Several weeks before our May 7th departure, Meryl and Mark held a preliminary meeting of the group with the exception of the 5 travelers from the Boston area. Meryl had crocheted kippot for each of us (color coordinated of course). She also put together a binder that included extensive instructions, itinerary, ticketing info and documents. It was at that point that the trip actually became real to me. The previous 3 times I tried to travel to Israel (including once previously with Meryl & Mark) the trips were cancelled because of Intifadas and other political upheaval.
On the May 6th Shabbat service, Rabbi Mark blessed all of the travelers on their journey and the following day we left for Orlando Airport at 8:45 am with Bobbi Carman, Terre Wallach, Andi and me in a rented SUV. We just did get all the luggage in so we'll have to rent something larger for the return trip because we'll have 1 more passenger.
The drive was uneventful till we got to Sanford and hit a swarm of black flies that pelted our car like hail. It was at that point that I realized we had no washer fluid. UGH!
Flight to JFK was uneventful. At JFK, the Rabbi conducted a brief (1 1/2 hrs) service in the Chapel in terminal #4. Each of the 32 Florida people stated their reasons for going on this trip and said what it meant to them. It was quite inspirational and very moving. My comment: "I'm doing what all good lame duck politicians do. I'm taking a vacation." I then became more serious and talked about the numerous times I'd tried unsuccessfully in the past.
Had dinner with Phyllis & Steve Lowe and Lyn & Ed Margolis at Bar Avion on my recommendation. Meal was good but waiter was a Seinfeld episode. He couldn't get the orders straight, brought sweet tea when unsweetened was ordered, mixed up some of our meals with the table Earl, Maggie and Emily were sitting at which wouldn't have been so bad except some people started eating what was on the plate before they realized the order was incorrect. Then all of the bills for both tables got mixed up into a hodge-podge - (think Fawlty Towers). The laughter was worth the price of admission. I think the waiter is recovering at the same facility that teachers go to when they have their nervous breakdowns.
This did teach me one important lesson. Never recommend a restaurant for the duration of the trip.
Then we went to security at El Al and got a grilling. I stupidly told the interviewer that we were going to Petra Jordon as part of the itinerary. She stopped the interview and went to speak to her supervisor for a while before coming back to complete interview. While this was going on, the gatekeeper who was directing us to the proper interviewer told Shelly that her carry on was too large and she would have to check it. Shelly was miffed because her extra undergarments were in the bag. You can picture for yourself what happened next. The same thing happened to the Rabbi who tried to explain that he had traveled with the same bag as carry-on numerous times. I think he convinced them it was OK.
Everyone finally made it thru and we went to the gate to await the arrival of the Boston contingent (Ken & Ruth Cooper, Terri Gerber & Dave Gardiner, & Jessica Lucas). They arrived at 10 PM and Andi and I had a warm reunion with Andi's cousins the Coopers. Terri & Dave were married by Rabbi Mark and Jessica is Alice Kihn's grand-daughter.
My memories of these preliminary events complement yours. For me, that meeting at the Temple also made the trip real. Somehow all of the planning, though arduous and time consuming, was like an academic exercise (or maybe an intelligence test that I wasn't certain that I would pass). But that night, despite the technical glitches with the DVD and with Skype (where are the techno-kids when you need them?), I saw the group and the trip as a reality.
ReplyDeleteI should have known when we got to Orlando and I started counting people that counting would become a routine for the rest of our time together. I was glad that the 32 of us were together for the meaningful sharing at the JFK chapel and was sad that the 5 Boston members couldn't be there with us.
Once everyone made it through security, Mark and I waited anxiously for the Boston group to arrive, and we were very relieved to get the call that they had landed.
Jessica had a problem with security too. She told the interviewer that she was traveling with her grandmother, but her grandmother wasn't there. Mark (having already sweet-talked the interviewers about the luggage), had to vouch for Jessica (who he had never met...so much for ElAl's security).
Meryl