Wednesday, June 23, 1999

When Stacey and I got to Atlanta we only had about an hour layover.   Our gate for the next leg to Salt Lake City was three concourses over which didn't take us long to cover.   We sat down in plenty of time.  With the corner of my eye I noticed a lady come over and sit down two seats away.   I immediately started to pull out the new video camera that Sherry twisted my arm and made me buy.  I knew who the lady was but I never looked over.   I had the fold out display on the camera reversed around and the camera recording in just a few seconds.   About that time Stacey whispered in my ear and said, "Dad, doesn't that look like Aunt Jane"?   I replied with indifference, "what lady".   Stacey was mesmerized with a constant stare.   Again she whispered, "doesn't that look like Jane"?  She kept on staring as I  was recording.   I finally suggested she ask the lady where she was from.   Stacey asked her and the minute Jane spoke, her voice nailed it for Stacey.  I have it all on tape and it was a hoot.    Kind of like the time we did the same thing to my Mom on a family cruise.  My Mom's jaw just about dropped down to the table.  Stacey was pretty much speechless for a few minutes as reality set in.

The flight up was beautiful. We flew over the Rocky Mountains on the way to Salt Lake City.  They were so covered in snow!!  I was a little surprised but then remembered it's still June and they did have a heavy snow season into late spring.   The trip continued to be interesting out the window as the scenery changed... It had been cloudy in Atlanta and rainy and it just got sunnier and prettier the farther west and north we went.

Ted made our reservations for the Days Inn here in Downtown Anchorage.  It was about 10:00 p.m. when we landed here and it was equivalent to daylight at 5:00 p.m. at home.  We were whipped!!  I think we'd all been up and traveling about 22 hours... It's 3 or 4 hours difference depending on time zone we left from.  We had a young Air Force fella (that works nights here) drive us from the hotel.  He had a wonderful sense of humor.  Jane had left Shreveport on a plane that was at least half full of college Air Force ROTC cadets who had been at summer camp out at Barksdale.  As the plane took off the broke out in the Air Force song.... "in the wild blue yonder..." It was contagious enthusiasm... they were happy and proud kids.

We tried our best to shut the curtains and get the room dark enough to sleep... None of us ever saw anything remotely like dark in this 24 hour period!!  We had remote hopes that Stacey would "sleep in" and we could too.

Rus woke up very early and snuck out to explore a little.  He snapped these poppies in a yard not far from the hotel.