Where to Begin to Start ---

This was the view from my 6th floor suite window in the Canary Warf/ India Quay region of London – just shortly after my 2:45am wake up call jolted me out of peaceful deep slumber and started me moving.

The London skyline in the wee small hours – sleep on, London people, sleep on! 

But as for US, we had a bus to catch within the hour, and it was time to get a move on.

The Marriott was awesome – brown bag breakfasts were handed out, and consumed – some in the lobby, some on the bus, some remnants snuck into backpacks and travel bags for long hours of airport waiting.

Boarding a big green bird for Dublin!

Now some might think that London to Dublin to New York is just a crazy way to go – but did you know that there is pre-customs clearance in Dublin that saved us HOURS worth of lines and clearing of customs in NY?  It was all done by the time we got to JFK, allowing our weary travelers to simply pick up their bags at baggage claim and go on their way?

It made the changing of airlines and connections SO much easier!

And I got to see this  in the daylight – we missed it when we landed at Dublin on our way IN, it was still dark before 5am!

Isles and Ireland!!

Oh those beautiful mountains – just beyond the airport window!

The flight to JFK was uneventful and went swimmingly.  I find it hard to sleep when there is so much activity going up and down the aisles around me, but managed to get about an hour of shut eye in somewhere.  It was the waiting for 2 1/2 hours before boarding for Atlanta that was hard – by this time we’d been up about 20 hours...

This is the face of a frustrated woman.

Now I know that airlines do their best – and our safety is the main reason for all delays, but this one took the cake.

We pulled from the gate and evidently some light went off somewhere because the captain came on the overhead saying “Um, we are pulling over here to have something checked out – should take about 20 minutes.”

Well, that went into another 20, and another 20, and then a 30 – and by this time I had missed my Atlanta to Greensboro connection.

And when we were still sitting there 2 hours later, and people were being shuttled back to the terminal to try to catch another flight should they wish, I got on the phone and called the Delta hotline.

I explained the situation.  I’d missed my connection.  And yet I had another flight booked FROM Greensboro back to Atlanta the next morning, going on to Phoenix to visit my brother who is now in hospice care. And that I’d been up and traveling for now nearly 24 hours.

The gal on the phone was GREAT.

They gave me a hotel room in Atlanta.  I’ve been offered a late check out time so I can rest up.  They dropped the Greensboro to Atlanta leg of my Phoenix trip, and I’m just going direct from Atlanta to Phoenix. My luggage has already been rerouted to meet me in Phoenix.

And I’ve got a 1st class upgrade.

Though I’ve been up since about 4am, I had a good solid 6 hours of sleep, which is more than this girl could hope for with a screwed up body clock set to UK time.  I threw on yesterday’s clothes, ran my fingers through my hair, realized I had ZERO toiletries on me, not even a comb and headed down to the front desk.

SCORE!

Only:

Evidently the clerk thought I was in need of not just one, but TWO tubes of toothpaste (No brushing has happened in many many hours by this time!) and really – is that “Groucho Marx” mustache comb really going to make it through MY hair?

And until my next shower, likely in Sun Lakes, Arizona tomorrow morning when I wake up – I will be faintly smelling of Old Spice Pure Sport deodorant.

Don’t laugh – it might just become the new hip fragrance for the traveling woman!

And just when you think it doesn’t get much better than that….

HollyAnne to the Rescue!

My flight to Phoenix isn’t until 5pm, so I’m going to rest up here and HollyAnne is picking me up for lunch and perhaps a walk around the zoo, weather permitting.

If you are at the Atlanta zoo after lunch time, you just might recognize me – I’ll be the one wearing the Festival of Quilts “Fabric Rescue Service” tee shirt I bought and wore home on a whim.

It’s gotten me plenty of crazy looks so far.

Humor is my best medicine.

As seen at the airport in Dublin

Thank you, Mark Twain.  I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Quiltville Quote of the Day

Antique applique segment from a Mariners Compass quilt on a bed at the American museum in Bath, UK.

I am so grateful for those who are blessings in my life.  And also for all of those who have gathered around my brother's family to help and uplift and serve now that he is being taken care of by in-house hospice.  

There are definitely angels amongst us all.

You shine an example instilling in me the desire to be a better person every day. 

I don’t know how things will be while I am in Arizona – but I will check in when I can.

Hug those you love closely – cherish all the memories.