Sunday morning we were up relatively early. We decided that Saturday afternoon mass counted for going to church. We had breakfast at the hotel.
The favors at the reception were engraved wine glasses. My mother-in-law had also brought back the centerpiece from our table. We had thought we might be able to get the glasses home in our luggage, but the centerpiece, a wine bottle surrounded by artificial branches and leaves would never make it. We went to a nearby FedEx Store (on West Bell Road) and found that they would be closed till Noon. We drove on to a UPS Store (on West Bell Road) and had the centerpiece and glasses shipped for a mere $92, with AAA discount.
Most of the party proceeded to the Fry's Supermarket (on West Bell Road) on an expedition to acquire materials for lunch. I sat in the car and played with the radio. The FM band in the Phoenix area is not rich with choices.
We went back to the hotel and had soup for lunch. I was feeling tired, so I went to the room to lie down and read for a while. I brought along a good translation of Xenophon's Anabasis. The rest of the party printed boarding passes and confirmed our reservations with Super Shuttle.
Later in the afternoon, we decided to go to the Bayrischer Hof, a restaurant across the road. It was not a fancy place, but the food was excellent. I had bratwurst with broccoli, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut. For dessert we all had home made apple strudel.
We went back to the hotel and started packing.
Monday morning we got up and had breakfast. The sky was cloudy. I put gas in the car and returned it to Enterprise. At 75 year old gentleman gave me a ride back. He said he didn't want to completely retire. It's working for him.
We helped the in-laws get their stuff together and checked out by 11. The Super Shuttle van was supposed to come by noon, but was a bit late. The driver took a detour to avoid heavy traffic on West Bell Road. I'll miss West Bell Road.
The airport was busy. When we got to the Southwest gate, where we found that the preceding flight to Milwaukee was late leaving. There was bad weather in the Midwest and east.
Our plane came in a bit late. Our flight was due out at 3. They told us it would leave at 3:40. Then they told us it would leave at 3:15. We boarded and found seats. The plane was not full. There were clouds below us all the way to San Francisco, where we heard it was windy and raining. Takeoffs and landings were restricted because of the weather. After we were in the air for a long time, I noticed that the sun was shining through the starboard windows, meaning we were going south. The captain announced that we would be circling for a while. I think we saw Half Moon Bay through a break in the clouds. The low sun made pretty patterns on the clouds. I wish I could have taken some photos.
Our plane was due to land at 4. We landed about 5. We helped our in-laws get to the Super Shuttle loading area then called Sky Park. Our car was ready when we got there.
When we got home, the cat was happy to see us. Again it seemed later than it actually was. We slept well in our own beds.
I'm happy I took the day off on Tuesday. I went to the post office to get the mail, wrote Christmas cards (finally) and wrapped gifts. Later I helped to clean the kitchen.
Today I got to work and found only 240 unread emails waiting for me. Then I got a call from home saying that the cat had disappeared. I suggested that indoor cats don't usually go far if they get out the door, and that she might still be in the house. Later they found her occluding herself in a new spot.
Today was also my first day commuting on BART on a regular basis since 1995. I wound up on a four-car train going into the city.
I took the photo Monday morning from our patio at the Windmill Inn in Surprise (on West Bell Road).
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