In the USSA after two small glitches, two more flights ahead

PHOENIX, Ariz., USA - We left Puerto Vallarta mid-afternoon on our sojourn back to the U.S. with only one minor problem.

I forgot that I had a knife in my pocket and walked through the security X-ray with it.

Oops.

Thank God I was in Mexico. Had I been here in Phoenix, Arix., I would still be sitting in a small windowless room and probably would also be a headline on Fox News.

Instead, the young Mexican woman handling security at the Puerto Vallarta Airport gate very apologetically told me she was sorry, but that I would not be allowed to fly with my knife in my pocket. I told her to keep it as a present for her novio.


I will miss my knife

A few minutes ago here in Phoenix, going through U.S. security, Adm. Fox got busted for carrying a package of Swiss Cheese in her carry-on bag. Swiss Cheese!  

Gawd, I feel safer.

And a couple of hours ago, when we first landed on American soil, we were delayed for an hour because the national U.S. Customs and Immigration computer system was down. The entire national system. We sat on the plane for a half-hour before getting off because no one was getting through immigration. Finally, the immigration people dragged out a few laptop computers and processed people very slowly. A lot of people are spending the night here in Phoenix because they missed their connecting flights.

Can you imagine what it must be like at JFK Airport in New York or LAX or San Francisco?


Immigration computers

In about three hours, we will board a red-eye flight to Philadelphia (sans Swiss Cheese, I'm afraid). Then after another three-hour layover in Philly in the morning, it's a short flight to Elmira, N.Y, where we will be borrowing brother Dan's Toyota Tundra pickup for a few days until we buy a new car from Hal Van Skiver of Van Skiver Motors.

But that's a subject for another blog, another day.