Doing What We Do Best

Today NADM comes to you from Cedar Cove Resort, Anna Maria Island, FLA, USA. It’s an hour from Tampa airport and light years from the rest of the world as we know it. The Gulf of Mexico is in front of us, Palma Sola Bay is behind us. Fresh seafood, gulf breezes, and friendly people are the order of the day.

Getting here, the world exacted its price. We fly infrequently these days and thank heaven. At 4:30 a.m. O’Hare is buzzing with activity, and activity in USA 2008 means subjecting oneself to various indignities in order to get from one place to another.

My god-daughter is traveling with us. She bought her plane ticket after we did. As a reward, American Airlines charged her fifteen bucks to check her bag. Nothing extraordinary about the bag, it’s just the new air travel economy.

I brought my computer on the trip, jamming it in the bag that I carry back and forth to work each day. In the bag is a pocket knife that my daughter brought me from Toledo, Spain. I forgot that the knife was in there. The friendly folks at the TSA found it after a 20 minute examination. It’s a glorified letter opener, but rules are rules, and I understand.

American Airlines understands, too: Twenty five bucks to check it as extra baggage!

So, we were down 40 bucks before we got on the plane. I did a lot better in the Vegas airport, and they have slot machines everywhere.

Remember the slogan?

“We’re American Airlines
Doing what we do best”

Yes, indeed.