A Lost Day, a Night in Dubai and My Return to South Africa

Like many international flights, my return Durban flight wasn't scheduled to leave Boston until 10:30pm. I kind of hate the late departure, but it did afford me a chance to get packed and spend the final minutes of our sister time in a more leisurely fashion. We stopped for an early dinner at Legal Seafood (If it ain't fresh, it ain't legal!) before heading to the airport. As usual, Lin and I are not good farewell-ers. We ignore the subject the last days of our visit and then only when we arrive at the airport and I'm unloading luggage at the drop-off do we acknowledge that I'm really leaving … and then the tears begin. Mushy, I know … it's just how it is.

I was feeling a mix of anticipation and melancholy as I watched Lin drive away. I headed into the terminal,  manhandling my 100 pounds of duffels and 30 pounds of backpack and purse to the check-in counter. No trip is remarkable unless there's a bit of drama. There was no check-in counter for Emirates Air! Terminal E is the international terminal at Logan and I had arrived at Terminal E, yet I couldn't find an Emirates Airlines check-in counter. I walked up and down the terminal, then finally asked an Aer Lingus agent (the Irish are always friendly!). “Oh, you're at the wrong terminal. You've got to go back to Terminal C”, and she pointed across the airport. “Is there a shuttle?” I queried. “Quickest to walk”, she said as she gave me directions which I immediately forgot.

I hadn't worn a coat since I hadn't planned on straying far from the car until I got to the airport. It was a bit nippy out, windy and quite dark. The duffels were sitting precariously on the cart … one fell off as I headed out the terminal door. I hefted it back on, made my way to the lower level and proceeded to head across the airport to Terminal C. When you're driving, this isn't drama at all. You just loop around and you're back at the other terminals. When you're walking, it's more a challenge. I knew where I wanted to go; I just couldn't see Terminal C. After losing the darned duffel twice more, passing through a parking lot or two, crossing traffic lanes with my load and dropping the F bomb a couple of times, I managed to get to Terminal C. The queue for Emirates passengers was halfway down the terminal. I got in line … at least there was a check-in counter up ahead. I commiserated with other passengers and by 9pm, I had boarding passes and hotel vouchers. I headed to the Ladies' Room one last time before heading through Security.

As I was finishing up in the Ladies', I heard a woman ask for help. “My aunt has fallen and can't get up.” A large, elderly woman was lying on the floor in the handicapped stall with a slim, younger woman standing beside a wheelchair. Try as we could, we couldn't manage to get the hefty lady back into the wheelchair. Both ladies were frustrated and crying. I searched around nearby for a security guard or anyone who could help, but there was no one in sight. Back at the check-in counter, I asked one of the agents to get help for a woman who had collapsed in the restrooms. She panicked a bit, but finally made a call. I checked my watch. It was getting close to boarding time. I rushed back to the Ladies' and told the niece I'd called for help. I waited with them another 10 minutes … making small talk. The tears and fears abated as I saw two medics coming down the hall. I pointed them in the right direction and hightailed it through Security. I thankfully boarded the plane with no time to spare, got situated and hoped for a glass of wine as soon as possible. No such luck. Airplane paperwork discrepancies had us waiting at the gate for another 90 minutes before take-off. The flight was long and crowded. Folks were chatty, the 500 available movies were unappealing and I was sleepy. I fell asleep long enough to miss my dinner and beverage service.

About 13 hours later, we arrived in Dubai. My layover for my Durban flight was 15 hours, but Emirates was providing a hotel room for me. I had hoped to get a quick tour of the city via taxi, but it was too late for any exploring and I was tired. The queue for Immigration and Customs was long, followed by a long walk to another queue waiting for the hotel shuttle and yet another queue for hotel check-in. Emirate's Copthorne Hotel was beautiful and quite a surprise. I hadn't expected much, but it was lovely.

A comfy bed and hot shower was just what the doctor ordered. I slept fitfully, afraid of oversleeping and missing my flight, but I still felt rested in the morning. A buffet breakfast was included with my complimentary room and I lingered over a cup of tea before heading on the shuttle back to the airport. I thought I might get some pix on the way back to the airport, but fog blanketed the area and I saw nothing.

With lots of time to spare, I grabbed a cup of coffee and snagged an hour of free internet time to call David and check emails. As I write this, I'm still at the airport in Dubai. I've chatted with David and I'm about to board the flight for Durban. The agent says it's on time. Wish me luck and no more drama!

Beatles in the Park

We've attended Pumpkins in the Park and ice cream socials and even a Shakespearean play in Bird Park. A small, simple sign announced that there would be a Beatles Concert in the park this weekend. Though we weren't sure that Paul and Ringo would show up, (you just never know), Lin and I decided we'd walk over and give a listen. We're glad we did.  

