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No sooner had I pressed send on my last blog update, when the captain came on to announce a further 30-min delay. It seems that maintenance is using tape to secure some loose bits of exterior fiberglass that are "peeling off".

Note to United's stockholders: "Good news. Cost cutting measures are a success. Passengers are now used to hunger…and the mechanics have stopped complaining about using tape to hold the plane together. Consider having the crew act out popular stories rather than paying for in-flight movies."

On my way to Miami today…yes, on a Saturday. I have never been to a conference that began on the weekend…but thank goodness they are rare.

On the plus side, airports are light on Saturday, and except for a two and a half hour delay in Denver, the trip was pleasant.

My amusement of the day comes from a piece of fax spam I picked up on a little-used fax machine near my office. Like my voice mail at home, this fax was piled with useless messages…nothing remotely important…or even real.

My favorite was an "urgent" message from "human resources" with final details on vacation packages available to "all employees". The message had been sent multiple times, and was clearly fake…but still cleverly ended with a confidentiality notice: "If you are not the intended adressee, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message."

I wonder if I can keep these faxes for a year and then charge the spammer for a box of paper? I am soooooo tempted to call the 800-number and report their innocent error 🙂

As with any good relationship, living with California is one part joy and one part compromise. The trade off for living in a place with unique beauty and sheer grandeur around every corner is that there are also 10 people at every vista, full hotels at even the remotest destinations, and traffic where you least expect it.

But frankly, I can compromise. We’ve driven down the Central Coast several times…in all seasons…and we ALWAYS pull over at the same stops and stare in wonder.

Unfortunately, the crowds also mean that spontaneity is a bit tough…so our spur-of-the-moment decision to visit Hearst Castle was tough to arrange. But a little extra Friday-evening web searching and hotel calling set us up for a memorable Saturday/Sunday drive.

Our Route took us south along Route 1, through Carmel and Big Sur to Cambria. There was plenty of rocky vistas, EXTRA blue water, and the occasional fog for dramatic effect.

I did snap a few playful driving shots. Fun with smoke (well…fog) and mirrors I say 🙂

As we approached San Simeon, we turned off into the always-popular Elephant Seal wildlife area. This time of year, its the older males that are hanging out and doing a lot of male bonding. In other words, they sleep mostly, and wake up to bump chests and wrestle in the water.

There was a lot of other critter activity as well…especially at the vistas where people ignore the Do Not Feed the Animals signs. (OK, the cute kitty was at the plant nursery we visited.)

Our main destination was Hearst Castle in San Simeon, a glorious tribute to grand European hill-top mansions with a healthy dosage of ego thrown. We took Tours 3 and 4 this trip, but you will see many of the same views as our last visit 🙂 Hearst Castle NEVER disappoints.

Our furthest point south was Cambria, where we stayed the night at the comfy Pelican Cove Inn, which is situated along Moonstone Beach. We had a wonderful seafood dinner, and some relaxing walks along the shore as the fog rolled in.

Just as quickly as Jeff and I erase messages on our answering machine, the telemarketers fill it back up with hang-ups. Its almost as if we keep our landline just to keep the telemarketers busy while we use our cell phones for people we like.

After my comical flight east with the tickling siblings, the rest of my two-day trip to Northern Virginia seemed rather…normal. A normal (but nice) room at the Reston Hyatt. A normal (but productive) set of meetings. A normal (but ALWAYS fun) series of meals and adult beverages with my east coast colleagues. A normal (but full) flight home.

Still, nothing beats arriving home to freshly ordered Chinese food from Eric’s…our favorite…and snuggling to warm up from a normal foggy SF night. Perfect.