Standing Into Danger: Southwest Airlines

Showing posts with label Southwest Airlines. Show all posts

Friday, April 12, 2024

On Becoming a Lady of Leisure

Well, my time crunch didn't ease. It worsened.

We got back home yesterday evening after a three-night trip to Florida

to see Terry's brother who is seriously ill.

It was a difficult but worthwhile visit, and we all enjoyed seeing each other.

A Strange, but Oddly Beautiful, Landscape (to Me)

Panhandle, Florida, USA

April 8, 2024

On Tuesday, while we were in Palm City Beach, my eye surgeon's scheduling nurse

called me to tell me that a surgery slot had opened up on Monday, April 15th.

Could I make it?

Of course, the call came while I was 1200 feet out on a pier in the Gulf of Mexico

surrounded by fishermen, screaming gulls, and crashing waves.

M. B. Miller County Pier

Panama City Beach, Florida, USA

April 9, 2024

Fortunately, I was trying to photograph the tumbling waves,

and I could toss my iPhone to Terry to try to get the call before the nurse hung up.

I could hear nothing and see little on my screen.

I can handle point-and-shoot photography,

but not blindly trying to accept an important call.

Waves Crashing near M. B. Miller County Pier

Gulf of Mexico, Panama City Beach, Florida, USA

April 9, 2024

Success! I was scheduled thanks to my calm husband.

And a bright spot too, after just having said goodbye

to Terry's brother and promising to return soon.

Now I'm scrambling to cancel and reschedule appointments

and get ready for my surgery on Monday morning:

unpacking, laundry, ironing, groceries, bills, medical forms ~ you name it!

At least I don't have time to worry about my surgery, which is a good thing.

But, come Monday, I will be a lady of leisure for two weeks.

Dr. Superman (That's what my voicemail calls my eye surgeon Dr. Subramanian.)

told me that I can't work out, lift anything over 15 pounds,

or do anything stressful for two weeks after my operation.

He assured me that he doesn't have to take my eyeballs out

and that I'll be under general anesthesia. Whew!

Yup, Gonna Be a Lady of Leisure!

Aurora, Colorado USA

January 9, 2019

Poor Terry ~ I plan to milk it, lol!

Probably not. He's been through a stressful and difficult time.

Yesterday's flights home were scrambled by severe storms in the southeast.

We rerouted from Palm City Beach through Nashville,

because we couldn't make our connecting flight in Houston in time.

In Nashville we could catch a Denver-bound flight.

Our bags had already been placed on the plane to Houston,

so they found their own way to Denver.

I so love Southwest Airlines. They were so good to us!

Terry and Others Lining Up to Rebook Their Flights

Panama City Beach Airport, Florida, USA

April 10, 2024

This Guy Made My Day with a Bow

(He spotted me taking lots of pictures ~ lol)

Nashville International Airport, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

April 10, 2024

Turning onto the Runway

Time to Rock and Roll in Stormy Skies

Panama City Beach Airport, Florida, USA

April 10, 2024

Lots of rock and rolling during our two flights, but we made it despite the turbulence.

Home looked sooooo good!!!

Our Plane's Shadow as We Approached the Runway at Denver International Airport

Near Denver and Aurora, Colorado USA

April 10, 2024

T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

Port Saint Joe, Florida, USA

April 8, 2024

I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date, Nicole's Friday Face Off,

and Tom's Aloha.

For Rain: Wheels. Okay, I have a thing for machines and hardhats!

The Beginning of a Huge Development Nearby

Aurora, Colorado USA

April 8, 2015

For Nicole: Goofy Faces. I thought I was seeing things

when I spotted the Sphinx from the pier, but it was part of a miniature golf course.

Goofy Golf Faces

Panama City Beach, Florida, USA

April 9, 2024

For Tom: An oil leak and scattered rose petals in a sacred place.

USS Arizona Memorial

Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA

February 28, 2024

Have a great weekend!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

Writing this on Thursday,

publishing it at 12:00 am Friday.

My next post will be

Friday, April 17th 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Friday, December 15, 2023

Here's to a Christmas Couch!

Hi, Everyone! I never dreamed I'd be away this long!
I'm looking forward to catching up with my blogging buddies.

