Hello everyone,
I returned home last night from vacation in Hawaii. I was able to check in on the bulletin board three times while away, the last time on Monday night, September 10. That day was my 39th birthday, and I enjoyed a day and evening filled with fun and celebration.
We all know what happened the next day. I was asleep when the phone rang at 8:00am. It was my father calling from California. He said, "Are you watching TV? We're under attack."
The last couple of days of our vacation were spent glued to the television watching events unfold 5,000 miles away. No one felt like having fun while others were experiencing so much pain. Many people felt guilty about even contemplating the normal activities you enjoy while on vacation.
We were scheduled to return home on Thursday, but of course flights to the mainland were cancelled. I spent several hours on the phone and was finally able to reschedule and get a flight into Oakland on Friday. You would not believe the lines of people snaking through the Maui airport and out into the street. I was struck by the patience and good nature that people showed one another--people were well behaved and very helpful to others as we all just tried to get through the situation and on to our destinations.
Most time was spent just getting to the ticket counter for boarding passes and luggage check-in. I could tell that more care was taken in matching the name on our luggage to our tickets, but our checked luggage was not searched.
At the security checkpoint, our carry-on bags went through the normal x-ray process. Neither bag was searched, but one bag was wiped with a towelette that I assume checks for chemical residues. We passed through the metal detector and then each person was checked with a wand device.
Once through security it was pretty much travel as usual. The gate areas were less crowded than usual since only passengers were allowed past security. We saw armed and uniformed National Guard troops in the Honolulu airport while we waited to connect to our Oakland flight. We also noticed that the airport restaurant and in-flight meal used plastic utensils--no more metal knives.
Needless to say, I'm glad to be home. I logged on this morning for the first time since September 10 and was touched by some of the comments in the previous WTC thread. I will be making a donation today to the American Red Cross and I encourage everyone to do what they can to support the relief efforts. Just be careful to make financial contributions to organizations that you know and trust--I think we'll see a fair amount of scamming in the days to come.
I also want to extend my sympathy to Jim Minion in the loss of his father. I met Jim for the first time last year at the American Royal BBQ in Kansas City and you'll never meet a nicer, more generous guy. Of course, you all know that already given the way Jim participates in this forum and shares his knowledge so freely with others. Jim, God bless you and your family in this difficult time.
Best regards,
Chris
I returned home last night from vacation in Hawaii. I was able to check in on the bulletin board three times while away, the last time on Monday night, September 10. That day was my 39th birthday, and I enjoyed a day and evening filled with fun and celebration.
We all know what happened the next day. I was asleep when the phone rang at 8:00am. It was my father calling from California. He said, "Are you watching TV? We're under attack."
The last couple of days of our vacation were spent glued to the television watching events unfold 5,000 miles away. No one felt like having fun while others were experiencing so much pain. Many people felt guilty about even contemplating the normal activities you enjoy while on vacation.
We were scheduled to return home on Thursday, but of course flights to the mainland were cancelled. I spent several hours on the phone and was finally able to reschedule and get a flight into Oakland on Friday. You would not believe the lines of people snaking through the Maui airport and out into the street. I was struck by the patience and good nature that people showed one another--people were well behaved and very helpful to others as we all just tried to get through the situation and on to our destinations.
Most time was spent just getting to the ticket counter for boarding passes and luggage check-in. I could tell that more care was taken in matching the name on our luggage to our tickets, but our checked luggage was not searched.
At the security checkpoint, our carry-on bags went through the normal x-ray process. Neither bag was searched, but one bag was wiped with a towelette that I assume checks for chemical residues. We passed through the metal detector and then each person was checked with a wand device.
Once through security it was pretty much travel as usual. The gate areas were less crowded than usual since only passengers were allowed past security. We saw armed and uniformed National Guard troops in the Honolulu airport while we waited to connect to our Oakland flight. We also noticed that the airport restaurant and in-flight meal used plastic utensils--no more metal knives.
Needless to say, I'm glad to be home. I logged on this morning for the first time since September 10 and was touched by some of the comments in the previous WTC thread. I will be making a donation today to the American Red Cross and I encourage everyone to do what they can to support the relief efforts. Just be careful to make financial contributions to organizations that you know and trust--I think we'll see a fair amount of scamming in the days to come.
I also want to extend my sympathy to Jim Minion in the loss of his father. I met Jim for the first time last year at the American Royal BBQ in Kansas City and you'll never meet a nicer, more generous guy. Of course, you all know that already given the way Jim participates in this forum and shares his knowledge so freely with others. Jim, God bless you and your family in this difficult time.
Best regards,
Chris
