Back in the U.S.A.

The airline trip from Rio to Seattle went well, though it was a rather long one.  I had to check out of the hotel room by noon and with all of my luggage the only option I had was to go to the airport, even though the airplane to Miami would not leave until after 8 PM.  The taxi ride was easy.  I took three steps from the front door of the hotel to the curb and within 3 minutes I had a cab.  The ride took about 20 minutes and cost only R$34.  But that left me with a wait of over 7 hours at the airport. 

We landed at Miami just after 4 AM with no sign of the hurricane that had passed by two days earlier.  After a 3.5 hour layover during which I cleared Immigration and Customs into the USA I was on the next flight, to Dallas/Fort Worth.  The layover in DFW as short - about 1.5 hours - and then I was in the air again on the last leg, to SeaTac.  The last leg was the best for me.  Even though I was in a middle seat, to the right of me was Mike from Missouri and to the left was Fernando from San Antonio.  Good companionship and conversation seems to make a trip go about 3 times faster, particularly when it is lubricated by drinks being bought all around.

Arnold was at the Baggage Claim to meet me and soon we were on our way back to Kingston.  We stopped at a McDonald's on the way where Arnold bought me a Real cup of coffee, ie strong and tall, which I needed after the journey of about 28 hours. 

It was nice to be back.  Everything seemed so pleasant and familiar.  Just being able to talk freely was a novelty because in Brazil I generally have to keep my mouth shut like a mute due to my language problem.  It was good to see Sandra again with a big hug and after we brought in my luggage it was time for Denver the Dog to make his appearance.  After the protracted doggie greeting thing (complete with licking of ears), I settled into the big and comfortable 5 star guest room.  Fortunately my arrival will overlap with daughter Elisa's working holiday here in Kingston by a few days.   Shortly after finishing her work upstairs in the office she came down and we had a good chat.  It is always a bonus to see Arnold and Sandra's children because between their busy lives on the east side of the USA and my wanderings around the world it might be years between the crossing of our paths.

After a lively and entertaining dinner I excused myself and crashed out on the bed.  I couldn't even hold out until Jay Leno, which shows how tired I was.