Tales From The Ten
This
being one of my master pieces (well at least it's long) started out as
a series of
mobile emails that I sent to family and friends as my wife, Kate, our three dogs and I traveled (by car) cross country from Northern California
to our new home in St Petersburg Florida.
All of the incidents described are true and accurate.
I may have embellished here and there (just a taste) but not so you'd notice.
mobile emails that I sent to family and friends as my wife, Kate, our three dogs and I traveled (by car) cross country from Northern California
to our new home in St Petersburg Florida.
All of the incidents described are true and accurate.
I may have embellished here and there (just a taste) but not so you'd notice.
Segments from it have been published Online on a number sites.
Tales From The Ten
(an odyssey in installments)
Leaving Elk Grove in a thinning tulle fog, the car is sliding down I-5 towards southern California with just Kate and me and the pack in the back of the wagon. Poppa dog’s settled into sleep. The twins, Mysti and Merle’n, are restless and pacing not quite sure about the big rigs towering along side.
Kate and I are running away.
Two furry Sheltie heads poking between the seats, first white then brown, we call them the twins, though they look quite different, because they were born in the same litter.
Our kids weren’t, we were two separate families who happened to converge upon themselves and for the past 15 years, we’ve been living like the Brady Bunch.
“Without Alice”, Kate adds.
Our kids are all adults now with lives of their own so we are sneaking out the back door and finally taking an extended holiday from the extended responsibility that’s been our lives since we were kids ourselves
California has held us captive for too many years now. Chained to a fairly productive and somewhat comfortable life...
“Chained is a little over the top,” retorts Kate.
...but after more then forty years of living here it’s like, California...been there...done that. No excitement, no mystery and if there is one thing we both need more of, its excitement and mystery and maybe just a touch of magic.
So, we are heading across the continent to the tropical town of St Petersburg FL. It lies on the west coast of the east coast, a small island like headland halfway up the Gulf Coast of Florida. We sold our home in CA to our oldest son and bought a mid-century modern home in St Pete. We plan to go retro all the way.
All of our belongings have been stuffed into a Pod, which is currently on its way to our new home. It should take the Pod seven to ten days to cross the continent. It will take us six to seven days to drive. We are trying to synchronize arrival times because we don’t want to spend too many days without our creature comforts. Terrazzo is beautiful to look at however I don’t think it would be too comfortable to sleep on and we want to keep our travel shock to a minimum.
We had to drive out because the dogs are too old to fly and there wasn’t enough room in the Pod for all of us. So we bought a new used car, a Volvo V-70 station wagon, for the journey and it has been doing quite well. It has kept us safe and secure and we have been averaging 31 mpg, not bad for an eight year old Volvo. We chose highway Ten as our escape route. It slices right across country, west to east, a non-descript, no frills run all the way to Florida and beyond.
Having said au’revoir to all the family in Sacramento, we have but two stops to make before we slip the surly bonds of California. (Stop#1) Our daughter and son-in-laws’ home in the high desert of southern CA to visit with them and our grand daughter, Heather. We got here just in time for a wonderful dinner but, alas, not on time to get over to son Andrew’s (stop #2) to see the newly born grand daughter, Maryanne Ruth . That means an extra layover tonight so we can go by Andrew’s after he gets off of work tomorrow.
Day one has been a long one and we have many miles to go, but luckily not before we sleep. More tomorrow in my next e-mail.
We loves you all and misses you already,
David, Kate and the Pack
*************************
Day two, lay over in the high desert...
It is very beautiful in the high desert. We are over 4,000 ft. up so it is very chilly with a strong breeze blowing. The air is clean and sweet up above the valleys smog tainted air. There are Joshua trees everywhere. Pretty strange trees the Joshua’s, they are not very hospitable. They have sharp pointy tops that look like balls of spikes, because...ouch... they are balls of spikes.
Its 2:14 pm and we have been enjoying the luxury of Jenna and Don’s beautiful home and their relaxed hospitality. Presently, we have the place to ourselves. Don is at work and Jen and Heather, just left for a Doctors appointment.
Kate and I are currently decompressing, planning the next leg of our voyage across the country and waiting to go see baby, Maryanne. We were both a little stiff from the first day on the road. So we trimmed down all the extra crap we had in the front seat, and took a shower together in the master bath. It’s a double headed shower with room for a small string quartet, very nice!
