Sunday, July 20, 2008
A gentle hand shook my shoulder to let me know it was time for dinner. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, lasagna, dinner roll, salad, fresh fruit and cheesecake were placed on my lap tray. Not only was it delicious, but the portions were huge. Like a bear preparing for hibernation (one of an overnight sort anyway), I ate my entire dinner plus put down three cans of Sierra Mist. This put me into a sleepy stupor and I remained unconscious for the rest of the flight.
Once I disembarked the plane, I found a nice quiet spot to spend the next seven hours. My opinion is that a layover of five or more hours is just plain wrong. However, the airlines don't appear the least bit concerned about that. I spent the entire time browsing through my trip photos and cropping the best for use in this journal.
The puddle jumper to Dayton International was gratefully uneventful. Terry and the children picked me up at the airport. It was startling to emerge from the building into 85 degree temperatures after being in long pants for the past two weeks. It was great to see my family again and share my adventures as I drove home. I believe it is an experience such as this that puts your life in perspective for it is those without families or friends that will never know the excitement of being reunited once again. It is almost like Christmas in July.