California Dreamin'

I just returned from a week in Palm Springs for our company's annual sales conference. I have to say it was nice to have a bit of warm weather and sun for a little while. The conference was good but a couple of notable things happened on the way to Palm Springs.

We flew into and cleared customs at LAX which means that you have to pick up your checked baggage and re-check it in. When I got my bag I noticed that my Hobart & William Smith key chain that was attached to the zipper was missing. I was a little irritated and decided to see if for some reason the airline had to take it off and it was put in my suitcase. I opened a zippered compartment and saw some items that weren't mine - 2 sleeves of medicine that I don't take. From what I can gather somebody picked up my bag thinking it was theirs took off the key chain put stuff in it then realized it wasn't theirs.

On the flight from LAX to Palm Springs we flew right over the area where the fires were. It was awe-inspiring to look out the window and see the patches of fires in the area. There were 3 or 4 different areas that were in flames. The conference location wasn't really impacted by the fires until the last few days there. The winds shifted and there was a haze as the smoke from the fires rolled into the area.