Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Okay, there have been no trains, but there have been some cars, a trolley, and LOTS of planes...and airports.  My people seem to travel a lot.  When we met, they told me that they are homebodies, but I'm not sure that I believe them.

My very first plane ride ever was when we left Delaware to head to the place they call home, Dallas.  I was a little scared about this whole flying thing, but the Mister Guy told me it would all be good.  I was lucky.  Because I am considered a "lap baby" I got to sit in someone's lap on all the flights home. Having someone hold me helped me feel not so scared.

Our first flight was from Salisbury, Maryland to Charlotte, North Carolina.

 This is a tiny airport with only one security checkpoint and two gates.  There were not too many people.  I was feeling like a brave blue monster.  Once we got all checked in, the Mister Guy took me to the window to show me what an airplane looked like.

I wasn't clear on how that big hunk of metal sitting out there was going to get off the ground and fly through the air, but I believed my people that it would.  As a monster who is mechanically capable, born with a passion for putting things together and making them work, I was totally fascinated by this flying machine.

Our seats on the airplane gave me the perfect view of what the Mister Guy called the propeller.  He told me that that is the important piece that makes the plane fly.

I watched as we rolled down the runway, the propeller spinning faster and faster until finally we were in the air!  This was a kind of mechanical ingenuity that I have never experienced but would like to explore.

We landed in Charlotte where we spent the night so that the Lady Person could spend time with some of her college friends.  She had not seen them in twenty five years.  That is a long time!!!

In addition to putting things together, I am also a monster who also enjoys napping.  While my people visited with their friends, I enjoyed a quiet nap at the hotel.

After the excitement of my first plane trip, this was an appreciated nap.  I wish they had added to my T-shirt collection by buying me a Charlotte shirt (since I did sleep in the city), but not this trip.  I think they were too busy telling old stories to think about a shirt for me.  I forgive them.  They said that I could get one next time.

The next day, we flew home to Dallas.  This time it was on a much bigger airplane.  It had big jet engines that made it fly faster.  They were not as much fun to look at as the propellers on yesterday's little plane.

We weren't home in Dallas very long before it was back on another plane!  This time we headed west to San Diego California.  My people were attending a conference.  Our flight to San Diego left at 5:15 in the morning.  As I said above, I am monster that enjoys sleep.  They scooped me up and got me on the plane for this trip, but I remember very little of it.  5:15 in the morning is way too early for a fury blue monster to be photographed!

By the time we landed in San Diego, I was rested and wide awake.  The first thing I saw were these cool trees.

Texas and Delaware do not have trees like this, at least not that I have seen in my short life.

We took a van to our hotel.

I liked the van because it was blue!

The hotel where we spent the next week was huge!  It had tall buildings and lots of swimming pools, and restaurants, and lots more palm trees.  It was so big that it had its own map.  The Mister Guy and I looked at the map to make sure that none of us got lost.

My people were attending the NOAH (National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation) conference.  Simply stated, that is a conference for those who have white fur.  Though I kind of stuck out with my bright blue and orange fur, the people with the white fur were really nice to me.  I guess they know what it is like to feel different from everyone around you.

When we went to eat, my new NOAH friends made sure I had my own seat and plate at the restaurant.  They wouldn't let me have my own margarita, though.

They gave me water to drink, but I did get to have my picture taken at the bar.

 I got to ride on a trolley.   To do so, I had to have a fancy orange sticker.  I have I mentioned that I like orange?  I wasn't too sure about that sticker on my fur, though.

The trolley ride was fun!  I liked it because it was open and I could feel and smell that salt water breeze blowing through my fur.

While me people attended the boring parts of the conference, well boring to a furry blue and orange monster, I napped and spent time at the pool.

 The people with the white fur kept talking about this stuff called sunscreen, that everyone needed to put it on when they were outside.  Do they not know what a mess that stuff is in my fur?  I think I have enough fur to keep from sunburning!

