I'm still focused on North Carolina, both on this blog and in real life. I leave for N.C. early next week. On Air France. Of course, an engine pretty much fell off an Air France airliner over the Atlantic Ocean this past weekend. That wasn't exactly a boost for my confidence or enthusiasm.
All these photos are ones I took on the N.C. coast in September 2002.
Anyway, this will be approximately my 90th Atlantic crossing on airplanes since 1969 (my first trip to France). Or maybe it's only 88. Who's counting? My flight is non-stop from Paris to my destination in N.C., so I don't have to change planes anywhere. There's nothing worse than having to spend three or four or more hours in an airport, waiting for your next flight, after just spending 8 or 9 hours in the air. Now if they can keep the thing in the air for the duration of the trip, I'll be all set.
This time my N.C. trip will be a kind of working vacation. My mother, who's now in her late 80s, will be moving from one apartment to another in her retirement complex. She sold her house — the one I grew up in — in 2005 and moved into an apartment. That was a good opportunity to clean out and down-size. Now here's another opportunity. I want to be there to help.
My mother doesn't live or work on a boat, but a lot of people in eastern North Carolina do. Especially the working part. They fish for a living. Fisher people probably make up a smaller and smaller portion of the working population, but between fin fish, crabs, clams, oysters, and all, there is still a whole lot of fishing going on.
So, what will I be missing here in Saint-Aignan? Well, it's clean-up season here too. The weather has turned warm and wet, which is the worst combination for the rest of the tomatoes out in the vegetable garden. Blight — le mildiou — has set in, so the season is basically over. I'd like to do some tilling out in the garden plot, but the ground is too wet right now. I have some collard greens growing in a planter box and they need to be planted out in the dirt now. Maybe this week..
My sister J and our cousin G are in Las Vegas right now. They almost decided, last night, to go to that Harvest Festival concert where the shooting has happened, but they changed their minds at the last minute because they were too tired after a week of excitement in the city. So they are fine, and I'm so relieved. Walt's cousin lives in Las Vegas too but no news from her so far.
ReplyDeleteThankful they were too tired to go! Hope all is well with Walt's cousin.
DeleteWalt got a message from his cousin and she said she is safe and sound.
DeleteGlad your loved ones are safe. This is a terrible tragedy that, according to the NRA, could have been avoided if those people attending had been armed!
DeleteI am just learning about this shooting event, because of your blog. Horrific!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the Air France jet losing an engine, either!?!?
I'm surprised the Air France plane losing an engine wasn't bigger news there. Anyway, that incident turned out okay. This Las Vegas thing is just really scary. Stay out of crowds, and out of big cities. That's my view at this point.
DeleteIn our crazy world, I think all these events attended by tens of thousands are to be avoided. All the people crowded together are just sitting ducks for some madman.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the mass crowd events that are so vulnerable to these kinds of attacks, but entire cities are at risk. I'm supposed to go into central Paris by mass transit next week, and I'm hesitating. I never thought I'd see the day when I would be reluctant to go to Paris, but now it has come. I have to think about all this for the rest of the week before I can make a decision.
DeleteIt was pretty big news here ! Made me consider only taking holidays where I can drive and to stay away from huge crowds. It was a recipe for disaster , that concert .. these days you just have no idea what and who is plotting some hideous thing to do to people ... a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying all your photos Ken. Looks like home! :)
ReplyDeleteI had not heard about the Air France incident either. I suppose with so many bad things going on in the world it wasn't that newsworthy! Stay Safe!
I saw a couple of stories about the Air France engine. It sounded as if they'd hit a bird or perhaps more than one. Hope I'm remembering the correct story, given the number of disaster scenarios these days.
ReplyDeleteRe flying, I have found that taking a firm grip on the seat rests, hooking your fingers around the ends, and exerting strong, steady upward pressure is very good for keeping an aircraft aloft.
Bracing your feet helps, too.
So glad Joanna wasn't at that concert! I hope your trip goes well next week.
ReplyDeleteAs far as flying goes, I think the boost of confidence can come with looking at how easily the plane landed.
ReplyDelete