Philadelphia, PA (USA)

Worked all morning to ensure there were no loose ends before I got on the plane to go home. Checked out of my room at the NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge (1200) and drove towards the airport. Got gas at an Exxon Station in Woodlyn (1235) and then ate lunch at a Chinese Restaurant in Ridley Park. Arrived at the Philadelphia airport around three hours before my scheduled departure. Had no trouble turning in my Enterprise Rental Car (1330) car or getting through check-in and security. Spent several hours with the nice people at the USO Lounge - read, watched TV and used the internet. They even gave me some parting gifts for the kids. Got to my American Airlines flight on time but then ran into the same carry-on mess again. Luckily, this time I had put almost everything in my checked bag and didn't get separated from my belongings. The folks around me on the plane weren't so lucky... We took off on time (1605) - I was planning on reading all the way home but I ended up having a nice conversation with an older lady who was going to baby-sit her grand-kids in Texas while her children were on a cruise. Before I knew it, we were landing at DFW (1910L). Had some trouble getting my bags from the claim area, but Nicky arrived at the airport just as I came out of the terminal. No problems getting home... Kids glad to see me!

Willow Grove, PA (USA)

Over to work at 0800. Met up with the three local units one more time today - wrapped up everything I was trying to accomplish on this trip. Attempted to get another flight, but it looks like I'd have to wait until Friday to guarantee one. Decided to leave on schedule... Had lunch with my friend, Scott, at Tonelli's (pizza). Back at work afterwards - finished up all work sent from home. Back at my room at 1630 - noticed that the movie Avatar was showing in 3-D at 1645 down the street - made it for the showing just in time. Turned out to be a pretty good movie... Had dinner in the room my the NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge again. Did some work on web-site and packed for my departure tomorrow. Ended up watching movies until late.

Willow Grove, PA (USA)

[Staying in the NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge] Headed in to work around 0800 - got a lot done. Had some pressing stuff that came up over the weekend. Weather turned ugly overnight, making for a cold, drippy day - good time to spend at the office. Looks like I can get some more flight time tomorrow!  I tried to nail down some plans but the schedule kept changing. Left work around 1400 and drove back over to Trenton (it didn't take long as the weather improved) and got a few hours at the Archives. Wish I could come back again, but it may be one of those "lucky I had the chance" moments... Stopped off at work on the way home again - found out the whole schedule for Tuesday had been cancelled. Did a little more work before having dinner in my room. Watched some TV and movies - worked on web-page.

San Diego, CA (USA)

Slept OK in the Navy Gateway Inn but ended up waking up early (not by choice, due to the timezone changes...). Met up with my crew and we left NAS North Island at 0800L.  Great weather again - we could see all the way to the Gulf of California and up to Joshua Tree National Monument!  The Salton Sea was full of water (for once!) and dunes clearly water-logged. Started to sense that weather would be a factor as we approached West Virginia - aircraft stacking up for arrivals into DC and Baltimore. Luckily for us, we got a detour around the traffic and up from the Jersey Shore again - no trouble in Philly. But, we could see the weather coming... On the ground around 1630L - stayed to finish paperwork until around 1830L. Ate dinner in my room at the NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge and watched the Conference Championship games. Played around on my computer and watched a movie before going to bed.

Whidbey Island, WA (USA)

Got up early at the NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge - it was cold!!!  After getting over to the hangar (brrr...), met up with my crew and we took off on time. Weather was great all the way to the Mississippi River - saw some great landmarks. Started to see snow near the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin - and then clouds covered everything until we arrived in Washington. Ended up flying over Duluth and through Canada (Winnipeg and Vancouver Center) - helped with the winds, though. Thought it would be cold on Whidbey Island, but it was actually warmer than in Philly! We spent a few hours there, waiting on everyone. Wish we were spending the night! Took off in the late afternoon and headed for San Diego. Saw some great mountain scenery again - and weather got even better as we got to the Central Valley of California. Could see Edwards, China Lake, the Chocolate Mountains, Santa Catalina and all of LA County. We had heard it had been raining non-stop throughout California but we never saw a single sign of weather. You can't beat this climate! Landed with some higher winds on Coronado (could see the high surf along Point Loma). After we were on the ground, it was clear that they had some tough times - trees down everywhere! Checked into our hotel (NAS North Island Navy Gateway Inn) and headed over to Miguel's for dinner. Tried a Margarita and a Mojito (OK). Went back to the hotel around 2000 - already tired... Actually went to bed around 2130L.

Willow Grove, PA (USA)

[Staying at NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge] Found out when I got to work this morning that they have another flight for me - two days this weekend! Spent all morning working on the rest of the "travel-projects" I brought with me - finally finished. After lunch, gave some training to a few folks. They just found out about an inspection they will be getting and I was able to put their mind at ease after discussing the things they should prepare. Completed all pre-flight planning, including a call to Scott to tell him not to worry about coming into town early. Stopped by Lee's again in the evening - two subs this time (one for the road and one for after I get back). Did laundry and packed. Ended up on the phone for most of the evening - with Troy...