The old granite bathhouse venue served as a stage for the band. People set up lawn chairs or laid blankets or just sat on the grass. Some brought picnic lunches. The Friends of Bird Park sold hot dogs, chips and soda. The atmosphere was festive and expectant.

It was a perfect June evening in New England. The temp hovered around 75F/24C. The mosquitoes kept their distance, the air smelled sweet and the music floated on the air. The band, Beatles For Sale, was good.

They were touted as “New England's award-winning Beatles tribute band” and true to their promotional hype, these five musicians did indeed pay fine tribute to the Fab Four … complete with harmony and British accents (kind of).

The concert was the proverbial “blast from the past”. Penny Lane, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Back in the USSR, Michelle, Daytripper, Yesterday, She Loves You (yeah, yeah, yeah), Please Please Me … Everyone, young and old, knew the lyrics and the crowd sang along enthusiastically. One old fellow (okay … he was my age actually) sported a Beatles t-shirt.

People clapped their hands or tapped their feet in rhythm. Some danced to the beat. Some danced (or marched) to their own drummers.

For nearly two hours, the band played on and Beatlemania was alive and well in East Walpole, Massachusetts and the Lemay sisters sang and sang and sang.

Francis William Bird Park

When it's sunny, I've been taking daily walks to Bird Park. It's a 5-minute walk from Lin's house to get to the closest entrance … one of eight … which leads to 89 acres of landscaped, waterscaped, understated wonder. If you like parks, this one is a most pleasant surprise in the middle of East Walpole, Massachusetts. It's a good place to think and walk and contemplate things. That's what a park should be, I reckon.

francis william bird park

It's a well-used park. Old folks and young folks sit on park benches and read and let the sun shine on their faces. Big expanses of well-maintained lawns invite owners to play ball and frisbee with their dogs. There are big fenced playground areas and “tot lots” to encourage younger children to ride their trikes or swing or see-saw or play in a sandbox while their parents sit comfortably and read or just enjoy the peace of the place.

There are streams with old granite bridges traversing them and several duck ponds. Miles of bicycle paths and walks meander through groves of trees and over gently sloping forested hills.

view

Francis William Bird Park was created and endowed in 1925 by local industrialist Charles Sumner Bird, Sr. and his wife Anna in memory of their eldest son, Francis William Bird who had died seven years earlier. The Bird Corporation was initially involved in fine paper manufacturing during the turn of the 18th century, which led to producing waterproof tar paper, then eventually to asphalt shingles. Charles Sumner Bird wasn't your “usual” industrialist of the time who were prone to exploiting their employees with unsafe working conditions and long hours. Rather he was a pioneer in the area of employee relations. Between 1900 and 1925, Bird became one of the first American companies to offer an eight-hour workday (as opposed to the standard twelve-hour day of that time), an employee suggestion box, an employee credit union, paid employee vacations, and a benefit association to provide income for sick or disabled employees.

According to Wiki, landscape architect and town planner, John Nolen, a protégé of Frederick Law Olmsted, designed the park. Nolen believed that parks were critical to the health of urban residents and should be designed to provide a place of respite and relaxation in nature. In his original design plan, Nolen wrote that this park should be

"... a sequestered breathing place in the heart of East Walpole ... a combination of broad, sun-swept meadow lands, speckled with shadowed glades, higher tree-screened knolls for the lover of shade, the whole set to the music of a babbling stream."

Nolen did well. Bird Park is a lovely “breathing place”.

For most of its history, the park was owned and maintained by the Francis William Bird Park Trust. By the last decades of the 20th century, parts of the park suffered badly from neglect and vandalism. The Trustees of Reservations gained possession of the property in 2002 and it has made all of the difference.

Wildflowers provide color to the park. Bluettes and buttercups, Queen Anne's lace and lily of the valley, yellow wild poppies and purple speedwell are all a-bloom. And lest you get carried away with the wildflowers, there was also a good crop of poison ivy midst the beautiful blooms.

wildflowers

My favorite parts of the park are the duck ponds which currently have been taken over by Canada geese and their goslings.

goslings

I could watch them for hours. There were more than a dozen goslings with adults all around them for protection. Far be it for me to encroach on their territory … geese can be pretty vicious when you get near their young, like any reasonable parent. I watched as they went for a swim, then came ashore for a few nibbles and then back for a swim and some flying lessons. They've got the whole summer to learn the tricks of the goose trade and then they'll be on their own. Tough life if you're a goose.

goslings and mom