A Mini-Reunion

I went to visit family over the weekend. It was an interesting visit.
The flight there was good and uneventful. Arrived at 4:30 and a big dinner party was planned for 5:00. Racing from airport to hotel, checking in, phone calls, picked up and had a wonderful dinner with extended family. Too much to drink.
Called Michele in Pittsburgh, who advised me to take some Advil and get some sleep.
Saturday was birthday for brother, Wacky Girl and Sara. Such fun to watch the kids build a tent in the living room and race around the yard. Nice party with old and new folks.
Sunday was quiet. Hockey God left to go home, then the AZ contingency left. We had a wonderful breakfast sitting outdoors. Lemon pancakes...mmmmmm. So good.
Monday went to free lunch to serve. Interesting. People come to eat for free...anyone can come, college students, people passing by. It made me sad, but happy. Quite a feast. Quite a group, both serving and being served. It was Labor Day. Here in Pittsburgh we have a parade. There we served free lunch.
I did the treadmill every morning, and my exercises. Got up early this AM and did them both, then prepared to leave for home. Checked out of the hotel, took back the rental car and checked in at the airport. I had to go through Chicago, which is always a challenge. Got to Chicago and had an hour or so for lunch, which was a salad listening to people and trying to follow their French conversation without much success. Boarded the plane and a gentleman got on racing up the aisle and said he was the middle of our three seats. Since he had on a Steeler shirt, I told him he could join our row. Lots of odd noises coming from the plane. A slight delay while they checked the hydraulic system. The Steeler fan and I just looked at one another. A bit more of a delay while they continued to check it out. Now the fan and I began to talk about the hydraulic system. They closed the door and told us we would be leaving....oh, wait. They had to get paperwork. The fan told me they were covering themselves. Twenty minutes later they said they had received the paperwork. I asked the fan how they received the paperwork and he said they put it in the black box so that when we crashed the airlines wouldn't be held responsible. After ten more minutes, we began our journey. When the wheels went up there was a collective sigh of relief. Then the fan stated that there was probably just enough hydraulic fuel to lift the wheels, not to put them down upon landing. The flight was uneventful after that, but there was some anxiety when the pilot stated that we were preparing to land. As we descended the fan was practicing "brace" with his hands over his neck. The attendant did not think this was funny. We heard the wheels come down, but not lock. Fan said we should be like the Flintstones and drag our feet. We landed safely. There was a crowd waiting to board since we were late. I think I heard the fan say "the hydraulic system is flawed". He was fun to sit beside. He and his friend had been on a fishing trip in Utah. His friend was a Brown's fan. I didn't hold it against him. He was nice, too.