On The Road/In The Air

Me waiting outside for Kent at 6am

A bit of a tense moment this morning, but everything seems to be working out okay. Knowing that both main routes to Charlotte are a bit of a craps shoot as far as travel times go, I urged everyone to get an early start. Kent picked me up at my house around 6:15am, and we arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. We were hoping the others weren't too far behind, because the traffic was start to back up even as we came through the traditional "congestion" areas. Most everyone made it okay, althought there were some reports from some of the group that they had some stop and go, which, apparently (according to Z at least) Brett isn't too fond of. Being the autophile that he is, he felt like any time he spent going under the speed limit was just cause for making it up by going over the speed limit. At least the troopers seemed to be busy elsewhere this morning.

Scottie was the one we were concerned about. He texted me (while driving, no less - we'll have to talk to him later about that) that he was pretty hung up on I-85 and didn't know if he would make the flight. I wasn't too worried about getting him to VT today, as there were several flights headed up later, but it is nice when everyone can arrive at one time (see blog archives from several years ago for a prime example of this). I won't keep you in suspense - he made it, but just barely. He walked up as they were boarding the final passengers for the flight.

So, all present and accounted for on this flight. If you've been reading the blog, you already know that Buddha is headed up with his dad, so we should see them later today. I talked to Mac last night, who flew up a day early (he flies standby, so he wanted to make sure he got there on time) and he was already gracing the guests at the Best Western Windjammer to his new Speedo. And OS and Linda, I hear, were well on their way today, after a failed try at flying standby yesterday. Excellent.

Chilling' at 35,000 feet

Oh - I got a tip from a random guy at the airport concerning hockey cages (the face protection on our hockey masks for those of you not versed in the lingo). One common complaint is, although they offer unriveled protection against premature expiration of your teeth and eyes, they, for some, can be a little visually distracting. This guy suggested using a cage made for lacrosse. Apparently, the openings in front of the eyes are a little larger and offer better, unencumbered vision. I'll have to try that when I get home.

More later...