Cabin in the Woods (Last Day)

On our last day in Minnesota, Lucy and Grandpa had some quality time together, reading and building.

An enchanted audience

Building a better mousetrap

Meanwhile, Granny had quality time with Jacob and Uncle Nate.

Jacob observes Uncle Nate's technique

Jacob observes Granny's face

A foot massage too!

Angie and I had quality time packing our stuff for the trip to Maryland and the last layover on our way back to England.

Soon, we were getting ready to drive back to the Twin Cities.

Lucy at the kids' table for one last snack

Jacob says goodbye to the twins

The drive to the airport had no worries. Our plan was to drop off the car seats at the rental agency. Later that day, Grandpa would pick them up after dropping off Nate, Helen, and the twins for their flight. The rental agency was quite happy to hold the car seats, so all started well on our trip to Maryland.

The airport was another matter entirely. As we were going through security, our bag was pulled aside. This time it wasn't the diaper bag (no suspicious liquids like peanut butter in there). Our carry-on had more than one suspect item. The potential contraband items were the following: children's Tylenol (an unopened bottle that was allowed), bubble mix bottle (small enough to get under the three-ounce limit), and some silly putty that Granny gave to Jacob and Lucy (also under the three-ounce limit). Even though they were all suspect, they all cleared the TSA officer. I think it helped that we were fairly cooperative with the search and didn't complain or whine or try blackmail or bribes. We had 45 minutes to make it to the gate, so we weren't too worried about rushing either.

Someday, we'll make it through security without a hiccup. Maybe on our next trip!

On the plane, Jacob asked me why we had to make a connection going out to Minnesota but only had to ride one plane back to Maryland. I tried to explain as best as I understood. Sometimes it's easier to have everyone go to one airport and then go on to their final destination. He seemed satisfied. I still find it unsatisfactory. We were on the same airline so why couldn't they have the same service between two destinations? Not that I'm complaining about having a non-stop flight.

In Maryland, we were able to get bags and travel to the hotel quickly. It was rather late. Dinner was frozen dinners from the hotel's little market, i.e. the refrigerated cabinet in the lobby. We also had a little dried pasta that my ingenious wife was able to cook in the tiny microwave that came with our room.

Don't try this at home, kids!

A satisfying meal (for Lucy)

After a quick swim we were off to bed for a good night's rest in anticipation of our last day in America.

Flying to America

We recently went back to America for some work meetings and to see friends and family that we hadn't seen in over eight months. Our flight took us through Newark, New Jersey, to Baltimore Washington International airport.

The flight from England to America was rather nice. The plane had touch-screen panels on the back of the chairs so we could access a variety of entertainment during the flight. The children enjoyed the flight update channel the most. We could see how fast the plane was going and how much farther we had to go.

Awesome!

The system also had movies, TV shows, games, and music. The movie selection was quite diverse, featuring over 75 choices. I was able to watch The Adventures of Tintin, My Week With Marilyn, and The Muppets. Tintin was an exciting adventure film but the pseudo-realistic animation made the cast look unpleasantly like characters from the uncanny valley. It was very distracting; too bad they didn't try to mimic Herge's style in the comics. The action sequences were great. There was a little too much gunfire in it for Jacob's taste, so I'm not sure it's little kid-friendly. My Week With Marilyn was entertaining and not as slight as I was led to believe by our favorite BBC movie critic Mark Kermode. It was not a deep movie but did have some thought and charm to it. The Muppets was fun all around, really capturing the spirit of the old show. I think the kids would love it too. Maybe it will be a birthday present for Lucy?

Jacob and Lucy watched Cars a few times. They also enjoyed visiting the potty and getting drinks and food during the flight. We had packed some ham sandwiches but never got around to eating them since the in-flight food was good (who would have guessed?). It was also plentiful since the children barely ate theirs, meaning mom and dad ate a meal and a half each time.

The airport provided plenty of challenges. At the end of the flight we filled out our customs forms. My wife was honest enough to admit we had the sandwiches. When we walked through customs, they seized our sandwiches! It was especially sad since the bread was homemade and delicious.

The second challenge at the Newark Airport was Lucy pretending to be a suitcase. I wound up carrying her quite a long ways. If only she had a handle. I even threatened to put her through an x-ray machine, but that didn't phase her.

The third challenge was going back through security to get on our domestic flight. Just as we approached the front of the line, I discovered that my wife's ticket was for a different plane from what the rest of us were booked on. We approached the TSA agent, who told us that each adult needed their own ID and ticket. We hadn't sorted that out so she told us quite sharply to step aside and get sorted out before we could get back in line. I thought she was rather rude and almost took her name and badge number to submit a complaint. We had more important problems with which to deal.

After passing security, we found an airline desk to ask about switch Mommy onto our plane. No empty seat was available on our flight, so Angie raced through the airport to make her flight. Her flight was supposed to take off in two minutes. I had little hope that she would make it. Luckily her flight had mechanical problems (if that could be described as lucky). It was delayed long enough for her to make the flight. She left an hour before we did.

Jacob and Lucy were okay with mommy going off on her own. We had an hour to kill. I took them to the bathroom which Jacob appreciated. Walking back toward the gate, they both somehow got their hands all dirty. Normally I would be annoyed by that (and I was a little annoyed), but here was an opportunity to go back to the bathroom and wash hands (and waste more time). The hand driers weren't too noisy so it would be no problem for Jacob.

After our second bathroom trip we went to a coffee shop and bought some cookies and juice for a snack and to kill still more time. It worked quite well. We only had ten minutes till boarding time. At first they boarded first class passengers and gold members of the frequent flier program. I gathered up my children. I think the lady saw us and announced the next set of rows and "families with small children." We headed down the ramp to the plane.

On the plane, I had to decide how to situate the kids. The plane had two seats on each side. We were in the same row which meant either I sit with one child and subject the other person in our row to the other child or the kids could sit together. Rather than force a stranger into babysitting one of my children, I had Jacob and Lucy together while I watched them from across the aisle. This scheme worked fairly well. This plane didn't have entertainment on board. The kids had their little backpacks with toys. Lucy flipped through the airline magazine from the seat back. She tore it up a bit, which wasn't so bad. Then she spilled her orange juice all over it. I would have felt guilty except they always announce on flights how the magazines are yours to keep.

We landed without any problems and found mommy at the baggage claim. Reunited, we headed off to the hotel to rest up for new adventures, including the conquest of jet lag. More later!