MAIDEN VOYAGE - a painter's travels by North Carolina Artist, Sue Scoggins

First challenge.  Packing!  Usually a rollie is good enough for me.  Clothes are way overrated. Art supplies, IMPORTANT.  An extra suitcase was in order to house the easel, paints, brushes, etc.  Plus, I wanted to be able to paint at least 24x30 size paintings, so I needed to cut canvas large enough and into a roll.  Unfortunately, the roll wouldn't fit in my suitcase...not even on a diagonal.  Stuff!  Stuff!  It's way too much for me.  Yes. I had to check the large one.  Carry on the rest.

Thunder storm delays...all good.  Plenty of time to get to New York for my flight across the pond.  My seat on the plane was bulkhead, which had neither a bulkhead, nor much of a separation from first class.  A little gray pleated valance at best.  Such is the little Embrayer American Eagle.

Do you see all that traffic below?  I'm not use to traffic.  My uncluttered beach brain is use to calm and a laid back routine.  My chandelier lights were beginning to flicker and short out with all the logistics.  So, I figured I'd spoil myself and cab it across NYC from LaGuardia to JFK.  No problem.  I've got this. My rollie and I confidently walked over and took a cab ticket.  Cab number 1097.  Huh?

FIRST FO-PA!  Remember that bag I had to check?  Here I was in yellow cab 1097, halfway across the city,  when I realized I had forgotten to collect my checked bag.  MY ART SUPPLIES~!!!  "Uh, Sir.  We've got to turn around, I forgot my bag." English was not "Mr. Cabbie's" first language.  He didn't understand.  He didn't understand how to get back to the airport either!  Don't ask me how he got there in the first place.  So..the two of us navigated the traffic and back roads back to Terminal B where is dropped me off about a mile away from the American counter.  Grrr!  $15.00  ..expensive bag.  But, sure enough...there was my bag..the lonely thing...traveling on the conveyer belt all by itself.  Tightly secured by it's pink belt. Hmm.

"Come on, little baggie.  Let's go. We've got another plane to catch. " This time we'll take the NY Transporter shuttle.  $13.00.

Check in at JFK. Spoiling myself again, I used curb side international checkin.  (In the past, I wouldn't let go of my $3.00 tip.  I'd stand in a 30 minute line instead.) Remember I was with American for 18 years.  SWEET!!!!  All those years of 3:30pm to 12:00am shifts with Tuesday/Wednesdays off at $8.00 an hour....those years of sleeping in airports waiting for an empty seat....are paying off.  Life time flying. Preferred checkin.  Precheck security status.  No lines.  And my curbside agent wouldn't even accept my tip. How 'bout that! (He must have seen Pay It Forward)   First class.  Seriously!  Almost got lost in the plane. My own "room". Desk.  Swivel seat. Computer station. Bose headset. Down comforters.  Slippers.  Jammies.  I could get use to this!