Shell fragments, Driftwood and Vertebrae - Oh my!

My daughter's been requesting that I read her my "stories on the internet" a lot lately.   Especially the ones that involve... her.  

So it was not surprising when, as we gathered together (PILED) everything that we were going to take with us on our annual trip to MS gulf coast, she told me I needed to bring the laptop, so I could write stories about our trip.   While I didn't bother with the laptop, I did take copious mental notes....

Trip down was uneventful.  Fiona showed everyone her bear, and told them that I had gotten it for her, and I felt like a great dad.   While waiting to disembark the plane in Gulfport, she told everyone within ear shot about the St. Patrick's day party.   Glad she doesn't know grandma's address....

First day of spring, and we spent an hour or two on the beach, later in the afternoon, while grandma napped.
68 and cloudy, and it was 4pm, and I didn't even think about sunscreen for my bald head.
oopsie.
Lots of detrius down by the water's edge.
Shell fragments and driftwood and various sized vertebrae (no idea...) - Oh My!
Closer to the beach hwy, the sand was criss-crossed with bulldozer tracks, from the annual "rebuild the beach before spring break" efforts.

Fun fact - if they didn't bring sand in and re-build the beach every year... there'd  be no beach.  it would be silt and plants, thanks the row of barrier islands that line the water a short distance from the mainland, all the pretty sand stays well away from coast, and all the silt from rivers and such stays close to shore.
Do NOT swim in the gulf from shore, if you happen to be visiting.   Look, but don't touch.  You can, if you really want, but it's shallow, silty bottomed, crazy warm and... kinda ew-y.

Pockets full of "treasures", we walked back to grandma's and... sat around.

Day two... nothing.    Li'l Ray's for lunch at least.    If you find yourself in Long Beach, MS around lunch time, you can do worse.    They'll probably screw up your order, but once it's sorted... Fried pickles and po' boys and gumbo.... Oh my!

Day three - New Orleans.    I love New Orleans.   For a few hours, on a nice day...

Great to see the French Market fully re-opened and operational.  And up-scaled!  gone are the hot sauce stands and the boxes of random produce, replaced by... dining options and decent seating.   The back half is still a flea market full of tacky tourist crap, of course.  A gen-U-wine baby gator head will cost you $12.99, but you can get a plastic one for about 1/3 that amount.

Gatorheads, offensive T-shirts and cheap-ass sunglasses  - Oh My!

Jackson Square has gotten seedier, though the gardens are still beautiful.   Fewer street performers and fortune tellers and such, and more... un-washed, un-friendly people loitering on benches.
"Your bird's really pretty"  Fiona said to one of them, who happened to have a pet macau.
She received no pleasant answer.    Step away from the scary man, sweety,...
As we walked away, a N.O. cop came up to the bird man, and started talking to him.   We walked a way a bit faster...

Audobon Aquarium - our first time there.  Can't believe we've never checked it out before.   Seemed a bit pricey, for the size, and for what they have, but it was actually really cool.   It's designed to lead you from beginning to end, very organized in lay out.   Penguins were a big draw, as they liked to swim to the edge of the glass and stare at you.    Seems only fair....  Fiona's (and my) favorite -  There was an owl. Just kinda hanging out on some rocks near the end, where they were featuring local fish and flora.  

Fish and penguins and Owls... Oh my!

And that's pretty much it.  There was a very quiet, sparsely attended St. Patrick's party that weekend.  Elderly irish nuns hollered out requests to Betsy, the musician from New Orleans that comes over to play the party every year.    Betsy's fantastic, but doesn't play music full time any more, so has forgotten some of the songs...  
Everyone was gone by 9:05, sober and well fed.  
How times change....

Airports and such.

So, I’m sitting at C3 at O’Hare airport, waiting to fly to Detroit for a conference.

Aprox. 18 hours ago, I landed in Midway, having been on a trip to see my wife’s mom for a few days. 

