Christmas 2009

I decided I didn’t want to spend Christmas in Seattle—for too many reasons to count up, actually. So I joined family and friends in the Palm Springs area.

I flew yesterday, Christmas Day. I’m assuming that the reason both legs of the journey were jammed was that all airlines have cut back on numbers of flights, and of course are flying those crappy smaller craft. (I once flew DC to LA on Christmas day on a DC10; you could have held World War III there & no one would have got hurt. It was wonderful.)

And Alaska Air has achieved what I had thought to be impossible: they’re worse than United when it comes to passenger experience.

For one thing, that “passengers may take aboard one bag to fit in the overhead bin and one other to fit under the seat in front” thing is obviously pro forma. People were hauling on board steamer trunks, practically, and the staff didn’t do anything. When they start announcing that if you’re seated in the last eight rows of the plane, all the overhead bins are already full, so you should just cram your stuff in any place you find open, you know that things are bad.

(Basically, they’re admitting that people are ignoring that “regulation” wholesale with great success, so you’re a chump if you actually adhere to it. And that “carry-on bags must fit into this space” contraption at the gates is a complete waste of space.)

There was more, but you get the drift.

Still, I made it and got home, had a great Christmas dinner of lamb, sautéed squash and watercress and mint salad, and a good old catch-up conversation.

Today we went hiking in a riverbed, in scenery much different from the PNW. (As illustrated by these two pix.)

Soaking in Seattle

Whitewater foliage

Following the hike (my best friend and I were so involved in catching up that we overshot the visitors' center and ended up practically in Cabo San Lucas before we realized) there was a lovely picnic.

Tomorrow we're off to an old-time spa, served by actual hot springs, where the mob used to come in the 30s and 40s. I have a much-needed shiatsu massage lined up for me, and a thorough soak in the thermal waters.

So—flights aside—I hope your holiday was as good as mine.