travel by plane
Years ago I traveled by plane and sometimes I loved it, sometimes the thought that "I can't really fly" invaded my mind, and I became so heavy of thought that I truly believed we would not lift off. Now I am so heavy of body I find it a feat that the pilot can lift me off, with the other 200 or so passengers, luggage and all, drinks, peanuts, pretzels, and all those laptops, that I am always amazed. I enter the plane with a roll a long, and the crew try to take it from me, to the bowels of the plane. They do not understand that it is the means by which I move, and that I roll my purse-laptop. If you take it from me, I will not be able to carry my other belongings. Some aircraft insist on no purse, others allow it. This trip I had to stuff it into my laptop, and then put it into the overhead. Others insist I put it where my feet should be. You do not know beforehand what the crew will demand, because the aircraft are all different. The trip to Arizona I sat down next to a chunky man, and I was overflowing in my seat next to the window. I proceeded to search for my seat belt, and could not find it. One part was twisted, and I could not find the other side. I reached down, and said, "Excuse me, I am not trying to be rude, just looking for the other part of the seat belt." I then got up and looked some more. It was not to be found. This portly middle aged man, jumping up, left and found the "lady flight crew person"(I do not think we call them stewardesses anymore). He did not return. When said "lady flight crew person" returned, I commented, "The seat belt is defective. Can you get it to work?" She said, "You can just move to the other seat. He is sitting elsewhere. I think the seat belt is installed backwards, and we can't fix it." So I was glad to be rid of a bad seat belt and a crabby seatmate.
After everyone was seated, another pilot enters, and wants to sit next to me. I warn him about the defective seat belt, but he is cheerful and says, "I am used to that! One time we had to fly with pilot and co-pilot seat belts reversed; and those kind are full bodied harnesses! If I can deal with that, I can figure this out!"
From the moment he sat down we talked about flying, his trips to and from Arizona, and when we arrived in Tuscon, I thought the trip was the fastest trip ever.
He started in the U.S.Navy as a mechanic, and after years of working on planes, used his educational benefits to learn to fly. After he got out of flight school he became a pilot for a lot of different airlines, and finally he is retired now, and just flies as a substitute pilot, whenever he is called, and whenever he wants to fly. He told me he recently flew the fire fighters out of Idaho and Alaska to Arizona when they had that horrible fire in Sierra Vista. There were not enough fire fighters in Arizona, and they brought them from all over to the southwest.
I arrived in Tucson airport, and met Jason in the late afternoon. The front of the airport has huge cacti, and gardens with pebbles and sand. It was great seeing Jason after the 3 years since he had been in Cincinnati last. Of course the first thing we had to do was eat, and we went to a salad bar, and enjoyed soup and salad buffet. The drive to Sierra Vista was about an hour of wide open spaces fringed by mountain ranges. We are very close to Mexico, and the border is so close, that the police stop the north lanes of traffic and inspect cars moving out of Sierra Vista.
I checked into the Motel 6, got a first floor room right by the pool, and we went to Jason's place. I met his friends, his dog, Shelby, and we spent some time getting acquainted. It was clear I was exhausted from the travel, so I went home and we decided to meet in the morning. I asked if we could meet his little son, but he had no luck contacting the custodial family.
Some of the great things we did was visiting Ramsey Canyon, Nature Conservancy owns it, and has trails open for nature walks. I sat and watched hummingbirds flit around the trees and to the feeders. There is a stream on the side and a few rocking chairs where you can enjoy nature. We also tried to visit Ashe Canyon, but tried to follow a dirt road to get to the renown Bed and Breakfast. One dirt road was a dead end. We doubled back, and Jason showed me the Monument, "Monument Hill" with a statue of the saint where the fire was purported to have started. We went along another dirt road for a long time, and came to a row of boulders, and a sign, "impassable due to fire" so we never did see the other well-known hummingbird area. Just wonder if it survived the fire.
one evening we spent playing Uno, and Jason and I trounced each other. We are both cutthroat players- but then we love those card games where we can use those "thetas" and "reverse" and then trick the other person and say "UNO". It was not sure we could win, even if we said, "UNO". You know the game, I am sure.
One day we toured the place where Jason had spend the last years working in the army. We enjoyed the view from the top of the hill, and the old buildings that had been there from when the Buffalo soldiers had been there. We visited the base where the new soldiers were training, and saw where he had been.
One day we went to Tombstone, an old town in the desert. We walked along the street where cowboys in period costumes with guns and mustaches strode, went to the music hall, visited the museum of the largest rose bush in the world, and took a ride in an old stagecoach.
