Joys of Retirement at Chateau De La Mer (Seaside Garden Paradise): Stranded in St Louis on Christmas Day- Driving Adventure on the Way Home

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Stranded in St Louis on Christmas Day- Driving Adventure on the Way Home

Last December 18 to 25, Ditas and Carenna spent 7 days with me to help celebrate my 88th Birthday on the 20th. Then on the 24th the DBK Clan had an All White Attire ( Diner en blanc) Christmas Eve Party. The party and some photo was described in my recent blogs.

Early morning on Christmas day, Ditas and Carenna left Sacramento to St Louis via Southwest Airlines on their way home to DC. The rest of the story on Southwest Airlines scheduling meltdown has been in the news for the last couple of days and as of today it has not been resolved. The news detailed why SW was the only airline that had a meltdown and the most flight cancellations which affected the travel plans of thousands of passengers, Ditas and Carenna among the frustrated clients. Besides the inclement weather, the outdated schedule computer software and poor management planning was blamed for this hundreds of cancellations which can cause millions of dollars for refunds on meals, hotels and other expenses incurred by the SW airlines passengers during this period.

Here's what Ditas posted on her FaceBook page with some photos of their unexpected driving adventure from St. Louis, Missouri to Alexandria, Virginia.

" Unexpected road trip courtesy of Southwest Airlines- 4 cancelled flights. We sure hope they reimburse for 3 nights hotel, car rental with one way drop St Louis to DCA, gas and meals. Oh and 3 extra dog boarding nights, 2 lost luggage. And one fatal car vs big rig wreck on I-70-RIP. But it was an adventure and on our road trip Carenna Katague-Thompson and I figured out Taylor Swifts companion songs to her new Midnights albums. #bondingovertaylor #winterroadtrip"

The divine spirit, God or whatever you call her - was with us tonight. Our car was 75 yards from being crushed by a jackknifed big rig that slid on the icy Interstate 70. The car in front of us was not so lucky. Carenna and I were pretty shaken by what we witnessed but managed to call 911 and get emergency crew there. We are resting safely for the night and will continue our journey home to DC, slowly and cautiously. Keep us in your prayers of protection. Aad Guray Nameh, jugaad guray nameh, Sat guray nameh, Siri guru dev a nameh #ByGodsGrace

Ditas and Carenna Safely Home with Carenna's Guest Friend, Laila

Home Sweet Home- Leif was glad to be out of boarding school and Laila is visiting. All is good, tired but glad to sleep in our own bed.

For details on the Southwest Airlines Fiasco read:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/29/business/southwest-cancellations-history-charts-dg/index.html

No comments:

Joys of Retirement at Chateau De La Mer, Marinduque, Philippines

I have been retired from USFDA since 2002. At first, I feel I have lost my identity as an individual or have lost my contribution to society. However, within a few weeks all these feelings were gone. It started when my wife and I started baby sitting one of our grandchildren. As some economics professor states: "Your children are your capital investments, but your grandchildren are your profits. That is why you love your grandchildren more than your children". I really agree with the statement. Retirement also gives you lots of time to do things you like to do, such as your hobbies and of course travel. In my case, I turned my hobby of gardening and landscaping into a small business in the Philippines. This endeavor was planned about five years before 2002. That year my wife and I started construction of our retirement home in Boac, Marinduque , Philippines. The next year we built a beach house, followed by a Conference Hall two years later. Needless to say, planning and executing the landscaping was a challenge and very enjoyable. With the help of local labor, I not only enjoy the time gardening and landscaping, but also help improved the economic situation of the province by providing work and jobs to the local residents. With plenty of time, I have engaged into two specific activities as follows: First, I created a website for my small business. By trial and error, I created and design the website, www.chateaudumer.com I have never been a computer nerd or expert. But with plenty of time and patience, the fruits of my labor could be enjoyed if you visit the website above. The second activity, I have not done before was to utilize on-line activities, such as shopping, paying bills ( save you stamps) and playing computer games in the Internet. I really enjoyed playing duplicate bridge on line. You play with players all over the world and can chat in between games. But be careful, you are not spending too much time in the computer. It is very addictive. With a lots of time, my wife and I devoted more time on our favorite humanitarian project. For the last 15 years, we have been involved with medical mission to the province of Marinduque. For details please visit the website: www.marinduqueinternational.org As a summary, the joy one gets on retirement is very specific for an individual. Some enjoy their free time by learning new activities, getting involved with humanitarian projects or spending more time with their grandchildren. Others hate it, since they missed their former jobs and co-workers. Others with no children still enjoy retirement by traveling, turning their hobbies into business or more community involvement. Of course those that retire and hate it, is believe to die earlier than those that enjoy their retirement years. So, plan your retirement as early as you can. The happier you are on retirement, the longer you will live.

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Stranded in St Louis on Christmas Day- Driving Adventure on the Way Home

No comments:

Post a Comment

LinkWithin