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| Lists and more lists |
Check-in at the Tucson International
Airport went smoothly, including handing over our four suitcases
weighing in at 51.0, 51.5, 51.5, and 48.0 pounds. Apparently there is
some tolerance built into the 50-pound weight limit, because we did
not have to pay. This left us with a 35-pound rolling carry-on and 3
computer cases. No sweat! The carry-on was the final bag we had packed, and as such, it had become a repository for last-minute items, as
well as binoculars and video camera, which we did not trust to the
vagaries of baggage handling. Curtis had roamed the house collecting hand
tools and hardware we might need on the boat, while Sue had updated her multiple lists and jigsaw-ed the new treasures into the carry-on's nooks and crannies.
She forgot about the Transportation Security Administration rules.
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| Sue waits while the bag takes a third trip through X-ray |
Going through security, this carry-on traveled back
and forth through the X-ray machine as the TSA screener squinted at
it. Eventually the bag was pulled for manual inspection, and Sue sat
beside a metal table while a very nice man rummaged through the
contents and "sniffed" the bag for traces of explosives. Binocular cases
opened and checked. OK. Hard
plastic swim mask. OK. Day-Glo orange ratchet tie down
straps and hooks. Interesting but OK. Sewing
kit. Sewing kit? Window putty spreader. Hmm. The screener
held it against his official length-checker (Just at the
limit), twanged the blade with his gloved hands, and waved it at his supervisor. Fine. Red
plastic case full of drill bits. Uh-uh. Uh-oh.
Curtis groaned. All those sharp drill
bits and chamfer bits. Why they were axed and the putty spreader sailed through was a bit of a mystery to us. The friendly TSA man offered us the
three usual choices: check the bits as a fifth piece of luggage for
50 dollars (go through security again), FedEx them to ourselves (go
through security again), or move on. We relinquished the bits. It was
5:45 a.m. Now boarding.
