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!