me arts ed

This is a long post explaining my adventure from from NYC to Maine

Bucky, me, Michelle, Jayme, Jaime

I left New York and headed to LaGuardia Airport after a wonderful visit and meeting with my colleagues from the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE). My plane was scheduled to leave NY at 9:20 and at about 8:00 it was announced that it was canceled. I went to the counter and was given a boarding pass for a plane to Portland via Philadelphia leaving at 10:59. In the back of my mind I was wondering how that was going to change what was happening with the Maine weather but figured I better relax since it could be a long day. (Little did I know how long!) Not to long after that I learned that flight was canceled and all the others going to Portland via Philadelphia as well. Time for my thinking skills to kick in and consider my options… 1) get close to Maine and rent a car; Boston, Providence, and Manchester were all options 2) go back to the city and take the train or bus or stay overnight and leave on Saturday

Luckily all of the US Air travel agents were very helpful and friendly. I am not sure how they maintain their cool when so much depends on the weather and other details that are out of their control. So, I got another boarding pass for Manchester and called to reserve a car from there so I could get back to the Portland Jetport where my car was waiting for me; luckily under cover.

While wondering if this was the best option for me I got a text from a friend I was supposed to meet in Portland later on that suggested I see if there were planes to Boston and take the bus from there. As I was standing in line (again) a young man asked me if I was heading for Maine and said he was as well. Bucky was hoping to fly to Boston and rent a car and drive to the Jetport as well where his car was parked (not under cover). He suggested we ride together… now I know what some of you are thinking… get a ride with a stranger?!

Anyway, we got standby boarding passes for a 1:00 flight to Boston and raced across to another section of departure gates and waited. On the speedy walk there and while waiting patiently I asked the young man several questions to learn more about him and determine if I could trust him. OK… I got to a point where my gut feeling told me he was OK.

Our names were called to get on the flight and we boarded, Bucky near the front of the plane, me about half way back. It seemed like we were heading to Boston and not to long afterwards we were moving and then delayed again. I assumed it was due to waiting for the clearance from the tower but we learned differently. The pilot came on and said that we had more weight on board then originally planned and that we had to burn off some fuel due. WHAT???… OMG… with the price of fuel we were burning it off to get within our weight limit to fly!

The pilot came on a few minutes later and said the airport was closed down due to the weather and that we would not be departing. In the meantime I was engaged in conversation with an elderly woman sitting across the aisle from me who was traveling to Boston from VA to visit her sister who was in the hospital.

Within minutes of the plane circling back to the terminal, and I imagining we were getting off the plane again, it turned and we were heading in the other direction again. We gained speed and with a stiff tail wing made it to Boston in 35 minutes. At that point I wondered what else was going to be added to my journey. Passengers began exiting the plane and the woman who I had chatting with earlier stood to leave and collapsed in the aisle. At first I thought she had tripped when in fact she had passed out. I called for the steward to assist and two passengers helped her into a seat. I told others I would stay with her until medical assistance arrived figuring that I would want someone to stay with me.

She seemed secure so I went to leave the plane and the steward asked me if I drank wine. I thought for sure I had misunderstood the question and said excuse me. He repeated the question and asked if I preferred red or white. He had the other steward get me a bottle for staying with the woman. What a surprise!

As I left the plane to get my gate-checked luggage the pilot was waiting for his. I congratulated him for the job he did getting us to Boston safely and he explained the reason for turning back and the quick departure. He said he had never seen a storm move so fast. It came in, did a 180 and headed off leaving a 100 mph tail wind, hence the reason for getting to Boston so quickly. At that point I learned that my luggage was missing because it had the incorrect tag.

I headed up the ramp and there was Bucky waiting for me. He thought that I was the one who had passed out. We headed towards the arriving luggage carousel. He had left Orlando at 5:00AM and because the plane was so full they had him check his luggage. My bag was there and he went to learn where his was. While waiting a young woman named Michelle who was sitting behind me on the plane with her daughter Jayme asked how the elderly woman was. I told her that she hadn’t tripped but actually passed out and had this happen in January as well. She asked if I wanted a ride to Portland since she was from Windham and her boyfriend Jaime was picking them up in a Suburban. I said that I was with Bucky (that was difficult to explain) and he was checking on his luggage. She offered to take him as well.

Within moments he arrived and we were loaded into the vehicle and headed north to Maine. Well, not yet… a wrong turn had us heading towards Boston, just a few minute delay. We hit our first snow in Portsmouth and talked (and laughed) all of the way to Portland learning everyone’s story! Turns out that Bucky went to Searsport High School, was involved with the drama program working with Chris Goosman. His mother in law was an elementary teacher, he went to UMaine Orono and graduated with a degree in Construction Management. Michelle is a trainer at Unum and her daughter a sophomore at Windham High School. They had been to NYC to celebrate her 16th birthday and saw Mama Mia, Wicked, and The Lion King. She articulated beautifully the essence of seeing a live performance and the impact they made on her. I wished I had written it down.

We got back to the Jetpoint, had some strangers take our picture in the parking garage. Bucky had picked up a card to give Jaime and Michelle for their kindness. I just happened to have a bottle of wine to accompany the card. My car was barricaded into the short term parking section so we had to go out and drive around to get to it. Of course, every step of the journey was a challenge, why wouldn’t this one be?!

I said my good-byes and thanked my traveling friends for sharing the journey. I was so grateful to all of them! Some of you have heard me say, “things happen for a reason” and every step of the way provided another interesting twist!

As it turned out I decided not to head home at 7:00 PM that night due to the road condition but departed the next morning at 6:00 AM. I don’t think I’ve ever been sooooooooooo happy to walk through the door of my home and see my husband’s smiling face! It certainly was an adventure I will never forget. It restored my faith in people reaching out to help one another!