MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON ANNIVERSARY

A REAL FLIGHT DELAY

Sully

Lately VFH has suffered a rash of travel delays. Between energy outages and inclement weather, we’ve endured nearly a week’s worth of wasted days, but who are we to complain? Inconvenient? Yes, but not life-threatening.

Today is the anniversary of a serious life-threatening travel delay and it puts everything into perspective.

On January 15, 2009, US Airways flight 1549 left LaGuardia Airport in New York City bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. Piloted by Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger the plane stuck a flock of Canadian geese almost immediately at an extremely low altitude. Losing power Sully decided to ditch the plane in the Hudson River as the safest alternative. He couldn’t make it back to LaGuardia or reach Teteboro, an airport in New Jersey. It wasn’t a “crash” it was a forced landing.

With the help of the Circle Line tour boats (and the Coast Guard) all passengers and crew were saved and though Sully was deemed a hero by some his decision to land in the Hudson rather than try to glide his crippled plane to an airport was scrutinized by the NTSB.

A sobering tale, retold in the 2016 Clint Eastwood film “Sully” starring Tom Hanks in the titular role. Remember this when you want to grouse at the passenger service agents about being inconvenienced in your travels.

Thanks for reading

Love Janet and greg

LIVE  (SAFE) TRAVELS  LOVE

© 2025 by Gregory Dunaj

STORY ABOUT CIRCLE LINE CAPTAIN SAVING PASSENGERS 

"SULLY" TRAILER 

CIRCLE LINE TOURS NYC

SULLY SULLENBERGER WEBSITE

WANDERLUST ON HOLD

PUTTING THE FEET UP

Since Thanksgiving, Vacations From Home has NOT been home.

A trip to St. Lucia that began in late November turned difficult because of travel delays. When we finally returned in mid-December, we had just five days at home before a quick turnaround and a 20-day trip to England. Weather travel delays made the trip even longer!  We didn’t even bother decorating for Christmas and the joy of wanderlust has dimmed for a while.

All I want to do is lock the front door, lower the blinds and laze about on the couch.  

Sadly, Janet had a prior commitment to travel to Florida with college chums that a hurricane postponed in October. We finally got home last Tuesday late and on Wednesday several college friends were rendezvousing at our middle-class garret in Collegeville for the eventual flight to Ft. Myers. When they finally left, I locked the front door and lowered the blinds, put my feet up and nursed a malingering cold with whisky. Save for the twice daily dog walks I haven’t left the house.

Don't worry Janet will be back soon and after her own stretch of down time we will start gearing up for our next trip in mid-February.

I know, I know....1st world problems.

© 2025 by Gregory Dunaj

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HOME AFTER DELAYS, FINALLY

72 or 3 we stay

Our trip to England was supposed to last just 20 days, enough time with the family over the holidays. We left early Sunday morning, but because of weather delays we didn't get home until nearly midnight on Tuesday, a full three days later. 

The whole experience felt like a frenetic song by Chicago: 

26 or 5 to 4. 

See the video after my feeble attempt at writing prose.

It will be good to home for a while.

Stuck here for another day

Sitting through a plane delay

Snow flurries against the sky

Giving up, I close my eyes

Sitting cross-legged on the bed

72 or 3 to dread

Staring at the computer screen

So many cancels it’s just mean

Wanting to just go home

Instead, I’m in this hotel room

Could have tried to do some more?

72 or 3 is what I’m for

Feeling like I ought to sleep

Spinning room is sinking deep

Searching for another way

But it’s gonna take a few more days

72 hours or 3 days

72 hours or 3 days

(apologies to Robert Lamm and Chicago et al)

I LOVE ENGLAND… BUT

STILL NOT HOME

This was already a long trip away from home. We were slated to be in Nantwich for 20 days total over the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holidays.

We certainly enjoyed spending plenty of time with the family in Nantwich, but it was time to leave. We have only been home for five days since November and Janet is traveling to Florida on Thursday. There was no time to dawdle.

Except we are not leaving England. We should have left yesterday, Sunday, but we won't get home until late Tuesday night. What can best be described as a meager snowstorm closed Manchester airport for a while, delaying our flight to London Heathrow, enough to miss our connecting flight to Philadelphia. England is always a far better choice than Philadelphia, but we needed to get home.

The next two days of American airline flights to Philadelphia out of LHR are filled. So British Airlines (who operated the flight out of Manchester) placed us on a Virgin Atlantic flight on TUESDAY. We were supposed to be home Sunday. We will first fly to Boston on Virgin Atlantic before connecting with a flight to Philadelphia, arriving TUESDAY evening.

We are staying for two-days in a hotel near the airport that British Air arranged for us.  

This is a persistent theme with us lately. Instead of hours of traveling, it has been days of traveling to reach our destination.  We managed to fly to both Vietnam and Fiji in less time.  

UGH.

This morning on the BBC there’s talk of flooding from more rain and snow melt, with the correspondent addressing this issue in front of green grass dotted with snow. Overreaction?

Well, they are closing schools in Nantwich: NANTWICH NEWS

UGH Thankfully the destinations make up for the aggravation.

I love traveling.

Love Janet and greg

© 2025 by Gregory Dunaj

BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW YEAR

2025        

January 1 2025 Nantwich FC match

At the beginning of every new year comes a wealth of hope and optimism. With a new year everything seems possible, all the horizons are bright. One can hopefully shrug off the past, because everything has started anew.

For us the new year brings us a whole slew of new places to visit and in 2025 we have already planned a trip in February to Thailand. In May we’re off to the big island of Hawaii. In December we travel to the Caribbean Island nation of St. Vincent. And, we are still in Nantwich where we were graced by a rainbow during the Dabbers football match.

So, it seems we have a good start this year.

Resolutions to fix things that need to be addressed also receive attention. Lots of people may endeavor to improve their health and plan to really frequent a gym. Here’s the best advice I can offer: “Remember, It’s not what you weigh, but what the weight looks like.”™

Happy New Year from Team VFH

Love Janet and greg

© 2025 by Gregory Dunaj