By the time I get back to the office on Thursday afternoon, I will have been on six different planes in eight days.  And walked through 5 airports...

Between work and trips to see family, I probably only log 4-5 round trips via air a year, which isn’t that much flying, compared to many.

But the thing is – I hate it.   Not the “paralyzed with fear that I’ll crash and die and they won’t be able to find a big enough piece to ID me” kind of hate.

More the” hurry up and wait and take your shoes and belt off and lug your shit a city block through crowds of people that all appear to have their heads up their asses, so you go sit on a bench for an hour” kind of way.

Whilst spending large sums of money to be treated shabbily.   

Hey you just dropped $500 to fly with us.  Here’s a tiny bag of pretzels, a small plastic cup of water and…. WIFI will cost you.

 I live in fear of the day when they realize they can charge you for the security check,  and that toilet paper will be sold by the square. 

While not traveling as much as some, I sit here at gate C3, on the blue vinyl bench, having just ate my (overpriced) lunch out of my lap, pondering the numbers.

I’ve spent time, as far as I can recall, in the following airports.

Chicago O’hare, Chicago Midway, Tucson AZ, Hartford CT, Detroit Metro, Atlanta, Atlanta Atlanta..sorry.. St Thomas AVI, Miami, Memphis,Lansing,  Houston, New Orleans, Dallas (Love Field I think), Savannah GA, Indianapolis, Ottawa ON,Toronto ON, Shannon Airport in Ireland, Dublin Airport Ireland, Orlando FL, Pensacola FL, Gulfport MS, Washington DC (Reagan)…  

So 24 airports, and I probably missed a couple there somewhere.   Like it matters.   My point’s made.  

I’ve spent way more time in way more airports than I’d like.   Even though I like the convenience and efficiency of flying.

Lessee, so far today, just since clearing security…

I’ve had d 3 different people walk right into me in the last hour, because they were on their phones and can’t talk and pay attention at the same time.  I’d hate to be next to them on the highway.  I was standing off to the side at the time, near.. nothing.    I’ve had 2 people stop dead in front of me, in the middle of the concourse, in traffic in otherwords, to make a call.   Apparently the call could not wait for them to step aside, out of traffic. 

And while in security line, the woman behind me bumped into me so many times, I had to tell her to stop, and had to make sure she wasn’t trying to steal my wallet.   When I told her to stop, she acted surprised, like she had no idea she had bumped me >10 times in <5 minutes.="" nbsp="" o:p="">

Space people.  Personal Space.   You’re invading Patrick Land, and I do not like it.

Oh and I’ve eaten a crappy lunch from a restaurant I Never eat at, except when I’m at an airport. 

Soon it will be time to board, and everyone will surge toward the gate, regardless of whether it’s time for them to board.   There will be at least 2 people that will appear to have never ever been on an airplane before, and incapable of understanding how seats and rows are laid out.  The little map will confuse them.  They will sit in the wrong row AND the wrong seat.   It’ll be time to leave, they’ll announce that everyone needs to turn their crap off, and the flight attendant will still have to tell some self-involved jack wagon to… turn his crap off.

                                                                                               

My daughter LOVES to fly.   She loves the airplane ride, the airports, saying hi to…everyone.  She loves the turbulence, the view out the window, the take off, the landing..

 It’s all one big amusement park ride for her.   Whereas for me, it’s the 75 minute wait in line in 90 degree heat, behind some foul mouthed cracker, to get ON that amusement park ride.   

And I'm jealous, as I often am, of her simple and innocent and non-jaded outlook on life.

Many hours later.......   We boarded, three people didn't know their numbers or letters

Plane was too full for all the carry ons, so mine ended up being stowed in baggage. And then... we set for almost an hour, without access to electronic devices, and without any indication whatsoever as to why we were just... sitting there.  No extra beverage, no pretzels (at all, for the entire flight,cheap b*stards) , no cool air nor announcements nor apologies.....    

My daughter probably would have been cool with it.