By the Way: Houston, We Have Landed

I hugged Iris and Doug good-bye at Terminal A, GIG, and proceded solo in our taxi to Terminal B. Load luggage on free cart, check-in electronically, snag boarding pass, check luggage, queue up for customs. It all went very smoothly, and then I found my gate. Wow, what a day.

Safe and sound in GIG, I was at my gate at 7 PM--that's 19:00--
waiting for an 8:15 PM plane to MIA.

A gate in Rio's airport looked pretty much like a gate in Houston's.

Don't know why I thought this was amusing.
The only two places to spend money while waiting for my flight
were a tiny snack bar and this elegant H. Stern shop.

The plane from Rio to Miami was full and very quiet. One of the flight attendants announced that they would be coming through the cabin to collect any foreign currency for which we had no use. The funds would be donated to Feed the Children--a charity that American Airlines Flight Attendants supported. Pretty cool, huh? After dinner I wasn't a bit sleepy, so I spent the overnight hours journaling. My iPad would capture all the thoughts and memories bubbling around in my head; yet words are totally inadequate.

"Breakfast" was served by 4 AM so that we could eat before touching down in the US. Okay, would you ever expect to see Miami (or any other) International Airport like this?!?

MIA 4:45 AM
The Twilight Zone for sure!

Evidently, our plane was the only one using this terminal
in Miami International.

I enjoyed this art installation
next to one of the moving sidewalks in MIA for two reasons:
(1) the letters were covered with silk flowers,
and
(2) it was written in English.
Love. Love. Love. All together now!

Waiting for baggage in MIA so that I could go through customs,
re-check my bags, and then wait for a flight to Houston.

The sign on the ceiling refered to . . .

. . . the pattern on the floor.
Are we in Kansas, ToTo?

Again, with the empty concourse!
Another really cool floor pattern, though.
It's brass sea life embedded in the terrazo.

Starbuck's hot tea and an apple bran muffin (yum) kept me occupied till the flight was announced.

On this 7:30 AM final leg of my 105 day trip,
there were less than a dozen passengers.

It was so good to be back on Texas soil. As the Astronaut Cow says, "Houston, we have landed!"

A few more minutes to wait, and I would get to give my man a kiss in person--not on Skype. While I waited for my ride, I had to notice that Houston's streets had black and white patterns too--just like Rio's and Niteroi's.