Maryland

I have got some of the most beautiful photos from this morning.  It was pitch black when we left at 6 am, and the sun didn't become visible until we were almost there. I went at FL310 for winds. Unfortunately there was no smooth air all the way up way past where we could reach, so it wasn't the most smooth flight, but they mostly slept.

But when the sun did come up, it was glorious.  Fire orange, bronze, just stunning.  I was having trouble getting a good photo because Baltimore Center kept wanting me to talk, turn, descend, and otherwise fly while I was trying to take pictures.  But I got some anyway, and D took a few from the right seat too.  I'm sure they won't do justice to the reality but I hope they turned out somewhat.

I stopped and got breakfast, and a woman who was seated just behind me was complaining to two managers and two waitresses that she wasn't allowed to sit in a different section,  After they all left, she started talking to me, saying that she wanted to be seated in that other, closed section, because sometimes you just wanted oeace and quiet and didn't want to have to talk to or listen to other people.  She tells me this having not stopped talking to people since she arrived, and she says this to me...the woman sitting quietly alone reading a book and having a cup of coffee in peace and quiet.  She said again "You know, sometimes you just want peace!" I politely said "Yes, you do." as I turned around and went back to my book.  I couldn't help but smile.

I wanted to study the C-45 manual today and left it sitting in Kokomo.  That's what I get for getting up at 4:15 am.

My rental car smells like stale beer and old cigarette smoke.  It's very strong, so I hope they charged the guy who had it before me.  :)

I went to see The Accountant.  It was surprisingly good. I won't give away any spoilers, but most people I know who like action/adventure movies will like it.

Needing to stretch a bit, I went walking through a large mall by my hotel.  It is a very good-sized mall, and eventually it occurred to me that a fair amount of people were looking at me, and upon looking around I saw that I was the only Caucasian in the entire mall, and folks were interested in me.  One man walked up to me and said "I love your hair. You have beautiful hair." I looked at him and smiled and said thank you, and he said "And eyes. Love your eyes too." Another guy asked if he could help me find anything there. I said no thanks, I was just wandering around. I walked for about 45 minutes and sat in the food court for another 45, and never saw another Caucasian, but I did see lots of folks looking me over.  I'm pretty used to not being like others around me in aviation, and race difference didn't make me feel stranger than gender does, but I was definitely a bit of a curiosity being there--most heads turned and followed, and since I'm not famous nor a model... :)

Baltimore is about at peak for leaf changes, and it's very pretty here, and was so nice and warm today.  I could have gone and done an "iFly" thing today, an indoor skydiving place. But I didn't want to spend the money on it, so I skipped.  Besides...4:15 am. I'm tired. ;)

Wish I could download and post some of these pictures...