Friday, Jan. 15, 2004Dawn of our last morning - sniff. I get up at 7:00 and can see that the West Coast Mooters are out on that small deck watching the sun rise. Jen gets up a few minutes after me…in fact everybody downstairs is getting up. I deflate the aerobed and pack up. Hmmmm….it didn’t pack as tightly as before and I’ll have to take the whistles as carry on. The Vermonters (Vermooters?) cook breakfast for themselves and there was some breakfast for the kids. Towels are washing, there’s vacuuming and trash take out ….the usual clean up stuff. The leftovers are being split among Ruthy, ksen, and g’nad….bet g’nad gets all the likker. We’re all hanging around the table by the pool until our 10:00 checkout kind of down because our Fellowship will be breaking – sniff. There’s some talk about Wedding Moot in July, who wants Corin’s Shoes next (g’nad), how we didn’t have any juicy stories since Bear wouldn’t bite on the Jen’s lawyer story, how it was a successful Hobbit/Freeper meeting, how Ruthy might win the lottery so we can buy the Castel and stay. There is that vague rumor about Hair and ecurbh slipping off to the pool in the middle of the night. J “Entmoot posted to Hobbit Hole Base: “Entmoot signing off”. Everyone is supposed to post when they get in.
Good-byes are being said to g’nad, Rosie, Bilbo, Mug, Jen, and ksen. G’nad’s mom had come earlier to pick up thefamily….g’nad is saying that we must have a Missouri Moot with osagebowman, LSAggie, GulfWar1Vet, and me. We pull out at 9:59…the cleaning people are waiting in a car across the street. The plan is to meet Ruthy and Becky at the Waffle House for first or second breakfast. We pass the tattoo parlor and pawnshop building on the way out…whew!…and saw the combination tire shop/tattoo place. There’s a carload of hobbits here that are too hungry to drive the extra block to The Waffle House ….we stop at Denny’s.
Everybody had some version of pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon. The talk was mostly about mooting and the folks who didn’t get to come this year especially 2Jedismom. Wneighbor wants to Tulsa Moot and said that we weren’t going to hold chickens in 2J’s living room!. Also…I mentioned that I made it out of town without going into a pawnshop. They threatened to take back for a quick stop to buy a toaster. LOL! More good-byes to Ruthy and Becky – sniff. We’re off to the airport listening to Jimmy Buffett and talking about our pets and what the West Coast Mooters are going to do before their flight. We let Wneighbor off at the curb. Hugs all around. Wneighbor leaves before she starts crying. They let me off further down. More hugs – sniff – and now it’s just me.
I had no problem finding the way with the signs and all…no problem getting the whistles through security. I’ll leave the laptop home for the next moot…I dragged that thing halfway across the country and didn’t even take it out of the case. One reason I brought it was that all my whistle music was in it. It turned out I was so nervous about playing that I just didn’t want to do it. Most of the reason is that I haven’t played much at all since June and had forgotten the stuff I had learned. Most of the stuff Rosie et al were playing, I didn’t know. I’d get all nervous and couldn’t breathe right. Sigh I’ll have to practice more.
I’m early enough for the flight to get an “A” boarding pass and spent the time writing today’s entry. The seats in the terminal were nice and comfy and they’re playing classical music on the PA, not too loudly. The flight is about 5 minutes late and we’re a bit late taking off. It’s not a full flight so I won’t be squashed by someone sitting in the middle. I’m just finishing up now after my airline peanuts, Chex Mix, and Coke.
Epilogue
It was mid-40ish in Kansas City - which didn’t bother me – but it’s overcast and rainy/drizzly….I want the sun back! One of the clasps on the suitcase wasn’t fastened correctly when the bags came out of baggage claim. The duffle held yet again. The drive home was uneventful (yay!) and dreary (boo!). Miss Cat seemed to be expecting the cat-sitter…she was sitting on the comforter and didn’t come to the door as soon as she heard the key in the lock (like she usually does.) I get online to post "I'm baaack!" Jen posts a little bit after me, and then Rosie. Miss Cat is happy now….she’s had her Fancy Feast and some tuna from the can I opened for supper (tuna spaghetti.) I need to get the aerobed set up and the picture of the Technicolor Shark that Becky colored for me up on the fridge.
LOL! The cat-sitter didn’t even open that new box of litter I bought.!
FYI - in only 2 steps WN was crying like a baby. Ended up running down the cell phone battery crying on the phone to Ruthy while she was driving home! :-(