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We got back from Indiana just the other day. It was a great trip - it's so verdant there right now. We saw family, friends, lightening bugs, thunderstorms, ginormous grassy lawns, and lots and lots of corn growing everywhere. Sparky's dear old friend Michael drove us to and from the airport, which is more than an hour away from tiny Rushville. (Which was my only complaint: everything is so far away, you have to drive and drive and drive to get anywhere. It seems like a lot of Hoosiers have humongous commutes.) When Michael picked us up at the Indianapolis Airport, he spoke about the good old days of air travel, before 911 ruined it for everyone. It made me quite nostalgic. Remember when you stepped off the plane and saw a friendly face waiting for you right inside the terminal? That's what Sparky misses the most. Michael misses driving someone to the airport and hanging out with them until they got on the plane. He says that he used to stand there and watch the plane take off before he would leave. The thing that I miss most is the free stuff, like meals and checked baggage. I'm a Miser, so naturally I hate paying for these things. Thankfully, Bee has her own carry-on with little wheels, so she pulls her own luggage these days. But I hate having to pack miniature bottles of things, and not being able to bring my own water. Also,  I dread going through security, especially with Bee. We always seem to have way too much stuff that we are trying to negotiate onto the conveyor belt, and it's awkward having take off our shoes. I always try to be upbeat, and even cheerful, when enduring this ordeal in order to make it go by more smoothly. And this seems to actually help. But I really miss those days when you could just show up fifteen minutes before your flight and still make it onto the plane in time. Back in olden times when flying was actually fun.