Saturday, Day 8 - The final walk to the subway - This was my favorite spot in all of NYC. It was always serene and beautiful. After a day in the city, stepping out of the noisy subway into this park setting was refreshing every time. - Photo by Stan Ford

The trip home - At the bus stop a little lady told us that LaGuardia was closed because of a bomb scare. Our bus driver had to drop everyone a block away because the bus wasn’t allowed in. Mona & I were fine since we traveled light. Others were not so fortunate. Inside the airport it was chaotic. The check in kiosk wouldn’t acknowledge us since our flight was delayed with no gate assigned. It took about an hour of standing in line to check in, then another hour to get through security. Our 11:15 flight took off about 2:15. We missed our connecting flight in Atlanta and were rebooked for an 8:30 flight.

After a leisurely supper, we found out the plane wouldn't be there until 10:45. A couple from Lewisville with their 4 year old boy sat down across from us. The wife was very outgoing and we had fun exchanging photos and chatting for the hours we spent waiting. Another treat was a group of men who set up some music and started break dancing right next to us. They were really talented.

Our flight landed at DFW about midnight. Our neighbor, Tyler, had the car waiting and zipped us home. It's Tuesday, August 11, as I'm writing this. We've had guests all but two days since we've been home. Sammie and Lexie are here tonight and tomorrow night. I also won my first mountain bike race Sunday. Only one person raced against me, but I beat him soundly. (I beat almost everyone in the group just younger than us, too.) The party never ends.