12 Oakdale

I had opted to stay in Williamstown because I wanted us to see Ground/work 2025, a site-specific set of 6 large sculptures, each made by a different artist using a craft from her or his culture. Woodworking, fabric dying, sculpture, basket weaving, mosaic tile, and ceramics. Marvelous, but I hadn’t considered that not all places are flat like Florida. As we trudged uphill, Grant struggled to catch his breath. However, with a rest at a picnic table, he was able to get to the top of the exhibit layout. Downhill is our friend. On to the New Haven, CT airport to turn in the truck and be picked up by Deb and Rob. Note on the truck which we should have inspected better before driving away: there were no dents on the outside, Grant had checked. However, once I began driving, I realized my boot heel stuck to the flood when I wanted to move from gas to brakes. As soon as I found a pull off, we stopped. No floor mat, and perhaps glue or sticky tape where one h...

Getting there:  At 3:33 AM, there were the fewest cars I’d  ever seen on I-4. Our drive to the Marriott Lakefront to park and the bus ride to the airport were easy, unlike for the people traveling on Sunday. Our driver said it took him 54 minutes from the hotel to the terminal.  Once there, an outside skycap grabbed our big bag and checked it. Inside, as he said, was a madhouse. I hadn’t gotten around to make a reservation for TSA, but the lines didn’t look too long. As we walked over, an agent said the position in front of him was open. Not a person in line. (Like lemmings, everyone had just gotten behind someone else. We were going to too.) We waited less than a minute. At the X-ray machine, an agent told me to take off my boots since they had metal zippers and would set off the alarm. Nope. I said I was old and had metal in me and would likely set it off anyway. I got patted down, not for my boots, not for my knee, but something suspected in my shoulder. Who knows....

364 days since our last flight. While the airport is not crowded, there are lots of people flying. Certainly different from when we flew through Dallas on the way back from Okinawa last year, with all the stores closed and the waiting areas empty. Although everything seems open, evidently Starbucks hasn’t gotten up to speed because it took Grant almost a half an hour to get us coffee with only 5 people in front of him.  I forgot what a pain flying is now, because I wore pants with lots of zippers which set off the alarms. Plus I wore sandals so I had to walk through the TSA inspection in bare feet. Grant didn’t have to take his shoes off since he’s over 75. A perk of old age. We have to wear masks except when we are eating or drinking. Even though our flight boards at 5:10, there is no meal service. I could have ordered dinners ahead of time, but missed the deadline. Grant said he’d looked at the menu and wasn’t impressed with the offerings, mostly packaged cheese and fruit. We bro...