On to Prague

Much as my late father-in-law, a B-17 navigator, did 70 years ago, at
approximately 1027 ZULU we made landfall on the continent of Europe in the
vicinity of Cherbourg.  Actually being over land makes us feel we are
finally making some progress on our journey.  Of course, it would be even
better if we were where we were supposed to be, which is on the ground in
Prague.  Bad weather delayed our plane before it ever got to JFK,
resulting in us taking off 4 hours late.  A small but helpful tailwind
allowed us to make up some time, but we will still be about 3 hours late
arriving in the Czech Republic.  I sure am glad we didn't have anything
much planned for our first day aside from getting settled in our
apartment.  And glad our temporary landlord knows to check the airline's
website before driving to the airport.

Delayed gratification.

On a 737 bound for JFK from SA on the first leg of a trip which should
have happened 9 months ago.  Got word while visiting the grand kids over
the Fourth of July that our reservations were finalized for a vacation
that would include Prague, Vienna and Wertach, a small town in the
Bavarian Alps.  But as often happens, one little slip is all it takes to wreck our plans.

My "slip" came on the trip homeward from Omaha as I walked across a rocky
ledge in the mountains of NW Arkansas.   Fortunately, I broke my fall
with my face, which resulted in visiting ERs in both Arkansas and Oklahoma,
as well as another helicopter ride.  Several surgeries, and many months later, we are trying again.

This morning found us passing through the ever entertaining adventure of
airport security in San Antonio, Texas.  For most of us, this is a fairly
standard exercise which involves taking off shoes, emptying pockets and
taking your computer out of its case.  My Lovely Bride, however, always
finds some way of garnering a little extra attention.  Today, in addition
to the usual electronic scanning, she ended up with three TSA agents
swabbing her hands and forearms.  This is not the first time this has
happened to her, but we've never been able to figure out exactly what they
are trying to detect.  Anyone have an idea?