I'm busy figuring out what I need to pack for my flight out of Seattle to the east coast tomorrow night. When I think of packing, my mind goes to the really important things - gadgets, music, camera accessories. Of course I'll make sure I have something to wear, it's just not a priority. What I need to do is collect the two iPod's, charge them, fill them with fresh music and make sure they are in the pile of things not to be forgotten. I have had an iPod save my sanity more than once on a flight with a screaming child, annoying nearby passengers, etc. It's a long flight. I think it's much better than earplugs because it not only blocks out noise, it adds a pleasing sound to drown out anything that could slip past the earplugs. While it's fine to plug earbuds into the jack on the jet seat, I have found that it scares the hell out of me when the pilot suddenly comes on at a really jacked up volume to say something. I just can't stand to be intermittently startled like that. It would be different if it were a constant volume, but it isn't. I am glad that I'm taking JetBlue because it's a long flight and I have found them to be a nice ride and you aren't totally crammed in like sardines. As it stands now, it would appear that I have only one other person in my row with a seat empty between us. It's the emergency exit row, so there is extra legroom and the "potential" for sleep. I think I have fallen asleep on a jet once briefly in my life, so I'm not really counting on this time being any different. I am usually awake all night and then I stay awake all day when I arrive on the east coast, in hopes of attempting to go to sleep at a reasonable hour to acclimate to east coast time. This never works, but in theory, it seems like a good idea.
It's possible that I will actually get some sleep on this trip because I am going sailing for a few days with my parents on their sailboat. it's possible that the rocking of the boat combined with the sound of the water might help. We are hoping to sail to the eastern shore of Virginia to an area that has abundant wildlife. We have planned that trip three times now and we've never been able to make it happen. Twice we have had weather problems and on my last visit, my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I was sick, and the weather was horrendous. It was sort of the non-sailing trifecta. We did manage to get a couple of day sails in the last two days I was there and it was lovely. We saw a ton of dolphins and plenty of Brown Pelicans among other things.
The place where my parents live is on the water and it's teeming with wildlife. The water is calm enough back there that I have taken my camera out on the kayak a few times, although I'm not convinced that's a good idea. The lure of some shot or chance encounter is what has caused me to do it twice. On one of those occasions I got a shot that I really liked. It was of an elusive Green Heron that had been appearing in the form of a glimpse here or there for the length of my visit. I finally got one shot of it as the last light of day was draining from the sky. It was a nice way to end my visit last May.
This time when I arrive, I will be looking for a copy of Chesapeake Bay Magazine. It hit the newsstand the end of last week and has three of my photos in it this month. Last Fall when my mom was undergoing cancer treatment, she called me and said they were having a photo contest and she really wanted me to enter. I read over the rules and sent five shots. They chose three. It was pretty neat. They chose a sunset shot, a Brown Pelican shot, and a shot of some dolphins. I could only enter shots that I had taken on Chesapeake Bay or its tributaries, so that seriously limited my options. It wound up being a good thing because I learned a lot of things that I need to know about publication resolutions and requirements. Even if they hadn't chosen any of my photos, it was still a good learning experience. Placing twice and receiving an honorable mention was icing on the cake.
Providing I don't get swine flu, I'm looking forward to a great visit this time. Mom just had a CT and MRI and she is good to go for the next three months, so we won't feel like we have this awful thing breathing down our necks the whole time. It's a very welcome relief!
I'm going to go back to figuring out what needs to come with me. I'm also trying to figure out if I can slip out in the morning with my camera for a bit before I really need to get serious about preparing to leave. I saw something today that I'd like to photograph but the conditions weren't good for me to catch it today. Maybe in the morning....
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