Sunday, September 15
On Thursday, September 5, we set off for the East Coast to visit family in Philadelphia and Maine. With TSA Pre, we typically sail through security. Not so this morning. I put my carryon and purse on the belt to get screened, and then walked through the metal detector. I was not surprised when it beeped; I would have been disappointed if it had not sounded after all! Then it got fun. I told the TSA agent that it had sounded because of my knee, rolling up my jeans to show her my scar, but she was having none of it. “Take off your belt and go through again!” she barked at me. Well, alrighty, then. My belt came off and went into a bin to get through the scanner, and I walked through the detector again, and once again it beeped. The same very unfriendly TSA agent scowled at me and pointed to the full body scanner one aisle over. I made it through the scanner without incident, and went to find Ed.
Ed was detained because of a multi-tool that he travels with: this thing often catches TSA’s attention even though it doesn’t contain a knife. While I was gathering my belt and other stuff, a small, white-haired woman came walking spritely from the scanner, shaking her head. She looked at me and said, “I have metal in both hips and both knees and in my spine, and this always takes forever!” Then she reunited with her family and tootled off on her way. I started to think that maybe this metal detector facet of my bionic knee was not going to be as much fun as one would hope for.
There were a few more things that I had worried about when it came to flying with this new knee. First, I was afraid of swelling. And yet, what can you do about that? I’m not sure that you’re allowed to bring a big knee-sized ice pack (made of gel) through security. And even if you are allowed, how do you keep it cold long enough to get use out of it on a plane? The second concern was simply the fact that this knee gets very cranky if it’s in the same position for any length of time. And a four hour flight qualifies for long enough for it to get very cranky, indeed. Finally, I’ve barely worn long pants at all since the surgery; for the most part, it’s been too warm to warrant wearing them. But more importantly there’s that whole thing with having something rub against a still-sensitive scar that makes shorts and skirts seem just fine, thank you very much.
Happily, these worries all went for naught. There was no noticeable swelling as a result of the flight. Hallelujah! And we had exit row seats - with an empty seat in our row - so lots of leg room, so lots of room to stretch my legs and change up positions. Finally, my jeans didn’t annoy my scar at all, so it was all good.
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| Liberty Bell |
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| Independence Hall |
Now, the trip to the tourist area in Philly was a horse of another color. Here’s a flash: the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall each require a trip through a metal detector. We visited the Liberty Bell first, and my knee set the thing off. It was a beautiful sunny day, so I was wearing shorts. I told the park ranger that I have a titanium knee, pointing to my scar. That was met with a stone face, and I was then thoroughly and obnoxiously wanded. I still think that park ranger thought I was hiding a bomb somewhere on my body, but she finally let me pass. Independence Hall is a separate facility so - guess what - another metal detector! I was getting myself mentally prepared for another obnoxious wanting session when, of all things, I didn’t activate the detector. Go figure.
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| Smiliest 2 1/2 month old ever |
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| Engagement photos (with a borrowed nephew) |
But really, it was all so very worth it. We got serious doses of kid time. We are blessed with four grandnephews in Philly - ages 10, 8, 3 and 2 1/2 months, and another grandnephew and two grandnieces in Bar Harbor, Maine: 7, 6 and 3. We had serious doses of fun times with Ed’s sister and her husband, all four of their daughters / our nieces (who are responsible for all those little ones), and the husbands of the nieces. We also got to meet the fiancé of the youngest niece, and so, now approve heartily of their upcoming wedding. The bonus relative of the trip was my cousin Susie who, after a lifetime of living in Iowa and raising her family there (including seeing her granddaughter through college), finally retired a few years back and up and moved to Portland, Maine! What a major life change, and how fun to spend a short time with her, hearing about all of her new adventures.
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| Lulu lobster boat |
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| Along the Shore Path, Bar Harbor |
In Maine, we availed ourselves of great food, stunning vistas, beautiful ocean walks and drives. Our brother-in-law Galen works as a tour guide on the lobster boat Lulu, and the highlight of the entire trip was going on one of his trips. This was watching him in his finest hour. He is a natural talker and teller of tales, and it was a hoot to sit in the back of the boat and watch all of the other passengers warm to him and laugh at his jokes.
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| Return visit to the place we got engaged 5 years ago |
All good things must come to an end, and so we headed to Bangor on Saturday for our flight back. Bangor is a smaller airport so doesn’t really have a separate TSA Pre line; you just get a laminated card that tells the security agents of your status. This time, in an effort to avoid all of the belt-taking off and wanding and all that folderol, I simply told the first TSA agent I came to that I needed to go through the scanner rather than the metal detector. She said, incredulously, “so you’re opting IN” for the scanner? I started to say it really wasn’t an option, bionic knee, all that good blather, and then stopped myself. “Sure,” I said. “I’m opting in.” I stepped into the scanner, stopped with my hands in the air, and then walked on through. It was a good trip, but we were happy to be on our way home.
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