Leaving after a month is Grass Valley, CA, I was heading back east, feeling like I wanted to visit my relatives, once last time....once last time before what? Before the "J" word! You don't mean 'job' do you? Yes, it feels like the time is coming close for the end of my "Year in a Suitcase!" Certainly, the year, logistically is over, but I'm living in the 'Second Half of Life,' and it just didn't 'feel' like the year is up! So I packed my bags, adding one larger suitcase to my normal backpack and 22" carry-on and headed to Chicago, via Kansas and Missouri. I had a lovely visit with my brother/ cousin and families. For my short flight to Milwaukee, I decided that I would check my baggage, after all, it's just an hour, non-stop flight....what could possibly happen to my baggage? Flooding and thunderstorms, that's what! My flight was due to leave at 8:40PM and by midnight they had decided to detour the plane to Chicago where we could catch a flight the next morning to Milwaukee. (I was to fly to Milwaukee where my daughter had a basketball camp.) I at least had a sweater and shawl, oh, and of course my pillow, in my back pack and so I slept on the floor of Midway Airport in Chicago. 5AM announcement, "We'll let you know at 7:30AM when the Milwaukee airport will re-open! Now, it's time to take matters into my own hands! At least I was in Chicago and could get public transportation to my daughter's house, even if she wasn't there! The 'el' began to run again after closing down at midnight. So I hopped on the 'el,' to downtown, where I had to find the Metra rail train, (not so easy, however a lovely time to be in downtown Chicago), and took the hour plus train ride to the suburbs. When I arrived, it was pouring rain, so I treated myself to a 5 mile cab ride! Now there was a point to why I was telling this story....oh yes....while I made it to Chicago, my luggage spent the week in Milwaukee, and just arrived via Fed EX, 6 days after my journey had begun! The moral of the story....I never check my bag....but it did lead to an adventure!
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