Delayed again, but a good week all round

The week started off well, as spending time with my friend C is always a lot of fun - lots of laughter ensues. We hit a dozen or more garage sales on Sunday and didn't buy a single garage. It's always helpful when a block has several houses participating. My best deal was an almost brand new Black and Decker toaster for $5. I have a toaster oven, but my son doesn't like using it. This toaster is meant for him, though I did use test it out and it works great. I did not buy any yarn, though I was tempted more than once. I had told C before we started, not to let me buy any just in case, but I behaved myself.

Monday morning, I had a text from the landscaper. We'd had a heavy rain (again) the night before and he advised he was going to be delayed for a few days. At least he let me know. I can't remember what I did for the rest of the day, though I pretty certain it involved a jigsaw puzzle, some knitting, and a baseball game. I did manage to pull some items for my garage sale as well.

The following morning, I had to run out to do an errand for my daughter. And of course, since it was Tuesday, and I was out anyway, I decided to hit up the thrift stores. Except I was too early, so I went to the Dollar store first where I picked up a couple of items for use on our camping trip before heading back to Value Village. There I found a 16 quart Coleman cooler for $3.85 after my seniors discount and taxes. I also found a large bag of Lego for Eli. It's one of his favorite activities, so now he'll have some to play with when he visits here. I talked to D, and all of the baby/toddler toys have been set aside for the garage sale.

We had more showers overnight, but just a wee bit of rain in the gauge on Wednesday morning. As you saw in the photo, the tomatoes are starting to develop. These are starts I seeded earlier in the spring. I'm happy they are doing so well. I noticed I have buds on my peppers as well, and though it continues to flower, the sole cucumber isn't growing at all. It was an experiment to see what would happen so I'm not too concerned. 

Wednesday was also stitch and chat. Just S and I were there. She had her first cataract surgery about 3 weeks ago, and the second a week or 10 days later. Now she needs new glasses but couldn't get an appointment with her optometrist until mid-July. As a result she didn't get a whole lot of stitching done, but we had a good chat. I had started a mitten before I left home, and came close to finishing it. 

We needed a few groceries so I took care of that on Thursday. I picked up a decent sized watermelon at Co-op for less than $5. When I mentioned it to my son that evening, he told me he doesn't like watermelon! I know my daughter doesn't care for it either - they both say they don't think it has much flavor and dislike the texture. I've already eaten half of the melon so it won't last long.  

On Friday morning, I drove out to my brother's to pick up the camping mats. We sat and had tea on the veranda before we took a walk around the yard. There were a number of birds to be seen and occasionally just heard as we visited. A Cat bird was calling, a western King bird flew by several times, an Oriole went to the feeder in the front yard, and a purple Martin made an appearance. (I can thank R for identifying each of them for me.) I got photos of none of these, but did capture a shot of the hummingbird visiting the feeder hanging on the veranda.

After a couple of cups of a tea and a chat, I prepared to head home. Before I left, we went out to the garage/shop where R had built a couple of Adirondack chairs. He took careful measurements of the chair they own, made patterns out of rough lumber, and used these to cut the pieces of the chair. One of the chairs was created using old cabinet doors and the second from lumber salvaged from a friend's tear-down of an old porch. The first is quite lightweight but still solid. The second is heavy and he plans to gift it to his friend.

From there we headed out to the garden their friend M planted. She lives in the city and R or his daughter L water it for her. They don't weed it though, and it appears a lot didn't germinate. She's planning to re-seed next week as she is staying at the farm for two weeks while the family is off on their Iceland adventures. On our way to the garden, R spotted this frog. I could not see it in the grass until he pointed it out. 

It certainly is camouflaged well in the grass. When we walked back to the house, it didn't even move.

Back at home I finished the jigsaw puzzle I'd bought at a garage sale on the weekend. I purchased it because it referenced 100 chickens and a worm on the box; both C and I looked over the picture on the box, but neither of us could find the worm...so I had to buy it to try to find the darned worm. I did not count the chickens, nor was I able to find the worm either. Even though it is missing three pieces, I've told C I'm giving it to her and she can hunt for it.

I never heard another word from the landscaper. I'll give him the weekend, and then I plan to phone him on Monday morning to (hopefully) get a straight answer as to when I can expect him here. I realize it isn't a large job but still I want it done, and done soon.

There was some housework completed this week, though I must admit to slacking off somewhat. The major task was replacing the paper on top of the kitchen cabinets. I learned this hack from another blogger, who sadly isn't with us anymore, and it sure helps to keep the dust off the top of the cabinets. With all the drywall dust it was a much needed task.

Instead, I spent more time on Ancestry. The 1931 census records are now available and the hints are populating. I haven't had much luck with close family members (yet) as the detailed information is slowing being added to the database. I can search by location rather than name - but specifically with my great-grandparents, I'm not certain where they were living. I turned my attention to earlier members of the family and was excited to find a newspaper notice for my 3X great grandmother's death. Published in December, 1886, in Scotland, it provided the date of her death. 

