Day One

Having been delayed at the Dallas/Forth Worth airport, We arrived at Heathrow at 8am to find we missed our connection to Nairobi. With a 12 hour layover ahead of us, we made the most of our day by storing our luggage at the airport and buying a pass to the Underground.

Having travel mates that can navigate London was a great trial run for my layover at the end of the trip. Emily was able to explain to us how the subway gates and platforms worked and successfully got us off the tube at Green Park Station so we could take the short walk to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Thames.

Having received a sense of how the city was laid out and a general idea of how far major landmarks were in walking time versus how far they looked on the map was invaluable. With one day of sightseeing completed, I believe I will be able to venture out much further than originally planned, the city proved very easy to travel.

The best part of missing the connection was that we were rerouted on Kenya Air, by far the best airline anywhere. Since it was 10 pm local time (6am Utah time) I immediately settled in for sleep, which made the 8 hours flight very enjoyable. When I awoke I found out the stewards packed me a sack lunch since I missed the in-flight meal!

UNPLUGGED

In just a few hours I unplug my phone and start my journey to Kenya and to an unknown experience among the African people.After a very long wait I am heading to Kenya to spend some time admits the people God colored with a dark brown crayon.

I did not activate the international calling plan on my phone and took no effort to inquire which 'G' Safaicom uses for internet service, I really don't care. In a few hours I will be on a layover at DFW and after that, I am unplugging my electronics so that every minute I am away will be spent discovering the wonders of Africa.

I am a little worried that I have extra space in my luggage and I am not looking forward to that moment in the trip when you realize that something you desperately need, you have left at home. Maybe the reason Americans have such big Walmarts is because we believe we need so much 'stuff.

I downloaded 7 novels to my Kindle to hold me over on the extensive flights each way then last week I borrowed Cutting for Stone from a friend and decided I could not wait two weeks to finish the book--yes I am dragging all 657 pages with m

I will be in Dallas at 5pm this evening (Thursday) and London at 8am tomorrow morning (Friday) and Nairobi at 9pm tomorrow evening and if you need to get a hold of me, leave me a message and I will get back to you the first week of June....until then I am unplug

WHEW!

I am sitting on a semi vacant auditorium enjoying the hustle of activity generated by someone other than myself....whew! I've had a long day.

I was awoken this morning by a text from Christine urging me to join her at book club this morning, apparently she did not understand the point of me lying in bed, in silence. It was my love for Little Bee by Chris Cleave that eventually convinced me to get out of bed and head over to a brunch of croissants and fresh fruit.

Partway through book club Nicolas called to invite me to lunch and informed me that his afternoon was free, so away we went! We had banking to get us ready for Kenya ($50 bills post 2003) and Kuwait (a power of attorney) then a trip to the book store and OldNavy (bling for Khole) and a stop at Walgreens for photos and OfficeMax for a toner cartridge.

After dropping Nicolas off at home and picking up rented road bikes at Canyon Bikes, and a quick snack at Taco Time, I am saving seats at Juan Diego for family and friends that are coming to see Jake's acting debut in High School Musical..... and there is nowhere in the world I would rather be.

Happy Birthday Ashelyn

Nicolas and Ashelyn April 27th

Any idea what my new toy is?

 

This morning a customer came by with a little gadget he had found while cleaning his deceased aunts home here in Salt Lake.  It is a silver plated box 2 1/2 inches tall, 1 3/4 inches wide and 1 inch deep. Inside the box is a small metal bottle with a screw on lid attached by a chain. He mentioned my affinity for pharmacological memorabilia and wondered aloud if my collection had any room for such an item????



I obviously said YES! I love it....but what is it???? Do you have any ideas?  Here is a hint.....his aunt was an Army nurse who met her future husband (an Army medic) during WWII.....have you figured it out???? Let me give you some hints.


-the bottle fits in the box when it is in use.
-above the bottle, the box is fitted with a trough that runs the length and width of the container.
-the box is stamped with 'USA MD Pioneer, New York, NY
-the box was used by the medic, not the nurse.


Have you given up yet? 


This box is a needle sterilizer used on the battlefield to ensure aseptic procedures when treating the wounded.  The bottle was filled with alcohol and ignited, it sat under the trough of about 1 tablespoon of water and when the water came to a boil, the needles were considered sterile. What a cool little gadget!