Travel and Travail

We awoke at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday to begin our travails.  After cramming five 50-pound bags, a keyboard, a cello, two violins, four carry-on bags, and two messenger bags into the car, we headed out to our Southwest flight to LAX.  Thanks goodness Southwest still allows two bags per person to fly free!  We didn't even have to deplane in Denver, so all in all, the morning travel went smoothly.

We had booked a room at the Marriott near LAX so that we could rest and swim during the day, as the flight for Auckland was scheduled for 10:00 p.m.  The girls enjoyed swimming, though it's a bit chilly in LA, but I cut my toe somehow in the hot tub, so they have to drain it to look for glass in the tub.  They took down an incident report and gave me all the triple antibiotic and band-aids I could want, and I felt fairly silly when they immediately took $40 off our hotel bill. 

Although relaxing during the day was a good plan, we were really eager to get going to New Zealand, so when 6:15 rolled around, we were quite ready to lug all our stuff (that's why they call it luggage) down to the shuttle to go back to the airport.  We gave a big sigh of relief when the shuttle finally departed for the airport, knowing that we'd soon be able to check most of these bags.  But when the driver asked us which airline and we told her Air New Zealand, the other couple on the shuttle said, "Oh, no.  Didn't they tell you?  All flights into and out of Auckland are shut down due to a power outage." 

It took three luggage carts to haul all our belongings to the ticket counter, but fortunately, Air New Zealand allowed us to check the eight large pieces overnight, then sent us back to the Marriott.  They gave us generous meal allowances, so we ordered room service.  Unfortunately, by the time the food arrived Beth and Katy were fast asleep and couldn't be roused to eat dinner.

Apparently the lights at the Auckland airport were out for about five hours, causing the domino effect of longer and longer flight delays, so our airplane left Auckland about 12 hours late; it's due to depart LAX at 11:00 this morning.  The staff at Air New Zealand were certainly accommodating, and I realized that compared to the passengers in Auckland, we were lucky: we got meals and a nice room, while they must have had to sit at the airport wondering when they lights would come back on and they'd be able to depart.

The worst part of it all was that Glenn didn't get to watch the OU-OSU game because here in California, ABC covered the USC-Notre Dame game.  Glenn wants to say "Boomer Sooner," but I still say "Go Pokes!"

One Week (and a Few Hours)

Wow!  One week from now will be our last night in Tulsa before we head "beneath down under."  Frisco, our Shetland Sheepdog, left Tulsa yesterday morning to fly ahead of us.  He spent the day today in LA being checked over by a USDA veterinarian, and then he'll fly our tonight to New Zealand.  He has to be in quarantine for a month, so by the time we have arrived, toured around for a couple of weeks, and settled into our house, he'll be through with his quarantine and can join us.

NZ is unbelievably strict about importing animals.  They don't want any non-native parasites or microorganisms to be inadvertently imported, so Frisco has undergone a demanding regimen for the last six months in preparation for his move.  Looks as if all the hoops we have jumped through have paid off; he's been given a clean bill of health by the vet in LA, so he should be back with his family in no time.

The household goods that we shipped also had to be clean--no dirt was allowed to be on the bicycle tires or in any sporting equipment.  If we had shipped a vacuum cleaner, it would have had to be scrubbed and sent with a brand new bag so that no foreign dirt would be brought in.  We shipped an entire container of goods, but we'll still be traveling in the usual Craig way--five or six large bags, two violins, a keyboard, a cello, possibly a guitar, plus all our carry-on luggage.  Good to know that if we get stuck in any airport, we'll be able to scare up some snack money by busking.

The next week will be a whirlwind of activity.  The girls sing tomorrow at Philbrook's Festival of Trees, then the "So Long" party is Sunday at 4:00 at All Souls, followed by a Thanksgiving pot-luck at University School, Thanksgiving with family, and our departure on Saturday.  Oh, yes, did I mention that there's still packing to be done? 

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of friends and family at the party, and I'm hoping that everyone will keep in touch.