(AGAIN) A NEW DAY DAWNS

Yesterday, the two a.m. wake up was expected as I was set to head to Pearson Airport in Toronto. What wasn't was the Lincoln Navigator at 3:30 as a means of transport to the airport. That comfort was short-lived as we stopped in St. Catharines for another passenger, then on to Ridley College. I was a little to early...and a few years late for either the Upper or Lower schools. We were there to pick up two more passengers enroute to Pearson.

They were heading off home for their mid-semester break of one week. One was heading to the Bahamas, maybe both. I thought warmth....for a fleeting moment as we then transferred into the mini-bus at vineland transfer, airport bound. The cold airport, the heavy luggage...reality set in, once again.

Catching some ZZZZZ's along the way, we arrived at Terminal 2 ?? 3 and as were were all for AIR CANADA, we disembarked and parted our separate ways. Ships in the night.....

This morning we are trying again to get north. In case you missed it, we had some delays yesterday of a mechanical nature. That lead, eventually, to a full cancellation. We were rebooked, provided meal and hotel vouchers...arrangements were made to try the next day...and we are here awaiting.

First in line for today's Check In

Yesterday I offered my services telling them that I'd been flying for the past few years now and have considerable experience in aircraft maintenance and repair. They seemed genuinely interested in my story when I mentioned that, of course, I've worked on smaller planes. I continued by telling them that every time we crash, we put things back together with CA glue and kicker or epoxy. That brought strange looks upon their faces.

I think at that point they must have wondered literally how much glue fumes I'd inhaled along the way. And finally, I got their attention by mentioning that flying from the ground was more difficult that being really in the air. When I showed them by MODEL AERONAUTICS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA (MAAC) membership card, they realized that my small aircraft were indeed that...and radio controlled from the ground. (The previous two paaragraphs are used without permission from the new Brain Williams book “STORIES I'VE MADE UP” due out in the next 6 months with good behaviour).

The hotel was a holiday in in POLO PARK right across the street from LEON'S FURNITURE (who

All set ...ready to go today!

started in Welland) and just about a half mile from a Target. I was not needing furniture and even the “at UP TO 30% savings” didn't interest me as I am already overweight on my luggage(s). The evening was spent catching up on my blogs snapping some shots around the hotel...and getting some rest. If I had packed my bathing suit, I could have gone for a swim. I guess that I could have gone to Target and got one, but then it would be wet to pack and frozen solid by the time I got to Rankin Inlet.

Yesterday's cancellation ballet

This morning, a new day dawned, once again with temps of -23 here in WINTERPEG. The winds have diminished and the cloud cover is quite high..no blowing snow today. The flight crew has just arrived. We either have two females in the cockpit and a male flight attendant, or another combination. The sun has been poking out through the cloud cover. The covers are off the air scoops of the jet engines and the cargo loading has begun. There is a hive of activity from catering to ground crew. So perhaps with only 45 minutes to departure, its time for the snow overpants, the Sorel boots, and time to pack the laptop away. Gate 15 awaits.

God speed...John Glenn.....