My Departure from Charleston on November 18, 2004

 

The night before I returned home from the work party, Don Watson graciously volunteered to drive me to the airport.
As it turned out, John Miller - a professional bus driver - was to do the driving while Don did the navigating.  Fresh in my
mind were Sonny Walker's comments that both of these gentlemen had the habit of getting lost no matter where they drive.

After receiving detailed instructions from Malcomb Jenkins - a native of the Charleston area - my fears subsided almost totally.
His instructions consisted essentially of having us get on route 426, turning on to route 26 and then following the signs to the airport.

Traversing 426 and 26 presented no problems.  Finding any signs to the airport, did.  We were well on our way to Columbia, SC
when we concluded we were lost.  To make a long story short, we made a 180 degree turn and - after saying a few Hail Marys in
Greek - managed to arrive at the airport 40 minutes before departure - ample time to remove my shoes and belt, pass thru security,
go to the head and board the plane.

I guess the obvious moral to this story is (1) always question Malcomb's instructions and (2) accept offers from either Don or John
only if you build a 1 hour safety factor into your departure plans.

The second bottom line is "Thanks, guys, for helping me to return home"