Using our hosts’ computer we have worked out our itinerary for the next six days (including today). To make up the time we lost, we will start with a short jaunt tonight after we leave Andrew’s. Ontario CA to Blythe CA (204 miles, 2 hrs 53 min) Tomorrow we’ll rise with the sun and head east, straight to Las Cruces New Mexico, passing through Arizona on the way (537 miles, 7 hrs 25 min).
My messages may get shorter on the road because I’ll be using my Treo cell phone. I won’t have the availability of this DSL linked computer with a very large (42 inch) flat screened monitor like I have been using for my first entries.
Sister dear, I know that you don’t have everyone’s e-mail addresses so I hope that you are able to translate my written ramblings into verbal phone speak for those less fortunate.
Love to all, from us...
...more from the Ten
*************************
day three, las cruces nm...
pardon my lack of capitals but i’m tired, this keyboard is small and my thumbs are too damn big. we made it to andrew’s, saw the baby (she’s beautiful), and met april (she’s pretty too!!) visited for about an hour or so, and then took off for blythe ca about 10:00 pm. the ride was great once we left the city.
the ten is a great highway, 75 miles an hour and just us and a few trucks headin’ east in the dark. we were all, midnight haulers climbing back up into the high desert. cruise control on, tom petty disc in and big cups of truck stop coffee keeping us rollin’. finally on our way to florida! kate and I haulin’ 3 head of shelties, sleeping in the back.
we got into blythe about 1 am, pulled into “pet friendly” motel 6. i strolled up to the night window (kate was hiding the kids out in the car) rang the bell and...there was no room at the inn. we mulled over our options and took off east again. a few miles and one border later, we pulled into a truck stop at exit 1, arizona. we used the facilities, walked the kids, rearranged the wagon and climbed into the back with our three head of shelties.
my first mistake (after not calling ahead for a motel reservation the night before), was not taking my leg brace off. i was trying to lie down, head to front and there was no place to put my right foot. where a dog or kate wasn’t.
then kate said, “you should sleep this way. there is more room, this way”.
she was comfortably stretched out head to back i just looked at her. she was bundled in her dark blue disneyland hoodie, her eyes twinkling like a kid at her first campout. she was actually enjoying this. the truth is i was too, in a masochistic kind of way. as i surveyed our enclosed space i tried, logically, to determine just how in the hell sleeping head to back would create anymore room. however, kate did look more comfortable then i was feeling.
the dogs were staring back at me. they were already settled and didn’t seem to see the need for any readjustment, except for indy. he was lying underneath my hovering right foot, like marie antoinette waiting for the blade to fall. mysti had snuggled into the small space between kate and i. merle’n was sitting up looking dismayed at this invasion of pack space and angry that his sister got such prime reality. i briefly thought about sleeping in a sitting position up front but those hopes were dashed by the fact that the seats were filled with all the stuff we pulled out of the back of the wagon
“you’d be more comfortable if you’d just turn around”. said kate, her face a pale oval surrounded by dark blue hoodie.
merle’n just glowered at me, he knew i was going to move before i did and he was waiting for the dust to settle before finally staking out his territory.
“ok, ok.”i whined, succumbing to the inevitable. i forced myself into a sitting position, head bent underneath the roof of the car. mysti grumbled at the sudden interruption of her comfy spot.
“i don’t think i’m going to be able turn around.”
“you can do it!” kate said imitating that infamous rob sneider line from a number of adam sandler movies.
"yeah, yeah.” i sighed, while trying to take a deep yoga breath.
i rolled on my back and started to swing my legs up and over but my right leg would not perform the needed bending due to the fact that my brace was still on. my right foot promptly wedged it self against the roof of the wagon.
“this isn’t going to work” i mumbled into my chest which had promptly wedged itself against my chin.
