Chicago Departs

It was dark and it was chilly, as you would expect at 3:00 AM here in the Bay Area.  It was only 56º this morning but it felt cooler.  Dark is dark so there’s no equivocation on that one.

Shortly before the designated arrival time for the Chicago cohort a couple of our brave souls arrived to pick up their loaner items—in particular, their laptops, 

As is the custom, luggage was weighed, luggage tags affixed, itineraries distributed, important but dull and repetitive admonishments were dished out by yours truly and the group photos were duly taken.

The airport shuttle arrived plenty early and people were pleased to see that it was roomy enough for everyone.  This was an unusual shuttle in that it was large enough to seat 14 and tall enough for people to stand inside.  There was also plenty of room for luggage.

Someone commented that it looked like a party bus and we chuckled a bit.  When the doors opened, though, and we saw the neon blue running lights, we were convinced that this truly was a party bu 

At the appointed time the cohort hugged their parents, the cohort boarded their bus and off they went.  Within seconds the parents were back in their cars headed back to what they hoped would be their still warm beds.  As soon as I hit the PUBLISH button, I’ll head back to mine.