I knew it was going to be an interesting trip.   My first flight left Knoxville early in the morning.  Almost exclusively, I fly Delta Airlines, but today, my first flight was on Continental Airlines.  That was the first thing that was different. The next thing that was different was the fact that when I got to the airport, I noticed that my passport had expired.  I panicked but the girl told me that it was not a problem, I still could go to Canada. So I boarded the small regional jet heading for Newark.  I was the fourth person on the plane.  It was a small commuter, three seats, two on side and a single seat on the other side of the aisle.  I was all buckled in with my knees up against my chest (joke) when I looked up and down the aisle came a little girl about 10 years old and her mother.   Just as she got to my seat, the little girl stopped and threw up in the aisle.  Now many of you who read my "rental account" know that I have a weak stomach.  Well I am what you would call a "community puker".  When someone close to me starts, I usually do too.   I quickly put my hood over my head as not to smell it, turned my head and took deep breaths!  For a good five minutes, I sat with my hood over my head and face, with my nose turned into the wall of the plane. I made it!  Finally the flight attendant decided that she, with her valley girl, blonde, DUH, kind of attitude, didn't want to clean it up.  So she called for airport assistance.  While they were waiting for someone to decide who would clean it up,  All the other passengers waited in the terminal.  The 6 of us were held captive by the smell!  Finally after about 10 minutes, someone came and cleaned it up and the rest of the passengers were allowed to board.  The last man on the plane took the seat directly across the aisle from me, not knowing what had happened.  When he buckled his seat belt, he discovered "things" that the clean up crew had left.  Again we were delayed to wait for the clean up crew to arrive again. 

 

I landed in Newark with an hour and half to kill.  I headed for a deli in the airport.  I just sat and watched people.  Lots of interesting people came into the deli.  Travelers are a rare breed.  I am amazed at how some people leave the house!  The Deli provided some good entertainment as families with children, foreigners, . . . . all kinds of things came in and out of the deli.  I was particular interested in the family who couldn't decide what they wanted.  A father, big big big man, a mother-a tiny little woman who had had way too many plastic surgeries, (I wondered just how close her belly button was to her chin)  two whiny butt children who didn't like anything on the menu, and a grandfather who yelled and cursed when they told him to "just sit down, and we will get you something". Suddenly as I watched all of this, a fight broke out behind the counter.  Three employees began yelling and screaming at each other in different languages.  The sandwich maker began to wave his knife in the air in disgust at the others.  I decided I had enjoyed all I wanted to, so I quickly made my exit before security got there!

 

I boarded the flight to Toronto.  I was ready to sleep. But NOOOOO....  In front of me were two law enforcement agents with a big dog.  The dog kept howling and growling each time a passenger walked by, so needless to say, there was no sleep to be had on this flight. 

 

Bob Atrell picked me up in Toronto. Bob had booked me to sing at the Bramalea Baptist Church. Bob is in the automobile business and he is quite a collector or unique cars.  He had told me he would pick me up in a Bentley.  I wasn't sure if I believed him or not, but sure enough, when we got to the parking garage, there it was!  A beautiful new Bentley. I was quite impressed!   I had met Bob and Hazel prior to this so it was good to see a familiar face and good to get to know them better.  Bob showed me parts of Toronto, I checked in and we went to dinner with a few of the people who worked so hard to have the concert.  On Wednesday morning, Bob picked me up for a late breakfast ( fish and chips)  and then dropped me off at the mall.  Every store in the mall was having a "boxing day sale".  I inquired what boxing day was,  not many of the people knew, other than it being "sale day". Later I found out that it was a tradition in earlier times that families took all the food they had left on Christmas and boxed it up and took to the poor in their community, thus giving it the name of "Boxing Day".   Naturally the retailers have picked up on that and decided to have big big sales. I found some great bargains! 

 

The concert on Wednesday night was great.   The Middle Cross Quartet opened the concert with some traditional quartet music.  Don Frost, the bass singer, was very nice to me, and it was good to see him again.  The audience seemed to like it all, although Canadian audiences are quite conservative.  But it was a great evening.  I kidded the audience about them all saying "eh"  and the fact that I was in the land of the "loonies" ( A loony is one of their coins".)

 

Thursday morning, Bob took me back to the airport.  After getting through customs, and three different concourses, another shuttle bus and another concourse,  I was exhausted and very thirsty for a Diet Pepsi,   I finally found one to the tune of $2.69 !   I couldn't believe it. I guess Boxing Day was over!   I should have boxed one and brought it from home! 

_____________________________________________________________________________