Me sitting in a park by a marina before my flight home
Throughout the trip I had been wanting to enjoy a bubble bath. So, I gradually filled the bathtub with hot water while pouring in the bubble bath powder. Alas, no bubbles! Possibly the water in the area is too hard. I did enjoy soaking in the tub, however, and the bath oil in the powder was soothing. I shaved my legs in the tub, then rinsed myself off and proceeded with the now-familiar task of shaving my face and putting on my makeup. I then put on the outfit that I had selected.
All good things must come to an end. I packed my belongings and checked out of the motel in Bellevue at 11:00 a.m. From there, I once again drove to the mall in downtown Bellevue. My first stop was the coffee store with the modest name of Seattle's Best. For a change, one of the mixed coffee drinks there, as well as a pastry. I then left three rolls of film at a one-hour film developing store, and began yet another shopping excursion. I wandered into JC Penney's and looked at the luggage department. I needed an additional small piece to help carry my many purchases home with me. I didn't find anything inexpensive, so I wandered over to the sale rack in the shoe department. There was a blue shoe on the rack, which I thought would go with an outfit of mine, so I asked a sales clerk to find it's mate. He returned with it, and I tried them on. They fit, so I ended up with yet another item to carry home!
I then stopped at a nail salon. I had a tip put on my left middle finger, and all of my nails painted with a shiny dark garnet-colored polish. after that was done, I retrieved my photographs, and went back to Seattle's Best for an iced coffee drink. It turned out that two of the three rolls were actually from before the trip, so that I really didn't need to pay the premium price for them to be developed immediately. The processing included a convenient index card for each roll, however.
I resumed wandering around the mall, and found a thrift store there. I found a soft-sided travel bag, which was ideal for what I needed, and a blue blouse as well! Then, it was time to go back to the car, and head toward the airport.
I made it to the airport quite early, and decided to drive around the area some, and to fill the gas tank at a service station before returning my rental car. I stopped at a convenience store, and bought a diet drink and some pretzels to snack on. Then I wandered to a marina nearby, and found a picnic table in a park overlooking it. I set up my camera on the mini-tripod that I have, and took some pictures of me there, including the one shown above. After enjoying the view and the bright sunshine, I drove to a nearby service station and filled the tank. Then I returned the rental car to the off-airport location, and took their courtesy van to the airport.
I first checked in at the counter, and checked my garment bag and newly-acquired bag. I was asked the security questions, and showed my drivers' license, with the picture and description not exactly matching the blonde girl that I now was! The male agent just gave me my baggage claim stubs, stamped my ticket showing that I had "passed" the security check, and told me which gate my flight was at.
Going through security my camera equipment again received scrutiny. The security guard almost broke off the lens cap before I removed it for her. When I was ready to check in at the gate, the woman agent looked at the ticket, with my male name on it, and at me, and asked, "Is this for you?" I smiled and said yes. She smiled back, and gave me my boarding pass.
The flight home was uneventful. The weather was clear all of the way. I could see the Seattle area, Puget Sound, and the rest of the scenery on the way back. It was dark when we arrived in the Bay Area, but I was soon able to recognize where we were, and saw the Mormon Temple and other landmarks on our approach to the Oakland Airport.
After I got off the plane, I stopped in the women's rest room, then proceeded to claim my baggage. Both items came around the carousel shortly. The carrying strap for the garment bag appeared to be missing, but when I pointed this out to the baggage agent she showed me that it had been placed in the zippered pocked of the bag. I then took the shuttle bus to the BART station, and since I was hungry took BART to a station beyond my house to a restaurant which I knew stayed open late. Unfortunately, bu the time I got there it was 10 p.m., and they had just closed. So I went to a nearby 24 hour hamburger restaurant that also serves breakfast, and ordered a sausage and eggs breakfast. While I was waiting for my order at a small table near the counter, a woman got out of line and complemented me on my appearance!
After I ate, I went back to the BART station, and rode back to my home station. I then walked home from there, bringing to a close this fantastic trip.
This page last updated: October 09, 1998
