Time Warp

My hat makes my shadow look like an alien.

Today was my last day in Australia.  I was up and ready to meet my transport to the airport before the sun was up.  I flew out of Adelaide to Sydney which took a couple of hours of flight time but only a half hour of real time because the time zone is 1.5 hours different.  Time was so confusing on my trip I basically gave up on it.  I would just reset my watch to the nearest clock and not try to make sense of it in my mind.  I had lunch on the plane and after a 5 hour wait, boarded the next plane from Sydney to Los Angeles.  The flight took 14.5 hours but I arrived before I left.  Crossing the international date line can do that to you.  I sat next to the window on this long ride which I thought would be nice because I could lean into the window to sleep.  But I was oddly wide awake the entire time.  I watched two Australian movies plus the "Life of Pi" and the "Perks of Being a Wallflower."  I started to watch "Cloud Atlas" but stopped because I really wanted to enjoy this movie and my mind wasn't sharp enough at this point to pay close attention.  Quantas is a great airline.  We don't have to pay for headphones. We don't have to pay for movies.  The staff are pleasant and helpful.  We had a great dinner on the plane. They give us eye shades, a blanket and a tiny toothbrush with a tiny tube of toothpaste.  A couple hours after dinner they brought pizza to those of us who were still awake.  Yay!  Pizza!  A couple hours after that they brought us ice cream.  Yay!  Mango ice cream!  I ate it all.  What else was there to do?   The woman sitting next to me was on her way to speak at a conference on Montreal.  Already she missed the warmth of Melbourne.  I could feel her pain.  She was a nice lady who looked to be in her mid 30's.  After 12 hours of sitting next to her plump body I felt tempted to snuggle up to her. She looked so soft and comfortable.  By now I had been awake 20+ hours and I knew I wasn't thinking clearly so I did not ask if I could use her as a pillow.  We all exited the plane in Los Angeles and were sent through customs.  I walked out of terminal 5 toward terminal 3 and checked in with Delta Airlines.  I could sense the difference in customer service immediately and this was not a good change.  I have to say though, airport food is improving.  I bought an edamame salad that tasted pretty good.  Plus it was fun to spend American money for a change and to pay American prices.  Australia was so expensive it broke me of a 50+ year habit of drinking soda.  This day felt about two days long and I was getting tired.  On the plane to Minneapolis I tried to sleep but couldn't.  Offspring #2 met me at the luggage carousel.  I dug warmer clothes out of my suitcase and put on the winter coat she brought me.  Now she led the way to the train.  I really enjoyed being a follower for a change.  I visited with her for a couple hours and then drove home.  I enjoyed driving my own car and driving on the right side of the road.  My house sitter had done an outstanding job.  My house looked cleaner now than when I left.  I checked on my chickens, thanked them for the four eggs I collected, glanced at the mail, and fell into bed to sleep for 12 solid hours.  Vacation is over.  Australia was a great vacation.  I didn't get sick.  I didn't get sunburn or sun poisoning.  I saw tons of wildlife and met many interesting people.  I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef. I saw awesome beaches and landscapes.  I learned more about this planet I live on.  Really the only thing that went wrong was loosing my camera on the first day but I found it within a couple hours.  Money well spent I'd say.