Back in the USA

Newark

We made it back to the U.S. without any real troubles. We're waiting in Newark now.  After a very short night last night, getting more sleep on the plane might have been smart. But sleep didn't come too easily on a plane in the middle of the day.
On top of everything else, symptoms of a cold began to materialize for Don yesterday. This is a bear of a trip even if you're feeling well. He's all stopped up and feeling less than terrific. Miserable is the word he's using. 
After landing here, we picked up our checked bag and passed through customs. Then we rechecked our bag only to find ourselves forced to pass through standard security again.  Arg. All in all, it wasn't overly painful. We were just a bit miffed to have to dig out our credentials and go through the whole process again.
Good news - we were able to move our last flight up a little. Instead of arriving in Houston at almost midnight, we hope to land by about 10:45. Bad news - we probably aren't sitting together; maybe that will change by the time we board.

Still in Newark

We've been killing time in this terminal for about four hours now. We took a break from sitting and drinking in the VIP lounge by grabbing a bite to eat and stretching our legs with a stroll around the concourse and a little window shopping. That was about as much fun as Don could handle right now. So back to the lounge to wait another hour. 

We hope it's only another hour. Right now it's beginning to look like our earlier flight will be lucky to leave on time. We may leave only a handful of minutes before our original flight. We're still hoping for the best. 

More waiting...

Our earlier departure time of 8:00 PM has now slipped to 8:45, cutting our advantage in half. Several flights to Houston have been postponed today. Other travelers around us have waited through multiple flight changes already. With only 45 minutes before our adjusted departure time, we still have no plane at the gate. Not hopeful. 

Update: At 8:35 our plane has now arrived. They're projecting a new departure time of 9:05. That seems quite optimistic since the plane has to be serviced before we board.

The bottom line is it looks like we'll be able to catch a ride to Houston tonight and we might arrive a few minutes earlier than originally expected.

Did I mention that the last hour has been spent with a group of six-year-old girls playing gleefully at our feet?  They are now all abuzz about their impending departure. If we weren't already exhausted, we would be after watching them.

Boarding the plane

9:02 and we've begun boarding. Whether or not we actually land much earlier than planned, who knows?  We're just thrilled to be on a plane that appears to be heading home soon. 

Oops. Not so quickly. Instead of closing the door and taking off, the captain just announced that we are waiting for maintenance to come check out something in the cockpit. It's 9:28.

10:10 still waiting on the plane at the gate.  Isn't it amazing what people will say on telephones while surrounded by a group of total strangers?

10:20 backing up. But only after the flight attendant announced over the speaker - again - that all devices must be turned off.  He suggested that if you wished to continue using your devices, you could step off the plane and wait for another one which would come "tomorrow".  He was looking directly at the passenger in the seat behind me as he said that.

10:50 taking off.  yea.

2:00 AM touch down at Bush Intercontinental.  yea.

(All times above are Eastern.)

Getting to the house

So instead of arriving a lot earlier than originally scheduled we landed two hours later. Our name was called as we entered the baggage claim area. Oh, man. What now? A moment later we are walking out with our checked bag. It's been waiting in Houston for several hours. Oh how lovely it would have been to have arrived on that flight.

We are ever so grateful that a kind and able gentleman was willing to work all night so that he was waiting to help hoist our bags and shuttle us directly to our car. I said something about him driving us all the way home. He laughed big. I think I was more serious than not. 

1:39 we are exiting the parking lot, driving our own vehicle. It feels a little strange after ten days of depending on others for any kind of transportation beyond our own feet. The silver lining - Houston highways are quite empty in the wee hours of a Friday morning. We glide down the roads without a care. Nonetheless, caffeine is in order. For Don who is driving and for Mary who has to stay awake to keep him awake. 

The mighty Navasota River never looked so good. Well, at 3 something in the morning we see the sign more than the river. What awaits now is a much-dreamed-of shower followed by blissful sleep.

Just before 3:30, the garage door goes up. It's good to be home again.