I awoke at 1:30 a.m. and realized I hadn’t packed for the trip. I spent the next two hours quietly moving around the house, not to wake the good doctor. I’m unsure if I have the appropriate clothing, but I know I have enough socks and underwear. Since we are going to America, I can buy anything else I might need.
Perhaps I had made a noise because as I returned to bed at 3:30 a.m., a voice from the darkness said, “Next time, pack a day earlier and listen to me!”
Alexa awakened us at 5:30 a.m. to complete our packing. Irene arrived at 7:30 a.m. and laughed at us as we were in a frenzy trying to get everything ready. By 8:00 a.m., we had finished and were prepared to take our baggage to the van. Scout had already become attached at the hip to his Aunt Irene.
We left for the OC airport at 8:40 a.m. and arrived at 9:10 a.m. The drive was easy! We had breakfast at California Pizza Kitchen adjacent to our gate.
Mary bought a new set of playing cards and whooped me in two out of three games (she cheats). Crazy-8’s is easy and fun!
California Pizza Kitchen was pretty good; we shared a turkey sandwich, and Mary found some lattes across the way. !
Mary decided to fly first class, and boarding and disembarking the airplane was easy. It’s 11:45 a.m., and we’re racing towards Chicago! Wheels up, and Newport Beach fades in the distance.
Up, up, and away!
The lunch we had going to Chicago was marvelous! The fall-off-the-bone beef ribs were perfect, and the salad was crispy and fresh. I felt sorry for the folks in the back who were getting a bag of peanuts!
Excellent at 30,000 feet in the air!
The stewardess asked what our trip was about, and we told her of the conference and the kids we were coming to see.
The grandkids and great-grandkids and great-granddogs!
The flight was pleasant, with beautiful scenery. Mary read while I watched two sci-fi movies on my phone using the plane’s wifi.
Clouds from 34,000 feet in the sky!
On the plane ride, we talked about Halloween costumes. One must be careful when choosing an outfit; unintended consequences might exist.
Mary recalled an incident when she first became a doctor!
We were in Chicago for about 75 minutes before catching the next plane into Bangor, Maine. O’Hare was as busy as usual. O’Hare International Airport has approximately 866 daily direct flights to 166 U.S. cities and about 113 daily direct flights to 59 international destinations,
We were third in line for take-off!
We watched the full moon on the plane’s right side for almost two hours. Being close to Halloween, it looked a little spooky! At 10:30 p.m., we arrived in Bangor and picked up our rental car.
Luckily, Mary’s navigation skills were excellent, so finding the hotel was a breeze. However, we did experience a slight delay of around twenty minutes due to the roads being repaved at night and traffic using a signalman as there was only one lane.
We counted three county-mounties in their patrol cars, just waiting for someone to speed through their town, so Mary called out the speed limit every time it changed.
Two-lane roads with severe speed limits in the small towns. (Example: Trenton has a population of 1,400 folks.)
We finally got to bed at 1:15 a.m. after unpacking. We were smart and ordered breakfast for 10:00 a.m.
