Travel Diary – Day Eight

Aug. 30, 7:45 AM – Another foggy morning. Can’t see Mt. Ranier. This is the La Quinta in Seattle again, so we’ll be going to the Denny’s next door for breakfast. The difference in motels is almost amusing. This lobby is palatial by comparison to the Best Western in Everett, and the beds are the best ever. But the towels are thin and rough, there’s only a cold continental breakfast, and no in-room fridge or microwave. The BW had it all, including soft, thick towels and a sumptuous breakfast buffet. But both have what we came for: Cool Temps!

Aug. 30, 8:30 AM – Rain! Well, okay. Drizzle. Not enough to bottle and take home. Here we are ready to leave for the airport and NOW Seattle starts acting like Seattle! No matter. It’s about 57 degrees, and the air is filled with the bracing scent of evergreens and spicy cedar. I don’t wanna leave!

Aug. 30,10:30 AM – At SeaTac airport. Slowed up the security process by neglecting to remove my laptop from its case. Coulda swore I read somewhere that it wasn’t necessary anymore. Husband thoroughly ticked.


Approaching Houston, the pilot comes on the intercom: “Ladies and gentlemen, the weather at our destination is partly cloudy with a temperature of 100 degrees.” Groans filled the cabin and not a few of us called out, “Turn around!”

Aug. 30, 8:00 PM – and home. We were immediately flattened by the oppressive heat coming out on the jet way. Two good things: Everything in my suitcase smells like evergreens and the gourmet coffees I picked up in Everett; and the rain gauge showed 2 ¼ inches. Can you believe that? Guess it took us leaving this super heated, drought-ridden area to make it rain!

Also, the publicists at VerveStar report progress on my new Ammanon.com page. Now I’m getting excited again about the impending fall re-release of Book One. Ready to get back to work!

Travel Diary - Day One

Aug. 23, 5:15 PM - Just got to Bush Intercontinental with gobs of time to spare. Got through security easily. Husband was in another line and got the full treatment. Had time to get me a cinnamon dolce latte at an adjoining Starbucks while he was getting dressed. Air Alaska doesn’t have much of a presence here. It shares a counter with Horizon, Air France, and KLM. Sad.

Aug. 23, 10:58 PM – That’s Seattle time. My watch says 1:00 AM. It was a lo-o-o-ong non-stop flight. But since we were in the air in excess of 3.5 hours, the airline was obliged to serve us something besides tiny bags containing pretzels, cheddar corn and roasted red pepper strips. For $6 I got a hamburger and a decaf coffee. The meat tasted like it’d been boiled. But we came through much better than I expected.

The SeaTac airport was an abrupt change of décor from Houston Intercontinental. There are abstract totems on some of the pillars, the café fronts were stonework and logs, and the shops had rows of plaster (or maybe taxidermied) fish on the walls. But the best part was emerging into the cool air of the Pacific Northwest. This is the perfect place: forests, mountains, and picturesque lakes and rivers everywhere you look.

Tomorrow: Space Needle!