Traveling...

Milwaukee daybreak.
I watch as our airplane is loaded. The sky is incredibly beautiful. The temperature outside is in the 40’s.

We don’t wait long to board and the sun breaks the horizon as we take off.

It only takes about 20 minutes for me to fall asleep. I’m tired and the engine’s noise lull me into a deep sleep.

I awaken to look down out the plane window.
Well, we are not in the Midwest any more. The land looks dry and brown. I see a couple of fields that are formed in circles. Irrigation I think.

Soon the terrain gets interesting and Ed wakes up and leans over to watch out the window with me.
I point to places and he explains some basic geology to me. I enjoy it, especially when we fly over a zone of ridges.
The southwest, I conclude from the air, is definitely something I’d like to see and explore some day.


We land in Phoenix. A huge city in what appears to be settled in a ‘dry river bottom’ at least 50 miles wide [I think this is what Ed said].
We disembark.


I am impressed by how nice the ‘helpers’ are in the airport. We have to leave the security area to pass on the next concourse. Which means another long line waiting to get searched.
I know the drill.
Sweartshirt off.
Shoes off.
Laptop out of my bag.
Grab my toothpaste and personal items that are in a zip lock back and toss them into a bin.

Ed and Joy had moved on to other search lines.
Everything passes.
The fellow behind me reaches over and dumps my stuff on the table, … I don’t know if he was trying to hurry me or if he is trying to help.
I grab my stuff and scurry to a bench.
The area is surrounded by too many TSA agents to count.
A police officer passes by again with a big black dog. We’d seen him before and wondered if he was a ‘drug’ or ‘bomb’ dog.

I toss my shoes on, throw my toothbrush bag back into my carry on.
I stand up and look around. I cannot see Ed or Joy.
Crap.
A sea of people and TSA agents and I cannot see them.
I glance down at my ticket and realize well…we should probably meet up at our gate.

I remember my little itty bitty cell phone and grab it out of the camera backpack.
I call and leave Ed a message that I am headed for our gate.
I call Joy and speak to her. She is behind me somewhere in the massive crowd and we decide to meet up at the gate.
At the gate, I realize that I must have dropped my sweatshirt where the gent dumped my stuff, or where I sat to put on my shoes.
Double crap.

~~~~
Tonight's sunset was delightful.
I'm looking forward to sunrise.
Rest now...another new day tomorrow.
I fall asleep with the scent of pikake flowers coming in from the tree next to my open window.