minute trip from Lansing to the Avis Rental Center. I parked it in the mass of cars, took pictures, and walked away after checking twice for forgetting something. At these transitions, you lose things, and once you walk away, you will never find the rental again (there are hundreds of cars, vans, and SUVs, all of the same models). I did remember to put the keys in it.
There are shelters, but I walked to the Avis Rental Center office in the cold wind and mushy rain (it would turn into snow later). A bus picked me up at the office, and then it wandered the shelters for people standing in the cold and pelted with melted snow headed to Delta. I think my choice to stay in the warm building was better.
I had to drag my wheeled bags up two escalators to get a bag to the tagging machines and drop off acceptance. I left my phone on the machine and got it back. Yikes! Again, transitions get you in trouble when traveling. The line was stupidly long for just bag-dropping. International, nearby, looked even worse, which is something to remember.
While standing in the slow line, another Delta agent appeared and said if you are domestic, have a bag under fifty pounds (about 32 pounds for me), you can come with her and drop it off. I did and soon was headed into security. Being extra careful not to lose anything (the near-disastrous loss of my phone was still on my mind), I removed my shoes, coat, and belt. My wallet was stuffed in my gym bag pocket. I was scanned, still wearing my hat, and passed. My hat is not put in the scanning machine as it falls out of the tray and creates a panic. Best to wear it.
After some careful reassembly and review for anything lost, I start the long walk to gate A72. The bathrooms are still down in the immediate area (I have been here a few times now), and I use the working ones at A68 and will return later to prove hydration before boarding.
I have Karen as my waiter; she is fun, laughs easily, and recommends the Cobb salad (usually too industrial and cheap for my tastes now as every restaurant makes a terrible one now). It is terrific, and the ranch dressing was made in the kitchen and not purchased, I was told. “I told you it was good,” she reminds me later. I eat while getting updates from Deborah and Clint (Susie’s niece’s husband in New Hampshire, an ‘outlaw’ like me in the Hill family–Leta was a Hill).
My Christmas and New Year planning, Deborah making hotel recommendations in Rochester, and Clint covering the New Hampshire part of the trip. It looks like weekends in Rochester, Michigan, Christmas (mid-week this year) in Lansing with Wilds and Leta, New Year’s with the Weiss and Hill families in New Hampshire, and a weekend extra in NH for Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). It’s a kind of four-dimensional constraint planning adventure.
With a beer, a good book, and classic music playing in one ear (the iPhone is arranged to send all the sound to one ear), I boarded without mishap or loss of anything on another transition. The flight in the newish Airbus is bumpy and warm. The pilot warned us to stay belted in and seated, but my bladder was unexpectedly full at that time. My seat companion took the close-open WC while I headed to the back one, which was also open. I was happy there was limited bouncing on the way there and back.
I was getting that pain in my lower back. I had a kidney stone. F**k. Well, it is not part of the usual treatment to use a bumpy plane ride to help release it, but that worked. I could not believe the volume. I’m sorry to overshare, but I was wedged in a bouncy plane bathroom, standing, holding on, knowing the plane was headed into a bomb cyclone with an endless stream, and wondering where the f**k all that came from. I managed to, as they said in Star Wars, “stay on target” and escape undamaged and unembarrassed, and the WC was still usable.
Relieved for various reasons, I returned to my seat, read, and enjoyed the remaining hours; the expected turbulence never materialized. The landing was uneventful, as was the deplaning and finding my bag.
Returning to the start of the day, I rose at 7ish and started to pack. I discovered my black shoes were not in my bag. Deborah, one a few miles from the Royal Park Hotel, will see if she can retrieve them. I pushed everything into my suitcase, which is also a suit carrier, and without the shoes, it all fit well. I wrote the blog, showered, packed everything away, and double-checked that I had everything.
I also did some paperwork and writing for the church. I sent the revisions out. I had had version issues and missed some edits, but they were finally fixed up and ready. Done!
I was late for breakfast, which is now at 9 and not the 9:30 I was told (and is published), but Victoria went into the kitchen and made a huge plate for breakfast. During my visit to Homewood Suites by Hilton, I befriended the staff, chatted with them, and thanked them. It goes a long way.
I continued to write the blog and, around 11ish, published it. I said my goodbyes and promised to return for Christmas. I also have the sales director’s card if I suddenly need an extended stay, as the kitchen and facilities would suit such a stay; I was informed that special rates start when you stay more than two weeks; just contact them. Excellent.
I decided to stop at the Harrison Roadhouse for lunch and have an olive burger. I wanted something heavier for a travel day, as you never know when you will eat again when traipsing here and there. I had two waiters, one very new in training, but I smiled and was cooperative and supportive. My burger was huge and more than ready to eat, but I managed it. I had it with a salad and iced tea as I had to drive to Detroit and did not want to stop for a nap! I paid the bill, and the new waiter handled the process without fuss.
Next, I stopped at Hoplite, a gaming store I had never visited. I found it the usual mix of old and new stuff, and I bought an old Dungeon Magazine, but sadly, it was not with the map I was hoping for (that would mark it up to $50), but I may find one later. Chatting with the store clerk was fun and a nice place to play. It was focused on Warhammer and collectible card games–the meat and potatoes of gaming stores now, to coin a phrase, but I suspect I could get a table for a D&D game if I wanted. Something to consider for the next trip.
Next, I tried the Michigan History Center. I had trouble finding parking. I had to pay $5 to park. But I only have about forty-five minutes and regret the cost. I walk into the buildings and find an atrium with a tree growing out of a lower level. There is a sign that the entrance is reached by stairs. I took the stairs and found a door leading to the back of security (!?). I was lectured on the proper use of the entrance, which I knew was perfunctory, and there were smiles. Soon, I was directed to the gift store and promised to return when I had more time. I picked up a few items.
I left and soon was on the roads with Apple CarPlay and Maps, finding my way to Avis near Detroit-Wayne County Airport. The drive is 70-80, with some slowing here and there. The Maps reroutes me to save time and seems to keep me moving. Air Ford (Edge) handles well, and the mushy rain is not an issue. I stop once for a break and to prove hydration. The pain in my back starts, but I do not connect it to a kidney stone until on the plane.
And that brings us, dear reader, full circle. I am feeling fine, and everything appears to be working this Thursday morning while I write this most of the morning. The laundry has started, and the unpacking is in process. Thanks for reading!
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 