Boeing 757-200HD

 

My ride from Norfolk to Atlanta was a Boeing 757-200HD.

Layout

There is a logic to how airports are laid out, I'm sure. But I have yet to entirely understand it, despite having taught logic to undergraduate students. Hmm. For instance, why this HUGE space dedicated to eateries with a little sculpture something-or-other in the middle? The only advantage I can see is that I certainly got my steps in before the flight. Not nearly as many as I got by walking from my plane to my rental car in Atlanta, but a decent number nonetheless. Or maybe the persons responsible were thinking about future expansion. In any case, it's confusing. So maybe I should have consulted this terminal map BEFORE I arrived? 

 

Flight Crew

 

This photo taken at Norfolk International Airport actually later proved helpful as I was trying to remember where I parked my car, although my original interest was in the flight crew evidently heading off either for a well deserved rest or else heading home.

Parking Garages

 

Well, I'm back, after my brief adventure in Georgia. Actually, though, the fun began in the parking garage at the Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Norfolk, Virginia. In recent trips, I've taken to photographing where I've parked my car because, anymore, as parking garages have gotten bigger and bigger, I've found it harder and harder to find my car upon my return. 

In this case, the matter was made more difficult by the fact that I'm not yet familiar with ORF, especially since it has expanded over recent years. In fact, as I discovered, it's still in the process of expanding. So I only realized upon my return that there is not just ONE parking garage. There are, in fact, multiple garages! What's more, ALL of them have at least five levels and, guess what, "D" aisles! I happened to have parked in Garage A, nearest the terminal where my plane was parked. But, of course, I went directly to Garage D, which happens to be the farthest from said terminal!

Anyway, my advice to anyone who happens to have accidentally stumbled upon this blog is--if you have a camera--ALWAYS take a picture, because that and other pictures you might take (I had more) may come in particularly handy later. :-) 

Plan C

Time to play catch up, I suppose. Since last I posted, I was aboard a plane scheduled to fly from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I was later scheduled to catch another plane to Hartford, Connecticut. But . . . the plane's brakes "broke", so passengers were forced to look for alternatives. Plan B, according to American Airlines, was to fly me to National Airport in Washington, D.C., later in the afternoon, to be followed by a late night flight leaving Washington at around 10:30 p.m. and not arriving in Hartford until midnight.

No thank you! I wasn't about to spend my Fourth of July holiday sitting around in airports waiting and just hoping that all my connections worked out. So, after speaking personally to the pilot on my original flight--no kidding, he and I had a tête-á-tête of sorts--I opted simply to cancel all my flights, rent a car, and drive to New Jersey. 

Broken!

Ha! No go. Brakes broken. And rebooking would mean spending a whole day meeting connecting flights and long layovers, so I cancelled all these and rented a car instead. Long road trip, but at least I was on my way, if you know what I mean, even with all the traffic in Washington and Baltimore.

RIC

RIC yesterday on what was reportedly the busiest day for flying this year in the United States.

Apple

Well, I'm off to see the wizard this morning. Actually, just flying to Massachusetts on what some experts predict will be the busiest flying day in the United States this years. Oh, joy! We'll see. There's also a heat dome settling over the eastern United States that should make things even a little more interesting.

So with all that being said, I think I'll share with you this little hopeful scene from yet another garden in Williamsburg.

Daisy

In the gardens attached to the Prentis House in Williamsburg. William Prentis was a prominent merchant in the 18th century.

Crepe Myrtle

The crepe myrtle stands in front of the Benjamin Waller house. According to the Historical Marker Database, Benjamin Waller, a lawyer, acquired this property circa 1746. It remained in his family for over 130 years. Waller held a variety of posts including Burgess, Clerk of the General Court, and Vestry of Bruton Parish."

Rose of Sharon

There is a Rose of Sharon that blooms every year at this time along a fence next to a pasture where oxen and/or sheep often graze. The Spruce says it will grow 8-12 feet tall. If so, then this plant is easily at its peak, since it is without question more than twice as tall as I am, and I'm 6'1".

Virginia Primary Election

It may come as a surprise to some, but Virginians right now are in the midst of another election. Yep! Early voting for Republican and Democratic candidates running in this fall's midterms began last week. More information is available at the Virginia Department of Elections website. Not sure where to vote? Find out here.

Nibbles?

N. Boundary St.

Magnolia

It’s that time of year again.

Wagon

I think I live in one of the few places in America where there's a shop still dedicated to building horse drawn wooden wagons.

Symbiosis

What would old wooden fences and climbing vines be without each other? They're like butter and toast, tea and cream, or, if you will, pancakes and maple syrup. Delicious!

Knot

Some have hybrids, others have EVs. We have horses. And this is where they sometimes are parked.

Prince George Street

Coneflowers

A lively bunch carrying on in the garden in front of my house.