I was tempted to take a later shuttle to the airport, seeing that 0600 is a tough gig sometimes. After speaking to a group I’m usually a bit worn out. That said, I’m glad I came early.
This is the Pre-Check line!
After what you can see there are the switchbacks of what you can’t.
I believe we were fibbed to on the way in. We were told there were “equipment problems” at Pre-Check. A few questions to some worker bees along the way confirmed that, no, it was like this all the time. Last night my ride told me to get to the airport early. “I have Pre-Check”, quoth I. “No, really,” quoth he. So I took an earlier shuttle…
… even after watching the end of the GOP debate and some of the autopsy.
So it’s DTW to MKE and then a soothing drive in their morning rush hour.
I spoke to a Legatus chapter about the Synod. It wasn’t a happy joy joy joy presentation. It is my intention to get people a little anxious about this one. A little fear may help some overcome the inevitable onset of Synod Fatigue™ which has already struck hard in some quarters.
Meanwhile the adventure continues. Next to me:
“George! Hurry up and sit down!…. You just sat on the water bottle and broke it.”
“No. I didn’t.”
“Look there’s a blanket… these seats are different…. why is this thing so low?… There’s a hole here. Did you know there was a hole here?
“No.”
“There’s a hole here.”
This might be a long short flight.
Meanwhile something beautiful from the CMA:
By Zurbaran. Mary contemplates in anticipatory sorrow, cheeks streaked with tears, her Son as He contemplates the drop of Blood elicited from the thorns He twisted into a foreshadowing circle.
UPDATE
Sun rise in DTW.
Remember these?
A good reminder. POW/MIA Day display.
Another short one.
People seem even more sedate on this leg.
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Father,
As you have described above, air travel is nightmarish. Instead of the standard airport waiting area, servicemen and women returning from the other side of the world can chill out in a pleasant oasis at Albany (NY) International Airport. This is a sweet little space funded by donations and I hope other airports are doing something similar. http://flyalbany.com/passenger-guide/military-room
TSA at Cleveland Hopins is thorough. I would say I’ve probably been stopped and had the contents of my bags questioned in Cleveland more often than at any other airport.
In haste, I once threw some utensils, including a kitchen knife, into a bag and raced to LaGuardia. No problem. On the way back to New York, the vigilant TSA crew in Cleveland pulled me aside, unpacked my bag, showed me the knife, threw it away, and sat down and politely interrogated me. I think they said they called my plane to ask it to wait for me.
And the Cleveland art museum, I agree, is outstanding. The whole neighborhood, University Circle, is a gem. I hope that next summer the delegates and journalists understand that they won’t see Cleveland unless they venture from downtown.
Hope it’s a safe trip.
Thanks for sharing the Zurburan picture, I love seeing Biblical scenes (described in the Bible or only implied therein) that I have not seen before, and the picture of Mary watching her son thoughtfully playing with a Crown of Thorns is certainly not an unsurprising choice of subject! While I am not happy that, for work purposes, I have to live near a big city, it is nice to be just a subway ride away from great paintings whenever I have some free time. The Zurburan picture makes me wonder how many of the Old Master paintings in any random big city art museum are, unbeknownst to us, secondary or tertiary relics – are the models for Mary, for Jesus, for John the Baptist and other individuals in Old Master paintings now saints in heaven? Not to mention the painters themselves, the canvas preparers, the men who combed earth and sea for the beautifully colored dies, the workmen who fashioned the frames, the clerics or laymen who paid for the paintings, on their own behalf or as an act of charity …
I hope that next summer the delegates and journalists understand that they won’t see Cleveland unless they venture from downtown.
Last time I was up there my friends took me to the Treemont area and there were some very nice places. They said that in the whole USA there are more churches in a mile square than anywhere else. You can see downtown across the river valley. It was quite stunning.
Regarding the conventioneers I am sure the local visitors bureau will point them all to the good places.
When I travel by plane, my approach is that traveling is secondary–listening to music and reading is the primary reason I’m there. Thus:
1. I have headphones or earbuds and listen to calming music on my phone or IPOD. Gregorian Chant or Pachelbel is a good choice.
2. I take a Tylenol, which also has a calming effect.
3. I read.