“you can do it!” kate laughed, thoroughly enjoying my plight.
i reached up and took my right foot in both hands and proceeded to pull it backward, all the while wiggling my butt in a downward motion to facilitate some kind of leverage.
the dogs were all sitting up, not sure what was going to happen next.
i am a very klutzy individual and they, being smaller and lower then me, have been the victims of my klutziness on more then one occasion. this cramped space provided no avenue for escape. this was definitely, a disaster just waiting to happen.
suddenly, my right foot broke free. mysti quickly evacuated her prime position crawled over kate’s legs and flattened herself against the side door. i rotated my butt and swung my legs around towards the front of the car promptly hitting my head against the waiting wheel well.
the pack sighed in relief.
the sacrifice had been made.
i shifted my upper body, raised my head and swung around further. my right foot settled into the space between the front seats and again i was stuck.
“see, isn’t that more comfortable” kate actually giggled.
indy abandoned his spot as i shifted my body downward towards the back of the wagon. as i tried desperately to straighten out, i rammed my head into the tailgate. i waited for kate to say 'ooh, does it hurt and have a boo-boo?' it never came. she was giggling so much she couldn’t talk.
i tried to raise my right foot out of its wedged position but it was stuck fast. i paused in my futile efforts and briefly considered sleeping in this position. no way. for one thing i am not a back sleeper and for another, my back was already throbbing from my labors, if i spent the night like this i’d have to drive standing up tomorrow, and although we do have a sunroof my arms are not long enough to reach the steering wheel. with this somewhat whimsical thought in mind, i pushed against the driver’s seatback with my left foot all the while wiggling my useless right foot trying to free it.
as the pack watched in anticipation of my next move, my right foot emancipated itself from its forced confinement. i swung it up and over the driver’s seat top as i shifted the rest of my body unto its left side. the dogs would have applauded if they had hands.
i was sweating profusely because of all my efforts. i lay there damp and exhausted just knowing that all my hard work was to no avail. i am not a left-handed sleeper either. i had to continue my quest for dreamland. i bent my legs and with the super human strength of a mother saving her trapped child, i closed my eyes and thrust my body up and over into my accustomed right-sided fetal position. my back sighed in relief. as i opened my eyes i saw kate's smile framed by blue hoodie.
“are you finally settled?” she said stifling her continued laughter.
i briefly considered homicide but i knew i didn’t have the strength
“love you”, said the oval apparition floating into dreamland.
besides, she was right. there was more room this way.
“love you too, honey bunny”, slipped out of my contrite mouth.
the pack realizing the eminent danger had passed, quickly maneuvered for a prime sleep spot. indy settled down with his butt in my face. ah well, so it goes, i thought.
as i lay there i realized two things; one, my blood was ever so slowly draining into my head and even more importantly i could see my breath in the night air. it was cold in here. i’d thought that with all of the bodies emanating heat in this small limited space that it would be at least warm in here. that’s why i didn’t put on my dark blue hoodie.
the cold started licking at my sweat drenched clothes and body. it must have been very tasty because the cold decided to sink it’s teeth in. here i was, shivering in the dark laying on top of the warm dog blanket that kate had already settled under. i leaned up and looked around; the pack stared back just daring me to move. they too were lying on top of the blanket but unlike me they were covered in thick hair and where quite comfy, thank you.
i stirred a little and indy grumbled under his breath. i knew that just behind me was the edge of the warm blanket but i couldn’t just pull it over me and go to sleep because i was laying on it and so was the pack. there was only one recourse, i needed to swing over on my left side, flatten myself along the side of the wagon and ease myself under whatever part of the blanket i could claim.
a mighty task, considering the efforts i just made, and one that i probably wouldn’t have attempted, except for the fact the cold having chewed its way through the outer skin of my body was beginning to nibble even deeper into the lower depths and was currently starting to tickle my bladder.
this would not do. there is no way i’m going to squeeze myself out of the cramped, cold car and walk into the...open...warm...inviting restroom. stop it!!! my exhausted brain cried out…roll over, flatten out, get under the blanket and go to sleep! it was such a forceful thought that i immediately complied, and some how managed to get a portion of myself covered and willed myself into a cold, cramped and furry sleeeeppp...
