I’m always nervous before traveling.  I don’t relax until the plane rotates on takeoff and I watch Sitka glide by, catch a glimpse of my house, and fly into the mystic, the clouds that sometimes make Southeast Alaska Communities feel like Brigadoon, emerging only every so often.

This rotation and ascent into the clouds was more satisfying than most.  In the past, rotation meant that all my work was done or delegated.  This time much, including what I was going to wear, was left in the air, higher than I was climbing.

Complicating affairs, during the last few weeks I’ve had health issues, shortness of breath and lightheadedness.  While I can walk a mile without problems, if there is a hill involved, I have to carry anything or if I stand up too quickly it becomes an issue.  This has been increasing over the months.  A CT scan showed my right diaphragm paralyzed, and my right lung less than functional.  The fear was something serious, like the disease people poured ice water over their heads to raise money to fight.  Or it could be a pinched nerve in my neck.  So, I spent 2 and a half hours in an MRI machine on New Year’s Eve.  On New Year’s Day I got the word, pinched nerve. Thanks to the medical staff who worked overtime so I could leave knowing that some PT will probably help.  But have to remember to take it easy.

Which was difficult on this trip.  We had shipped our baggage via a company arranged by Holland America called “Luggage Forward.”  You can look at my last blog post for the beginning of the story.  We still do not know the rest of the story, but we have the middle.  After the last post, Luggage Forward called us to say that because of weather the plane with our baggage container was diverted and our stuff flew around for a while but they thought that Alaska Airlines has found the container.  They would notify us when FedEx got the container.  We’ve heard little more from Luggage Forward.  But I did put a trace using the FedEx tracking number and just this morning (January 3) I got a text from FedEx that the luggage would be delivered to Luggage Forward on January 5, the day after we sail.   We’ve put another call into Luggage Forward (“Your call is important to us.”) asking them to confirm that they will ship it to Hawaii.  We never got through on the phone but got an email, bags will meet us in Honolulu on January 10 and we found that Luggage Forward deposited more than $2K into our PayPal account, so I am feeling a little more kindly toward them but still Luggage Forward has a rule against air tags.  Next time, forget that!

Not knowing if we would be getting the stuff, we scrambled to put together another cruise ensemble. (As noted in my last post I’ve lost weight.)  It meant going through clothes that I had “outgrown” to find a blazer that fit in a past life.  I also found one dress shirt and some old ties.  So, I will be able to attend gala dinners in the Main Dining Room even if my bags don’t get to me.  And I will look stylishly retro, even if the blazer is still a little tight.  But taking a second ensemble meant traveling with four big suitcases.

But we did fly into the mystic, and while it was mystical from Sitka to Ketchikan, just about at the Canadian Border we hit a big sucker hole and had some glorious views before it socked in for our landing in Seattle.  No views of Rainier this flight.

The plane from Seattle was an hour late getting into San Diego.  The luggage took 45 minutes to get to the belt, and the line to claim the free miles from Alaska Airlines (They have a 20 minute guarantee) was so long and the agent so harried that we gave up and schlepped our bags to find a Taxi.  By the time we got the bags to the taxi stand I had discovered the limits of my lungs and needed to sit before I fainted.  The dispatcher found a big cab that took all our luggage, as well as us, although it took her half an hour.  We got to bed a little after midnight.

But Saturday Morning found us looking out at the Niew Amsterdam, The Norwegian Jewel and an historic Aircraft Carrier docked across the street and Suzi has placed orders with CVS for all the vitamins, supplements and pills we will need for three months.  While we wait for delivery it is off to see some of San Diego.

And as for our baggage, a friend who read my last post told me I needed to kick it up a notch from St. Anthony, especially during the 12 days of Christmas.

Baby Jesus, look around

Something lost, something found

Perhaps it worked.