We spent a day touring Old Town San Diego.  We saw lots of historical sites and leaned quite a bit about the city, but my favorite stop was the candy store.  They had lots of orange jelly beans!

And, I also saw this interesting machine that dispensed candy.  I bet that I could make one of these and fill it with only blue and orange candies.

I enjoyed San Diego.  I was kind of sad to say goodbye.

The one thing that our hotel did not have was a San Diego T-shirt that I liked in my size.  The Lady and Mister Guy told me that they were sure that I could find one at the airport and they were right!

This one matches my fur perfectly!

It was time to get on another plane and head back to Dallas.  Well, not exactly straight back; we had a layover in Phoenix.

Since I have flown so much, I was not scared or overly excited about the day's flights.  Life did get a little more interesting when we landed in Phoenix.  The flight we were supposed to be on from Phoenix to Dallas was super full.  The airlines people asked if anyone would mind giving up their seat and taking the next flight.  Because the Mister Guy and the Lady are nice people, and because they got free flight vouchers, they volunteered.  As soon as our original flight took off, my people were told that the next flight, the one we were supposed to be on, had been cancelled.  Things then got interesting.

Phone calls were made, people ran back and forth, hotels were booked and before I knew it, I was going to get to visit yet another city.  We flew from Phoenix to Tucson to spend the night and would then fly to Dallas the next day.  I thought, "Awesome!  Another T-shirt!"

I did get a T-shirt from Tucson...

...but in all the craziness of changing schedules in Phoenix, I missed out on that one.

Airports are funny places.  It seems like the humans are either super happy or really grumpy.  There is no "in the middle."  I am glad that my people weren't grumpy when our schedule changed.  They were happy because we got to have breakfast with some friends in Tucson before heading to the airport.

We met some other happy people in the Tucson airport.

I like making new friends.

We finally made it home safely and I have been resting from my big adventure because we are leaving again for another trip to Delaware next week.  It is a shame that I am a lap baby; I could be earning lots of frequent flyer miles!

The lady and I are going to try to do better about posting here.  I still need help with this blogging thing so we have develop a routine that works for both of us.

Thank you for reading our stories.  Stay tuned for more about our adventures together!

Leaving Lewes

On my last night in Lewes, The Mister Guy and the Lady took me to the beach.  Though I had never been there before, they said it is a big part of the town.

 I wasn't sure about getting sand in my fur, but I was willing to give it a try because the Mister Guy promised to carry me.

I think I like this guy!

It was almost sunset when we got there.   I liked looking at the water and the clouds...

 ...and the seagulls...

 and…the…belly dancers???

 That’s what the Mister Guy called these women in fancy clothes dancing to a drumbeat on the beach.  I wasn't so sure about them,

but he seemed to like them.  I guess I shouldn’t judge people by what they wear (or don’t wear).

I also was not so sure that the Lady would have been happy if she knew that the Mister Guy was spending so much time looking at these belly dancers.  Because I think I know what is best for him, I took his glasses so that I could see them and he couldn’t.

I am a thoughtful furry monster!

I don't know about the belly dancer clothes.  They were pretty on those ladies, but I don't think that they are appropriate for furry blue and orange monsters.  When I was in the toy store, all the humans, and a few dogs, would come in wearing these things that the Lady says are called “T-shirts”; written on them were names of the places that these humans, and the few canines,  had visited.  I thought that was kind of cool so I asked the Mister Guy and the Lady if maybe I could have a T-shirt from Lewes before we left.  The thing is, I only like blue and orange so I had to find one that matched my fur.  My people said that they thought having a T-shirt was a good idea and that they would help me find one of which I approved.

I think I like these people!  They said that I can collect T-shirts from all the places that I visit!  I am going to be the best dressed blue and orange furry monster around!

I met another furry friend on the beach.

Her people seemed very nice, too. I could tell that her people loved her and she loved them!

As the sun was setting, we left to go home and pack for our busy travel day the next day.  Since I only had the one T-shirt, my packing was easy.