Were the flights cursed?

 My flights have seemed to be a bit cursed!

Yesterday's 4:30 flight was delayed till about 6, so I missed my 8:00 connection in Charlotte. 

I did meet a charming woman in Columbus while waiting in the wheelchair area. Aunt Julia, 93, was sitting in my chair when I returned from the ladies. Her companion asked did I really need it (since obviously I'd walked to the ladies and back). I said I just wanted to be boarded early. She said if I sat by her in another handicap-marked chair, that would happen. She was interested when I said I was 81, because she wanted to encourage her 81 year old aunt to travel. So she asked to take a selfie with me. Sure, I said. And...

I asked Alma (she was 60) to let me take a selfie too. We also shared some travel stories...mine about the President's influence on my flight through Charlotte just last Thursday, and hers from a few weeks ago about preparing to go on a cruise and needing a passport. Nice people!

But you want to hear more about the curse, I'll bet! Really just delays. All the staff of the airlines were very gracious and tried to be helpful for my needs. 

I did change to a later flight from Charlotte to Asheville, thank heavens there was one! I did have someone push a wheelchair through the Charlotte airport and even when we finally deplaned in Asheville...but first let me tell you that story!

Columbus to Charlotte I was on a small plane with the upturned wings and 5 little torpedo things under the wings like the one over there.

Saying goodbye Columbus around 7:00 pm. We hadn't been in the heavy rain which delayed both auto and air traffic earlier in getting to the airport for me, or for planes as well.

On the way up to Columbus on Thursday, I'd seen the Ohio river with sun reflecting off it, but my photo didn't come out. So I just got a glimpse of it as we flew south again.

And hello to Charlotte, which still somehow was visible as we prepared to land at 8:14!

The view of the Charlotte concourse while I was being pushed in a wheel chair.

The view of people behind me waiting while I ate a muffin for supper on my nice long layover between flights in Charlotte. The muffin was because I didn't find any other place within my limited walking distance to get dinner. I had obviously thanked my wheelchair pusher (shouldn't they have a special name, I wonder...) and said goodbye to her.

I think this was the larger kind of plane which I took to Asheville...and it was about half full,. leaving Charlotte about 11:00 pm.

Taxi-ing past many American Airline planes and a few other brands in Charlotte.

Then the landing in a downpour of a storm in Asheville.  We taxied to the area of gates by 11:40 pm, then parked while waiting for lightening storm to pass...and waited and waited. It could be seen out the window, many distant flashing of lightening, but the rain was still pelting down. Why did this matter? Well, the new gates in Asheville's airport have just been constructed, and they don't have any of those little tubes for people to walk from the plane into the airport yet. (I'm sure they have a name!)

So we waited for the rain to let up so we could walk down the three loops of ramps outside and then into the construction corridors. Finally at 12:13 am, I was first of wheelchair passengers off, who had actually waited till everyone else who was walking had deplaned . The chair pusher brought me down backwards and slowly. I was so grateful, but then she parked me inside to go back and help others. And as the flight crew deplaned, one of the flight attendants offered to push me back to baggage claim. What a treat! But of course she was tired (arriving around midnight and she had the return flight at 8 am back to Charlotte the next day, so I really felt compassion for her.

(Sorry, tired photographer didn't take any more photos)

I sat the requisite more waiting time for my bag, then met my friend who I'd been texting as to all these delays. Her car had been one of a few hundred waiting in lines in the rain for these passengers. 

And by 1:00 am I was home in bed. I canceled most of my early morning events today (Tuesday) but took my weary body over to the doctor's office to have a fasting blood draw at 8 am. Came home and made the cancelation calls and fell into bed again! But here I yam!

Not exactly cursed flights, just ones that reminded me that so much is out of the hands of the airlines, whether the crews on the ground or in the air, and not including any safety issues on the planes...it's just going to have things happen that delay things!

Today's quote:

Joy is the transformation of our suffering, not the escape of all we have to face.

MARK NEPO

Some local scenes, and notes about my life back in the 70s

 

Wisteria vines or trees gone wild...and a strange red blossom showed itself.

When a lot is allowed to go back to nature, soon the dominant vines take over. But there still remains a curb under the greenery, perhaps stopping more growth from going further.

Others choose to butcher their trees to keep them manageable.

On Vance Ave, Black Mountain, can be found this "Little Brown Church."

The joyful burst of citified dogwoods.

Louise's Kitchen (restaurant for breakfast and lunch) still had their shelter curtains down when I took this, but I noticed a few days later, those eating on the porch were open to sunshine and warm breezes.

The other side of Louise's Kitchen has these wonderful double blossom cherry trees.

Looking at the cherry trees from the side.

A dogwood against North Carolina blue sky!

And then we had a cold Sunday with rain last week. This is what happened at my apartment. 

Last night's national news showed more demonstrators being arrested on different campuses. And Columbia's shot showed the tents still up, though I was under the impression the day before they'd been told to disperse by 4 am.

