Waiting

Happy Fall to All,

I apologize for not updating the blog sooner, but unfortunately there has not been much to tell.  For the last three weeks Mom and I have been cleaning the house and packing for the trip.  Mom also had things she needed to organize and finish before leaving since she will be staying with me in Australia for over a month. 

But the good news is we have finally started our journey!  Saturday morning, Dad and Chris drove Mom and me with all our gear over to Tacoma.   Dad and Chris spent four hours on Saturday sailing aboard the 90ft. vessel Odyssey, which is manned and maintained by the local Sea Scouts.  Then on Sunday afternoon, Dad and Chris dropped Mom and me off at McChord Air Force base.

In order to get to Australia my Mom and I will be attempting to take Space Available Flights on Air Force planes that happen to be going the same place we are with extra seats or room for passengers.  This system is only for active duty or retired armed service people and their dependants.  The flights come and go without any set schedule and without any definite number of seats. So if there are more people who want to get on the flight than there are seats to hold them, then there is a ranking system to decide who gets on the flight. You must be in the airport ready to leave when the plane is ready to go.  And they can sometimes leave at very strange hours.  The cabins, while pressurized, are not heated and the planes are not insulated against the noise of the engine, so passengers usually wear ear plugs during the flight.  But the advantage to Space A flights is they are free. 

 
     So here we are waiting for the next flight out to Travis Air Force Base in California, or Hickam Air Force Base on Oahu, Hawaii.  Our preferred flight plan will take us to Travis, and from Travis we will board a plane that travels to Hawaii, then on to Pago Pago, and eventually arrives in Australia.  If we get on the flight in Travis, we are almost guaranteed seats all the way through.  For Plan B, we can also board the flight at Hickam, but this is a little riskier since anyone who is already on board has priority over us.  According to the latest update of the flight schedule, we think we will be able to get a flight to Travis sometime Wednesday.

I have also added some pictures of my open water dive. There were so many amazing creatures, and breathing underwater is really cool!

A note about a new blog feature I have added: on the right hand side of the page, underneath the “followers” spot, is a small box that says “Follow by E-mail”.  This gadget will send an e-mail to your inbox every time the blog is updated.  To sign up for the gadget enter your e-mail address into the box underneath the heading, and click submit.

I must admitt that waiting for a flight has been a serious test of my patience.  I feel very fortunate to have such luxuries as internet and netflix to pass some of the time.  But I guess I just have to remember: "Winds blow in clouds for rain, but they also blow the clouds away again.  So do not blame the winds when it rains, but rather pick up an umbrella and be patient."
Hana