bigmacbear (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bigmacbear) wrote2025-08-23 11:59 pm
bigmacbear) wrote2025-08-23 11:59 pm
Ireland and England Trip - Day 1 of 11
SATURDAY
We had a light breakfast at home of cereal and melons to use up the milk and perishable fruit. Mohammed drove us to Lynnwood in his Tesla. There wasn't room for all the luggage in back so my larger bag rode shotgun. From Lynnwood we took the train to Westlake Station, where a bus bridge was operating to SODO Station. The train was very full from there to the airport, so we had to shift back and forth as the doors opened on either side of the train.
On arrival at Sea-Tac Station, there was an A-frame sign advertising a driverless shuttle, which we chose not to wait for. This was a wise decision as it was apparently not running; instead, we crossed paths with a conventional shuttle cart a little over halfway to the terminal. We tried to use a shortcut across the garage as we needed to go clear across the terminal for the BA check-in counter, and were nearly thwarted by a flood about halfway through, which we skirted by walking around in the parking lane. Bag check was quick and painless, and we proceeded downstairs to the new security checkpoint on the baggage claim level. I was held up briefly because the young Japanese dude ahead of me at the ID check had an irregularity in his boarding pass and had to return upstairs to have it corrected. I did not need to remove my shoes nor my suspenders, although the latter required a pat-down afterwards. Fortunately the officer was not only cute but quick about it. The new checkpoint opens into the middle of the existing escalator to the train for the South Satellite.
We had lunch at the sports bar in the South Satellite, where most of the screens were showing an obscure college match-up between University of the Incarnate Word and Nicholls College, but the main screen had Iowa State vs Kansas State in Dublin, which so happened to be our destination. Once we'd finished lunch, we waited at the gate with a couple of tall, bearded gentlemen of ages to be father and son (likely not daddy and boy) who spoke with a British accent.
We boarded the aircraft and found our seats in the aft cabin. A petite lady around our age took the aisle seat beside us. Conveniently, she needed to use the restroom more than even I did, which I took advantage of once; she was kind enough to wait for my return to be seated once more. At least two of the flight attendants pinged my gaydar, one more strongly than the other. Except for mealtimes, I spent most of the flight listening to a selection of Zen music and drifting off to sleep.
We had a light breakfast at home of cereal and melons to use up the milk and perishable fruit. Mohammed drove us to Lynnwood in his Tesla. There wasn't room for all the luggage in back so my larger bag rode shotgun. From Lynnwood we took the train to Westlake Station, where a bus bridge was operating to SODO Station. The train was very full from there to the airport, so we had to shift back and forth as the doors opened on either side of the train.
On arrival at Sea-Tac Station, there was an A-frame sign advertising a driverless shuttle, which we chose not to wait for. This was a wise decision as it was apparently not running; instead, we crossed paths with a conventional shuttle cart a little over halfway to the terminal. We tried to use a shortcut across the garage as we needed to go clear across the terminal for the BA check-in counter, and were nearly thwarted by a flood about halfway through, which we skirted by walking around in the parking lane. Bag check was quick and painless, and we proceeded downstairs to the new security checkpoint on the baggage claim level. I was held up briefly because the young Japanese dude ahead of me at the ID check had an irregularity in his boarding pass and had to return upstairs to have it corrected. I did not need to remove my shoes nor my suspenders, although the latter required a pat-down afterwards. Fortunately the officer was not only cute but quick about it. The new checkpoint opens into the middle of the existing escalator to the train for the South Satellite.
We had lunch at the sports bar in the South Satellite, where most of the screens were showing an obscure college match-up between University of the Incarnate Word and Nicholls College, but the main screen had Iowa State vs Kansas State in Dublin, which so happened to be our destination. Once we'd finished lunch, we waited at the gate with a couple of tall, bearded gentlemen of ages to be father and son (likely not daddy and boy) who spoke with a British accent.
We boarded the aircraft and found our seats in the aft cabin. A petite lady around our age took the aisle seat beside us. Conveniently, she needed to use the restroom more than even I did, which I took advantage of once; she was kind enough to wait for my return to be seated once more. At least two of the flight attendants pinged my gaydar, one more strongly than the other. Except for mealtimes, I spent most of the flight listening to a selection of Zen music and drifting off to sleep.