A Full Day of Travel

Travel days are never really fun, but this was my first day of travel that included FOUR flight segments.  That's right.  Tucson to Denver to Dallas to Dulles to Norfolk.  John took a different flight sequence, going through Chicago.  His Denver to Chicago flight was delayed two hours, but he still was able to make his Norfolk connection.  Most things on my flights went well except one of the segments had no potable water so no coffee.  And my segment into Dallas arrived only fifteen minutes before the flight to Dulles left.  I was a nervous wreck trying to get through all the people ahead of me getting off the plane.  When I did get off, I raced out to the schedule board, found out that my next flight was leaving from the neighboring gate.  But when I ran up to the counter, no one was there and the door to the gate was closed.  Several people asked, "Are you Robert Ake?"  When I answered "Yes,"  they told me the agent had been calling for me, but the door had just been closed.  So I banged on the door which didn't make it open, but did bring an attendant from another gate who got on his phone and raised the person on the other side of the closed door.  After making her understand that my flight had just arrived, she opened the door and I boarded the plane....to a thunderous applause, since all the passengers had been told that Bob, the Big Year guy, was the person they were being held up for.   Well, not exactly.  In fact as I went down the aisle to my seat, I could hear the grousing about how much longer it was taking, and it takes all kinds, and he looks like the kind who is always late.  But after that I got my cup of coffee and all was right with the world.  Got into Norfolk ahead of schedule and my bag even arrived with me, not delayed by the quick transfer required in Dallas.  John's flight had arrived a half hour earlier, so Joyce took both of us back to our house where John got into his car and drove off into the traffic and on toward Staunton.  I recorded no birds today, anywhere, at all.  Lots of snow everywhere, though.