Home again, home again, jiggity jig

There were not crazy mountains in Nevada - though there were a few lesser ones.

But boy oh boy, the entry into California from Nevada at Tahoe was full of joy. Sister was driving (no surprise there) and so SHE felt better about everything. I stared out the window and tried to will away car sickness and also pondered how well the boys would do growing up without a mom, because for all she was freaked out when I went downhill on hairpin turns, she had no significant issues with taking them all just a leeetle too fast for comfort.

We zipped through Sacramento, then veered off so we could see Napa on our way north. It was not really what I expected either.

I was thinking it would be France or Tuscany here in the US. Instead it looked more like grape farms and high end shopping. Vineyards should be required to be on hills. Not just long flat plantings of what could be anything.

When we left Napa proper and headed north and into Mendecino county, the vineyards did start looking more like what I feel they should be.

Everything there looks dry and dead and it'll be a miracle if they make it through the rest of the summer and fall without the fires getting worse. It's all just a tinderbox waiting to go.

Got sister settled, the van unloaded, then they drove me down to San Francisco. The Golden Gate was swathed in fog, which honestly made it even more lovely, I think.

I am displeased with United currently.

When I booked my flight, I paid extra to select a seat that was not a middle seat. With a red eye, I wanted a window so I could lean on the wall and sleep. So I paid and selected a seat accordingly. 

I did not pay close enough attention upon checking in on the app - so yes, that's on me (although again, I had already chosen a seat so assumed that was what was showing. Narrator: it was not.)

After waiting nearly 5 hours in the airport (so that they could drop me off and get the 2.5ish hours back home before it was too late at night), we board and I find that I ...am in a middle seat.

I contemplated trying to say something or have something done. But the flight was sold out. To the point that they started checking roller bags because the overheads were completely full. And I knew I'd just be making myself "that person" if I had a fuss right then. So, I sucked it up and did manage to doze a little while trying to sit as inconspicuously as possible in between the other two in the row. (I do wonder why airlines think that making the seats smaller and closer together is a good plan. Because it just is not. At all.)

Bless the man in front of me who did NOT recline his seat. Because claustrophobia would surely have hit had he done so.

At the end of the day, I got home. Spent 30 minutes on chat with United only to be told I had to fill out a form on the website in order to get refunded my "prime seating" fee since they didn't bother to give me the seat I paid for. I won't be holding my breath about the money, because I'm sure United couldn't possibly care less. (Never in the history of the airline industry has an airline been accused and found guilty of caring for their passengers. Except perhaps Independence Air and we see how that worked out.)

Here's hoping I can sleep well tonight.