The flight

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So the answer to that question is yes - There is a Starbucks. And it opens at 4:00 am. This led to the debate on the way to the airport of insisting on Starbucks and getting into the security line later (with possibly a longer line) or settling for whatever non-Starbucks was post security.

When I say settling, I mean Kait settling. I really don't care. I am not an aficionado. I am as likely to get tea as a mocha and, at that hour, was only concerned it was hot and caffeinated. Kait is pickier. On Coffee. On Food, I am. BY FAR. Anyway, the decision was to decide when we got there based on the lines.

The lines were decent. We reached Starbucks and the line was not too bad. More importantly, they worked quickly. Wish I could say the same about going through security. Actually, the security line was just long enough to eat the breakfast sandwich and drink the mocha. Okay, so I gave my ID and threw my head back to finish my drink. As usual, longer after that point, though most people at that hour seemed to be regular business flyers, only a couple disorganized ones. We weren’t disorganized, other than having to pull laptops, external drives, cameras, tablets, etc from our carry-on luggage as we went through security. I think the person behind me in line was a little snarky when she asked if I had borrowed Mary Poppins' handbag. I told her it didn't matter if I did as long as it fit under the seat in front of me.

We ended up with about 35 minutes between security and boarding. I was feeling giddy and thankful and wanting to share. So I dropped my carry-on with Kait at the gate area (which, of course, was the farthest gate possible). Then I popped over to a shop that carried See’s.

Now one thing I know is that See's has gone national. But availability is still very spotty east of the Rockies. So I picked up a few 8 oz "Thank you" boxes. I have read that flight attendants are not supposed to accept tips. But they may have items like this. So I made sure I had enough for them and then added a couple more to use on top of tips if the need presented. And then I proved that I really did have Mary Poppins bag. Actually, I just squeezed my purse into my other carry-on and the See's bag became my second.

I don't want you to think I'm a spendthrift. In general, I am pretty conservative with money. But this is special occasion. And just as dinner the night before needed to not be fast food, this flight needed to not be peanuts and pretzels. So for the first (and probably last) time, I flew first class. Of course I used the excuse that, when the tickets were bought, these were the only 2 seats together. I must say it was nice. Just the little extra space made it more comfortable and less of a stress. Mostly I slept. I generally do. When I awoke, my seat had been reclined; there was a little pillow under my head and a light blanket over me. I am sure Kait asked for this but it still felt like I was pampered. I happily shared my See's.

I have a friend who doesn't ever seem to travel without something going wrong. I must be blessed because I seem to have the opposite situation. Only once did my luggage get misrouted and I found it on the baggage claim and turned it in and it arrived with me. This flight left on time and arrived 15 minutes early!! I hope this is a good omen for our travels

We planned this as a slow transition. The last thing needed was for a long day and flight and then, at the start of rush hour, to jump into a strange car in a city with a reputation for bad traffic. So planning ahead, we had reserved an Execu-car to take us to Medford and the Hyatt. A splurge to be sure, but it was worth it. We were met at baggage claim with the "man with a sign", who introduced himself as Adam. Even got the names spelled right. Adam helped with our luggage, got us settled in the back seat, and pulled into traffic. That was the best part. Someone else handled Boston traffic. The drive to the Hyatt wasn't long - just 8 miles and 28 minutes. And it was all freeway once we got out of the airport. But that transition alone would have had Kait white-knuckled and me praying to every saint known (and probably a few unknown).

By the way, the temperature when we arrived at San Francisco airport and when we left in Boston airport were about the same. Of course, it was before dawn in SFO and mid afternoon at Logan-BRRRR.

After adding a box of See’s to the regular fare and tips for Adam, we checked in at the Hyatt and agreed outside our rooms to meet in the morning. Dinner was, as bro says, yoyo - you're on your own. So it was humorous a bit later to open my door and find Kait doing the same across the hall. We were both going down to get something from the 24-7 galley. I don't know if Kait ate downstairs, but I brought mine back to my room. Short dinner, followed by a short shower and I sat down to write yesterday's events.

Today was uneventful - mostly chores and tomorrow is more of the same, but I will probably write a summary tomorrow. I suspect I will need to create the habit of writing something nightly or else I might just stop. But for now, I will post this and power down for the night.