It also provides a clue as to the occupation of my 3X great-grandfather. I've learned that a carrier regularly delivered goods between towns and villages. 

I also located in a Canadian newspaper a notice of my great-grandparents marriage in 1889. Mary Adamson was my great-grandfather's maternal grandmother. His paternal side of the family continues to be a mystery.

Today is going to be another restful day. I'll putter on Ancestry to see what else I might find, there is football and baseball to watch, and I'll continue my mitten knitting. I've got the first mitt of a fourth pair on the needles. There are "mom burgers" thawing in refridgerator for tonight's dinner, and I've got pasta cooking on the stove for a salad. I hop you are all enjoying the start of your weekend too.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Not for the faint of heart

 I'm referring to air travel with this title. I've decided to start my posts about the trip with the difficulties of getting there from here and in this instance, getting here from there as well. Regina is not a major hub so all flights in and out have to be routed through larger centers. As I've learned over the years, the more starts and stops, the more likely there will be issues.

Wednesday, January 4, I was awake at 2 a.m., excited about leaving the land of snow and ice for the warmth of Florida. My cab wasn't scheduled to arrive until 4 a.m., but I just could not sleep any longer. I amused myself by checking off the last few items to be packed and walking in circles. My son must have been excited to have me leave too - he had set an alarm for 3 a.m. to say goodbye. I was at the airport shortly after 4, to learn the check-in counter didn't open until 4:30.

The WestJet app had allowed me to check-in the day prior but wouldn't give me either my boarding passes, nor allow me to pay for my checked bags. I learned at the counter that I could not get a boarding pass for my third flight of day because it would be a Delta flight out of Atlanta and I would need to see the gate agent for that. Yes, you read that right, three flights: Regina to Calgary, Calgary to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale.  

We were about an hour delayed arriving in Calgary, a half-hour delay in boarding and a half-hour spent de-icing the plane. It was a long walk from the domestic to international side of the airport but I needed to get my steps in anyway and I had time before the next flight. Got the pat-down at security and pulled aside for an additional x-ray of my carry-on. No issues so I'm not entirely sure what they were concerned about.

Next up I had to wait for my checked bag to be transferred to my flight to Atlanta, so waited in the customs hall for 25 minutes. Once 20 minutes has passed I was put into a queue for those whose baggage was delayed, but I got called before I reached the front of the line that my luggage was there and I could go through.

As usual, the TSA agent was thorough with questions -where was I going, why, whether I had food or weapons, and how much money was I carrying. Other agents were simply waving passengers through...I've decided I must look suspicious. Or at least as suspicious as a short, stout, 63 year old grandmother can look.

I was among the last of the passengers boarded and we were delayed about 15 minutes. The question at that point was: will I make my flight in Atlanta as there was a mere 90 minutes between expected arrival and departure time. As it turned out, I needn't have worried. Upon arrival I stopped at the WestJet gate because the flight number on my itinerary was not showing on the departure board and I didn't have a gate number. I was told they didn't have that information and sent to the Delta desk, through the next hallway to check. Delta informed me it was a WestJet flight and sent me back to the original counter. 

Eventually, a WestJet agent was able to pull up the manifest for my arriving flight, locate me on the manifest and find the new DELTA flight number and gate. I then learned that the flight from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale was delayed (but not by how long). I took the "plane train" to the appropriate terminal and located my gate. I was surprised to see an entirely different flight to Boston displayed on the board, since my flight had originally been scheduled to fly out about 30 minutes later and would normally have been boarding at that time. Checking with an agent, I learned that a number of flights had been delayed due to a storm in Florida (likely the originating point of the one going to Boston), and since my flight was coming from Fort Lauderdale, the delay was anticipated to be 3.5 hours.

At this point, it was clear I wasn't going to arrive in Fort Lauderdale before midnight local time, so I called the hotel to verify their shuttle service and to confirm a late check-in.  Their shuttle only ran until midnight so that meant I would need to grab a cab. At this point, a large contingent of angry passengers arrived at the gate. By eavesdropping (which was easily done as they were very vocal), I learned that an earlier flight to Fort Lauderdale had been cancelled and these folks were looking to get on my flight. Like me, they hadn't been aware it was delayed so had expected to show up at the gate and catch the next flight.

This had me on alert as I did not have a boarding pass. Would these individuals be bumped ahead of me? As it turned out, no, but I didn't learn that until an agent showed up at our gate about two hours ahead of boarding. Oh, and by that point our delay had been pushed to five hours. Most of the individuals from the previous flight had been booked for the following morning, and on standby for our flight. While a few of them showed up for the late flight, many obviously decided to wait until morning.

