September 9, 2024, Los Angeles- Yesterday brought good news-a friend who had been momentarily displaced was back home. This morning, the young man of whom I wrote, a few days ago, is at his home, resting and determined to start on the long road to recovery.
I joined the Monday coffee klatsch, this morning, getting a solid message of good will for my trans-Pacific journey. Every little detail of the trip was checked twice, like Santa’s list, and at 12:30, my two bags and I were headed to Hassayampa Inn-my shuttle pick-up point. Getting there early, I was treated to some Big Band tunes from the 1930s and’40s, one of which was a jaunty account of the story of Rip Van Winkle, of all things. Being wide awake myself, I was pleased when the shuttle came right on time.
My seat mates on the bus were visitors from Fresno and from St. Andrews, Scotland, respectively. Both were quire impressed with our fair city, the Scotsman in particular. He was a bit envious of all the sunshine we get, though Saturday’s two cloudbursts made him a bit homesick-just in time for his return to the U.K.
The flight here from Phoenix left on time and arrived a bit early. My seatmates on the plane were newlyweds- a self-taught aeronautics expert and a historical fantasy afficionado, whose day jobs are with a small start-up that produces niche electric vehicles. They are planning to move to Arizona soon, from the Midwest. First, though, us their honeymoon, in a far-off tropical resort. I wished them all the best.
LAX was far easier to navigate this evening, than it was five years ago. Maybe the fact that American Airlines is in the same part of the airport as the Tom Bradley International Terminal had something to do with it. I also have a longer layover, which is rather enjoyable, actually. TBIT has a wealth of restaurants,intermingled with boutiques. I chose Ink.Sack’s mini-kitchen, which offered a small number of the chain’s sandwich offerings. The cordon bleu was just the right size, consistency and blend of ingredients.
I will leave here, for Hong Kong, right after midnight, and have a reasonable layover there, before a three-hour finale to Manila. I may well emulate old Rip, just not for twenty years.
A Sagittarian Seeker 