Alabama

[low_delta]

So anyway, I'm home from my trip. It took me to skip=280 to sort-of catch up with you all. I was only supposed to be gone for four days. I left on friday afternoon, and I was to return late tuesday.

Around noon on friday I was out, and it was warmish. I was a bit surprised to find our flight had been delayed due to ice in Chicago. If I'd known this when I left home, I'd have driven to Chicago - I would have made the flight out of there. As it was, I missed it. We trotted to the next gate over, to see the plane sitting at the gate with its door shut. In the old days, they would have delayed the flight for us. There were only about forty people on it. Argh. So we got a reasonably priced room at the Hilton that's right in the middle of the airport.

I had to get up at 5:00 to make my newly booked 6:45 flight. Got to Birmingham and had to wait at the baggage office for my companion's bag (it had arrived on schedule). It took half an hour for one of the handful of United employees to show up. We got out to the warehouse about three hours late. The guy I was with was doing the video, so the maintenance guys were standing around a lot. And then moreso, when the video guy held everything up to get the right shots. Plant manager wasn't too happy. Finally got done there around 7:30, and went off for a margarita. Food too, IIRC.

Back to the warehouse on sunday morning. Left there around 2:00, picked up my rental car and drove south to my redneck cousin's. Brian's one of those guys who's never known someone who wasn't a friend. That makes it easy to hang out with him, even though I have almost nothing in common with him. It's a little trickier when his wife is around (I like her a lot), since I have to keep picking sides (all in fun). They let me stay overnight, and even sleep in a little bit. I got a full eight hours of sleep that night.

There was a heavy frost on the ground on monday morning, and I drove down to Marion. It's in the middle of nowhere, southwest of Birmingham. It's town of 3500, and the seat of Alabama's poorest county. It also has a lot of history. The guy who designed the first flag of the Confederacy, and the Confederate uniform was from there. My War-of-Northern-Aggression cousin met me, and then took me all around town. We went to the place where he works, then to Marion Military Institute, why my cousin Lori works, then the three of us went to a couple of cemeteries. At MMI, we visited the archivist who showed us historical things (like a letter from Albert Einstein). Then we went to Perry Lakes park, and climbed a 100-foot tall birdwatching tower. I enjoyed that. I didn't think I was going to have the chance to do anything outdoorsy. After a stop at Marion Presbyterian, we went to my aunt's house. We spent the night going through old pictures, and genealogical stuff. Back there in the morning for more of the same.

I drove back to the airport in the afternoon. I got pulled over for not having plates on my car.(I don't think I'd seen a rental car without plates before). I got back there right when I planned on, but my flight was delayed due to weather in Chicago. Again. For 2-1/2 hours. I had a 1-1/2 hour layover there, so obviously I wasn't going to make that flight. No problem. I got a refund on the flight (with a bit of a hassle finding someone to give it to me - everyone agreed I should get it, but no one was able to), and planned to rent a car and drive home. I wish it had occurred to me when I was in Birmingham to reserve a car. There were none left when I got there. I found an expensive room, and stayed the night.

Fortunately, I had planned on going to the big packaging show in Chicago. I got a taxi to take me there, and then I took the train home. I really didn't enjoy this, but since it was for work, it was all free. Too bad the savings doesn't offset the money I paid on that hotel. But I'm finally home, and clean and comfortable.

Comments

[rivendweller.livejournal.com]

It's nice to be able to get in some touring when you are on a business trip. I enjoyed that when I worked for Deloitte way back when and traveling to New York, Boston, Philadelphia, D.C., etc. I even got to combine family visits with business trips to L.A. on several occasions, at company expense.

Back in the olden days the airline trips were cheaper if you stayed over on a Saturday night. So I would talk my bosses into letting me have the weekends for touring to save air fare, and the firm would pick up the cost of the two extra nights' hotel room. Cheaper for the firm, and I got to have a couple of days to visit museums and stuff. I loved it!

[i.livejournal.com]

why didn't the airline pay for your hotel???

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

It wasn't their fault. Weather. One could argue that they handled it badly...

[mummm.livejournal.com]

It all sounds interesting, though it would have driven me crazy to have all of the snafoos. I hope you got lots of great pictures?

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I got lots of pictures.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. Sounds familiar. We've had trips that have been ARRRGH from start to finish like that. Fun, huh?
But the visits and your outdoorsy stuff sound good.
:)
No plates on a rental car? What company was that? What did the police say?

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Enterprise. The officer apparently discovered that the tags were applied for. He wished me a good day and we were on our way.

[lacachet.livejournal.com]

There used to be a place on Schedule A, Form 1040, for "Unreimbursed Employee business expenses', maybe you could save your receipt, for the hotel room, and use it there. Just a thought--