Let me catch you up with the story.
She was on the ground for a little over an hour, and then we got a text she was back on the (refueled) plane. I knew I wouldn't be going to sleep until she was tucked up, safe and sound in her hotel room. But, I had to try to settle her pups who had shifted into searching mode: where is she? Where is she? Can't find her. Where is she? So I took them to the front bedroom...and they seemed to accept that I was to be their bed-bud for the night. I turned on ESPN to mask the noises of a resting house...first we saw basketball, then football, and finally water polo (I kid you not!). Here are a couple of shots of sleeping dogs lying...
Missy M and the grand dogs made the 8-hour journey over the river and through the toll booths, arriving late Wednesday evening. Since Mr. T and I are housebound this Holiday Season, we are hosting both family celebrations here...so she and the mutt-mutts are traveling the Turnpike twice.
Both of her dogs did fine on the long trip, although Dixie simply will not sleep in the car. She's not disruptive (like Gussie could be at times); she sits quietly and watches...watches, the whole way. Ella Rae is more active, shall we say? Jump in the front seat, take a nap. Back to the back seat, look out the window. Back to the front, try to help drive...and so on. But, since ER does nap occasionally, she was ready to roam when they pulled into the driveway.
After a frantic meet & greet with Abbie (Duche$$ cannot be bothered for such mundane matters), they ALL chowed down on some nibbles of kibbles...as we pet parents scarfed some supper. Then, off to our assigned beds...Thursday was going to be a big day.
Wait a minute! Haven't I got the wrong week? Thanksgiving is next Thursday, you say? Yes, but Missy M has miles to go before she can take those vacation days. She had a business trip to take to Dallas and made arrangements to fly out of and back into Piedmont Triad International in Greensboro.
Both of her dogs did fine on the long trip, although Dixie simply will not sleep in the car. She's not disruptive (like Gussie could be at times); she sits quietly and watches...watches, the whole way. Ella Rae is more active, shall we say? Jump in the front seat, take a nap. Back to the back seat, look out the window. Back to the front, try to help drive...and so on. But, since ER does nap occasionally, she was ready to roam when they pulled into the driveway.
After a frantic meet & greet with Abbie (Duche$$ cannot be bothered for such mundane matters), they ALL chowed down on some nibbles of kibbles...as we pet parents scarfed some supper. Then, off to our assigned beds...Thursday was going to be a big day.
Wait a minute! Haven't I got the wrong week? Thanksgiving is next Thursday, you say? Yes, but Missy M has miles to go before she can take those vacation days. She had a business trip to take to Dallas and made arrangements to fly out of and back into Piedmont Triad International in Greensboro.
PTI sounds impressive...and sports some mighty fine, long runways thanks to FedEx...but names can be deceptive. Service to/from is limited, forcing a choice of small aircraft (that I call Pretend Planes) or a long layover in (where else?) Atlanta. M decided on an American direct flight to Dallas, meaning she choose a Pretend Plane. Oh, I know, that's my personal problem with the noise (causing a loss of hearing for a couple of hours after the flight) and the lack of space (there's just something wrong when they ask you to gate-check your carryons 'cause there's not enough room in the cabin for both people and their packings)...she's happy to deal with those issues in exchange for a direct flight.
About that direct flight business...right.
As Snoopy would say, "It was a dark and stormy night." Oh, no...not here. There was a beautiful, purple-pink-and-orange sunset, splashed over NC Highway 68. No, the storms lay in two flanks between her Departure and her Arrival gates: one stretched along the Mississippi River, centered over Memphis; the second, more powerful system headed directly for...drumroll, please...Dallas. I began to chew my cuticles almost the moment I returned home from PTI and pulled up both the WFMY Weather ap and Flight Tracker on my iPad. [An aside: PTI may be a disappointment in flight choices, but they are top-drawer on their website, offering a direct link to Flight Tracker...an excellent tool for nervous parents plotting the course of their flying offspring. Click here to go there: https://www.flyfrompti.com/airline-service/flight-trackers/]
We watched her flight head south in order to avoid the Memphis air space...good plan! But then along about 9:20, after crossing the Mississippi into Arkansas, the little black Flight Tracker airplane following the little white route-line turned and headed north. What?!
Thankfully, at almost the same instant we received the following text:
"Hello from the beautiful state of... Louisiana"
Her 'direct flight' had just made an unscheduled stop in Shreveport. "Better on the ground than in the air," were the first words out of Mr. T's mouth. No truer words...
Here's what the Weather ap shots showed (below). Not exactly comforting, eh?
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| Future forecast |
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| Screen capture - Dallas area, 9:35 |
She was on the ground for a little over an hour, and then we got a text she was back on the (refueled) plane. I knew I wouldn't be going to sleep until she was tucked up, safe and sound in her hotel room. But, I had to try to settle her pups who had shifted into searching mode: where is she? Where is she? Can't find her. Where is she? So I took them to the front bedroom...and they seemed to accept that I was to be their bed-bud for the night. I turned on ESPN to mask the noises of a resting house...first we saw basketball, then football, and finally water polo (I kid you not!). Here are a couple of shots of sleeping dogs lying...
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| Dixie, settled for the night (See her heart...on her head?) |
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| ER, first nap of the night |
With much tension, I watched the little FT plane make its way on my iPad from Shreveport Regional to DFW...first to the south, then turning north into the gap between the two waves on the Weather ap.
With great relief, I read the first text when she landed. With even greater relief, I read the last text when she assured me she was safe and sound, all locked in her room. 2:45 a.m., our time. Turn off the TV, turn out the lights! Let's get some sleep.
Not to be. Abbie couldn't understand why I wasn't sleeping with Mr. T where I was supposed to be, so she divided her time between bedrooms...with long stop-overs on the den sofa. Up, down, up, down...repeat...
And no time to nap, as Mr. T has PT today. Of course, I might catch a few zzzzz's before I head to PTI to pick-up our traveller who is scheduled to return tonight, but I kinda doubt it: she texted that Dallas is expecting ICE later.
Yeah. Better make that a double. More coffee? Naw...it must be 5:00 somewhere, right?
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UPDATE: 9:45 p.m.
Missy M's plane is in the air and on the way. I'll be starting back on caffeine soon since a delayed departure from Dallas (weather...what else?) means a late arrival in Greensboro (now projected to be 11:43 EST). Here's the screen capture of Flight Tracker, showing the little black plane leaving DFW and beginning to follow the little white route-line, weaving its way through the weather, to GSO:
Double-double espresso, anyone?
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UPDATE: 11:43 p.m.
Travel girl is home again, safe and sound. Let the Thanksgiving begin!
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