ready for prime time

Travel often reminds me of home.

I have been in the Seattle airport at least four times during this sojourn north. On one of those visits, I saw this aircraft while mine was taxing for take-off. It is one of Amazon's delivery vehicles.

Amazon has built its business model on not only being able to offer a wide-range of merchandise, but by getting that merchandise into the customer's hands tout suite. And, if the customer has paid to join Amazon Prime, that merchandise may show up without a delivery charge.

I frequently use Amazon in Mexico to buy stuff I cannot find locally. Both from Amazon.Mx and Amazon.com. Between the two sites, I can get almost everything I want -- even some things I need.

For some reason, I signed up for Amazon Prime several years ago. The membership gives me access to the limited library of videos it is licensed to provide in Mexico, but I do not get the advantage of free shipping. Reduced, yes. Free, no.

There are some items that are not available on Amazon.Mx and that will not be shipped from The States. Tea. Spices. Food items.

I have resolved that dilemma by ordering from Amazon.com and having the goods shipped to my brother's house. That is, if I am going to be visiting Oregon presently.

Because we are celebrating Christmas-birthdays on this visit, my bedroom, on my arrival, looked as if I had broken into Santa's mother lode of Amazon boxes. There were approximately a dozen packages. Including a new duffel bag to replace the veteran piece of luggage I will now retire to recycling. In these parts, "recycling" means "going to the dump."

But I still have a long list of Amazon packages that I ordered from Amazon.Mx that should be showing up just as I return home to the house with no name. Fernando, the world's most efficient DHL courier, will deliver most of them to my front door. The remainder, two new hardbound books, should be at the post office in my box.

I doubt any of those packages spent any time as a passenger on the aircraft I saw in Seattle. But it does not matter. After all, the photograph is just a symbol of a service I enjoy using in Mexico.

And I will be doing that once more in just a week.