I just returned from a girls trip, where gifts were exchanged.  My trip came with gift bags.  GIFT BAGS!!  Love those ladies.

I was the last to arrive in New Orleans, so I planned to carry on my bag to save the fee, and the time when I got there.  But I was a little worried that I’d have trouble cramming it into an overhead bin because it was pretty packed.  Luckily for me, I was forced to gate check it because there was no more room on the plane. But then I was thinking that if it got lost, I wouldn’t even know the luggage brand name.  It didn’t have a luggage tag, and I could barely describe it.  So when I opened my GIFT BAG and there was a ribbon on one of my gifts, it was tied to my luggage immediately.

This story skips straight to the flight home, it skips all the fun and hilarity that transpired in the Crescent City.   But, as my good friend says, it’s not easy leaving the Big Easy.  For example, we saw a guy laying face down on the carpet in the gate area for my flight.  My friend’s laughed and said he would probably be sitting next to me on the plane.    I walked around, and when I returned in time to board, I noticed that the drunken traveler had risen to a seated position and purchased a beer.  His party wasn’t over and good for him.  (Fingers crossed that he wasn’t sitting next to me on the flight.)

I bought a few souvenirs and a few dresses, and I received some gifts. (GIFT BAGS!)  And I may have taken some hotel samples.  So my bag was a lot little bigger and heavier on the way home, and I wasn’t saved by a gate check.   So when it came time to put the bag in the overhead bin, I heaved it up and over, and almost into the overhead bin.  Almost.  I somehow missed a little, and the bag sort of bounced off my head, and partially knocked my glasses off my face.  I did the quick glance around to see if anyone noticed.   Just about 10 people were staring right at me.  The drunk guy gave me a sheepish grin that said, “How embarrassing for you, sorry.”  This, from someone who had been face down on the floor just 2o minutes prior.  The young gentleman behind me said, “Do you want me to get that for you?”  I replied, “Actually, I think I’d like to try one more and redeem myself.”  Heave, ho, in ya go.  Well, it was sort of in.  Should I turn it sideways, or will it fit the way I had it?  Wiggle, jiggle, not sure what to do now.  At this point, a helpful flight attendant stepped in and  put my bag back the way I had it the first time, with the bow side out.  I said, “I wasn’t sure it would fit that way, but you are the expert, right?”  He said, “Not really.”  And he tried shutting the bin and it shut just fine.  I said, “Oh, don’t be so modest!  Great job!  Thanks so much!”  I noticed he was sitting in the exit row, and I thought he had just lucked out that the place wasn’t full and was flying standby to get to Denver or something.

I sat down and read my book for 2 hours and 2o minutes.  When it was time to get off the plane, I stood up and I was trying to figure out a strategy to get my bag down.  Just go for it?  Let the people in my row out, and then wait it out until everyone else is off the plane to save myself the embarrassment?  What to do, what to do?  Someone ahead of me opened the bin, and I saw the pretty ribbon on my bag.  I looked at the helpful flight attendant and noticed he was looking into the bin too.  He saw the ribbon and I willed him to think, “that’s the bag I put up there for that clutzy lady.  I should get it down for her and save us all.”  That worked!  Next thing I knew, he was handing me the bag.  I thanked him again, and wondered why he said he wasn’t an expert at putting luggage into bins.   Maybe because he wasn’t a flight attendant?  He was a pilot.

How embarrassing for me!

Beautiful afternoon for picking apples next door.

When I was little, I think maybe ages 4, 5, and 9,* our family went to Oglebay and stayed in a cottage, and went to the Good Zoo, and the playground, and the pool, and had talent shows, and played red rover.   We made the occasional side trip to Prabupada’s Palace of Gold when people were having trouble getting along and needed to be separated.  My oldest cousin napped in a hammock with my youngest cousin.  I was told if I woke up my youngest cousin (soon to be 30 now) from her nap, I’d have to change her diapers until she was in college.  We recorded (on a tape recorder) one cousin speaking complete nonsense, and when we played it for his mom, she said, He said, “I have to find my mom before she eats my cinnamon bun.”  Shreaks of laughter because she was already eating it.

I can barely separate what I really remember from what I have seen in family movies.  But I think of Oglebay whenever I go down a slide with rollers.  It’s not the same without my dad there, sporting a rugby shirt and a mustache, but it does make me remember those times (or those videos) fondly.

We did a lot of playing in the grass, and one thing I remember doing for what seemed like hours, was rocking in a directors chair until it tipped over and I fell out.  Repeatedly.  This picture of Luke and Jack reminded me of an Oglebay summer.   Some day those two will fondly remember their trip to the Black Hills.

* Please correct the age in the comments.  I know I am right about being there when I was 9.  The other two were guesses based on Beth being in diapers one year.

** Why yes, I did get some adorable pink tennis shoes, thanks for noticing.

Sorry for the delay, I am really lazy.  But the winner is Molly!  Huge surprise since almost half the entries were from Cindy, but as you can see from yesterday’s picture, Jack and I put one entry in a hat for each comment, swirled them around and then Luke drew a name.

Molly:  I will be shopping for your prize on our upcoming trip to South Dakota.

Well, well, well.  I quit my old job, and during my two weeks notice I decided to never work after hours.  Then I took a week off, and tried to never touch a computer.  Consequently, I have not been able to blog.

But this evening, I did compile a list of entries from the comments contest and there were 79!  Crazy!  I need Luke to pull the names out of the hat, and he is fast asleep after a successful first day of school, so this will have to wait till tomorrow.

My friend Laura is currently driving a Nissan Cube, which for no apparent reason, has a shag carpet on the dashboard.  Laura thinks it’s a chihuahua rest, but for the sake of all the Nissan Cube driving chihuahua guardians out there, let’s hope they aren’t in a hurry to get to Pizzeria Basta on their lunch break.    Computer Engineer Barbie couldn’t take those turns.

Dave and I went for a bike ride today, it was 93 degrees.  As you may know, Dave eschews the typical lycra ensemble, in favor of a look one might call “shuffleboard chic”.   I also like to wear my biking skirt, and a cute top, but as I have already mentioned, my biking skirt is too tight.  So I had to break the family dress code and just wear head-to-toe lycra today for our bike ride.   I felt like I was walking around in just underwear, but I have to say, I am sure it kept me cooler.  And for a sunny, 95 degree 12 mile bike ride, every bit helps.

I decided to write my awesome, contest winning post today and submit it to the blogher contest and I realized… the deadline was yesterday.  I have been at a serious disadvantage this month, because it is 90+ degrees, and when I rest my laptop on my lap, it sort of burns my skin.   How’s that  for an excuse for not doing a lot of writing?

In other news, I stayed up until 2:00 am finished Cutting for Stone.  I had mixed feelings about some things that happened at the end, but it was obviously impossible to put down, which, with a 700 page book, can really put your life on hold.