This is one long travel day. We are up at 5:30 AM to repack our suitcases. Once packed, we went next door for our breakfast. We walked into the Hilton Garden Inn to find this wonderful restaurant. We had just reached an open table when the waitress stopped us and said no, we couldn’t eat there. She directed us around the corner to a typical hotel meeting room set up with 10-person rounds. There was a paper sign at the door stating “Hampton Inn Breakfast Room.” There was a typical breakfast buffet with chicken sausage, egg “patties,” cereal, bagels etc. The tables were populated by some very unhappy travelers like us, who had seen the real restaurant and were all feeling a bit like 2nd class citizens.
Back to our room, we loaded our six bags onto the cart and down from the 5th floor into the lobby and load up the Camry for the final time. Our hotel in Crystal City was only 5 minutes from National Airport; we will never stay anywhere else again when we are flying out of D.C., although we may pick a different hotel. Our first flight, from D.C. to Chicago was an uneventful hour and 45 minute hop. We had an hour and a half layover and then onto the flight to San Diego. Allow us a moment to voice a complaint about airline travel in today’s world. Every passenger airplane must leave the ground with a nearly empty cargo hold as the number and size of the rolling stock is enormous. People come aboard with two rolling pieces and a backpack enough for a Himalaya trek. Additionally, with the pre boarding of active military, passengers with small children, 1K Members, first class passengers and then those that are in boarding group one, all the overhead space is gone before we even can board. On both our flights, we were only two or three rows back from the first class cabin and there were no overhead spaces available. People will book the cheaper seats, but because they get preferential boarding, they throw their luggage into the front area compartments and then stop to pick it up on the way off the plane. We know there is nothing to be done, but it does give Mark something to exercise his “grumpy old man chops” about.
We are last of the Covert contingent to arrive in San Diego. Ed’s three children, Christopher, Avery and Spenser arrived around 1:00 on their non-stop flight from Baltimore. Abigail arrived around 3:00, Darcy next around 3:30 and finally we landed at 3:45. The kids were all chattering away when we arrived. Darcy and Deb took the shuttle to National Car Rental to pick up our 7-passenger van and then came back to load us and all the luggage in for the drive to Temecula. Darcy handled driving duties and Abigail handled navigation.The three grandchildren ages 26, 22 and 19 (almost 20) were relegated to the “way back” seat for the hour long drive up to our Air BnB.
Jake and Audrey had arrived earlier in the day and rented a small vehicle to get to the home first and get it opened up. Audrey handled the research and found this 6 bedroom, 5 bathroom rental with a pool, a putting green, grills, Theater room, pool table and more. WE arrived around 5:30, unloaded all the luggage and then found our various rooms. As Deb and Mark are the seniors, they were assigned the master suite. The entire bedroom and bath area with a 6-head shower room and a complete jacuzzi soaking tub is almost larger than our entire Pierce Street home! As we soon found, it is a long hike to the bathroom for a middle of the night plumbing check.
Ed & Meg soon arrived and the ladies began filling the wedding gift bags that are to be distributed tomorrow. Ed ordered pizza for us, we found wine, beer and alcohol, sat around and visited, some overindulging a bit. A great family reunion for a great upcoming event. We retired early for a well deserved sleep after a long travel day.