I have no news as to the situation my granddaughter was in at George Washington University. But the shots on the news of arrests at Ohio State U. were disturbing. That's where I hope to go next week for my other granddaughter's graduation. As far as I know it's still happening.

I am reminded so much of the demonstrations against the Viet Nam war by students in the early 70s. I didn't take part, though I certainly supported them from conversations at work on  coffee breaks. I was a single working mother, so I limited my involvement so I wouldn't jeopardize being the bread-winner for my children.

But when selected for jury duty, I was among many who were questioned for a trial against students who had engaged in a sit-down demonstration in the middle of a busy intersection in Tampa FL. Each prospective juror was asked if they had any relations in the military, or in a university. If so they were released, as having prior bias. I wasn't selected, because I'd been a part time student near the place where that demonstration took place, as well as my ex-husband having served in the past in the military. I was really hoping I could serve on that jury, but admit that I was biased. Actually of the first 100 jurors called, I don't think anyone was seated. The students did have some fines against them, but I don't believe any were incarcerated.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday and  Floral Friday Fotos

Today's quote:

Grief and love are sisters, woven together from the beginning. Their kinship reminds us that there is no love that does not contain loss and no loss that is not a reminder of the love we carry for what we once held close.

FRANCIS WELLER

Rainy daylillies and a recent book

From an older post...

These earliest day lilies are Stella d'Oro. A smaller flower without the pointed edges, which usually has a curl to their edges.  Maybe when they dry out again.

From June 2019

I have loved Sally's acting, in movies. I never watched her Giget or Flying Nun TV shows.  But I had some trouble reading this.

This audio book also was read by Sally. It was a long book, details of many difficult times in her life, then finally Sally made it in her goals in life, in spite of how many mistakes she made and a crappy childhood.

All in all, it's a nicely crafted book. I think I would have preferred reading the text, but you never know.  Listening to it helped me stay in a really blue funk however...and I could have done without that.

Today's quote:

And I realize that no matter where I am, whether in a little room full of thought, or in this endless universe of stars and mountains, it’s all in my mind.

—Jack Kerouac

Porch flowers in the rain

I'm posting this a few days to come (or back if you're actually reading this which I wrote several days ago!)

And maybe by Wednesday we'll be out of this rain cycle.  All grey days are not very inspiring!

If I open my bedroom window, that rain will come right in.  The other windows are sheltered by eaves of the roof, so can remain open during rain. However it's too chilly and damp to open them for very long.

RAIN and flowers

We've been getting a lot, and some areas of North Carolina have flash flooding. Not here, yet. And no mudslides, yet.

These earliest day lilies are Stella d'Oro. A smaller flower without the pointed edges, which usually has a curl to their edges.  Maybe when they dry out again.

Rooftops in rain

 

The brick elevator tower of the BM Center for the Arts.  Then there's Thai Basil's various buildings and fence.  And finally the unused smokestack from the Clay Studio.

Weather rules

Though there have been a couple of days of sunshine, there's rain in the forecast at the end of the week. Take a deep breath.  Do you get the petrichor? I hope so.  It's better than the artificially dried and warmed air of our homes these days...though I do hope you are keeping warm and dry in your shelter... I think there's a variation of petrichor that happens on concrete...like sidewalks.  What do you think?

Into each life a little rain must fall...

 Yes, a robin was flying around, tried to find his favorite berries, but there didn't seem to be any.  Otherwise, he could do fine with the worms in the mud below the trees...if he wanted to.

The clouds obscure the distant mountains completely, which otherwise would show through our almost leafless trees.  I will bet the "Leaf Peepers" were all hanging out indoors yesterday also.

Sharing with Saturday's critters.

Beginning Oct.

Lake Tomahawk, Back Mountain, NC.  If it's not raining now, it just did, or it will soon.  I'm glad a friend on blogs reminded me that we can still walk in the rain.  It does require some equipment, but is doable, as long as the path hasn't been washed away.

developing storm

First you hear the thunder.  Skies are still blue.

I'm driving along Old US 70 toward Swannanoa from Black Mountain, thus avoiding traffic, and can easily see the storm brewing over those hills.

I'm sending this posting to Friday Fences, (click on that underlined name to go see others) because, not counting this guard rail, there are at least 2 interesting fences, even though my camera was pointed at those clouds!

As I pass Grove Stone Quarry, I get a better picture pointing north. There are big dark clouds up there towards Mt. Mitchell.  This fence is rather unusual.

Sorry about the reflected sand dollar that sits on my dashboard.  I was slowing down each time I popped the camera out.  But you can see the fence is not a chain link style, but some metalic verticals.

Now on Hwy 70 in Swannanoa, and the clouds and thunder continue.

But perhaps that front won't make it down into the Swannanoa River valley.  It would be nice since we're very much over our expected rainfall for this month and year already.