I am getting very excited. Tomorrow we head out on a month long trip to the Canadian Maritimes. I have never been there so this is going to be a great adventure. As you are aware, we travel quite a bit. Our preferred mode is by van, but some places require that we take the airlines. I hate taking the airlines. We are flying Delta again, and I must tell you that Delta is the worst airline I have been on in recent years. The staff is cheerless. They have an absolutely idiotic loading procedure. Woe to anybody in Zone 4. We are in zone 4 a lot. If things weren't so tight with some family commitments, we could have driven to the Maritimes, but alas that was not in the cards this time.

Every time I return from a trip and empty my suitcase, I make a note of stuff that I didn't use. Then the next time, I don't pack that stuff. Sometimes you launch off into the unknown and you plan ahead. This was true of our Alaska trip. I was grateful I took some extra layers of warm clothes. So, I decided to photograph what I am taking in my suitcase for this trip. There is no extraneous stuff. One of the most important items is the cork screw. My suitcase weighs 11 pounds, this stuff (plus a small day pack not shown) weighs 20 pounds. That makes 31 pounds, well below the maximum allowable weight. Usually on the trip somebody in our party (not to mention any names, of course) starts buying souvenirs and things to bring back as gifts to our friends. It is her responsibility to tote it back, but sometime I end up with lots of crap stuff as well. So it goes. Small price to pay to hang out with Ginny for a month.

Full disclosure requires that I mention a 16 pound camera backpack and a 12 pound computer and electronics bag which I take as carry-on items.