GRIT AND GLORY- EXPLORING PANAMA CANAL

Monday 15 January 2007

This will be the first day of an Elderhostel tour entitled "Grit and Glory: Exploring the Panama Canal" Since it is a Monday, have to be up at 0600 to be on time for Morbidity-Mortality conference which the boss always attends. It's been pouring rain all night so it's not an easy wakeup. But make it there in time to get a cup of coffee and thankfully it is a short agenda so it's back to the surgeon's lounge for another cup of coffee, and get down to the parking garage and head home, in pouring rain. So finishing touches like lowering the thermostat and shut the suitcase and on the road to Cincy airport, in driving rain. Trip slowed by the weather, but still make it in a little over an hour- did have to slow down for those huge clouds of spray put up by 18 wheelers that you can't see through. Pleasant suprise at airport long-term parking- they did not raise the fee and with the new system they tell you what row to park in and a shuttle minivan pulls behind you and loads your luggage- good thing because it was driving rain. Airport about empty, driver said it's been real slow so ticket check in ok- half sleepy agent tries to send me to Panama City Florida which is odd because I handed him my passport with the ticket- his excuse, everyone uses a passport for ID these days. Security a snap and then up to B15 with coffee and a cinnabon on the way. Plane on time and off to Atlanta. Smooth flight and beautiful weather when we land- 80 degrees, sunny. Gate change for the flight on a 767 it's a nice sunny day so decide to take a picture of the plane and discover that the shuter button has disappeared and there is only a thin hole where the shutter pin should be. 30 minutes of hard work with a paper clip and I've got a functional camera. So now I begin to worry- is this an omen, or what- plane full- a lot look like tourists. Meal of chicken not bad and movie called "The Queen" about QEII and how she handled the Diana tragedy and then we land on time at 930 pm- of course it's dark and I'm impressed by all the lights and the size of the city- must have really blossomed since my last visit in 1953. Out of airport with my bags at 1030pm and arrive at Hotel at 1130- an Holiday Inn resort with a TGI Fridays on the ground floor. In bed by midnite but too wired to fall asleep easily (what about the camera glitch and for the first time in years I didn't bring a backup- will the paperclip trick work when I need it to ?- reading McCullough's "Path between the Oceans." So endeth the first day.