Home from Portland

Got home late last night, in the office today (a little sympathy, please?), but with only half a brain or so. I've been bothered by headaches these last few days. The trip home was a little aggravating. The flight was a bit late taking off, which wasn't that bad. But combined with a luggage wait of over an hour--I guess there were so few of us on the flight that they just put our luggage by the baggage claim counter rather than sending it up to a carousel, but neglected to alert any of us--and a shortage of vans back to the parking lot made it a bit of a trial. I was home an hour later than I had planned. Thanks to my cell phone, M knew and had dinner waiting. I'm home, and that's the main thing. The iris have almost gone, and now the dahlias are taking over.

Pinots in PDX
Originally uploaded by suzipaw.

There were a couple of pleasant aspects to my trip home. A colleague and I paused in the airport wine bar to share a flight of pinots noir. I came to end of my book and have the next in the series to take up tonight. And while waiting for my suitcase to appear, I did observe several minute dramas that make people-watching so worthwhile: the couple walking by, she with an angry look and a scold to follow his appeasing offer to pull her bag; the young hard-looking woman with short shorts, stomach bulging out, ankle Ug boots, turning to flip off someone behind me accompanied by a ringing "Bitch!"--at least, I think she was talking to someone other than me; the young man, neatly dressed, waiting with one heart-red rose, looking hopefully at the exiting passengers…and still waiting as I left the terminal.