The van arrived five minutes early with three passengers already aboard, and there was one more pick up after me. We arrived at JFK at a little after 7, but since US Air was the last stop, I didn't get to the terminal until about 7:20. I was through security and at the gate by 7:35. I couldn't believe the number of people at the airport. Who would have guessed so many people would be traveling on this holiday. Our flight from JFK to Phoenix was full.
After a quick lunch in Phoenix, we boarded our flight to Orange County. An hour in the air, 20 minutes to collect checked luggage, 30 minutes on the van, and we were at the Anaheim Marriott. Ruth-Ann and I are on the fourth floor of the Oasis Tower. For some reason they put me in a handicap accessible room. It is almost identical to the room I had in Vancouver, although it is even a little larger. It is definitely bigger than my apartment.
We met MerLynne in the lobby at 5:30 to review and update our schedules for the next two weeks. MerLynne will be our "handler," making sure we know where and when we are supposed to be. She will also make sure we eat meals and take breaks. We will try to make sure she does the same.
We met up with our colleague Clay and Trudy and Joe, who are two of our key Discovery Center team members. We walked to a nearby pizza place for supper. They had Hawaiian Pizza on the menu--pineapple and Canadian bacon. I hadn't had that since college, so feeling like a trip down memory lane, I ordered it. It was definitely an improvement over Gerry's in Rockford.
After dinner we walked a few blocks to Downtown Disney to watch the fireworks. It was not the optimal viewing spot, but we saw fireworks. It is now almost midnight Pacific Daylight Time, which means I have been up for 22 hours. I didn't want to go to bed any earlier, because I'd have awaken at 3:00 a.m. Now I should sleep through to 6:00 a.m. local time.
Happy Independence Day!
Peace,
Jeff
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