Snapshots from a plane

Just got back from Seattle where we went to visit daughter, son in law, and grandbaby Cate. My brain will arrive on a later flight; it was not able to get a seat with me and is apparently not in the house this morning, as evidenced by my sleeping until 8-something and eating a cookie for breakfast and now somehow it's almost 11:00 and I have done NOTHING. Well, I did take a shower.
I love the chance encounters when traveling, the bits and slices of people's lives that float by you. Here's a collection from this trip:
The Tuskegee Airman: An old black man boarded in Newark, through the First Class pathway, fumbling a bit with his cane and tickets and gear. He was wearing a jacket and hat with Airman logos and looked very tired. It wasn't until I passed him on the way off the plane (he sat in First but waited to get off) that I put it together-- this was one of the real Tuskegee Airmen, and he had probably been to Washington for the inauguration and was on his way home. I wish I had taken the opportunity to greet him and shake his hand.
The diva: Picking up luggage in Seattle, I watched a woman in her 50's directing an entourage to collect her voluminous luggage. She was dramatically and expensively dressed and had probably had way too much plastic surgery. Two enormous Gucci bags and three huge black suitcases later she and her 'boys' were finally ready to leave. The serfs had my sympathy.
The paratrooper: Gliding down the elevator in Houston, a young fellow with his arm in a sling was telling his girl a hair-raising story on his cell-- the shoulder he dislocated when jumping from a plane (second jump of the day), spinning out of control through the air with his shoulder in pain, unable to reach the ripcord-- eventually got the chute open and landed safely, but they washed him out of the program. He made it all sound very matter of fact and referred to the whole thing as "sort of unpleasant". I hope they let him stay in the Army.
The geezers: Taking the bus to the Park'n'Fly, two couples in the back were relating stories about their (the husbands) prostate cancer. Treatment, what hospital, etc. It was apparent they did not know each other and seemed they had just met. So-- how exactly did this topic come up in the course of a short bus ride?
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We had a great visit, Cate as always is amazing and intensely cute (when she is not being almost two and practicing for tantrums.) The North Carolina sunshine is glorious this morning, in spite of light frost, and I have a bushel of errands to run and lots of knitting to do, and two freshly bathed and brushed dogs to collect.

Update

Here's the thing-- if you blog, like, once a month, which seems to be my style, it's hard to remember all the things you want to say. And since it seems like too much of a project you put it off a little longer. Yup, Procrastinators 'R' Us. So, the capsule approach:

New Year-- wow, can't believe it's 09. Remember when we worried about what we were going to call this new decade, the 00's, or the oughts, or whatever? Hey, it's about over and it wasn't a problem. Since I didn't decorate much for Christmas it was the work of only an afternoon to de-Christmas, definitely an advert for doing the season lightly and avoiding the tree. Maybe next year, or if the kids ever come out for the season. Meanwhile I have even changed the mailbox cover to the spring one, in defiance of reality.

Weather-- sucky. It's been freakin' cold out there, and I'm tired of it. We even had (gasp) about 2 inches of snow, enough for the new guv to declare a state of emergency. Yeah, I can hear the northerners howling with laughter, but down here they don't buy salt and sand and keep herds of snorting snow plows on hand, and nobody knows how to drive in it. The cold has brought the birds out in droves, and I am filling three feeders every day to keep up. We've had titmice, chickadees, cardinals, white-crowned sparrows, carolina wrens, gold-, house-, and purple finches, red bellied woodpecker, bluebirds, mourning doves, crows, juncos, and pesky varmint squirrels. It's a testament to the health of the surrounding woods that we have not had starlings, english sparrows, pigeons, etc-- the birds of urban blight. Unfortunately several neighborhood cats have set up camp in the area of the feeders, but they seem to be trying to catch squirrels instead of birds, so I wish them no ill.

Inauguration-- stirring. I'm so excited to have a prez to be proud of. Phil tells me there are already changes at work, in only one day (he works for an agency of USDA as I did for many decades.) The transition teams were very efficient. Most previous political appointees are out and line & staffers promoted into those positions, and good folks nearly all. Lots of energy going around. Hope we can keep up the good feelings and get things done.

Grandbaby-- going out to see l'il Cate tomorrow for a few days. It's been too long, since September. Hope she remembers her Nana & PoppaPhil. [PoppaPhil made her a sock monkey with his very own hands to take out.]

Oh, and knitting! Made a buttoned scarf, and cast on my first real actual top-down raglan sweater, which seems so much easier than it would have a year ago. I also [this is embarrassing] made a pair of perfectly competent cabled mitts for Andrea, and did not discover until I went to try them on that I had made TWO LEFT mitts. Urg. I'll just wear one upside down when I walk the dogs and make her another pair, I'm not going to unpick them. I have a lace mohair smoke ring about half done-- to use up a lovely orphan skein I found when tidying my stash; and plans to make a ladder scarf when I'm done (see wool pic). Also signed up for a toe-up sock class to kick my sock making into gear, since I seriously need several pairs. So much to knit, so little serious knitting time available. If only some good fairy would come in and clean, do laundry, cook, and run a few errands while I put my feet up and watch movies and knit. Oh, and could the said fairy also exercise for me? And walk the dogs? Am I asking too much?

Happy New Year

A very happy and contented new year to all and sundry!