Spring Breaking

Spring Break

I am off to Redmond to spend Spring Break with Avery and Anika. I also get to spend time with Kendra and Kristie and John.

Marge drove me to O'Hare, thanks Marge, and I checked in and went through security - thankfully with short lines because I was flying first class and got to get in the short line. Regular security was a long line.

I went to the Admiral's Club and discovered that on American Airlines a first class ticket does not get you into the Admiral's Club. My bad for not booking Alaska Airlines! At the Admiral's Club check in I gave the gate keeper my boarding pass and was asked how I qualified to get into the Admiral's Club. I replied, "I have a first class ticket." Then she said that was not enough, I needed a membership or a Platinum American Express card or Platinum Citi Card. I asked if the rules had changed and mentioned that last year I was allowed in the Alaska Airlines Board Room with a first class ticket. She then asked if I had a Board Room card. She never responded to me when I asked if the rules had changed. I pick up my bag and headed out. There were chairs by the door into the Admiral's Lounge so I sat down to go on-line to check on Admiral Club rules. Another gate keeper asked me if I had checked in, I said "no" and she said I had to leave. I said I was on-line on the AA web site. They gave me another couple of minutes and then said I would have to leave. I asked them to back off as I was on the AA website. They were quite rude and insistent When I determined the rules for access I picked up and left, but not after getting a bad taste of poor customer service. The gate keepers were downright rude. I found the answer on the aa.com website under Admiral Club access frequently asked questions. If the gate keepers had simply told me the access rules as the are stated in the FAQ then we would have been done. As it was I had to determined the rules mysef. Fail. An e-mail to cstomer service is in order.

The flight from O'Hare to DFW was uneventful and arrived a little early. At DFW I rode the Skylink from Terminal A to C. Nice. After a short layover I was on the flight to Seattle. Why Chicago to Dallas to Seattle you ask? I am flying on miles and these were the best connections I could get for free.

I started writing this on the flight to Seattle. I am watching the Life of Pi. Good. No, wonderful, lifting, sad, an extraordinary story. If you have not seen it, see it,

Listening to J.J. Cale, and Van Morrison and Boz Scaggs I am thinking that uptight right wingers should kick back, listen to some mellow music and chill. Calm down, relax, enjoy life.

Seattle. What a long walk from the gate. We arrived at the far end of the A Concourse which seemed to go on forever. I went to the Alaska Airlines Boardroom and asked if I could get in. Nope, not on an American first lass ticket. If I had booked Alaska I'd be golden. The ladies behind the desk were both very nice and we hatted a bit before I left. Not like the American experience.

I headed to Anthony's and had a beer and a small plate of pan fried oysters. Yummy. Then onto the small plane to Remond, nt full, legt on tie and arrived a little early. John picked me up and I am now on spri g break!

Vegging at John and Kristies right now by the wood stove. I am cozy.

 

Spring?

Spring is fast approaching yet we have had snow the last four weeks and cold,weather continues to hang on. As I write Sharon is in Juneau, Alaska and it is warmer there than here (not by much. but it is warmer.)

I managed to stay inside all day today except for a trip out front to retrieve the garbage and recycling cans and get the mail and UPS packages from the front porch. I just cranked up the heat in the house and the kitties and I stayed cozy. I spent the day wiping and configuring my old laptop and and iPad to take to the grand kids. I head there on Wednesday! I am sure we will have a grand time during their spring break.

As I mentioned, Sharon is in Juneau. She will fly through Redmond on her way back,and we will have about 36 hours together in Oregon before she flies back to Chicago and then on to Cleveland for another week in Fairlawn, Ohio. She has been a road warrior again for the last month.

We have begun our plans for this May's vacation. Sharon book us flights into Paris and returning from Barcelona. I've book a hotel in Paris and am figuring out the rest of our trip. We have to decide if we drive or train to our other stops. After Paris the only thing I know for sure is the train from Perpignan, France to Barcelona, Spain then onto Sitges for a week with the Solers. Perhaps I should do my planning in reverse. Book the train from Perpignan to Barcelona, a room for a night in Perpignan and then figure the rest. Renting a car is easy. The train is not as easily done.

Where Did February Go?

It is already March. When I last made a blog entry I commented on the weather - the first snow of the season. February saw more snow and tonight through tomorrow we should see somewhere from 6 to 10 inches. The ground has been snow covered for well over a week now and we are looking as I expect the Chicago area to look in the winter.

In the Arboretum

As I write this I glanced to my left out the window and see a glow of red on the horizon. Sunrise! Sharon has been traveling weekly to Fairlawn, Ohio for the past three weeks. On Monday mornings I drop her off at the airport around 5:15am, so I am home by 6:00. A good opportunity to watch the sun come up. The red is growing and is pretty.

Last week we were in Davenport for Brady's second birthday. She was certainly spoiled by all the attention she garnered! It was fun watching her open her packages with squeals of delight - and not just from the packaging as she was truly able to enjoy her presents. It do enjoy watching her grow. She is a happy, loved child.

 

Sharon and I have been thinking about what to do about flooring in the basement. We have a combination of vinyl tile and carpeting and painted cement. We've been considering laminate and when we saw some at Costco and read that it is occasionally on sale, we decided to go ahead. We picked out a color and waited for a sale - which happened in February. We bought 22 boxes of laminate and I started the project. I knew it would be hard work but I didn't know how hard! Gosh, this is tough on the legs and the hips. Down and up and down and up, measuring, cutting, fitting, laying, and getting more planks. But, it is coming along. We did have a glitch in that there is a drain in the floor outside the bathroom. I used some leveling patch and added padding to the area before laying the laminate, but it was still too uneven. This past weekend I pulled up about a half of the floor I had already placed and Sharon and I mixed a 50 pound bag of Quick Level and poured it in this trouble spot, plus low spots around floor drains in the studio and the laundry room. This should take care of it. I will be relaying the flooring today and will see how it worked! Wish me luck. I've still got the studio and the laundry room to do. I've cleared the floor and pulled the carpet in about 3/4 of the studio. My plan is to lay flooring in the cleared area, then move things onto the laminate and then finish the floor. You should have seen me moving my weight machine in the "exercise" room! I have moved it back now but still have to put all of the weights back on. Then perhaps I should start using it again! I used it regularly for years until I started chemo back in 2010 - and I never went back to it. I can tell in my waistline and flabby arms and legs. Looking in the mirror is good incentive I suppose.

 

When the floors are finished and the baseboard is in I will be repainting all of the basement. Something bright I think. Then, I will cover the walls with photos and paintings. I've stored a number of my mother's paintings for years. Now they will go up on the walls.

 

 

Later this month I will be heading to Redmond to spend Spring Break with Avery and Anika. I am excited and I am sure we will have a great time. Sharon is heading to Juneau the week I leave for Redmond. She will stop in Redmond on her way from Redmond to Cleveland. Traveling lady! It is not easy to arrange flights from Chicago to Juneau to Redmond and back home.

The cats continue to enjoy the warmth of radiators this winter. I wonder if they really miss them in warm weather or do they forget about radiators when they are enjoying heat from the sun? Rough life.