California (Southern) Here We Come!

The kingdom of the Mouse is calling and we’re flying south this morning with grandchildren and their parents. By noon today, or shortly thereafter, we will be hanging upside down on the roller coaster that dominates the California Adventure scene in Disneyland.

Odd, but Boo the cat went into her pet carrier yesterday afternoon without her usual struggles to remain free? Similar to the way I will board the airplane today. I will go peacefully… but not happily. Root canal? OK. Air travel? Please…no! Please don’t make me go! But I can’t indulge myself; I must be ‘mature’ while the grandchildren are watching

It’s a short flight, Sacramento to Anaheim and one that I’ve flown hundreds of times. But now that I’m retired and don’t have to fly twice a week, I would rather not. Driving is a great alternative; walking wouldn’t be bad either. Hmm? I wonder if the kids could be talked into it?

Fear of flying is not a part of my distaste for air travel. I think it’s my age. Because when I was growing up, air travel was fun! Today, our grandchildren have nothing to compare the experience with and so they will consider it ‘normal’. It’s not. The best part of the whole trip will be the minute I climb into the Super Shuttle van and leave the airport; free! Free at last! It’s true; I have an almost physical sense of freedom that exhilarates me when I leave airports now. I suppose you get the same rush when leaving a prison.

I will be taking a computer with me, another hassle when going through security, but it will be useful for viewing photos each day and then storing them. I just had a thought; why don’t hotels supply computers? They could build them right into the furniture and then you could log onto your own on-line account where you have all of the files you want or need. You would have uploaded those files before you traveled. Google Docs already supplies word processing and spreadsheets on-line, so most of your computing software needs are right there. I would pay an extra $5 a night for the privilege. Maybe $10? For the hotel, that same computer becomes an in-room concierge. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea! But, surely, someone has already done this, right?