Trenton, NJ (USA)

I went by the work-place this morning to get a few things done before I had to meet Stirlin in New Jersey. Visited with an old friend, Rob, at his new job and planned a little for my flight tomorrow. Left for Wrightstown before 1000L and followed Stirlin's directions (Turnpike to US-130). He drove me over to the new hangar (the unit will be moving there in 2011) and we checked out some of the other challenges that face them during the move. I got a lot of new information for my Boss and set up some connections that should help in the future. After some lunch, finished up our visit. Had enough time to take the scenic way home - via Washington's Crossing State Park. On the way, got a call that my flight tomorrow was cancelled (too bad!). Decided to explore a little further after that. After driving around Trenton on I-295, decided to stop by the New Jersey State Archives (lots of good genealogy stuff!) - definitely worth a return visit. There were also some museums and historical sites (The Barracks) - would make for a good family visit. Drove north of the city on NJ-29, and found the State Park was already closed. Still had some great views of the river - and it was chilly enough to imagine Washington and his men coming across to attack the sleeping Hessians! Took NJ-29 up to Lambertville - even saw some of the Obama Stimulus money at work (signs everywhere telling people that the torn up roads were part of the spending program)! Crossed over to New Hope, Pennsylvania just as the sun was setting and then took back roads over to US-202. Hit Doylestown around 1900 and then had dinner at Wendy's. Back at the NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge, watched TV and went to bed early.

Dover, DE (USA)

[Staying at NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge] Spent most of the morning at work, taking care of stuff for my co-workers at home. I was able to finish almost everything I brought with me - and even visited some other folks I normally only speak to on the phone. Set up a trip to New Jersey to visit the new work-spaces for tomorrow... Briefed with Ray for another (short) flight around noon. We took off around 1400 and flew out over the Jersey Shore and Cape May. After delaying for around an hour, flew into Dover and did some practice approaches. Actually landed for a short time (due to extreme bird activity!) before heading back to Philly. Flew right down the Delaware River - through downtown. What a view! Did a few more approaches before calling it an evening. Finished paperwork and answered emails until around 1900. Watched TV and went to bed.

Jacksonville, FL (USA)

Good weather - nice when you haven't flown in 70 days! No problems getting out of Willow Grove (we took off on time). Flying with Paul today and we had great weather on the way to Florida.  Stopped for a short time on the coast there and then flew up to Beaufort.  Also good weather. Had a delicious Lee's Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak (which I'd bought before leaving Pennsylvania) for lunch. The best leg of the day was when we flew through Norfolk - we could see everything from the Outer Banks up to DC! By this point, I was feeling much better about being back in the plane... Flight back to Philly went well - busy near the airport. After paperwork complete, ate dinner in my room at the Navy Lodge. Answered some work emails and watched the Massachusetts Senate (special) election all evening. Bed around 2330L.

Willow Grove, PA (USA)

[Staying at NAS Willow Grove Navy Lodge] Didn't wake up early (holiday routine at work) - did some email and phone messages in my room before heading over to work. Spent most of the morning and early afternoon planning for tomorrow's flight. Did some shopping late in the afternoon and then went over to Lee's Hoagies to pick up some dinner. Spent most of the evening working on the Family Headquarters website - finished before 2200L. Packed (for my flight tomorrow) and went to bed.

Willow Grove, PA (USA)

[Trip to Willow Grove for flight time] My American Airlines flight from DFW wasn't too early (1105 takeoff ) so Nicky drove me to the airport (before arriving, we had to go back home to get my cell-phone... do'oh!). Checked in quickly (thanks to some help from a nice American Airlines attendant) and made it through the TSA expeditiously. Then learned that my flight was delayed until after 1200. Waited at the Lounge and then headed over to the gate - found a crowded flight. This was my first trip since the airlines jacked up the prices for checked baggage and the process was quite different.  In the past, I tried to get a seat near the front so I could get out of the airplane quickly after landing - now it seems that this strategy will end up leading to your bags being taken by the flight attendants... In other words, there isn't enough room for everyone to bring a carry-on but they do anyway! Oh well, I had some reading materials and the flight went pretty quickly. Arrived in Philadelphia to nasty weather and landed late (around 1530L).  I was planning to meet up with my friend, Scott, in the airport terminal (he was leaving on a trip) but he was already boarding by the time I arrived - too bad. It took a while to get my rental car (from Enterprise) but I was driving out of the lot by 1700. Glad that it was a weekend, because rush hour would have been terrible with the sleet and freezing rain. Even so, it seemed to take forever to get to NAS Willow Grove... Made it safely to the Navy Lodge and checked into my room. Everything worked smoothly from this point - had some take-out at McDonalds and then unpacked. Watched a little TV and went to bed.  Bring on the flying!

Grapevine, TX (USA)

Woke up a little late this morning... Everyone in good spirits from the fun evening. The kids kept talking about singing karaoke and ringing in the New Year at the Great Wolf Lodge. We got started late - the twins hurried back down to the water park and Nicky and Mollie went later. I enjoyed some football games and visited the kids around lunchtime. Later, I went out to check on our car - it was having trouble getting started. Fortunately, the Lodge has security people with jumper cables... The kids had fun until around 1600L and then we left. The kids would definitely like to do this again, I think!