I had crab cakes for dinner tonight.  We had landed in Charlotte in order to make our connection to Saint Louis.  On the outbound trip we had connected in Charlotte with only thirty-five minutes.  Today we had an hour and a half.  After finding the gate we noticed a Phillips Seafood right next to the gate.  It was touting Chesapeake crab cakes.  We figured that we had time for dinner.  Before leaving the gate, I asked the attendant when they would begin boarding, she said 5:10.

We ordered the crab cakes.  Our drinks came and after some time, I asked the time.  5:10 was the answer.  About this time I saw through the window everyone at the gate, our gate get up.  We changed our orders to go, got them and then paid the bill.  Well it really didn’t happen that quickly, but it happened in time.  We were the last ones on the plane.

The food smelled great and the four of us each carrying a fresh aromatic dinner did not go unnoticed.  The gate ticket takers tongue in cheeked claimed that we couldn’t take them on board and would have to surrender the dinners to them.  The flight attendants also expressed some avarice.  We took our seats which were loosely grouped, pity our poor fellow passengers.  Afterwards the flight attendant asked me if she liked the dinner.  I said that she did.

To yesterday’s list of wildlife I can add osprey, wood storks (they were actually standing in a vacant lot in the middle of town), a ray, a sea turtle, starfish (in a nature center at the beach) and terns.  We had an hour to kill before we had to go to the airport so we briefly went to the beach.  We also saw a mangrove swamp.

It was a long day today.  I’m glad to be home again and I’m glad tomorrow is not a work day.  I think Anne concurs; she was horizontal on the couch when I got home.  She mentioned something about last night’s naughty knitting night girls and now the refrigerator is full of chocolate.  Hmmm!?!

Oh I almost forgot to mention this, I flew the blue goose, or what passes for it these days.  Remember North Central Airlines, the blue goose?   In 1979, North Central bought Southern Airways and the two airlines formed Republic Airlines, which in 1986 became part of Northwest Airlines. Last year, Northwest was purchased by Delta Air Lines.  This airline genealogy is further complicated by the fact that I was flying US Airways.  Or more correctly, USAir Express and Republic nee North Central Airlines was providing the flights. 

I should have asked the flight attendant that showed avarice towards my crab cakes, if she had worked for the blue goose.  She looked old enough to have been working in 1979.  Thinking about it though, her southern accent would have her favoring the Southern Airways half.  I especially appreciated the way she over emphasized Saint Louis, whenever she spoke it.