I’m writing this as I’m sitting in the  the "Soggy Bottom Cafe" in a little break from class.

I did a round of family farewells last night, saying goodbye to each bambino. Of course the teenage grandchildren have an order or two. The little ones are just happy with a picture email each day. I must remember not to send scary photos though. I sent 3 year old Kodi a photo of a dinosaur with Grandpa’s head in his mouth…. he still talks about it

I never sleep well the night before I travel.
It’s part anticipation, part anxiety. No matter how much you travel or how comfortable you are with the art of traveling…. (and believe me is certainly is an art) the anticipation is ever present.
4.00 am it’s the  grey area between night and morning. The air is heavy and silence blankets the houses in preparation for the day.
Even Jack the dog knew it wasn’t time to wake up. He covers himself completely with the baby blue minky blanket he stole from upstairs. Only the tip of his black nose gives me the clue that he’s resident in his basket.
Two months on the road is a long time to be away.
Keith and I don’t talk very much on the way to the airport, it’s part of the anticipation of separation.
I generally travel business by obtaining an upgrade by status. However, that doesn’t always happen.
Mr Qantas usually gives me a good seat…. BUT, this time the plane was completely full.
Yes, I had a good seat. I was happy with my lot for 14 hours. Just as I was getting comfy in my environment, the hostess came and chatted very quietly to me…. “Mrs Holland, would you mind shifting to the back so a family can sit together”?
“Oh, you don’t have to” she stated…. I think she saw the shocked look on my face…. “well, I’d rather not” I said feeling uncomfortable….
It wasn’t until just before the plane took off that my companions arrived on the plane…..!!!!OOOh my. My seating partner was 3 times my size and flowed over one quarter of my seat.
I had to sit like a question mark to avoid bodily contact.
“Will you shift now” she said trying to make a point…..
Well that was the wrong thing to say to me and I looked her straight in the eye and very firmly  said “No”….
“she said NO, she really said No” was her comment to her companion….
I felt as thought I had committed a crime.
The trip proceeded… I thought I’m in for it now…
I have a long “fuse, however, if it is ignited I’m prone to go into a little rage (rage comes from a variant of the latin rabies) that should give you some idea of how I was feeling as she put her arm into my stomach and took up my leg space.
Pointedly I took out my red shawl and placed it next to me… so at least we weren’t thigh to thigh…but thigh to shawl.
I finally asked her to move her arm…. after 5 requests she gave in…..
There were good movies featured and I figured I could movie my way through the trip….
Meal time and the attendant tipped a whole can on diet coke in my crutch. Choice Joyce.
It soaked into the seat and I was floating in cold diet coke in my cream pants….. he gave me 3 paper napkins to soak it up….. thanks buddy.
I was terrified that I was going to end up with coke striped pants for the next 24 hours….!!!
It took 4 hours to become partly dry…. and I must write to coke and congratulate them on their wonderful product…. you had to look very carefully to see just where it had been.
Said attendant took away the trays after the meal and clocked me on the head with the corner of the tray….. “Oh, it’s not your day” he said. I said “No buddy, it’s not going to be yours either”…. after that he kept away from me  – thankfully.
I spent the rest of the trip, avoided by the clumsy flight attendant and disliked intensely by my seating companion and her friends.
I didn’t sleep for fear of reprisals….
Not really, I just wanted the trip over so I watched all the movies until the system broke 2 hours out of LA. It’s the first time I’ve never slept on the plane.
I always feel at home when I walk out into the air at LA airport.
Everything went swimmingly after that…I spent the next 12 hours in my coke pants and waited and caught 3 more planes until Jo Beths friendly face told me I had finally arrived at Pasco, Washington State.
Everyone was so helpful, polite and I felt vindicated…
On the flight from Seattle to Pasco I was privy to stunning views, we flew over snow covered mountains then dipped down into green patchwork valleys ringed by hills…. I was on the wrong side of the plane for photographs, the sun was shining on the window….but I took a few…

We had dinner at the restaurant at the airport and it was a short ride to the hotel…. I felt like my head belonged to someone else…I stood under the shower, for ages, fell into bed and went to sleep well before the sun did.
I woke at 12.30 am and snacked on my left over sandwich and warm milk. Then I collapsed again until 7.30… 12 hours sleep in all.

What a day.

The mountain is Rattle snake mountain…. and the photo of the airport is Seattle….