Christmas is over...

So it's a good thing our flight from Vancouver to Edmonton was delayed on the 23rd. It took us a full 2 hours to get from the Portland to Vancouver arrival gate, through customs/immigration, pick up our luggage and re-check it in, go back through security (what kind of stupid airport forces you to leave the secure area to move to another terminal which of course means you have to be re-checked?) and get to our departure gate. Our second flight was, as I said before, delayed by about an hour. We got to the gate just as they began boarding. Had the flight not been delayed we would not have made it.

Christmas was great this year. Seemed very relaxed. It was a good time with family. Took family pictures, opened gifts, ate, played games, ate, went on a sleigh ride and ate some more.

Swell survived a week in Edmonton without getting a virus which is great. She's been sick while in Edmonton for the last few years. Hopefully she stays well for the rest of the year.

It was an interesting trip back to Portland/Washougal. We flew back to Vancouver, BC and had a lot of time there to get from arrival gate to departure gate (arrive, long walk to US customs, talk to immigration guy, pick up bags, drop off bags, get re-screened, long walk to gate). While waiting for the flight to Portland I was spending the last of our Canadian money. I was behind some guy in line who was throwing a fit because a book he was trying to buy with US money was $11.50. His contention was that the book was labeled $7.99 US and that was what he should pay. Of course in reality the book costs $10.99 CDN. If you convert that price to US currency and add in taxes, etc. they were asking for $11.65 US. He was livid. "The book costs $7.99 US. You have to honour the price that is listed on the book." The woman at the store very calmly (and correctly) stated that the price in US funds does not account for the shipping and handling, etc. that occurs to get the book to Canada. The book costs $10.99 in Canada. If he chose to pay for it in US funds it would be $11.65. This made perfect sense to me. He got all mad and basically said that he WAS British and that he didn't put up with this crap. He would pay in British pounds but they had the nerve not to accept Pounds as a form of payment. It was an entertaining way to spend some of our waiting time.

To the women who sat behind us on the flight from E'town to Vancouver:

The Washington Capitals do NOT play in WA state. They play in Washington DC which is neither Seattle nor "near the mountains of Washington". Furthermore, if it took your sister 4 days to drive from Olympia to Edmonton it's not because it's sooo far away. It's because she drives 4 hours a day. I made it from Forest Grove, OR to Edmonton in a 1970 VW in 24 hours. That included a couple of sleep breaks on the side of the road.

It was a great Christmas and we're looking forward to an exciting new year.