Thursday, September 18, 2025

Last night I took my Diphenhydramine and Zopiclona tablets and went to bed at 7pm, took a while to fall asleep, woke up at 1am (it was raining) and got up at 1:15, took my shower, dressed, kissed Teresa goodbye and headed downstairs with my carry-on.

It was only raining lightly so I didn’t bother putting up my umbrella and Carlos was waiting for me in his taxi. He still has the old taxi which suffices when it’s just me. We got caught up on a few things.  His voice is gravely and a little low so even though he speaks good English he can be difficult to understand.

We arrived at the Rionegro airport before 3am. The self-service machines weren’t working at American Airlines so I had to wait in a short line. The rep asked for the telephone number of my US contact, my son, informed me the flight was nearly full and wanted to check my bag until I told her I have a computer with a lithium battery. She gave me my boarding passes for all three flights and informed me boarding would start at 5:15.

I took my laptop out of my carry-on and went through TSA without a hitch. I showed my passport with my Colombian Visa to Customs and they stamped it with the exit date.

I saw a croissant with LOTS of almonds that I’m thinking of buying to take on the plane.

By 3:15 I was at my gate.

In Pergamino café I inquired as to the cost of the bag of coffee I bought in Viva Envigado for 45mil each and here they are 72mil.

I found a quiet spot and took out my laptop with mouse so I could update my blog notes.

It’s 4:15 so I think I’ll close my computer, buy that croissant and find a seat by the gate. And that’s what I did.

I was happy to find I had an aisle seat and when I sat down both sides of the aisle were completely free. But that didn’t continue. A woman came and I got up so she could take the window seat. A few minutes later another woman comes and I got up so she could take the middle seat. I noticed people arriving across the aisle also. A man soon comes and shows me his ticket which means he has the window seat. I looked at Karen and we all got up so she could move to her real seat, which ended up being the middle seat across the aisle. 😊

The stewardess gave us a small package of cookies and I chose a cup of water with a piece of ice to drink with my almond croissant (which was delicious as I snuck pieces out of the bag). We arrived in Miami on time and as I recalled from last time it was a long walk to Passport Control. Luckily, there was a short line compared to when Teresa and I were there last time when the whole room was full.

The officer asked me a couple simple questions I don’t remember and I was on my way. I found my gate and it was a little crowded waiting for the next flight.

A new photo of Annie James that Jeannie sent me:

This time I had a window seat with a young woman in the aisle seat and no one in the middle seat. 😊

At one point I fell asleep for a few minutes (30?) and when I woke up the woman informed me they came by with drinks but didn’t want to disturb me. About 10 minutes later they finished serving but I caught the waitress and she brought me a Coke with a cup with an ice cube in it.

We arrived at Reagen National in Washington on time – I thought I saw the tall Washington Monument in the distance.

I knew I only had an hour to get to my next gate but when I got off and I looked back the screen at the gate had Chicago O’Hare and m flight number on it. I remarked to the gate officer that I should have just stayed on the plane. (Which would have been a good idea after what happened next.)

The area was VERY busy and after a trip to the restroom was lucky to find a seat.  I couldn’t understand the loud speaker very well but I kept an eye on the screen. As before I was in Group 9, the last group to board.

They made an announcement asking for volunteers to check their carry-on for free as they were almost out of overhead bin space. When they called Group 9 they asked those of us with carry-on to come forward and they put luggage tags on them.

I explained I have a computer in it and they just asked me to remove and take it on my plane and put it in the little bag in front of my seat.

My luck finally ran out and I had the middle seat in row 31, only two more rows in the plane behind me. It was manageable and we landed at 4:45, 45 minutes before schedule. Five minutes later the plane was off the runway but stopped on the tarmac. The pilot notified us that we had to wait 10 minutes for a gate to become available. Five minutes later the pilot informed us we have been assigned Gate H18. Ten minutes later we started moving toward the gate and 5 minutes later we arrived. Being in the back of the plane it took me 15 minutes to exit.

It was a long walk to baggage claim where I found my carry-on immediately. I put my laptop in the carry-on and made a quick trip to the restroom, now having my hands free.

I had already texted Jimmy that I had landed and my Door number, 3G but when I went outside to the outer ring of the driveway I lost internet. He picked me up about 25 minutes later and we went to Barnaby’s for pizza.

I paid $18.25 for a large pizza and I forget how much for a pitcher of Pepsi. We really wanted root beer but when it came out of the dispenser it looked a little weak on syrup so we switched. I really wanted the root beer, not just because it’s my favorite but also because it’s caffeine free and I didn’t want any sleep issues.

Jimmy drove us to his apt in Lakeview, drove in and dropped off the car with valets and introduced me to them. we took Murray for a quick walk and got settled for sleep.

I took the couch and was asleep within 10 minutes.

 

FUNNY