I’m home! Suitcase *mostly* unpacked. Mail tended.
We’re headed off to a Turkey Supper at the Skanee Church in a couple of hours. (Barry will probably appreciate this after his week alone. Although he made a mean tuna salad all by himself, and I can guarantee he didn’t starve.)
Want to hear some fun travel stories, just because I’ve got an hour to unwind?
Story #1 When I arrived at the Marquette Airport last week, the first two people I see lounging at 6:30 a.m. are my doctor and his wife. We’re on the same plane, it turns out. They’re headed toward the Virgin Islands (or maybe Puerto Rico, shame on this faulty memory) because their daughter is maid of honor in her friend’s wedding.
We fly together to Chicago and say goodbye, after exchanging dozens of stories. I vault across the airport, eat breakfast, find my gate about a mile away and settle down to read. Turn my head and there–sitting directly behind me in the crowded terminal–is my doctor and his wife. How synchronistic is that?
Yesterday, flew from Fort Myers to Chicago, drank a glass of fine red wine along with crusty bread dipped in olive oil at Macaroni Grill. Ordered a plate of spaghetti, chicken breast (forget the vegan thing when you’re traveling, right?) and arugula salad and waddled toward the departing gate.
Guess who’s sitting at the gate? My doctor and his wife!!!
“Quit stalking us!” laughed one of them.
“Hey, you’re stalking ME!” I replied.
It’s a small world, folks. It’s a tiny, tiny world.
Story #2 Before gaining 10 pounds at Macaroni Grill in the Chicago airport yesterday afternoon, I called our son, Chris. “Check the national news, will you?” I begged. Outside the airport window a half-dozen flashing red lights blinked wildly. Fire trucks and ambulances abounded. What the heck? Terrorists? A dead passenger? An incoming injured plane?
A secret service agent–you could tell him by his furtive look–leaned against the window.
“What’s happening?” I inquired. He shrugged his shoulder and refused to confess, shame on him.
Later, someone confidentially revealed it was an incoming soldier from Afghanistan.
Really?
The soldier probably shuddered in his seat, thinking the terrorists beat him to Chicago. Luckily, it proved to be airport officials welcoming him!
Story #3 After gaining 10 pounds at the Macaroni Grill, I hid away in a half-deserted gate. Three others hid, as well. Up against the wall, a young woman took out her hula hoop and proceeded to boogie. She hooped around her neck, and her hips, and her feet, and then shivered that hoop back up to her arms. She danced, she slithered, she grew ecstatic. Her audience of three grew ecstatic. She performed for ten minutes.
I watched her in utter awe. Who hula hoops in an airport with such artistic grace? It was a miracle, darn it, a hula hoop miracle. In an airport, nonetheless!
Story #4 Sorry for telling stories backwards, but I’m saving the best for last. This involves my taxi driver and his wife. They transported me to the Fort Myers airport yesterday.
We chatted about This and That. They pointed out green tomatoes lying in the road’s median and shared tales about tomato trucks and how the farmers pick green tomatoes from southern Florida and send them to the factory. The plants gas them to turn bright red before shipping them across the country.
The taxi driver’s wife told an amazing story of something that happened maybe 15 years ago. She was driving down the road, chattin’ into her cell phone, about how much she needed limes. She needed at least a dozen limes, she confided to her friend. Where the heck would she find really good, really fresh limes?
At that moment a lime truck sped by. At least a hundred limes careened off the truck, onto the roadway. The taxi driver’s wife stopped her car, picked up her dozen limes and continued on.
“You wouldn’t believe what just happened,” she breathed into the phone to her friend. “You simply wouldn’t believe it!”
Serendipity! Great stories. Hope your trip was as memorable as it sounded on the surface…however, if one listened closely, there were waves underneath.
There are always waves underneath, Linda. I think it’s all about learning how to surf. 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE your stories. I always seem to have interestng events when I travel as well. Don’t you just love synchronicity? Shudder at your tomato story…note to self…no store bought tomatoes. Glad you could visit family here in Florida as well. Wasn’t able to commet then as just out of hosptial with the other shoulder surgery. I’m having turkey for supper as well. Welcome home.
Susan, glad you liked these stories! I could hardly bear NOT to tell them. 🙂 And so happy that you’ve had travel synchronicity as well. Hope your surgery shoulder will be proven successful. So glad to see you here.
Wonderful stories, Kathy. They put a big smile on my face, and lit up this gray and foggy Saturday. 🙂
Robin, there’s nothing like an interesting travel story to leave us grinning. I was grinning as big as a lime after all these fun events and stories!