Terry and I had a wonderful time cruising on Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas

from Honolulu to Sydney via French Polynesia and Wellington.

It was the adventure of a lifetime for sure!

Terry and I

Motu Ofetaro, a Public Park

Near Raiatea, French Polynesia

October 21 2023

Motu Ofetaro, French Polynesia

October 21 2023

We arrived home from Sydney with more than we bargained for: white pneumonia.

And, in my case, it spread into my ears and sinuses causing chronic infections.

I never do anything halfway ~ lol.

I was stone deaf for a week,

but my hearing has been slowly recovering over the past four weeks.

We left Sydney on JetStar at 5:25 pm on Monday, November 13th on a nine hour flight

and landed in Honolulu at 6:05 am on the same day!

We were supposed to spend the day and night in Waikiki before flying home on the 14th,

but Terry discovered there was a flight boarding for Phoenix

in an hour and it continued on to Denver.

We joined the check-in line, and by the time we reached the counter,

Terry had scored tickets for the flight. I so love Southwest Airlines!

Heading Home on Southwest Airlines

Sand Island (left), Waikiki (middle) and Diamond Head (right)

November 13, 2023

Six hours later, still on the 13th, we landed in Phoenix.

But the continuing flight was nixed,

and we had to hoof it to another concourse for a new plane.

Two hours later we were landing at Denver International Airport!

Home!

I'm sure the passengers around me were glad to get away from me.

I had a bad asthma attack during the flight, and my throat and ears hurt so bad

that I was plugging my ears and opening and shutting my mouth like a fish out of water.

The air around me reeked of the cough drops I was chowing down.

Sixteen hours in the air, and it was still the 13th!

And all our bags made it!

Denver International Airport

8348 miles or 13435 kilometers ~ as the crow flies!

January 10, 2023

We reunited with our bags, caught the train to Gateway Park, and headed to our car.

My little white Forester looked so good in the dark and cold.

Until we got closer.

Everything inside it was tossed, the doors were unlocked,

and the steering column was badly damaged.

My beloved Subie was inoperable.

The vandal(s) must have been scared off,

because a heavy cross peen hammer lay on the driver's seat.

Terry called and reported the break-in to the Aurora police

(Like the police had time to worry about a vandalized car!).

Next he called our insurance company and reported the incident.

Then he called Uber, and fortunately someone picked up our ride.

It was 11:00 pm when the Uber driver pulled up.

I walked away from my Forester and never saw her again.

My Forester on in Our Garage

on the Day Terry Retired

February 20 2015

We walked into our home, turned up the heat, turned on the water, and fell into bed.

The longest day of my life, literally, was a good 40 hours,

compliments of the International Dateline.

I couldn't get out of bed Tuesday morning.

Terry crawled out very early, while dealing with pneumonia himself.

He drove to the park-and-ride, met an AAA tow truck, and followed it

to Speedy Roo Motorsports where we've had our cars serviced for twenty years.

The owner Dave made Terry an offer and bought my Subie to part it out.

At twenty-one years old, my Forester wasn't worth salvaging.

Dave's now keeping his eyes out for another Forester for me.

Terry came home and fell into bed beside me.

I don't know how he got through getting the car dealt with.

Lord love him!

And then he rallied and took such good care of me,

bringing me food, coffee, and medicine for three days

before dragging me out of bed and carting me to urgent care (more antibiotics),

then nine days later to my primary care doctor (back to my old friend prednisone),

and then five days later to an otolaryngologist or ENT

(almost two hours of hearing testing, but no ruptured eardrums ~ whew!).

Terry cared for me until I until I got well enough to make dinner for him ~ lol!

Terry is the best, with me through the ups and downs, highs and lows!

Definitely a High!

Riding the NorthStar on Ovation of the Seas

300 Feet Above Sea Level

October 19, 2023

Terry Walks the Track,

While the NorthStar Hovers in the Air

Ovation of the Seas

October 18, 2023

It's a long Way Down!!!

Riding the NorthStar on Ovation of the Seas

300 Feet Above Sea Level

February 20 2015

Our NorthStar Ride Included a Surprise Proposal!!!

Riding the NorthStar on Ovation of the Seas

October 19, 2023

While we were in Sydney, we stayed at Quest St Leonards, a lovely apartment hotel.

Our room came with a compact kitchen.

