Looks nice, but...

After the week in Quebec, it was time to come home. 

My timing seemed to be good: I made it to the airport, through security, and got myself nicely settled for the one hour flight from Montreal to Toronto, where I was to take a direct flight Toronto-Victoria, and be home in time for Alex's birthday.

But...to quote Dylan Thomas, "the weather turned around...."

There was a storm over Toronto, bad enough that they kept us waiting on the tarmac in Montreal for 2 hours. 

I was glad for the inflight entertainment system!

approaching the clouds

We finally headed out into the skies and got a chance to see what the storm looked like.

From above, it was not all that bad.... just looked like a beautiful sunset.


There was no ground below us, just a sea of thick cloud.

pink

As we got closer to the clouds, it became clear that they were fairly dense.  

That kind of stuff doesn't usually bother me, but I have to say, the transitions were fairly abrupt.  
 

the pink softens

The colour bled out, then the light.  

At some point, you expect to see lights emerging below.  Here, it was still totally dark when we heard the 'thunk' of the landing gear dropping down. 

The first hints of light were shockingly close to the ground.  Interesting (if a bit disconcerting to see the ground come up at you so suddenly).

all was well... except for the fact that I had missed the Victoria plane.  

colour fades away

That meant the closest they could get me to home was Vancouver, and I would have to spend the night in an airport hotel.  

And the light vanishes

 It is depressing to know you will be that close (a short 45 km across the water) and still be unable to get home.  

Facts of life when you live on an island on the far west.

Couldn't help but look up at those glass sculptures on the ceiling at the toronto airport, and think that they were like me (suspended between the place they came from and the place they wanted to be).

flying people in the Toronto airport