Wow, it was incredible to take a week off from reality. That hasn't happened in a long, long time. On Friday evening, mom and I squeezed in a game of pool. It was a tie. We both equally stank, although mom is normally a much better player than me.
Before leaving Saturday morning, I tried to drown down as many drinks as possible that remained in our condo. I'm talking a
little wine, soda, mostly water. I was liquid logged. I also tried to eat a bunch and not let it go to waste. Well, whatever I could force down went to my
waist instead. We fed the ducks which was a nice last activity.
We were able to switch our seats to the last row on the flight to Denver. Being stuck near the bathrooms has its dis-stink-tions, but it meant that Jack could have his own seat and we didn't have to pay for it. With Jack sleeping on me, it also meant I had to wait to go until almost the end of the flight when the crowd of throne mongers had gone and left the area. Being a straight shooter was a little tough in the john when the turbulence kicked in. It was horrible. I stepped outside the box and the steward advised me to hang onto the seats as I made my way back.
So, we survived and had about a two hour wait in the Denver airport. But, lo and behold, our plane and another had experienced mechanical issues. They were going to take extra time to figure out what they were going to do. So, we switched gates and after hanging out a bit our pilot explained how our plane had mechanical issues but that he had accepted it.
Apparently, there were some cabin pressure issues but we would fly at such a low elevation that we would be okay versus the folks who were flying to Las Vegas. Uh, hello? Were there no other planes laying around the tarmac? And, even though the pilot explained he had no concerns, there was a back-up cabin pressure system, etc., I wasn't sure what to do. Mike asked if I wanted to get a rental car. I was so tired and really didn't look forward to a long drive home. On the other hand, I didn't want to take any chances. But our luggage was headed to our next airport, so we got on the plane to hell.
At one point, the steward asked the passengers not to congregate for a long time in a big group. So, now we were on board with terrorists? The turbulence out of Denver stank. My prayers were answered when we touched down. As people were preparing to leave the plane, the crew asked us to be careful on the big step off. I joked and said we should just slide down the inflatables. We arrived home around midnight that evening. I was zoinked.
Last weekend, when it was bloody hot, we went to the St. Louis Zoo. It was a first-time experience for Jack. We pet the sting rays or at least Mike and I did. We also fed them. Jack just wanted to splash them which is a big no-no.
The little punk below threw a stick at the peacock while his parents just stood by. How nice.
Show off hippo. Freaked out the little kids because he swam so close to the glass.
Mike is attacked by a killer roach and manages to live and tell about it.
Why is there an elephant Buddha at the zoo?
We didn't have the patience to see everything. We walked around for four hours and then headed home. Did I mention how bloody hot it was?
