The Lord's Day (Proper 09)

First we packed--about 98% of the way. Then, after a bite of breakfast, we walked about a mile through downtown Hamilton, and slightly uphill, to Holy Trinity Cathedral for the 10am Eucharist. It's a beautiful place, but not air-conditioned, and it was a warm and very humid day following an early morning thunderstorm. I was glad to be in a loosely fitting short sleeve shirt. After Mass, we grabbed a quick brunch at a nearby pub with Bishop Charles and Louise Jenkins. Then, counting on the good graces of the hotel staff at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, since we were not past the noon checkout time, we hoofed it quickly back. But they were most gracious and said not to rush. So we didn't. But around 1pm we carried our luggage downstairs, settled up with the front desk, and repaired to the bar for some liquid refreshment. Then we boarded one of the ever-present taxis lined up in front of the hotel for a ride to the airport. As is the case with travel to Canada, passengers on U.S.-bound flights from Bermuda clear U.S. border control and customs in the foreign location, which meant that when our flight arrived in Newark, it was as if we were on a domestic arrival, and our bags were checked all the way through to Chicago. The original plan, of course, had been to catch a later evening flight to Springfield, but since we lost the Springfield to Chicago leg of our itinerary last Tuesday due to severe weather in Chicago the night before, and had to drive, we reclaimed the YFNBmobile around 9:15 and headed south. It would have been nice to make it all the way home, but I could tell pretty quickly that it would have been more of a sleep-fighting adventure than I care to take on, so we are bedded down at a Hampton Inn (my home away from home) in Joliet. We'll be able to drive more safely in the morning. Meanwhile, we both have plugged up ears. Already-existing sinus issues combined with imprecise cabin pressurization in two aircraft, and led to what, for me, was the most uncomfortable experience of ascent and descent that I have ever had, actually flirting with "painful." After suffering through our Newark layover, I felt fine again at 36,000 feet on the flight to Chicago, but once we got into our descent, the symptoms were back, and they haven't gone away. We may both be showing up at an urgent care clinic tomorrow afternoon.