Finally, about 11 p.m. we boarded the flight. I was exhausted and slept during most of it. By the time we landed, I'd picked up my luggage, and grabbed a cab, I wasn't checked into my hotel until 1:30 a.m. I can't tell you how great that bed felt and I slept well until my alarm the next morning.

************

Getting here from there looked like it would be much easier than the getting there from here. And it was for most of the day. I was awake around 5:30 a.m., did some the last minute packing, and then left my phone to charge in the cabin while I walked the promenade deck 7, for a half hour. After breakfast, I picked up my carry-on (my checked bag was picked up and moved to the customs hall the night prior), and headed to the Bayou Cafe to await being called to disembark.

It took quite awhile to get through customs due to the number of passengers disembarking, but it was far easier - once the TSA agent heard I was heading home to Canada, he sent me on my way with no further questions. I had booked a transfer from the ship to the airport and headed for the line of buses. The driver was amusing as he clearly had a method for loading the luggage. Mine was the only piece for WestJet so I had a compartment all to myself. The drive to the airport from the pier isn't long, just 13 miles, but with the traffic we were on the road for over 30 minutes before arriving at the airport.

Again, I got lucky as WestJet was located in terminal 2, our second stop. My arrival was timed nicely as the check-in counter opened about 2 minutes after I arrived. While there was a line-up there were a number of agents and I was through check-in receiving my boarding passes for both flights and paying for my checked bag. 

From there I was sent out to make a short walk to terminal 3 (where Delta was located). Security brought another pat-down, but no review of my carry-on. It was a quick walk to my gate and I spent the waiting time having a bite to eat, and watching curling on You-tube. 

Again, I was one of the last number of guests boarded, and we had a short delay on the tarmac before departing the gate. About an hour into our three hour flight, there was a call for medical staff to attend to a passenger having issues. Two doctors made their way to the patient; one sitting just across the aisle from the passenger, and the man sitting next to me. It took a bit of time for the crew to locate the oxygen bottle and what appeared to be a defibrillator. From my vantage point, it didn't seem they needed the latter, but the former was definitely used. Later, I heard from the doctor in my row, that the passenger had perked up quickly, and thankfully we did not have to be diverted and the flight carried on.

We arrived in Calgary very close to our ETA. I had a five hour wait for my next flight - although WestJet flies into Regina five times daily, the latest of the four earlier flights departs at 4:20 p.m., less than hour before our arrival. The next flight is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. I say, is scheduled because it was also delayed. Thankfully only 25 minutes or so, but I was getting very tired by this point and was eager to get home.

It is a short flight between the two cities, just an hour in the air. However, this wasn't the end of the travel woes. I was watching out the window as we were descending into Regina, and wasn't shocked when we started climbing. The weather in Regina was socked in with low clouds and fog, and the runway wasn't visible. The captain advised that he would attempt one more try, looking for a hole in the clouds, but if we weren't able to land, we would likely be returning to Calgary.

Loud groan! Well, our second attempt was no more successful than the first. However, I could tell we weren't heading for Calgary, because of the number of small towns that were visible below. It seemed to me that the weather was only a significant issue in the Regina area, and not a problem elsewhere. I was correct and we were diverted to Saskatoon - a mere 30 minute flight. The captain advised us as we were preparing to land that we were picking up fuel, and then would try again in Regina. If, at that point, we weren't able to land we'd be heading back to Calgary.

We were on the ground for a good 90 minutes in Saskatoon. I was grateful we weren't required to deplane while the re-fueling was completed. Once the ground crew moved the chock blocks and pilons, the pilot backed the plane into the de-icing area. There appeared to be some issues with the first truck so we were held up until a second truck arrived. At this point, the captain let us know that the weather had eased in Regina and he was confident we'd be able to land. I suspect we stayed in Saskatoon longer than was absolutely necessary to allow for the weather to clear. 

When the plane contacted the runway in Regina, a loud cheer went up with much applause. It took another half hour before our luggage appeared but mine was the second bag off! However, one more slight inconvenience happened. Since our flight was delayed there were no taxis waiting. I was fortunate to snag a taxi that was dropping a passenger with an outbound flight off. Normally, they are expected to leave the airport and circle back around for pick-ups. 

I walked through my front door at 4:52 a.m. Saku (the cat) was waiting for me. I left my luggage by the door, dropped my purse on the kitchen table, and headed for the bedroom. If I had to guess I'd say I was asleep ten to fifteen minutes later, though I do know Saku demanded some attention first. 

Despite all the hiccups and delays, I'm grateful to have arrived where I wanted to be both coming and going. I always fly in a day early for a cruise, and may consider going two days early in the future, especially in the winter months. The extra cost of a hotel and meals might be worth it for peace of mind. As for the return - it could have been worse and I might have been back in Calgary instead of at home that morning. to quote Dorothy; "There's no place like home."

Next up - January 5, Fort Lauderdale and the Island Princess