Dar Flys to Wisconsin

Thursday, March 26, 2009
Summerdale, AL

I have a recurring dream. I think many people do. In mine, I'm usually on a business trip and I'm trying to catch an airline flight... but I just can't seem to actually get to the airport. The most unusual situations, people, and events make up a string of obstacles that keep me from ever getting there, from ever making the flight. And it all happens in slow-motion. It doesn't occur often anymore, like when I was still in the business world, but from time to time it surprises me and causes some consternation when it does.

This past day or so, the process of trying to get Dar on a flight at the Pensacola Airport and off to Wisconsin for a few days reminded me a lot of my dream. It seemed we were stymied at every turn -- it seemed something would always happen to turn what should-have-been a simple process into an ordeal of waiting, watching, wondering, and waiting some more.

I won't belabor this much more, but the lack of clear signage directing travelers to the airport, road construction, weather in Dallas, weather in Pensacola, weather between here and there, flight cancellations, an overloaded airplane -- it was all more than this now-relaxed Wisconsin boy was used to.

The original flight yesterday afternoon was scheduled to leave at 2:15pm. But just after we got to the airport it was changed to 3:15; then 3:45; then 4:15; then 4:45; then 5:45; then 6:15. The problem was weather in Dallas, where she had to make a connecting flight to Madison scheduled to leave at 6:15. It wasn't looking good, in my humble opinion, so we decided to abort the Wednesday attempt and re-book for Thursday. Eventually that original flight was canceled altogether.

This morning the alarm went off at 3:30am. Dar's flight was scheduled for 6:30am and we're an hour away. As we're getting ready our NOAA weather radio's siren went off alerting us to a line of severe thunderstorms heading our way -- and right toward the Pensacola airport. Was this my recurring dream?

We pulled up to the airport at 5:30am. On checking in, she found the flight already delayed for almost an hour due to fog in Dallas. Looking at the flashing dark western sky it was also clear it wouldn't be much longer before these local storms would cause another problem. Am I dreaming?

But those pilots, in the spirit of Jimmy Doolittle, hustled everybody on the plane a bit after 7am even as the rain was starting to fall. They fired up the little regional jet, and rolled down the runway surrounded by bright booming lightning bolts thrown by very angry weather gods. The little plane clawed the wet air for altitude and slowly, eventually, popped out from the closing grip of the storm. If that sounds like a dream I must assure you it's very nearly the truth.

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Dar is going back to Wisconsin to get to the bottom of some lingering flu-like symptoms that have been keeping her down for too long. She did see a Doctor here but felt any further tests should be done in Wisconsin with her own physician and also because her health insurance plan works better there.

We should know a lot more in the next few days. Plan "A" is to get her issues resolved and have her fly back down as quickly as possible so we can continue exploring.

Thanks for all of your concern and best wishes.

T