In the evenings I enjoyed the pool. I was sort of the only one using it. It was cool water, and I guess no one else liked that. I wanted to use it to keep my joints cool and in use. My arthritis was acting up, and walking in cool water does wonders for the joints.
One day we went to a German bakery, bought Teawurst, Leberwurst, and dark rye bread. We got Swiss cheese and enjoyed lunches with those delicacies for the next few days. Jason made really good coffee, and I enjoyed his cooking whenever he decided to cook, but the trip was over too soon, and I was off to the airport on Sunday morning. I am so glad he shared some photos of his little son, since I missed meeting him. I can see his sweet face and think of what he may become some day. It was a wonderful visit, which I cherish.
After everyone was seated, another pilot enters, and wants to sit next to me. I warn him about the defective seat belt, but he is cheerful and says, "I am used to that! One time we had to fly with pilot and co-pilot seat belts reversed; and those kind are full bodied harnesses! If I can deal with that, I can figure this out!"
From the moment he sat down we talked about flying, his trips to and from Arizona, and when we arrived in Tuscon, I thought the trip was the fastest trip ever.
He started in the U.S.Navy as a mechanic, and after years of working on planes, used his educational benefits to learn to fly. After he got out of flight school he became a pilot for a lot of different airlines, and finally he is retired now, and just flies as a substitute pilot, whenever he is called, and whenever he wants to fly. He told me he recently flew the fire fighters out of Idaho and Alaska to Arizona when they had that horrible fire in Sierra Vista. There were not enough fire fighters in Arizona, and they brought them from all over to the southwest.
I arrived in Tucson airport, and met Jason in the late afternoon. The front of the airport has huge cacti, and gardens with pebbles and sand. It was great seeing Jason after the 3 years since he had been in Cincinnati last. Of course the first thing we had to do was eat, and we went to a salad bar, and enjoyed soup and salad buffet. The drive to Sierra Vista was about an hour of wide open spaces fringed by mountain ranges. We are very close to Mexico, and the border is so close, that the police stop the north lanes of traffic and inspect cars moving out of Sierra Vista.
I checked into the Motel 6, got a first floor room right by the pool, and we went to Jason's place. I met his friends, his dog, Shelby, and we spent some time getting acquainted. It was clear I was exhausted from the travel, so I went home and we decided to meet in the morning. I asked if we could meet his little son, but he had no luck contacting the custodial family.
Some of the great things we did was visiting Ramsey Canyon, Nature Conservancy owns it, and has trails open for nature walks. I sat and watched hummingbirds flit around the trees and to the feeders. There is a stream on the side and a few rocking chairs where you can enjoy nature. We also tried to visit Ashe Canyon, but tried to follow a dirt road to get to the renown Bed and Breakfast. One dirt road was a dead end. We doubled back, and Jason showed me the Monument, "Monument Hill" with a statue of the saint where the fire was purported to have started. We went along another dirt road for a long time, and came to a row of boulders, and a sign, "impassable due to fire" so we never did see the other well-known hummingbird area. Just wonder if it survived the fire.
one evening we spent playing Uno, and Jason and I trounced each other. We are both cutthroat players- but then we love those card games where we can use those "thetas" and "reverse" and then trick the other person and say "UNO". It was not sure we could win, even if we said, "UNO". You know the game, I am sure.
One day we toured the place where Jason had spend the last years working in the army. We enjoyed the view from the top of the hill, and the old buildings that had been there from when the Buffalo soldiers had been there. We visited the base where the new soldiers were training, and saw where he had been.
One day we went to Tombstone, an old town in the desert. We walked along the street where cowboys in period costumes with guns and mustaches strode, went to the music hall, visited the museum of the largest rose bush in the world, and took a ride in an old stagecoach.
In the evenings I enjoyed the pool. I was sort of the only one using it. It was cool water, and I guess no one else liked that. I wanted to use it to keep my joints cool and in use. My arthritis was acting up, and walking in cool water does wonders for the joints.
One day we went to a German bakery, bought Teawurst, Leberwurst, and dark rye bread. We got Swiss cheese and enjoyed lunches with those delicacies for the next few days. Jason made really good coffee, and I enjoyed his cooking whenever he decided to cook, but the trip was over too soon, and I was off to the airport on Sunday morning. I am so glad he shared some photos of his little son, since I missed meeting him. I can see his sweet face and think of what he may become some day. It was a wonderful visit, which I cherish.
Comments
Post a Comment