The people you meet

I'm hanging out near Gate 32 at Regan National, waiting for flight #2 of 3 for today. We survived another night at the JFK Ramada last night. We shall not be recommending the hotel to future travelers. Having spent the night there on our way to Italy, we were better prepared last night for the less-than-fresh feeling of the room. Let's just say CSI would have a field day with all the evidence left behind by prior guests. We elected not to go barefoot.

While walking through the airport a bit ago, killing time and enjoying being able to understand everything everyone was saying, we had a slight brush with greatness. David Gregory of NBC News walked by. He's much taller and thinner than he appears on TV. Guess that 10 lbs theory is true. He looked like he was in a hurry; otherwise I might have asked for an autograph and photo with Piglet.

Although we didn't get to meet David, we did get to meet some pretty interesting people along our travels. A short list:

-- While sipping Greek wine and noshing on the quickly addictive tzatziki in Corfu, we learned that a fellow passenger at our table was a real-live best selling author who has a nom de plume and everything. Her mystery series shall be on my Christmas list. She provided some good advice and encouraging words about the pursuit of writing for a living. Much pondering to do.

-- One night at dinner on the ship, two of our table mates were employees of the Big Government Agency I reluctantly deal with because of my back. One was a hoot and a half and the other had a most impressive chin beard. It was all I could do not to sneak her a razor. I chose not to reveal my interactions with their employer nor my less than favorable opinion of it.

-- Another night at dinner, we sat next to a mother-daughter travel team from Arkansas. The daughter's thigh-length hair with bangs and a week's worth of gingham jacket and capri pant sets belied her worldly travel. Mention an international city, they'd been there. I'm sure I would envy their passport pages.

-- Sharing a water taxi in Venice, we met a former senior vice president for an expansive German company who is still annoyed seven years later that her husband made her retire early so they could travel. The restless mover and shaker bemoaned having no more glass ceilings to crash through. Her husband looked numb as she proudly stated she HATES retirement.

-- On a tour of Olympia, we had lunch with a fellow cruiser who owned a company responsible for the janitorial services for several national department store chains. Name a US city and he would ask if you had even been in its Sears or Kmart. He had quite a story to tell about a particular store in Reno. At least he thought so. We woke up when his wife told a totally unrelated story about the organized group tour she took of a brothel outside of Las Vegas.

-- While disembarking the ship for the last time and transferring to a bus into Rome, we met one hell of a power shopper. We chatted with a woman who was was weighed down with huge bags on each shoulder and a zebra print tote slung across bandoleer-style. A friend was carrying her fourth bag. We struck up a conversation and the woman proudly announced that the zebra bag was filled with 35lbs of glass. She went on to reveal that she had just spent $120 to ship home most of her clothes to leave room for her purchases. She threatened to wear a Venetian purple and black masquerade mask -- complete with feathers -- on the plane home if the gate agent dared count it as a carry-on. “I'll wear it the whole flight so that it is 'on my person' if I have to!” We were at once relieved and disappointed we didn't see her in the Lufthansa boarding area a few days later.

Looks like it's time to head to Dallas. One more day and three more flights and I'll be back at Woodhaven!

And by the way, the pool surfing video from the September 29 post has been uploaded. Enjoying the splashy fun!