Here Comes the Sun, There Goes the Sun, Day #1. “Why Me?”

I’ve been waiting for this day since August 2017.  Back then we traveled to Nashville to see the total eclipse of the sun. Followers of this blog might recall that the weather has not always cooperated with my travel plans.  Fog prevented us seeing a crater in Costa Rica.  That wasn’t nearly as upsetting as going to Brazil to see the Christ the Redeemer statue only to be limited to viewing from the waist down again due to fog.  But probably the most frustrating was Nashville in August 2017 when we went to see the total eclipse of the sun.  We were having a great time as the sun/moon moved toward totality.  With the sun approximately 98%, covered clouds crept in front and blocked our view of the big event.  This was especially upsetting because one of my friends decided in the last minute to make the trip.  He couldn’t get a room in Nashville because of his last minute decision.  Instead he was outside of town and saw the eclipse perfectly. 

We decided to give it another try this time. Our son, David, is also going to attend with his family.  Our daughter Lindsay is traveling with her family as well.  The big moment is Monday April 8th.  So to play it safe we reserved tickets to Dallas on a Saturday 9 AM flight.  We didn’t want to take a chance that anything might happen on Sunday preventing us from getting to Dallas in time.  The night before our Saturday departure we were notified that our flight was going to be delayed and we would be leaving at 1:00 pm instead.  This was particularly upsetting since we would be traveling with our 2 year old grandson who has a very regimented schedule.  We did some whining about the change but finally became adjusted to the new departure time when we were notified that the plane would leave at 2:00.  Hmmm, then a few minutes later it was changed to 2:30.  What horrible thing did I do to deserve this?

Luckily we did take off at 2:30 and had a smooth flight to Dallas.  Arrival and getting to the hotel was relatively painless (if traveling with a 2 year old can ever be painless, no matter how cute he is).  So we are settled in our abode and trying to decompress after a very stressful day.  Sorry, no pictures of food or anything else today.  But I will leave you with a description  of a billboard  we saw off the freeway.  It was an advertisement and read “14 Acres of Guns and Gear.  You are in NRA Texas”.   Needless to say, we will be leaving shortly after the eclipse.