DEC 4, 22 .. THE TRIP IS OVER .. SUNG LIKE THE SONG “THE PARTY’S OVER” ..

The Party’s Over was a hit song back in 1956. The lyrics are haunting. It’s a song that can get into my mind and roost there playing its melody over and over and over again. I am feeling that way about our trip just (imagine that) yesterday.

The party’s over (The flight is over)
It’s time to call it a day
They’ve burst your pretty balloon
And taken the moon away
It’s time to wind up the masquerade
Just make your mind up the piper must be paid
The party’s over
The candles flicker and dim
You danced and dreamed through the night
It seemed to be right just being with him
Now you must wake up, all dreams must end
Take off your makeup, the party’s over
It’s all over, my friend

As I begin this Post at 2:10AM Mountain Standard Time in Arizona, our trip from Anchorage, Alaska, South to Seattle, Washington, and then South to Las Vegas, Nevada, and onward to Laughlin, Nevada, is over. Sitting here it’s difficult, actually impossible, to imagine that 24 hours ago Patti and I were dead tired, flat out exhausted to be honest, realizing that in 50 minutes at 3AM a taxi would pick us up and take us to the Anchorage Airport.

Set your watch, our taxi was precisely on time pulling up to our Condo in the dark of a freezing winter morning in Alaska. Never, NEVER EVER, have I experienced a taxi driver like the one who came to take us to the airport. He had a small mini-van, perfect for our luggage. He saw our luggage (two large suitcases weighing 38 and 42 pounds respectively) and a smaller bag weighing 29 pounds, along with two signifiant carry on bags that were in the 15 pound range. As he leapt from his cab and headed toward us, he raised his hand and said to me ..  ” Sir please don’t touch the bags. I will get them and take them to the mini-van.” True to his word he placed the five of them into his vehicle and off we headed to the airport. He was quick yet perfectly safe. Then we pulled up to the Alaska Airlines area and out he leapt. Patti and I sat in the cab as my credit card was processed and we got out of the mini-van and ?? No sign of our driver. Our bags were on the sidewalk and then he appeared with a cart (that usually cost $5 to rent). He put our bags onto the cart and (get this) HE took them into the terminal, took the five of them to the check-in counter and HE placed them on the scales as Patti and I caught up with him. Amazing. Yellow Cab Number 616. I told him he was the best taxi driver I had ever encountered. 15% tip. Nah ! Doing the math ($10 divided by $23) it was a 44% tip.

When we were at our boarding gate I telephoned his company and sang some VERY HIGH praises about him. I hope he gets a pat on the back. For me he was the Best Taxi Driver Ever!

Our flight to Seattle (right at 3 hours) was filled to capacity. Our flight to Las Vegas (2 – 1/2 hours) was also filled to capacity. On both flights, Patti and I sat across the aisle from one another. On the Seattle to Las Vegas flight, a lady with her 19-year-old daughter sat to my right. It turned out that the lady and her daughter were I.T. (Information Technology) whizzes. The lady was running a Samsung smartphone with the Android operating system (OS). Man Oh Manischewitz they were sharp. And ?? I picked up some very valuable-to-me pointers and explanations about the Android OS.

Then our conversation leap away from smartphones to the National Football League !! .. when I said to the lady .. ” What takes the two of you to Las Vegas ?” .. The lady replied .. ” We are coming down to see the Los Angeles Chargers (6 – 5) play the Las Vegas Raiders (4 – 7) !! My Nephew, Foster Sarell, who wears number 73, is starting the game as the offensive right tackle for the Chargers. ” 

In case you missed it here somewhere, yours truly has followed the NFL since High School so I could talk-turkey to the lady. 

We were late leaving Seattle and late landing in Las Vegas. Detroit Tiger Tom met us as planned and we hustled over to Terminal 1 so Tom could catch a flight back to Detroit.

Somehow we (with Patti navigating) successfully found our way out of the Las Vegas Airport onto Interstate 215 heading to U.S. 95 and then South to the College Drive Exit. We then had a quick visit with friends (I mean quick, we did not go into their home) and with Patti driving South down U.S. 95 because your Captain was toast at this point in time, we motored. The reason our visit was so quick is that darkness was fast approaching and neither of us exactly love and enjoy night driving anymore !! We stopped at Searchlight, Nevada, where we ALWAYS STOP, and had a McDonald’s Oreo Fudge McFlurry. 

It ought to be illegal to sell something THIS GOOD !! We LOVED it !!

By now it was pitch-black-dark and an absolutely phenomenal 54°F !! 

Oh Yes. Tomorrow I plan to do a Post on blogspot showing some of the photos I snapped during our trip.

At 3:24AM this Sunday morning bordering fall-down exhaustion, I am not able to do the photos BUT wanted those who are interested to know we survived the trip.

Smiling .. Cap and Patti who collapsed in bed over an hour ago

We can’t wait to see the Chargers vs the Raiders game this afternoon.

A Thanks to Andrej who did a little updating of yesterday’s Post based on some text messages I sent him. I had hoped that the airports (Anchorage and Seattle) would have WiFi and internet access up and running so I could update on-the-run. Not the case at all. 

**Hello all! Cap has informed me that there was no way to get an internet connection today to post or put up photo’s.

Cap and Patti have landed in Seattle on that leg of the trip. He will update everyone after he arrives **

Andrej

• ← DEC 3, 22 .. ALL OF OUR ” TOMORROWS ” HAVE ARRIVED .. IT IS TODAY AND WE FLY SOUTH.
• DEC 5, 22 .. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH →