Homer and No Crossbill

I spent Sunday around the Sonneborn's house in Anchorage.  After Dave got off hospital call duty, we did a little birding around Anchorage, with some Barrow's Goldeneyes being the best bird.  Andy prepared a great feast for that night for their sons and families and I happened to be there to join in on the fun.  It was a lovely evening.
Yesterday Dave and I drove to Homer where we hunted for White-winged Crossbills on the way to and around Homer itself.  We did see birds like Spruce Grouse, Northern Shrike, and Boreal Chickadee, which would all be great for someone from Norfolk, Virginia, but since I wanted those crossbills badly and we couldn't seem to find any, both of us were greatly disappointed.  This year has been a bad year for White-winged Crossbills in Alaska, once again not something I really wanted to hear and not the palliative I needed.  So with daylight about gone, I boarded an ERA commuter plane in Homer for the half-hour flight back to Anchorage.  Once in the Anchorage airport I changed clothes for my red-eye home and checked my luggage.  Recall that I had used frequent flier miles to get back to Alaska.  For the return flight on that ticket they put me in first class to which I raised no objection.  That boost would really help with my trying to get some quality sleep on the way home.  And indeed it did.  So for the next few hours I'll be in Norfolk.  But tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, I'll jump a Southwest Airlines plane for Manchester NH where my friend Denny Abbott will pick me up and we'll try to find the Curlew Sandpiper that's been at Plum Island in Massachusetts for several days, waiting for me to show up and see it.