RETURNING FROM BLOG VISITS!

Good Morning! Let me back track a little to explain. We arrived back in Phoenix and bid our driver, Michael (a coincidence) "Goodbye". Our bags were unloaded into a stretch van and we were immediately met by our shuttle driver, Dan, who drove us to the general aviation airport in Scottsdale for an early morning flight to Idaho around sunrise (which should explain the sunlight, or lack of it in the above photo). Alright, step inside and have a quick look around...

My seat is on the left. I have a theory that it's generally a good idea to sit facing the direction your airplane is flying. We had very few staff from the bus tour on board. They had enough from our extensive ground travel and chose to stay in Phoenix to catch up on sleep. Who could blame them? The few who were along did not want to have their photos taken, which explains the empty chairs and reading materials left on the tables. Even our flight attendant was reluctant to be photographed. She hid behind the Galley. It wasn't personal. She knew I had a BLOG Page! Back to the bus for a moment...

From the final leg of our bus trip: This was a very concentrated tour to each of your sites. We made it back home--thankfully-- without any of the mechanical issues some of you may remember from our last trip. A number of Blogger's , such as Protege (Denmark), Ellee and Jean-Luc Picard (England) received us warmly via our on-board computer web visits. My driver gave me a blank stare when I carried a print out of Protege's Blog Post Comment to him, noting it was from Denmark. If I read his facial expression correctly, it was "So what do you want me to do, fly us there?" After I walked back to the rest of the staff from www.michaelmanning.tv and explained his reaction, we had a discussion and concluded that when the worldwide economy stabilizes in three or four years, maybe Sir Richard Branson could toss us a few round-trip passes on Virgin Atlantic and we can "expand our horizons"--to coin a phrase--to see more of you. But I digress...

The flight to Idaho was swift. Just by way of an explanation, the reason we went there was somewhat sentimental, because I promised Seraphine (of Encore Seraphine fame) that we would, indeed, capture a photo of her beloved mountains in Ketchum. Plans included a nice afternoon visit, then over to Hailey for an overnight at a local Bed & Breakfast.

You'll have to excuse me. I mixed up the photos from a lack of sleep. Speaking of sleep, that's my bunk at Top Right (yes, with the drop-down flat screen). All in all, it was a nice bus ride with no cross winds along the East Coast on the A-1 (a pleasant surprise). Once I get a print out of our itinerary, I may post it. It was chaotic at times. But I enjoyed visiting each of you who were home. As with my last visit, an early morning door knock at times found me reading faded yellow Post-It Notes affixed to the door of a home or condo with scotch tape with dates as far back as July. We took the hint and moved on. But it was the thought that counted! I was glad that I brought along a warm coat.

Plans in Phoenix call for us to return sometime this morning. Nice to get caught up with each of you! The stories of Autumn colors and the sweep of emotions that accompany her arrival were cause for some light introspection. A nice touch! We'll do it again, you bet. Have a nice week!

Michael