Into Each Life…

A little freezing rain must fall.  Actually, a lot.  In Dallas.  Where they have neither the equipment nor the manpower to deal with it.

The view from Room 712.

So from Thursday night the 5th through Monday morning the 12th, our view was 50 shades of grey.  Grey concrete, grey skies, grey freezing drizzle, grey vapor coming off the heated pool at the Hyatt Regency at DFW.

Heated pool!

Was it the Mexican oasis we flee to in December?  No.  The Travel Gods finally caught up   with us.  We were stuck.

But we had something four-thousand other travelers didn’t have.  They were sleeping on cots in the terminals.  We had a room.  With a big, comfortable bed, and all the amenities we needed to get our vacation off to a start.  An unusual start.  An unwelcome start.  But a start nonetheless.

Cots in Terminal at DFW

DFW on a Saturday Night

We had Rummikub tournaments, watched football, read our books, browsed the internet, went shopping at the airport.

Rummikub and wine

We talked a little more than we usually do, and over parts of five days, we had but one testy exchange, which we agreed was impressive.

Now, more than ever, flexibility is as necessary as a toiletry bag when you travel.  No matter how well planned a trip may be, and my wife is an outstanding planner, it pays to have a Plan B (or C).

And pack some patience, too.  Good thing we had plenty of that, because we knew that once the fifty shades of grey passed from one window, there would be a rainbow out the next.

Apres sunset

Worth waiting for?  Oh yeah.

It’s been a great year of travel for us.  We were lucky and privileged to enjoy Mexico, Italy, London, and South Africa.

We don’t know where we’re going yet in 2014.  But I can’t wait to get to get there.