I got up at 4:30 Sunday morning, Warsaw time (that would be 8:30 p.m. Saturday evening Phoenix time), walked the 100 yards from the Courtyard Warsaw Airport hotel to the terminal around 5:30, and checked in for my 7:20 flight with Lot, the Polish national airline. Because my United status is treated as Star Gold, I got the Fast-track security screening and was the only passenger being screened - if I did not get Fast-Track, I would have been in line with several hundred people. The Star Gold club was nice, and I had a pleasant breakfast and great wifi while there.
The flight to Amsterdam went well. On thing I noticed at the Amsterdam airport was the smoking lounges. There are these small rooms near many of the gates and people crowd in to smoke.
When it became time to board the United flight to Chicago, many of us regular United passengers were surprised - this was the first time any of us had seen boarding by bus on International flights. And it was a long and circuitous route to the jet which was parked out by the cargo terminal. Otherwise, the flight to Chicago and the nest flight to Phoenix went well. As planned, Patty met me at the airport and I drove us to Scottsdale for the last night of the Canal Convergence light show - Sunday was the finale of the show of the lights from Klip Collective (the same organization putting on the light show at the Desert Botanical Garden). To make sure we could find the car, I took a photo of the underground parking garage map.
Besides the light show, there was some other art work on display, including city recycle bins that had been decorated by school kids as part of their lessons learning about the importance of recycling.
There were many striking light exhibits, including Flotus which was 12 large floating lights shaped like lotus blossoms and from which flames could be shot into the air to accompany the music - we apparently heard the last song and saw the last flames before I got to take a photo. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant hour strolling along the canal through the different exhibits and activities.
This light exhibit had a ring at the bottom so that kids could grab it and run in a circle making the whole light turn.
SRP had an exhibit about conserving water.
Monday was a day of running errands and doing laundry and adjusting to the change of eight hours in time zones. Tuesday, while walking from the Washington and Priest light rail stop to the Desert Botanical Garden, I was surprised at how the creosote bushes were in bloom and had seed pods formed - this usually happens in the spring, but apparently because of the unusual amount of rain on Oct. 1 and 2 from Hurricane Rosa, plus record high temps afterwards, they bloomed in November.
And because of the blooms, when I was working my shift at the Saguaro station at the Desert Botanical Garden, a whole flock of desert quail came by to feed on the blossoms and seed pods on the creosote bushes.
While I slept well Sunday night, I did not Monday night - but I made up for it Tuesday night, sleeping soundly for more than eight hours. That is most unusual for me. And so I am back home in Phoenix for a few days and hopefully over the jetlag.
The flight to Amsterdam went well. On thing I noticed at the Amsterdam airport was the smoking lounges. There are these small rooms near many of the gates and people crowd in to smoke.
When it became time to board the United flight to Chicago, many of us regular United passengers were surprised - this was the first time any of us had seen boarding by bus on International flights. And it was a long and circuitous route to the jet which was parked out by the cargo terminal. Otherwise, the flight to Chicago and the nest flight to Phoenix went well. As planned, Patty met me at the airport and I drove us to Scottsdale for the last night of the Canal Convergence light show - Sunday was the finale of the show of the lights from Klip Collective (the same organization putting on the light show at the Desert Botanical Garden). To make sure we could find the car, I took a photo of the underground parking garage map.
Besides the light show, there was some other art work on display, including city recycle bins that had been decorated by school kids as part of their lessons learning about the importance of recycling.
There were many striking light exhibits, including Flotus which was 12 large floating lights shaped like lotus blossoms and from which flames could be shot into the air to accompany the music - we apparently heard the last song and saw the last flames before I got to take a photo. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant hour strolling along the canal through the different exhibits and activities.
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| The Flotus lights came on and off in sync with the music, as did the flames |
This light exhibit had a ring at the bottom so that kids could grab it and run in a circle making the whole light turn.
SRP had an exhibit about conserving water.
Monday was a day of running errands and doing laundry and adjusting to the change of eight hours in time zones. Tuesday, while walking from the Washington and Priest light rail stop to the Desert Botanical Garden, I was surprised at how the creosote bushes were in bloom and had seed pods formed - this usually happens in the spring, but apparently because of the unusual amount of rain on Oct. 1 and 2 from Hurricane Rosa, plus record high temps afterwards, they bloomed in November.
And because of the blooms, when I was working my shift at the Saguaro station at the Desert Botanical Garden, a whole flock of desert quail came by to feed on the blossoms and seed pods on the creosote bushes.
While I slept well Sunday night, I did not Monday night - but I made up for it Tuesday night, sleeping soundly for more than eight hours. That is most unusual for me. And so I am back home in Phoenix for a few days and hopefully over the jetlag.
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