Day one...in the clouds

..............photo uploads are being orney; will try later...InterNet access is a tad iffy but we are working to unravel the knot!

4:30 a.m.

HELLO!  Those of you who know me know that I don’t “do” mornings.  Early for me is 8:00a.m.  Since retirement, mornings have become a leisurely affair with scheduled events starting around 11:30a.m.  However, I bounded from bed this morning to get ready for our trip to Banff.  Birmingham was clear and 53 degrees and all green lights to the airport.  Smaller airports, like BHM, are a luxury these days with courteous attendants, speedy check-in and a comfortable atmosphere in the security zone.  An elderly lady, traveling alone, was stressing over the computerized check-in.  She was confused and upset until the attendant came around and gently talked her through every step.  I know this is the South and that’s how we do things here but the man didn’t have to take the time to help her.

Smooth flying to Minneapolis but delayed in landing so we had to race to make our connection to Calgary. Minneapolis was a chilly 49 with rain.  Our flight was full and ready to board when we arrived so no time to get food. Sister and I had had a tiny breakfast before leaving the house so we were kinda counting on grabbing a sandwich.  Not to be.  However, the NWA reps assured us that we could buy sandwiches on the flight.  Great!

Not only was the plane full but many of the people were wearing those “flu masks”.  Of course being the queens of clean, this completely freaked us.  I happened to be on the row with two of these masked women.  Time for lunch and there were NO sandwiches.  The choices were boxes filled with trail mixes or salami/cheese/chips or Pringles chips.  By the time the cart and surly attendant reached our row, only cans of Pringles remained.  OK.  So contrary to popular belief, Pringles and red wine do compliment each other.

Always on a flight, there are people to observe.  This one was no exception.  A tour group of older adults from Japan with only one English speaker had boarded in the wrong seats and it took a while to unravel the issues.  Two of the older ladies sat in my row and kept bowing and thanking me.  At the end of the flight, they both bowed.  Other than turning on their reading lights and keeping them from tearing the strips from the immigration forms, I did nothing.  A very tall woman, two rows up, kept me entertained with her dining habits and bad manners.  Obviously, she was pretty smart because she had brought food but it was the food that made me laugh. First there was a box of sushi with chopsticks, then a large raw carrot and finally a bell pepper.  I have never seen anyone consume a bell pepper with such relish and eaten as if it were an apple.  She ate everything including the seed pod and left the stem.  All I could think was this woman is going to explode from gas in no time.  She did about thirty minutes later and shared that moment with most of the plane.  OMG!

We arrived in Calgary earlier than expected and were able to take an earlier shuttle to Banff.  This is a two hour drive through some of the most beautiful scenery and the Banff National Park.  Adding to the vistas was a “frosting”(as Sister put it) of snow and even more snow falling.  October 3 and it is snowing and the rock faces are covered.  We were to discover that snow was late this year.  Usually, this area has snow by August 31.  Is it cold?  You betcha!  Did we have our coats?  No.  In the hurry to board the shuttle, we had left them in our luggage.

Arriving at the Banff Springs Fairmont, a.k.a. The Castle, we discovered that our room was not quite ready for the Zappo Sisters.  With coupons for beverages, we headed to the tea room and had a late lunch.  Sister was so tired that she could not decide what to eat.  I was exhausted but not so tired that I was willing to pass up a juicy burger and the Fairmont fries (think YUM).  Room is ready.  A quick stop by the wine shop for a Shiraz  by Truffle Hunters and we are relaxing.  In fact, so relaxed that it was lights out by 

8:00 p.m.

to be continued….