Travel DAy

It was an interesting travel day for our group. We all flew at different times, and we all had delay issues with our flights. However, no one's flight was canceled. 

The airline was 30 minutes late with our flight, but then there was something going on with one of the passengers, and it took about 45 minutes to get him organized in his seat. He needed some medical equipment installed under the seat - oxygen? It couldn't have been oxygen, as when I Googled that, the airlines do NOT provide medical oxygen. Hmmm -- I wonder what was in the big box? 

I wonder if the airline knew that this box was needed because it could have been installed BEFORE the passengers got on the plane. Oh well, we are here! 

But let me pop back home first. I was making breakfast and happened to look out the window. WAIT A MINUTE!!! A cheeky squirrel was taking a tree branch into the top of the gazebo. We used to have a squirrel nest up there, but they have ignored the space for the last 10 years. This enterprising squirrel was tired of getting wet in the trees, so he was looking for a dry spot. 

Branhes left by an enterprising squirrel

He managed to get two branches into the small area but missed a few times because there were quite a few smaller branches on the ground. 

Branches dropped by the squirrel

Luckily, one of Murphy's long sticks was handy, and I poked the branches out. I must remember to watch that so it doesn't become a nest. 

The forest was so beautiful in the morning, and Miss Lexi and I enjoyed our walk. However, when we got off the main path, the mosquitos were brutal. 

Forest bathing with Lexi

Before I forget, these desks in hotels must be made for giants. My feet barely touch the floor when I raise my chair high enough to sit properly. 

I made significant progress in the morning on my list of things. All that needed to be done before I got home was done. There were a few things that I could bring with me to work on, so I packed those. But it was a good morning and very successful. When I packed the last of my stuff in the sample suitcase and weighed it, it came in at 48.4 pounds. Perfect!!! 

I wish I had packed my orange jacket. Shoot, I knew it was cold here, and I wanted to walk. I will have to walk fast, as it's only 5 degrees this morning, which is hilarious because yesterday, at this time, it was 22. Could we not spread the warmth across the entire country? 

Poor Murphy, she's not good with me leaving. She's become clingy, and I must escape from the house when I have suitcases. I feel bad, but she can hang around with Dad for the week. It won't be long, Miss Murphy!!!

Thank goodness for HOV (high occupancy vehicles) on the highway, as there was an accident, and my Uber driver was able to whip past without having to slow down. I arrived at the airport, printed my luggage tags, and was through security quickly. But people need to pay more attention. There was a jam when I arrived at the security and got a tray to put my stuff in. OH --- two people before me had put their tray on the conveyor, but it wasn't seated properly. And no one noticed. Seriously??? So I shoved it on the conveyor, and all was good. I was going to mention it to her on the other side, but I decided to keep my mouth shut!

Driving by in the HOV lanes

The cost of travel these days is insane. I bought a ham and tomato sandwich at the airport, along with a bottle of water and a small bag of chips. It was $23!!! Thankfully, I had a $15 coupon, so I ended up only paying $8. I noticed in the hotel room this morning that a bottle of water is $4. Seriously? I could buy a pack of 24 for that price. I won't be using their water. 

What to do on the plane? I decided to check out the movies, and oh my—The Beekeeper was on the list. I had wanted to watch this movie, and because of the delay, we all got free headphones. You usually have to buy them. It was a movie about good and bad, and the good won, so to speak. But it was a bit violent!

Then, I could see the map on someone else's screen, and the terrain looked bizarre. Where the heck are we flying? So I checked it out. That is the weirdest flight path I've ever seen. Most of the time, you fly in a mostly straight line. This was NOT a straight line. 

The flight path

And then I arrived at the airport, where everything was Edmonton Oilers, as they are in the Stanley Cup playoffs at the moment. They won last night! It will be insane here on Friday when they are in town. But it could be no worse than being in Houston, near the Minute Maid Stadium during baseball—whatever the big thing is in baseball. I could see the stadium from my hotel, and I could hear the noise. The size of the barricades to direct people was HUGE. OH -- it's the World Series -- what do I care about baseball1 Sorry to all the fans - I'm just not into sports much. 

Arrived at YEG - Edmonton!

Thank goodness for communication. I realized that TWO of my colleagues were arriving 10 minutes after I landed. So I waited for them, and we took a vehicle together to the hotel. I'm not sure what kind of vehicle but look at the rearview mirror. It was a camera of what was behind us, not just a mirror!! 

The rearview mirror is a camera!!!!

I'm not sure what time we arrived at the hotel, but with the time difference, it was late. Well, it's late for me, with a two-hour time difference. But look at that view. I'm in a corner room with two windows—one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. 

The view from my room

Since I'm in a different time zone, the blog posts will be a bit late. And I hope it has warmed up a degree or two so I can walk. Never mind, I need the steps, so I'll hustle to keep warm. 

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!