The other unfortunate tidbit of the travel part of life was the woman with the dog. She sat down with the tiny mousy dog in her lap and held it there for the 5 hour flight to Charlotte, NC. She told all who could hear that she had a doctor’s note, and those who were not in earshot flagged the attendant and asked why this woman was allowed to have a pet and peevishly asked how they too could do that, bring their own pet on board next time. A bunch of whining ensued. The woman with the disability got lots of attention. Perhaps that is was what the doctor ordered.
Beyond all this, traveling to places is really boring, as in not fun, when you are flying. I should mention the two minor mishaps I had at the airport and the one breakdown on the road. On that same trip to the east coast I had boarded US Airways in SFO but sans Droid, my new telephone i.e. smartware device which was plugged in at home. I frantically called home with a payphone card when I finally found a pay phone. I waited some, and called again and ended up leaving messages for Jon.
The plane boarded on time and I settled in to my seat and like a winged love note, an attendant asks, “Are you Sheila,?"
“Yes” I responded while she handed me my phone.
Then she informs me she will wait until I call my husband on the phone. Stunned I was feeling as if we were in reality TV and from a distance all were watching my hero Jon make the great race against time to prove his love and concern for me. I was safe and sound with my Droid and he had driven all the way home (with a stop for coffee) listened to the messages, got my phone, returned to SFO, parked the car, and wrangled a counter person ( thank you United) into hand delivering my Droid!! Phew. If he wasn’t such a hero I’d have deleted the whole event.
And of course there is the tire. We have a trusty 1998 4runner. It gets rave comments whenever we travel the backroads. This past Christmas eve, on our way to el capintero, the left front wheel just gave out. It was a thud, and it felt as if we hit a pothole. The deep in the desert road we were on was one of these one-way only deals and we were straddling the middle, on an incline. Stuck. Hard to believe, but after a few attempts from our rescuers (two hours later) we simply left it there, unloaded our belongings, and proceed to the ranch for festivities. The truck part we needed was broadcast on the radio and a local from Mulege, passing by, delivered it to the side of the road so our friend Chalito (a visiting fisherman/rancher) spent a few hours fixing it. So here we have yet another hero (the Toyota and our friend). We owe you one Chalito!
