The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins..

.......With a drive from Lex Park to DC. The days leading up to departure were the usual hectic string of details and little errands. Tie up loose ends from the book sale; tell the (few) interested parties you’re leaving, mail, papers, give instructions toplant waterer volunteers, coordinate with the landscaper, e-mails for civic clubs, remember to turn off the electronics, fans, etc., on and on. Oh, and hey, we have to fill those suitcases and manage the golf sticks. Finally all that done, so with a sense of some relief we loaded up the rent-a-racer and headed north. Couldn’t help feeling resentment of this trip imposing on my busy (so called) retirement time and making me do all those little tasks. So, it was with low expectations that we began the journey. A quick peek ahead, expectations were exceeded, surprisingly in the culinary area – so far. Surprisingly we navigated up Branch Avenue, onto the belt way, over the bridge, north on Rte 1 to Alexandria first time good on the back way, and into the Courtyard on Eisenhower Avenue – saving over one hundred bucks by being 3 or 4 miles south of crystal city (watch that retiree budget you know).

We had of course existed on “leaving the house” food for a couple of days, and dinner consisted of a couple of packages of Ritz Cheese Crackers on the surprisingly easy drive north. Upon entering the Courtyard, we noticed the (corporate standard) little bar off to the right, with the standard couple of “contractor” road warriors nursing a beer and clicking away on their blackberries, occasionally talking to the air and little blue tooth thingy about tomorrow’s travails. But, it also had a wide screen with NCAA’s on, and looked attractive after the drive. So, we checked in, came back down and sat at the bar. A very nice bartender lady offered the bar menu, and took our drink orders (I went for scotch/rocks not wanting to have yet another round of the drink test). We decided to split a chicken quesadilla appetizer ($8.95) and she offered us the opportunity to sit at a vacated table in front of the TV. She graciously set us up, brought silver, water, asked if everything was okay and went back to the bar and the blackberried customers. As the drinks took the edge off, some of the travails of the day and week started to melt away. When the quesadilla arrived we were pleasantly surprised that it was crispy and warm, gooey with melted cheese, had some fresh sour cream, salsa, and guacamole siding it. The chicken was plentiful and had some flavor. It was very good (and helped by seeing the Wolverines hang on to avoid another Big Ten loss). By the time bed time came, the thought of a week away began to sound a bit attractive. Sleep came easily.

This morning contained the next challenge, getting to Reagan National, checking luggage, the humiliation of security, and boarding the jet. My driving acumen continued to prove good and we got to the curb side check-in without any near collisions or incidents. Of course when you don’t have time to think about packing too much, you end up with too much stuff and this resulted in two bulky suitcases, and the bulky golf clubs, with visions of surcharges and ugly clerks. TRAVEL TIP – use curb side checkin if at all possible. A very kindly gentlemen met us at the car, schlepped the stones to the stand, gave us boarding passes, and pooh pooh any thought of penalties. No waiting in line, no weighing, no taking to TSA luggage drop off, just “thank you maam”. Curb side, tip heavily. Anyway, the rental car was then returned and I joined up with MFO and proceeded to security which was a breeze, and then up to the Admirals club, an extravagance I question every year, but never question when you sit in nice chairs, sip coffee or soft drinks and relax up until your flight is ready to board. Since this was sort of our “retirement trip” we blew some of the frequent flier miles attained via previous employment and went first class. Another treat. We boarded first, and then watched the poor people file in to “The Back”. Poor souls…Given the economy and previous experience we had low expectations of food, expecting dry stuff on Styrofoam and plastic cups. Well, soon after take off, the lady brought us some warmed nuts in an actual china little bowl, a request for a Mimosa was met with “sure” and soon it was delivered in actual glass with ice cubes. Oh my goodness. Maybe this trip is okay after all…in a few minutes we were asked if we would like lunch, with choices of either a salmon salad or a chicken parmeagian. We opted for the salmon. Eating the nuts and enjoying the Mimosa we listened to the cabin attendants announce that soft drinks were complimentary, but drinks and wines were available for 6(!) bucks, and either a 4 or 5 dollar snack pack could be purchased. Soon a tray was set before us, a nice green salad with a pink piece of salmon atop, with Kalamata olives in a glass dish, with cloth napkin and actual metal utinsels, a little wedge of Brie and Water crackers aside. The salmon was far from dried out, not “flaky (i.e. overcooked) and had a nice glaze on it. The greens crunched at every bite. Amazing! Meanwhile as we dined and sipped a passable Sauvignon Blanc, the greening hills and fields passed underneath. Since it was an MD-80, the sound level was low, and we thought of our favorite “Living well is the best revenge” quote. So here we sit in DFW admirals club, and by golly this is FUN!!!

Rest of the day later.

And we’re
DFT (Dressed for Travel – nice clothes, no jeans and T-Shirts)