Friday, August 12, 2016. I am a total flibbertigibbet before a trip! Last night I was up until after midnight doing laundry, packing, cleaning house, and getting completely distracted by the Olympics. I would find myself sitting on the floor, laundry basket in front of me, staring at the TV as Michael Phelps won more gold and the US women’s gymnastic team followed suit. Focus, Sandy, focus! I was pretty happy when I got all my stuff packed into just a backpack and a carry-on. I hope to never check baggage again - it’s gotten far too expensive!
Friday was a normal day at work, except for when I was trapped in my car. I had to clamber over my luggage to get out when lunch break was over. Who knew my car had child locks on the back doors?
How did it get switched anyway?! After a quick change of clothes (after which I couldn't touch anything for fear of getting grease on my white pants), I left directly from work for the airport in the pouring rain. On the way, Delta sent a text that my flight from Detroit to Norfolk was delayed 30 minutes. No problem, now I’ll have time for dinner in Detroit. Then, another text. And another. Delays in Moline both times. Earlier this week Delta had their computer system crash and hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled. They’re likely still recovering from that. I guess that means I should have dinner in Moline instead of Detroit. I swear, the menu should have said “Teeny Weeny Panini” because that thing was really small! An hour late, we were finally on our way. It was raining in Detroit too, but there was a big rainbow welcoming us. Even with the delays, I made my connection with a few minutes to spare.
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| Who knew??? |
People are weird. The guy across the aisle carried a bowling ball onto the plane - no case, just the ball. The flight attendant told him to put it into the overhead bin. Seriously? If we hit turbulence, that ball is landing right in my lap! I’m seated next to a priest or reverend or something so maybe that will protect me. He’s studying from a book written in Latin. It has lots of pictures of churches. I peeked over at his to-do list - acolyte candles, toilet paper holder. What?! I was curious!
Despite the delays, we landed almost on time. My dear friends Rick and Christine were waiting to whisk me away to their beach house. It was so good to see them! The temperature was still 85 degrees at 11:00 PM - the forecast is predicting an extremely hot week. The moment I got to the house, I stepped out onto the deck to listen to the ocean. I always forget how loud it is, but ahhhhh I love that sound! After a quick snack, we settled into deck chairs and reclined to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower. The sound of our chatter and the crashing waves accompanied the shooting stars until the wee hours of the morning. Hello, Virginia Beach! It’s good to see you again!
| United States | Virginia |  Visibility: Good visibility |  |
Best hours to observe:
11:00pm - 04:30am (EST) Peak: Night of Aug 11 to morning of Aug 12 Best:While Perseids peaks on August 12th, we recommend observing starting August 1st, way before August 17th's full moon, for maximum visibility.
Peak: August 11, 12, 13
Shower rate: 15-30 per hour Time Zone: UTC/GMT -5:00 hours |
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