Diary: 10|26|2017. Last Meal In LA. Ed Asner At The Airport. The Way The Plane Bounces.

Sunday, November 26, 2017. We're Going Home. All the the festivities of Jackson's second birthday anniversary done, the Marys and I begin motion toward home. I am inclined to having a lot of of buffer in heading to the airport. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for airlines. We have a rental car to unload. And, as always, MA has an agenda in her last-frisson-of-entertainment before leaving. These include a ride in the Universal Studios fake streetcar, which Jackson loves. Then the Marys both desire a lunch at a Middle-Eastern chain called Cava, one of which is on the the way to the airport. The shuttle bus for Hertz is jammed with cars and taxis squeezing in between the open lane and the curb, slowing the buses to near zero. Almost all the buffer is lost in that. But we still have time to spend in the American Express Club. Mary Ann loves this with its free snacks and drinks, among other conveniences. Sometimes you see celebrities in the Club. Today, it is actor and author Ed Asner. He is the author of a new book called The Grouchy Historian: An Old-Time Lefty Defends Our Constitution Against Right-Wing Hypocrites and Nutjobs. I'm glad MA didn't know about that. When we board the plane, I am relegated to the rear. All the way. Last seat. However, I don't have to share it with anyone. So, all the way from Los Angeles to New Orleans, I have an unobstructed view through the windows. Even the wings are out of my way. There are almost no clouds. I see what looked like glowing knots of cities down below. I try to make out by shape which cities those were. That kept me entertained all the way home. But I never did figure out where we were until seeing the unmistakable shape of the Causeway over Lake Pontchartrain, and then the airport. Even then, the shapes and positions seem off somehow. Now the plane touches the ground, and takes an upward bounce. People bounce a little as well. A good reason to have the seat belt securely fastened, which I did. One more bounce, and finally we are on the ground. Haven't had so rough a landing since one in Germany fifteen years ago.