Welcome Home Kathy!! Thank you for sharing these stories…yep…it’s a small world after all ♥ And it’s wonderful to hear stories about synchronicity and I love hearing stories about people’s experiences in life. I hope you and Barry enjoy the turkey supper tonight ♥
Hi, Brenda, thanks for your good wishes. We’re back from the Hunter’s Supper already and ate lots of turkey, mashed rutabaga, mashed potatoes, gravy, beans, probably some other stuff, too. We have coleslaw, cranberry sauce, rolls AND a piece of pumpkin and apple pie in the frig. All for $8 per person! Happy weekend to you, my friend.
Ohhhh soooo fun! Life is delightful. Love every word of this, Kathy! Welcome home, and Happy Turkey supper. Have a relaxing rest of the weekend … unwinding.
Susan, these stories wouldn’t stay still inside me! They fidgeted and fussed and INSISTED upon being told by yours truly, the big B. *wink* Love you!
I love all of those stories! I grew up in Gwinn (K.I. Sawyer, to be exact) and most of my family lives in Fort Myers, FL. Another small world connection.
Dena, thank you for commenting. Your comment is another travel synchronicity for me. The world really is a small, small place. I looked down from the plane at the lights around KI Sawyer last night and thought how good it was to be home.
Oh that lime story! I am so glad you save the best story for last Kathy but they were all great. Wishing a wonderful Turkey dinner before your vegan life again takes hold.
Glad you liked the stories, Terrill. They wouldn’t settle down until they were shared. It was a lovely turkey dinner but have gained another 10 pounds and we’re going to eat out again tomorrow. Can’t wait until Monday to eat in a healthier more controlled way. Hope you’re having a color-filled weekend.
Kathy you rreally were born to write. Don’t know how or why you are so good when telling/writing a story.The words I suppose are written in a way that make it seem you are talking to your readers/lurkers/followers/sunscribers. Whatever. 🙂 I’m so glad that you are back home safe and sound. There is a gap two senteces above that will not go away. Maybe it will when I post the comment. Very aggravating. Gassed tomatoes and all. Gee. I always thought there is a reason the tomatoes taste odd.
Yvonne, thank you! How I love telling stories. It’s what makes this heart sing the most. Who would have thought about those gassed tomatoes? Wonder what else we don’t know? Thanks again for appreciating the stories. It means a lot to me.
Related to the last story (They were all good), when I had to go to the Campbell’s Soup operation in a small town in Ohio, I found that I could follow all the spilled tomatoes along the side of the road and forget the map.
That is so funny about the spilled tomatoes along the side of the side of the road in Campbell Soup Land! Strangely enough, I never noticed the tomatoes in southern Florida along the road until the taxi driver and his wife pointed them out. Will notice them in the future for sure.
Oh, I love every word of this! What lovely little travel vignettes! I giggled every time I read, “after I gained ten pounds…” – it feels exactly like that, doesn’t it, after an indulgent meal?! Welcome home!
PS: Did you see stories of the big fire in downtown Lapeer?
To tell you the truth, Cindy, it wasn’t just that indulgent meal. I indulged the entire time in Florida. Just tiptoed on the scale holding my breath and it looks like I gained 5 pounds. Starting to behave today, Promise. Did NOT see the Lapeer fire photos. Shall go looking. That’s so sad. Hope no one was hurt.
I just got home too. Suitcase unpacked into dirty clothes pile. Laundry tomorrow. Have a few airport stories too…
Dawn, must get over to your blog to read of your adventures soon! I find it impossible to keep up with blog-reading during vacations–how do you do it? And, oh, laundry. On the schedule today!
Wow – what fantastic stories of synchronicity! I think synchronicity is stalking you actually, but I don’t recommend taking out an injunction:-) That last bit about the limes…that’s just pure, well, magic!!! God/Life/The Universe sure has a sense of humour right:-) Great post, thanks so much for using that hour you had spare to share with us. Hope the turkey dinner was delicious…hugs, Harula xx
Harula, I think you’ve put it into words. Yes, synchronicity DOES seem to stalk me. But I think I’m a willing stalkee, lol. And how can you deny a story? Loved seeing you here this morning.
Great stories! It is a small world. The lime story was great.
Bonnie, I loved that lime story, too. Can you imagine? The Universe was probably roaring in delight.
I always love your stories. I’ll be waiting to hear the story of the aliens on the beach! 🙂
I am so glad you liked the stories, Karma! I love that they appeared this week. As for the aliens on the beach, shhhh, don’t tell anyone, but I can’t come up with a good story about them! (The story actually belongs to my daughter and mamas can’t tell everything…)
Then maybe you can get Kiah to tell us the story?
I might try, but she’s not a blogging storyteller like her mom. I can just picture her rolling her eyes at me. By the way, do either of your daughters blog?
Meghan definitely does not blog. Sarah, however, spends many hours at her computer. While I don’t think it is traditional blogging, I think she does story-tell (fiction) with groups of people who have similar interests to hers. I’m not sure what the site is that they use.
