Home at last...
I quit the Delta business class lounge yesterday a few minutes before the scheduled start of boarding, went through yet another layer of security (my poor carry-on went through three x-rays and a hand search between the front door of the terminal and the gate), and waited.
Watching what appeared to be a cleaning crew board the plane through the exterior walkway stairs at 12:45 pm was not encouraging, as our flight was scheduled to leave at 1:10 pm, and indeed, by the time the pilot lined up on the runway for his takeoff run, it was nearly 2:50 pm. The flight was generally uneventful, I slept fitfully.
We landed in Atlanta at a little after 6 pm; my connection to Albuquerque was scheduled to leave at 7:38 pm. Fortunately, the line at passport control was short, and I found myself at the baggage claim belt at 6:21 pm.
The Fairy Godmother Department then took an extended coffee break, leaving Murphy to hold the fort for a while.
Bags from the Moscow flight didn't start to appear until after 7 pm. Fortunately, mine were among the first dozen or so bags off the plane, so I gathered them up, breezed through Customs, and rechecked them for my flight to New Mexico. The next step was another security check, which went fairly quickly.
For some reason, I tend to fly on aircraft that arrive and depart from the extreme end points of airport concourses, which makes for a lot of walking. Last night, the flight from Moscow arrived at very outer end of the "E" concourse, and after going through security, I had to take a train to the "A" concourse, then walk out to the end of that concourse to board my flight. I made it with several minutes to spare.
My luggage, as it turned out, didn't.
The Delta agent in Albuquerque told me my luggage was scheduled to arrive today around 1 pm, and they'd be happy to send it to me in Pagosa Springs via UPS. Having an intimate knowledge of how busy UPS is right now, Galina and I decided to stick around and pick up my luggage today, which we did, finally, around 2 pm (the incoming flight was delayed, dontchaknow).
The weather got progressively worse as we drove north from Albuquerque, and snow started to fall as we neared Pagosa. Upon arriving home, Galina tried to ease the Ford through the drift of plowed snow that blocked our driveway, and got stuck. Fortunately, our neighbor Mike was home and was kind enough to fire up his "tank" (that's what I call it, at least) and haul us out, then clear some accumulation from our driveway.
All's well that ends well, I guess. I have a plate full of work for tomorrow, but need some rest.
Cheers...
Watching what appeared to be a cleaning crew board the plane through the exterior walkway stairs at 12:45 pm was not encouraging, as our flight was scheduled to leave at 1:10 pm, and indeed, by the time the pilot lined up on the runway for his takeoff run, it was nearly 2:50 pm. The flight was generally uneventful, I slept fitfully.
We landed in Atlanta at a little after 6 pm; my connection to Albuquerque was scheduled to leave at 7:38 pm. Fortunately, the line at passport control was short, and I found myself at the baggage claim belt at 6:21 pm.
The Fairy Godmother Department then took an extended coffee break, leaving Murphy to hold the fort for a while.
Bags from the Moscow flight didn't start to appear until after 7 pm. Fortunately, mine were among the first dozen or so bags off the plane, so I gathered them up, breezed through Customs, and rechecked them for my flight to New Mexico. The next step was another security check, which went fairly quickly.
For some reason, I tend to fly on aircraft that arrive and depart from the extreme end points of airport concourses, which makes for a lot of walking. Last night, the flight from Moscow arrived at very outer end of the "E" concourse, and after going through security, I had to take a train to the "A" concourse, then walk out to the end of that concourse to board my flight. I made it with several minutes to spare.
My luggage, as it turned out, didn't.
The Delta agent in Albuquerque told me my luggage was scheduled to arrive today around 1 pm, and they'd be happy to send it to me in Pagosa Springs via UPS. Having an intimate knowledge of how busy UPS is right now, Galina and I decided to stick around and pick up my luggage today, which we did, finally, around 2 pm (the incoming flight was delayed, dontchaknow).
The weather got progressively worse as we drove north from Albuquerque, and snow started to fall as we neared Pagosa. Upon arriving home, Galina tried to ease the Ford through the drift of plowed snow that blocked our driveway, and got stuck. Fortunately, our neighbor Mike was home and was kind enough to fire up his "tank" (that's what I call it, at least) and haul us out, then clear some accumulation from our driveway.
All's well that ends well, I guess. I have a plate full of work for tomorrow, but need some rest.
Cheers...