It’s a Leap Year and I have an extra day… which I sorely need to catch up on work (and most importantly) sleep!!! It’s hard to believe that just a week ago I arrived in Norfolk, VA (image above leaving Norfolk). Yesterday goes down as one of my longest travel days ever. I was up for 22 hours and I am struggling a little today trying to keep my eyes open.

This was the view from my hotel window at about 6 am. My room mate had to get up early  (5:30 am) to catch a morning flight back to Chicago. I decided to finish  packing and get breakfast before my taxi arrived to pick me up. I arrived at the airport in plenty of time. In fact I was so early that I could not get my seat assigned. I like to be early (last month in Florida I missed my shuttle by about 30 minutes and I was a little panicked).

Little did I know that my flight to La Guardia would be delayed and I would spend 5 (yes, five) hours in the Norfolk Airport…  It is a small airport and that means that there isn’t much to do. After one Starbucks treat I felt poor… I can’t help but convert the US $ to Canadian $$. When I realized that the latte with coconut milk was not only higher priced than in Canada, but also cost me way too much for what it was I found a quiet place to read. ..

One can only read for so long, especially when one is very tired from teaching and too many early mornings. I spent some time walking between the departure gate and the security check. The few shop owners were beginning to look at me funny after I passed them the third time. The fourth time I passed them they didn’t bother to greet me.

I always look for lines and shapes and the above image is of the only noteworthy piece I captured with my phone. I was drawn in by the shapes, its intersecting lines and the way it framed the sun in one of the area. Finally the boarding call came and we were on the way to New York.I managed to catch my connecting flight with a little time to spare. The sun was pushing in through the airport terminal windows and mingled with the body heat of so many travelers sleep was threatening to overtake. Finally the call to board was issued and I was ecstatic to have a seat in the front row with extra leg room in the WestJet Plus section. What a treat!

Toronto was next, customs and navigating the airport. I was questioning the gate C2A assignment in my mind and began to walk, and walk, and walk… WestJet has a brand new terminal in Toronto. (The image above was captured as I was taking the escalator to the gate.) It is stunning. The long hike to the gate (the numbering is opposite to other terminals – numbers 1 and 2 are farthest) was rewarded with wide open space, few people and comfortable, and best of all, sufficient seating for all travelers. This is much appreciated as the Air Canada terminal in Toronto and La Guardia in general has very limited seating in their gate waiting areas

. Another short delay got me into Regina just prior to midnight. Once i collected the luggage the long drive home was uneventful. I am so glad we have not had a typical winter!

I am home now for a while now. My time will be filled with completing reno work on our house, writing time for the Kantha book, creation time for new work and getting organized for my teaching trip to Ontario in June.

One last image from Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival: Connecting with friends is always a bonus when teaching! (From right to left) David Mancuso, Penny, a key member of the Mancuso crew, Fran and my good friend Augusta Cole.

29 Feb This entry was published on February 29, 2016 at 1:35 pm. It’s filed under Art, In the News, Journaling, Networking, Quilt Judging, Quilt Show, Special event, staying in touch, Travel and tagged bonus day, Leap Year, Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, New York, Norfolk, Toronto. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.