Back from Oz

Saturday was travel day, as we flew from Seattle to Charlotte with a layover in Dallas. Well, there were mechanical issues with the plane we were supposed to get on in Dallas, and we ended up getting a new plane, which meant an exodus to another terminal, and an overall four hour delay. It was about 10:30 at night by the time we landed in Charlotte, and what with deplaning, baggage claim, getting our rental car, going back and getting another rental car when the one we were first assigned wasn't there, and getting some food, it was nearly midnight by the time we hit the road. And hit it we did, because our condo for this first part of our week was another two hours away! But Erica had had plenty of rest and caffeine, and we made it at about 2:00 and crashed. All in all, from leaving Sunnyside to getting to Beech Mountain, I was on the road for just about twenty-four hours straight.

We set the alarms for 7:00, and got going right away. We had a big breakfast, and then we were off to Oz! Our timing was impeccable, as we pulled into the parking lot at about 9:30, and our entry tickets were for 10:00. I think I'm going to save the big report for later in the week, when I have a little time to properly write it up and access all the photos (from three sources!), but the weather was spectacular, if maybe a little on the warm side, and the so-called mountains* of western North Carolina are gorgeous. We got back to our condo, decompressed, went out for some amazing barbecue for dinner (checking off another item on this week's bucket list), bought some groceries, and called it a night. Thanks to the all-day travel and sleeping on the plane on Saturday, my body's rhythms seem to have already adjusted to a new time zone, as I woke up this morning at my usual time. The problem with this is that my workday still has to synch with Washington time, so I'll be officially working from 11:00 to 7:00! And we can both work remotely, which is what allows us to take this trip and see both The Land of Oz Park and attend the combined CharlOz/Oz: The National Convention this coming weekend. We may have to make some accommodations when we have meetings that overlap (this condo is definitely set up for leisure travel, not business), but it should be fine.

Okay, I think I've nattered on long enough for now. My top priorities the next few days are work, getting ready for my presentations in Charlotte, and posting my Land of Oz report here. I hope I can do it justice!

* See, they claim to be mountains, as the Blue Ridge Mountains, where we are, are in the High Country here, and include some of the highest elevations in the eastern United States. But back home, these would be called foothills.