Located minutes from a grocery store, restaurants, and the train station,

Quest was literally a godsend, because when Terry was too sick to get out of bed,

I could run to Rôll'd for hot curry chicken soup

or stop at the nearby grocery store and load up on Kleenex, mandarins, and pastries.

Our Room at Quest St Leonards

November 5, 2023

Curried Chicken for the Soul from Rôll'd

So Good for Soothing a Sore Throat

November 6, 2023

Rôll'd in Forum Plaza

St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia

Roll'd

A kind clerk at Quest gave us the address of the medical clinic he had gone to for years.

We had no problem getting into the clinic the next day,

and we're quickly examined by a kind Dr. Irina al Muderis ~

white pneumonia, both of us.

We left with prescriptions which we picked up in short order.

Said the receptionist as we were getting directions to the pharmacy,

"We're a caring and giving people, and we didn't want to give you this!"

OMG, I love Aussies!

The Med Clinic in St Leonards

November 6, 2023

Now as an American I was thinking,

Country on the other side of the world,

no local insurance, a doctor's examination for two,

covid tests for two, and antibiotic prescriptions for two ~

What the hell is this going to cost?

Take a seat before I tell you:

$160 at the clinic and $40 at the pharmacy in Australian dollars,

or $129.83 in American dollars!

Did I say I'm in awe of Australia?

So fortified with antibiotics and determination, we went on to further adventures.

A Koala ~ Asleep, of Course!

Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia

November 11, 2023

So, what's this got to do with a Christmas couch?

About three weeks after we returned home,

I went downstairs and started dragging boxes out of our Christmas closet.

Terry put his foot down ~ no six-foot tree this year!

He insisted that I take it easy and give myself a break,

because I was a long way from 100%.

So I have a Christmas couch!

Our Christmas Couch

Aurora, Colorado,USA

December 9, 2023

A Favorite Piece of Art Hooked by Ida,

One of the Talented Rug Hookers,

at the Historical Society & Old Temperance Hall Museum

in Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia

Of course, there is forever energy and time for me to display

the sweet tree my mother gave me the last Christmas she was alive.

It looks wonderful beside the Santa that my nephew and niece,

Neil and Jeannie, gave us when we were in Calgary for Christmas two years ago.

We're both doing much better and looking forward to spending Christmas

in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with Terry's sister Noreen, Cathal,

and our niece and nephews Deidre, Kevin, and Conor.

A Favorite Christmas Past

Noreen (left), Kevin, Cathal, Conor, and Deirdre

Breckenridge, Colorado, USA

December 24, 2014

What a wild year it has been!

I'm so grateful to be alive and kicking at seventy-three

and looking forward to more adventures in the coming year!

I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date and Nicole's Friday Face Off.

Rain's theme is Christmas Lights, so here are ours from last year.

(I have none this year.)

Christmas Lights

Aurora, Colorado, USA

December 24, 2022

And for Nicole, two special faces I found in an old box recently:

Terry's Parents, Marie and Edgar Barbour

on Their Honeymoon

Niagara Falls

September 1939

And just because I think it's amazing, this will give you an idea

of just how big Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas is:

The Ovation of the Seas Passes Behind a Famous Sydney Icon

Sydney Harbour, Australia

November 10, 2023

Enjoy the holiday season and have a great weekend!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

My next post will be soon! 🤞

Books Read in 2026

"18 Days in Heaven" by Gale Poirot
"A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Hope, Love, and Overcoming" by Kerrie Rawson
"Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life" by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD.
"Is Math Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics Deepest Truths" by Eugenia Cheng
"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir
"Tell Me Everything" by Elizabeth Strout
"The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese
"The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity" by David Graeber and David Wengrow
"The Life Impossible" by Matthew Haig
"The Lord go the Rings" by JRR Tolkien
"The Match" by Harlan Corben
"The Night the Path Disappeared" by Terri Bergen
"The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper" by Roland Allen
"Theo of Golden" by Allen Levi
"Think Twice" by Harlan Corben
"Why Christianity Must Change Or Die" by John Shelby Spong

Standing Into Danger

Pages

Friday, April 12, 2024

On Becoming a Lady of Leisure

Friday, December 15, 2023

Here's to a Christmas Couch!

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