travel | Change Is Hard

October 19, 2012
by dawnkinster 23 Comments

Flying is not glamorous.

Other planes are flying. Why can’t I?

How many of you remember when flying was sort of glamorous? When you used to get dressed up to fly, wear heals and nice suites? No? Well most of you are too young to remember, but I’m glad those days are over and that I was wearing comfortable clothes and flats on Wednesday when I flew to Washington DC. Booked on a very early United flight out of Flint, connecting in Cleveland and ending up at Reagan National, I expected to arrive in DC mid morning, enjoy a leisurely metro ride to the mall and a bit of time at the Martin Luther King memorial before my first meeting scheduled at 2:30 in the Hart Senate Building.

I did my part, got up at 3, got to the airport by 4:45, was at the gate at 5:00 a.m. The flight was supposed to board at 5:30. By 5:45 they told us there would be a small delay because a screen in the aircraft would not light up. After a bit they said it would take an hour to fix and I knew I’d miss my connection, but I had lots of time before my first meeting in DC. I was irritated but not worried.

After the hour was up they told us the flight was cancelled. Immediately I was up the escalator and first in line at the ticket counter to get rescheduled. I eventually scored a Delta flight out of Detroit direct to DC that would get me in around noon. But I was in Flint.

They booked a taxi van and 10 of us crammed in there for an crazy ride in rush hour traffic down to the big city. Along the way we encountered a traffic jam created by a fender bender accident and our driver veered off the freeway on an exit, careened through a Mobile gas station, and headed back north on the freeway we’d just come down. We were mostly confused and stressed as we hung on tight in the swaying vehicle. None of the seat belts worked, and I was sitting on half a seat, sharing the last bench seat with two rather large ladies.

We finally got deposited at Detroit and I ran for my flight, making it to the gate just as it should have been boarding. It was not boarding. There were maintenance problems with the plane and there would be a delay. Really. Really? We sat for another hour or more. I’d been ‘traveling’ for over 7 hours and had only managed to get sixty miles from my house.

Reagan National

We finally flew out of Detroit a bit after noon, and I arrived at Regan National around 1:30. No time for the metro trip, no time for wandering amid monuments. No time to relax. No time for lunch. I grabbed a cab and headed for the Hill. Tomorrow I’ll tell you about two conversations I had with cab drivers. One in particular was pretty special.

But for now I’m going to go to bed. Just thinking about that flight has exhausted me all over again.

October 8, 2012
by dawnkinster 12 Comments

Sometimes change works out OK

Some of you have figured out that I successfully imported my old blog into this blog. You got a message that there were over 1000 posts to read! 🙂 I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to read all 1000 again. Really? No? Well…some were led down that path…and have commented on posts from a year ago when we were in California.

San Fran goodness.

I wish we had been able to go back out there again this year, but no, we’re still here in Michigan.

Meanwhile, change is coming here as well…at least in the weather department. Not too far north of us they have had snow. And last night we got our first hard frost which killed the tomatoes and the dahlias.

The last bit of summer.

I’m so glad I cut most of the blossoms yesterday, so they’re in my kitchen now and I’m enjoying the last of their beautiful colors for a bit longer.

Summer glows as it slips away.

The leaves are changing faster and faster here too. They are absolutely stunning! I was worried that we wouldn’t get any fall color because we had so little rain this summer. But once again I was wrong.

Fall arrives with fanfare.

It’s beautiful at work on my lunch walks, and it is beautiful around home too. I have so many photos. Every year I think the trees are the most beautiful they’ve ever been and I take more photos.

Waiting for the school bus.

This year was no exception

The air glows gold.

September 1, 2012
by dawnkinster 11 Comments

Searching for the ends of the earth

The ends of the earth at Point Pelee in Canada.

Karma continues to challenge us with photo hunts. She gave us extra time to find our own personal ‘ends of the earth’ and it’s a good thing she did because here I am coming in at the last second with my choices. (Make sure you click on the photos to get a better view.)

