Our departure for the Olde Country was a typical event in our life. The driver of our shuttle to the San Jose airport, Jim, was an ex-dot.com employee, now down-sizing his life after being laid off by a major computer industry firm. We talked about simple living, meaningful work and the future of the future, as we made our way smoothly and efficiently away from our coastline, off the Pacific Plate and, reluctantly, onto the North American continent. Jim wished us well and we hoped our paths would cross again one day.
Flying east, we passed over the Sierra Nevada mountains, close to Tioga Pass, still closed with snow, with Mono Lake and the tiny town of Lee Vining in the background.
Chicago's O'Hare airport was indistinguishable, on the inside, from any other airmotive travel establishment. Most everyone was talking on their cell-phones, fiddling with their cell phones or talking to others about cell phones. Consumer opportunities abounded, providing retail therapy for weary travelers; fast-food sources lined the noisy corridors; fortunately, we had brought fresh fruit with us and enjoyed a juicy orange instead.
The blare of TeeVee newsertainment was inescapable. The farthest reaches of the departure lounges were penetrated by the noise, even where the screen wasn't immediately visible and despite the painfully evident fact that no one was paying the slightest bit of attention!
We heard our first British accents in the departure lounge at O'Hare! There seemed to be more people returning to England than Yanks going over.
The flight from Chicago to Manchester was a short night of discomfort as we barreled on toward the first sunrise of our trip. Soon enough we were peering through sleep-deprived eyes at the big green island beneath us. We were descending to England!
Flying east, we passed over the Sierra Nevada mountains, close to Tioga Pass, still closed with snow, with Mono Lake and the tiny town of Lee Vining in the background.
Chicago's O'Hare airport was indistinguishable, on the inside, from any other airmotive travel establishment. Most everyone was talking on their cell-phones, fiddling with their cell phones or talking to others about cell phones. Consumer opportunities abounded, providing retail therapy for weary travelers; fast-food sources lined the noisy corridors; fortunately, we had brought fresh fruit with us and enjoyed a juicy orange instead.
The blare of TeeVee newsertainment was inescapable. The farthest reaches of the departure lounges were penetrated by the noise, even where the screen wasn't immediately visible and despite the painfully evident fact that no one was paying the slightest bit of attention!
We heard our first British accents in the departure lounge at O'Hare! There seemed to be more people returning to England than Yanks going over.
The flight from Chicago to Manchester was a short night of discomfort as we barreled on toward the first sunrise of our trip. Soon enough we were peering through sleep-deprived eyes at the big green island beneath us. We were descending to England!