Travelling Back on Friday

We rose early as usual with the usual rush of a travel day. We packed as we dressed and made coffee. There were a few moments when we did not want to leave our happy hotel room bubble. We slowly sipped our coffee, and Deborah got us one last hotel Starbucks breakfast to go with it while we finished our packing and I wrote the blog. Although we will be seeing each other in early July, it was hard to leave our home for the last two weeks and the source of the Magic Kingdom, a beach, the La Brea Tar Pits, and saying goodbye again. We know that every ‘hello’ is also a ‘goodbye.’

One more ride together to the John Wayne Airport. It has just over twenty gates, and the three terminals serve as an organizational device, having no real meaning inside. Deborah and I were surprised by the short trip (last time it was an hour), and I arrived more than four hours early for my later flight, but I couldn’t check my bags. Deborah tried to tell me this, but walked over to terminal B (a short walk), and we waited forty minutes, enjoying more time together. The clock moved forward, and I was able to check my one bag (for free this time, thanks to my Alaska Visa). Deborah and I then enjoyed the security check and managed to not find any mistakes in our packing or new rules. John Wayne is a computer-out-of-your-bag check (Portland is a computer-left-in-bag check), and the security people were amazed by my Star Wars Fifth Order redlighting umbrella. Apparently, they see many light sabers, but few umbrellas. They let me keep it.

I reassembled and balanced, holding on to a table, to complete the re-shoe process. Deborah pointed at a lone chair, but I managed without taking the only chair in the area. She resisted eye-rolling, I believe.

Ruby’s, after the security check, offers an excellent breakfast, if almost too large. While we had food before, it is good to eat when you can while traveling, and Deborah was bouncing back to the Eastern Time Zone, meaning a spare breakfast was her late lunch. Soon, time was running too fast, and it sent us to Deborah’s gate, and a goodbye. Deborah arrived safely in Detroit later. Her planned shuttle got her home without incident.

I bought the book Coffee, Tea, or Me? on my Kindle. This is the republished version from 2003, accompanied by a new introduction. I purchased the book after Deborah and I wondered about the source of the text, “Coffee, Tea or Me?” while we were traveling. I read the book while waiting for my flight, about two hours after Deborah’s. I was getting sleepy and read only some of it, and then on the plane. I boarded the plane without issue and took my window seat. My seatmates ignored me, and I accepted their focus on entertainment on their phones.

My phone dongle, purchased at the airport, did not work. So I had no music or other entertainment. But I nodded off and woke up to get a coffee with cream, and then enjoyed the usual rough air as the plane approached the rivers, mountains, and desert before landing in Portland.

I found my luggage after walking around the security area, a strange feature of the PDX remodel that I do not care for. I managed to keep my hat and my new umbrella and found my checked bag. I schlepped all of that to the MAX and rode the train to Beaverton and beyond.

I read and ignored the loud person in the walker arguing on the phone. My fellow passengers were less happy, and someone left the train, and they visibly relaxed. I was facing the wrong way and oblivious to the risk.

I took the Willowcreek and 195th station, located on the edge of Beaverton and Hillsboro, and ordered an Uber to take me home. I thought about calling Corwin, but he has a motor issue with his truck, and just went with the Uber. Just as the sprinkles started (yes, I was about to unwrap my Fifth Order lightsaber umbrella), the Uber appeared.

I reached the house, and Corwin was there. He watched me unpack as he went over the issues with his truck. I have to admit that it was hard to follow his discussion as I started doing my laundry and unpacking. He made a pasta and shrimp dinner for me (thanks, Corwin). I had some of that. Corwin headed out for food deliveries, needing to raise cash to cover the repairs. I remember when it seemed like you worked just to afford your car repairs and rent. I had some pasta and shrimp and watched a Star Wars show I had seen before, but I thought it was good to watch some after such a long immersion last weekend!

I managed to get one round of laundry done before getting tired. I had cleaned the house before I left, and except for a slight musty smell from being closed up for so long, the house was pleasant. I lit a candle, and soon that faded too.

I crawled into my bed after getting in my PJs and soon slept and did not wake until 6ish, and rolled over to 7.

Thanks for reading!