Game over

It occurred to me as I went to sleep last night that the house will be 52 degrees when I get home and just want to go to bed. I wished I could change the thermostat from my computer. I slept, but woke up in the middle of the night. My right leg was feeling the RLS pains. I had to get up and exercise it. I tried to go back to sleep, but am not sure how much sleep I got. I was awake when I heard the 5am alarm but did not get up until 6:30. Chris took a shower while I brushed my teeth. He went to breakfast at the dining facility so he could bring me some nuts and berries to eat at the airport. I washed up, noticing how red my skin was from yesterday. I sucked on two packets of Vitamin C while I read e-mail. Then I ate my breakfast and took my Wednesday supplements. I checked e-mail one last time. I packed my clothes from yesterday and last night into the suitcase. Chris gave me a hat and scarf that he had bought at a craft fair. I put them in my carry-on and I rolled my luggage out to the EZ-go and Chris loaded it in the back. He drove us to the bus stop. There were a few other people getting on, too. We had to sign our names on a sheet. Ironically, it was a bright and sunny day, the kind I had wanted all along. Then the bus went to the front gate where a guard checked ID’s. And then we were on our way. Chris read his book while I watched scenery go by. I tried to get a pic of some houses that had fallen askew after a landslide or sinkhole. I noticed a man walking around cars lined up to pay the toll. He was selling food of some kind – 8” round discs in various colors. We ran into traffic in Tegus. But finally the bus stopped at the airport and we got out. We rolled my luggage into the airport and found the nearest bathrooms. Then we headed for the baggage drop. A man came to help us (even though Chris already knew what to do). He guided us to the check-in, then to pay the airport tax, and then to immigration. At that point we chose to sit and wait since Chris could not go there with me. He tipped the man and the man left. We sat and read our books. They were both library books, so I tried to finish mine before I had to leave. Chris bought me a bottle of water and got a coffee for himself. I tasted it and did not like it. Big surprise. Then Chris got up to talk to a man at a neighboring table. He was part of a group of 14 Americans who had spent a week laying blocks for a women and children’s hospital in Honduras. They offered to adopt me as part of their group. I went with them through Immigration, but then lost sight. I asked a man about gate 4 and he guided me to gate 5. So I asked a lady behind a desk and she guided me to gate 4.

I sat there for a while, and then the large party showed up. I meant to go to the bathroom before boarding the plane, but one of the men talked to me about his experiences with delinquent boys and laying brick and stone. I totally forgot and then the plane started boarding. Even though I had already passed all my items through an x-ray machine, I had to get in another line to have someone search all my carry-on belongings. Then I followed the guidance to exit the building and board the plane. I got settled in my seat and then the window person had to go potty. That reminded me that I had to go, too. So we made our way to the back, but the plane was loading from the rear as well, so we could not get there. The steward discouraged us from using the forward bathroom. But then I asked the stewardess if I could go back in the airport to potty and she said no, I could not get off the plane, but I could use the upfront bathroom. After I went, my seatmate went, too. We settled in for the flight. At some point I realized that we must have reached cruising altitude, so I took out my earplanes and hooked up the earbuds that Delta provided on the way over. I watched a movie called “If I came back” about a girl in a coma who had to decide whether to die or fight to stay alive. When it was over, I put the earplanes back in. I watched the numbers on the flight info screen for the rest of the trip. At first it said the outside temp was -80 F, or something like that. I watched the altitude decrease as well as the headwind. But the sum of the distance from origin and the distance to destination kept changing. It was approximately 1360 miles. When we landed, it said we had 3 miles to go. So the numbers were a little off. I took my earplanes out. When we got off the plane, I used the moving sidewalks and very quickly made my way to the escalator to immigration. I stopped to go to the bathroom. Then I got in line. It was short and the man directed people to go to any empty green carrel. I did not know what it was for, but when I found one, I just followed the instructions. The machine gave me a slip of paper with my picture on it. I had to give it to a woman sitting near the exit. Then I was directed to baggage claim. I was surprised to find that my suitcase was there already. I picked it up and pulled it to a baggage check station. And off it went. Ok, so I thought someone would rifle through it before it went on its way. Then I was directed to customs. My carry-on items were x-rayed and so was I. I collected my things and sat in the general area, waiting for the group to come through. It took over an hour. I thanked them for their support. They prayed with me and then some of them followed me to the train. But theirs was a different concourse. I got off on A and proceeded to the end of the concourse at A 33. I read part of a book on my tablet called “Staying focused in a hyper world” by John Gray. I paused it to get out my laptop and take notes for my blog. While I was typing, an announcement was made changing the Huntsville gate from A33 to A17. I did not realize how long a walk it was so I kept typing for a while, before packing up to walk the walk. I found a seat at the new gate and resumed typing up my activities for the day.

I called Chris’ skype number on my phone, but he did not answer. I turned off the phone in prep for the plane flight. Then I turned off the laptop, too and went back to reading the book until it was time to board. I read in my plane seat until take-off. Then I watched the pretty city lights from the sky. I wished my camera wasn’t in my carry-on in the overhead compartment. But then I remembered that the table can take pics. So I tried it, but not with great results. I even tried a movie sequence. Anyway, we landed and I got off the plane and sat at the gate to get out my phone, turn it on, and call my ride. She said she’d be over in 10 – 15 minutes. I knew where she lived and did not think it could be done that fast. I stopped at the restroom and then proceeded to baggage claim. It did not take long. Soon I had all my luggage together. I put on my jacket, and the hat and scarf that Chris gave me, and my gloves. I rolled it all out front and waited. I was not cold at first. She drove up after 10 or 15 minutes of waiting. I paid her and we put my luggage in her trunk. She chatted all the way back to my house. The talking continued in the driveway. I knew she had to go to work in the morning but she did not seem to care. Finally, I just opened the door and got out. She helped me get my stuff to the front door. After she left, I moved the baggage inside and turned on the heat. Then I fired up my laptop and turned on the router. I watered the plants, and then saw that Chris had skyped. I skyped him back, just barely catching him. Then he went to bed and I went to blog.
* the hammock: in the country; in the city *