A little more detail on our flight home....

SEVEN THINGS you don't want to hear associated with your flight:

Just back from Las Vegas, the trip punctuated with a rather entertaining red-eye flight home. Picture a bunch of tired people, waiting at the airport near midnight and just wanting to be home. The flight has already been delayed once by half an hour, when....

7. (over the McCarron Airport loudspeaker) ".....we need to turn your plane around as quickly as possible when it arrives, because your flight crew is due to expire if we don't get them in the air by 11:45pm...."

6. (once people started to panic about flying with even a nearly "expired" crew and a rushed plane inspection, again over the loudspeaker) "....if anyone has any questions about Air Canada flight 594, ask them now."

5. (after we're rushed on the plane only to SIT for an hour) "...this is your Captain speaking....we're having some mechanical issues with the fuel system, we're hoping we can resolve quickly..."

4. (once the plane is finally ready to go) "...this is your Captain speaking, I've spoken to the Co-Pilot and even though we're over our allowed hours, we have agreed to push on and get you folks home..."

3. (upon approach to Pearson Airport in Toronto) "....just to inform you, we're having some hydraulic problems, but our secondary systems should compensate...."

2. (seconds later) "...Pearson has cleared us to land on their longest runway...."

1. (seconds later) "...just don't be alarmed if you see emergency crews waiting on the ground for us, they're going to chek the plane once we land....and we might need a tow to the terminal...."

But hey, we made it. Sure, my right hand is pretty much useless now, after Jane crushed it a few times....but I've always been pretty good with my left anyway.... :)

Viva Las Vegas!

Back from our trip to Las Vegas.....not exactly the most relaxing place in the world to go, but a holiday nevertheless. We lucked out and got stellar weather for this time of year, not overly hot but just nice for us fair types.

Jane won a grand total of $33 US on penny slots, our new record....then again, we're not exactly gamblers. More importantly, I garnered seven new bottles for the Wall of Beer. Even more impressively, Jane packed them all in the suitcase in a manner that saw them home in one piece.

We stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton, at the top end of The Strip. This was not an area we had explored as extensively in the past as the bottom and middle sections.....we even managed a visit to the Wynn for lunch. Fabulous. Maybe one day we`ll be able to afford to actually stay there!

The flight home actually held much of the excitement for the trip. We took the redeye, leaving Vegas at nearly midnight, and expecting to arrive in Toronto at 7am with the 3-hr time change. First came a delay, then an annoucement that they had to get us on the plane in half the normal time before our flight crew "expired".....causing everyone to panic about flying with an overly tired crew.

So they rushed us on the plane....to sit and wait for an hour....problems with the fuel....then problems with water supply. Finally, as we're ready to leave, the Co-Pilot announces that he and the Captain have discussed things, and even though they're over thier allowed hours, they have agreed to "push on" to get us all home.

The flight itself was relatively uneventful, until we neared Toronto....when they announced that we were having "hydraulic issues", and not to be alarmed if we saw emergency crews around the plane when we landed. They added that Pearson had cleared us to land on their longest runway, so not to worry.....but that we might need to be towed to the gate once we landed. We even had fire trucks escort us to the terminal.

Very exciting, especially with no sleep. By the time we left the airport and made the long trek to Wheatley, we got home around 1pm, some 26 hours since we had slept. Nap time. Unload and unpack later.

The fabulous Las Vegas Hilton

View from our window - rest of The Strip in the distance

Even trips to the washroom are entertaining....

The welcoming committee at Pearson Airport

Spring at Point Pelee

What better way to make use of a sunny spring Saturday and an annual park pass, than to go for a stroll at Point Pelee National Park?

Lake Erie is still largely iced over on the western side of the point, and in the solitude of early spring one can hear only birds and the gentle hissing of water and ice co-existing. Soon enough, the park will fill up with "birders" for the spring migration. Just yesterday I watched a lop-sided V of Canada Geese flying northward, a good sign to be sure.

Also some deer in our yard this morning, scaring the rabbits. Quite entertaining over coffee.

Lake Erie shoreline

Jane trying to "break the ice" with some stones

Boardwalk thru the marsh

Honk if you love Canada Geese

Spring has Sprung!

So at long last Spring has Sprung here in the southern extremities of Ontario, just before the clocks go ahead for Daylight Savings. It was +18 C here today with sunshine and a distinct vernal smell upon the air.

We thought we would usher in the season with a BBQ meal, having officially re-opened the Man-Garage(TM) for the season. We also re-opened the upstairs level of the house, and let the cats wander around to their hearts content with open windows and Spring breezes...

Jane on her laptop - the wireless reaches even the Man-Garage!

BBQ steak and wireless internet - together at last in the garage

The birds are back in town - a sure sign of Spring