Philadelphia in the Snow

A Northwest Airlines flight crew waits for a crew to replace an empty oxygen tank aboard a DC-9 at MBS International Airport.

8:58 a.m.:
We had been scheduled to be in Detroit by now, but hey, that's what happens when you fly Northwest.
I'm on my way to Philadelphia with three co-workers, planning to go to a training session on JRC's new content-management system. It will take a week.
The weather has been a major concern. For the past week, it's been pretty clear that some sort of bad weather would be blasting the Midwest this weekend. It's here.
I got up at 4 a.m., and it wasn't snowing. By the time I got out of the shower, it was snowing heavily.
But we got over to MBS just fine, one time. We did our part, and the TSA confiscated my lighters, as expected. Boarding flight 1708 to Detroit was just a little late.
Then the flight crew of our aging DC-9-30 discovered a little glitch: Someone forgot to fill a cockpit oxygen bottle.
The delay here is likely to cause us to miss our Philadelphia connection.

10:20 a.m.
We arrive in Detroit. Our Philadelphia flight is to leave at 10:21. We’re at Gate A-11. The Philly flight is at Gate A-61. Yes, it’s as far away as it sounds. What are our chances?
Actually, pretty good, considering the weather. Seems the pilot of the flight to Philadelphia has been delayed by the weather. I’ve never heard an announcement like this: “Our pilot now has arrived, and we expect to begin boarding soon.”
We were supposed to be in Philadelphia at 11:55 a.m. We left Detroit at 12:10.

12:39 p.m.
There is sunshine at 33,000 feet. It’s pretty.

1:40 p.m.
We’re on the ground in Philadelphia, and it’s just starting to snow. I’ve rented a Ford Fusion, and I like it. Our destination is 40 miles up I-95.

5 p.m.
Checked into the Hampton Inn in Yardley. The place reminds me a lot of the parts of northern Oakland and Kent counties where sprawl is just creeping in. The hay fields are being converted to office parks, condo developments and subdivisions. The Ethernet connection to the ‘Net is free, and seems fast.
The town itself reminds me a lot of the Pretty Little Town where Everyone Comes Home for Christmas in the movies. Maybe it was just the way the snow was falling on the 250-year-old town, but it really is picturesque.
It has a Starbucks, right near the banks of the Delaware Canal.
I bought apples, oranges and grapes to munch on. I’ll eat my veggies.