New York City is...

... a very long drive from Ohio. As you will see if you take time to read further, the robin really has nothing to do with the rest of my day, but I hadn't taken any pictures today, so when I spotted this robin at the bird bistro, I grabbed a quick blip. So the robin provides the opportunity to record the following events because I might want to look back and remember them in a year or two, and as all Blippers know, Blipfoto is really good at helping us remember things.

The events of today really began about 36 hours ago when my daughter and her husband, who had been vacationing in NY City, discovered that their flight back to Ohio had been canceled because a hurricane, the first of the season, chose yesterday to tromp up the east coast from Florida toward New England, and Alison and her family were marooned at the airport, waiting for their flight to be announced. Unfortunately, there were no flights taking off, and ultimately no hotel rooms available for these five people who want to get back to Ohio. And that just isn't a good mix (Not to mention thousands of other travelers in the same predicament). When, along about eight or nine o'clock last night, they realized they would be stuck in the airport for another 24-36 hours, they decided to drive home. It wasn't an easy matter to get a rental car, find their baggage, and get on the road to Ohio, but by 11 pm, they were on their way. Meanwhile, someone had to pick up their two dogs from the lady who boards them. That became our job, so (to Gulliver's dismay) we ended up with Cooper, the Portuguese water dog and Mabel, the English sheepdog, for the night. Gulliver wasn't a very genial host. I heard a few mutters coming from his direction, but eventually we all settled down to some semblance of sleep.

The travelers arrived home at about 8:00 am, weary and glad to open their own front door. All's well that ends well, and we are very thankful that this story has a happy ending. It was a graduation gift for our grandson Michael, one none of them will ever forget! Aside from the last 36 hours, they apparently had a fantastic time in the Big Apple, but I don't think they'll be in a big hurry to go back.