The inspiration for this hunt came from our trip to Point Pelee in Canada earlier this summer. Point Pelee is a piece of land jutting out into Lake Ontario. From the sky it looks like a sharp edged triangle but when you’re there it feels like a very small version of Cape Horn, South America, with waves come toward it from two directions.

While we were in Canada we also visited a more famous location – Niagara Falls – where I had another ‘ends of the earth’ experience as we stood just at the edge of the falls, looking down at the Maid of the Mist tourist boat.

The ends of the earth at Niagara Falls.

Traveling to another Great Lake two years ago we explored Lake Huron, and at one point walked through tall marsh grass, our feet getting more and more wet as we got closer to the lake.

Looking for the ends of the earth.

It was easier going at Tawas Point State Park where the ends of the earth was more evident.

The very ends of the earth at Tawas.

But since Karma’s challenge I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for some ends of the earth photo opportunities closer to home. It wasn’t easy without being near a large body of water.

You can see the ends of the earth just past that last stand of trees.

Or maybe the ends of the earth are even closer to home. Maybe right down at the end of our road?

Can you get to the ends of the earth from here?

But in the end I felt like I needed to find the ends of the earth in Northern Michigan, on my favorite lake, Lake Michigan. We gazed out over the lake from a platform built above the dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park.

Extending the ends of the earth just a bit further.

And we traveled up to the very tip of Michigan’s little finger, the Leelanau Peninsula, to see the very ends of the earth, where someone had perfectly expressed my feelings about this part of the country.

I heart Lake Michigan.

I could go on and on talking about very special places where a person can experience beautiful ends of the earth. But it’s getting late and Karma’s deadline looms. Thank you once again Karma, for keeping me observant. And for giving me another excuse to travel, always on the lookout for something special to capture.

Can’t wait for next time!

October 16, 2011
by dawnkinster 12 Comments

Home again

Just got back from picking up the Katie-girl.

The woman manning the front desk at the kennel told the helper person to get “the calm Sheltie.” Right. They said she was “really quiet.” Right. That she “liked to run in circles in her pen.” Really?

She barked at me the entire way home. After two walks around the yard to sniff everything and a rousing game of frisbee in the back yard she’s finally settled down with a big sigh for a nap.

We got home at 2:30 a.m. last night. I could do with a nap myself. More on our trip later. (Thanks Ellen for the post about our visit!)

Yawn.

October 15, 2011
by dawnkinster 10 Comments

Saying goodbye to the Pacific ocean

Yesterday was spent with the ocean; driving along it, walking beside it, smelling the salt in the air – feeling the wind in our faces.

Most of the day was spent near Big Sur, south of San Fransisco. We tried, earlier in the week, to visit the Pacific when we were north of the city…

…but fog made the driving hazardous and we gave up after a brief touch.

Yesterday, our last full day in California we wanted to watch the sunset over the Pacific.

So we picked up burgers and ate them on the beach while we waited. It was perfect way to end a lovely vacation.

Today we’re flying home, going back to our real lives, our Katie-girl, my job. But not before I get to meet Ellen in person! She’s coming with her two dogs and we’re going to go for a short walk! I can’t wait!

I have so many other fun and interesting things to share with all of you, more than I can ever get into this blog, but for now please enjoy the sunset over the Pacific. Complements of me.

October 14, 2011
by dawnkinster 9 Comments

Alcatrz musings

Alcatraz…what is there to say except that I’m glad I never lived there. Such sadness in such an idyllic spot with views to die for. Some did.

The cells were tiny, spare, hard. The best ones had sunlight. Solitary confinement cells didn’t have any light at all. We got to go inside a solitary confinement cell while the guard shut the door with a clang. Six or seven of us stood silent in the hot, humid total darkness.

Freedom makes a person smile.

So much tragedy here, the images are ghostly, faint, movie-like, and yet they were real. Much is told by people that lived the story. As one said, “Not much good came out of a stay on the rock.”