I love stories of coincidental, serendipity happening. It’s the natural magic of Life itself. Thanks for sharing.
Deb, I love it, too! Serendipity makes life zing, doesn’t it? (It also keeps us aware that Life is a but a dream…Life is but a dream…)
I loved your stories, Kathy — each and every one of them (you stalker, you)…
To think I will have to add “stalker” to my resume, Laurie! Who would have thunk? (I suspect you’re a story-stalker, too, Missy.) P.S. I thought of you mightily while at the airport and even pondered finding your phone number somehow and calling and saying, “HI! I’m in your neighborhood.”
Kathy – Had I known in advance you were coming through, I would have tried to meet your plane. O’Hare’s only a little over an hour away.
However, with security the way it is nowadays…I think once you leave the terminal area, your goose is cooked — you can’t re-enter. I could probably have waved at you though 🙂
I did have a three hour layover, so maybe could have snuck away, but I am a chicken about such things usually. Besides, the stories were stalking me and wouldn’t have let me out. LOL! (I always think of you on these Chicago flights.)
I believe every word (except the part about gaining 10 pounds at Macaroni Grill) 🙂
tee hee, Lisa. OK, maybe I exaggerated. But it was 5 pounds at least! (Ate quite well for a whole week…)
Wow! Four stories in one post! Looks like you had an interesting trip. 🙂
I’m always running into people I know at weird, unexpected places, like on Friday at my aunt’s funeral there was a woman I worked with, years ago. I wondered about why she was there and the connection to my family, thinking that I was suddenly related to her, when I remember she is now working in the same school as my cousin.
The soldier’s welcome made me wonder whether he was coming home alive or was he being honored posthumously?
That story about the limes is hilarious! Talk about ‘ask and ye shall receive’!
Glad you made it home safely with plenty of stories to tell. 🙂
Glad to hear you’re another one who meets folks in unexpected places. As for the soldier coming home posthumously, oh no. I hadn’t thought of that possibility. 😦 That would have been sad, indeed. Thank you for stopping by to read the little stories which kept birthing.
What wonderful stories Kathy! I am traveling soon too and hope my adventures are half as interesting. 🙂 I love the lime story and the hula hoop wizard! 🙂
Oh I am so glad you liked this! Can’t wait to hear about your traveling adventures. 🙂
Lovely Lime Lore you just told. Hee, hee. Just had a glass of wine myself. Can you tell? Hee, hee. Great stories. Glad you’re home safe. Oh, and the coffee photo looked like the shape of a Christmas tree in the liquid. 🙂
Glad you liked the lime story, Lori. It’s great to be home. I was feeling so comfortable inside the house yesterday (after work) with snow on the ground and the woodstove humming. Are you thinking Christmas already, lol? Methinks it’s time to ponder presents…
Fun stories! I do hope you’re going to tell the aliens on the beach story…
I was just kiddin’ about the aliens on the beach story, Lunar. My daughter actually owns the story rights on that photo and methinks she won’t be telling… Glad you liked the stories.
What amazing coincidences, Kathy – I love these travel tales of yours. As to the story of the limes… Wow! Magic!
P.S. I too hope you’ll tell us about the aliens landing on the beach… 😉
Reggie, can you even imagine thinking about needing limes and then having a lime truck spill limes out all over the road in front of you? I am still in amazement. As for the aliens story, as I just told Lunar, Kiah owns story rights on that photo so my lips are sealed. 🙂
LOL! Well, I think I am probably not alone in hoping that Kiah will reveal what lies behind that mystery sometime. 🙂
I don’t know, Kathy. Maybe there is a grand scheme after all! ❤
Stacy, sometimes I think these synchronicities happen to remind us that we’re in a grand dream. It’s just that sometimes the edges of the dream begin to fray and we *almost* wake up.
Yes, and when we do, that’s when we should burrow deeper under the covers. 🙂
Wow, a warm vacation AND a bunch of good stories!
Hi Inger! And now it’s back to White Snow and the north woods. Glad you liked the vacation fun and the stories.
Haha, those are some fun….and funny!…travel stories!
Welcome home!
Glad you enjoyed the funny travel stories, Michaela. I am glad to be home, too, except it’s much colder!
I’m so happy I read this! We are in Atlanta for a few days in the office, and we have experienced several instances of rather uncanny synchronicity/deja vu. Your stories just jibe right along with that. Do you wanna know something fun? One of my former students has been sharing videos of her learning some hula tricks on Facebook the past few days!
The fourth story really is the best. When life hands you limes, be grateful 😉
Will you share your uncanny stories on your blog, Heather, or will you simply be chuckling to yourself? (Which is what I often do.) How funny about the hula hoop synchronicity! Glad you like the lime story. When life hands you a lime…and all that… 🙂