...only to be awakened, in what seemed like mere minutes later, by the sound of merle’n barking at some other unfortunate travelers getting out of their rollin’ motel rooms all around us.
it had been a short fitful night; half covered, face pressed up against the tailgate, maybe four hours of sleep, total. i was dazed and confused and aching in places i didn’t even know i had. kate’s hair was wild after escaping the confines of her hoodie. the bags under our eyes were bigger then the ones stashed in the front seat. we could have auditioned for george romero’s next zombie flick and wouldn’t even need makeup.
the tickle in my bladder had turned into a full court press, and kate wasn’t much better, so we used the facilities, cleaned up a bit, walked the pack and grabbed some more truck stop coffee.
we pulled the wagon around to the side to rearrange the contents. we still have too many things for comfortable travel and seeing as how we were about to start the first long leg of our journey on the ten, we decided to jettison some of the unneeded stuff.
the small cooler was the first to go, it wasn’t quite small enough. it contained a few canned soft drinks and some bottled water. we stashed most of the sodas and water on the floorboards in the back. not wanting to throw the cooler away, we decided to leave it in the parking lot. maybe someone else could use it.
well, times being as they are, with terrorist threats and such we wondered if this was a wise thing to do. we certainly did not want to hear on the radio...
“...the Pilot Truck Stop at exit one, on the ten, had a brief bomb scare today as they found a closed ice cooler just abandoned in their parking lot. the bomb squad was called in, they defused the cooler and are currently looking for the suspects…”
needless to say, we left the top open on the cooler.
finally, we were set. we climbed into the wagon and headed east into the rising’ sun. leaving california behind, we put on jimmy buffet and went rollin’ along the ten.
arizonia, basically sucks.
“you cant’ say that”. i know for a fact that kate will say this to me in the not so distant future.
i’m just as certain that i’ll reply “i can’t?”
and, just imagining that future event, made me realize that i have not been too informative about the various states we are driving through. the key phrase in my last sentence being
...driving through...
it turns out that i have been driving all the way.
i kind of thought i would anyway, because we do not drive at night
and kate...
“...she can’t drive...
...seventy five!!!!!!!!!!!...”
need I say more?
however, believe me when i say, i ain’t heart broken.
all of you know that i love to drive,
especially……..
“...seventy fiveeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!...”
well, back to the subject at hand?... oh yeah, i remember.
arizona, sucks...but that actually, is not really a fair thing for me to say.i mean, here comes this guy with his wife and a station wagon full of dogs. driving seventy five miles an hour through their deserts and stopping in one city, after dark, smuggling 3 dogs into one, unsuspecting, dog friendly, motel 6, then in the morning they grab some coffee just after the sun rises and take off through their deserts again at
“...seventy fiveeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!...” (sometimes 80!!)
it’s kind of hard to make a final judgment on an entire state under those conditions. i am really going to have to ponder this awhile and get back to you in a latter e-mail (*), but until then...
...arizonia, basically sucks.
the drivers are crazy tailgaters and the rest stops warn about rattlesnakes and scorpions. needless to say the pack was confused by the new scents and kate and i were a little paranoid as they nosed around looking for the right spot.
new mexico, was a whole lot better. there were still reptile warnings but the drivers were much more courteous and the desert was incredible, just like a randolph scott movie, only in color. the rest stops looked like little adobe villages, very cute, in a sanitary kind of way. well....gotta go, schm
tomorrow we enter (cue scream)...texas!
until then we remain...
your loving, david, kate and the dogs
*************************
day four, the road to san antonio tx ……….law and disorder
we arrive under the cover of darkness. desk clerk dealt with, we back the wagon into the parking slot in front of our room. kate contains the kids, as i open the door. then, like cowboys, we quickly herd the pack into the room and secure the door against any nosy security guards.
we are really burnt out, because it was an extra long day on the ten.
it all started when we came into el paso, which is one of the most depressing towns i have ever experienced. on one side, stock yards, extending as far as you can see. over crowded with cattle, air thick with their stench. a scene so ugly it looks like it’s in black and white.
the other side, houses so ticky-tacky you wonder who has it worse, the poor people or the cattle. the air was scented with the fragrance of petroleum as the refineries painted the skyline a sort of sickly yellow. needless to say, we escaped as quickly as we could into the desert.
after el paso, the ten dips south and rides shotgun along the mexican border. we stop at a rest stop, let the dogs stretch and do their business and are about to leave when this official looking, four wheeled drive vehicle comes roaring in. six khaki clad, state troopers tumble out of the vehicle and proceed to question the four mexicans that were hanging out when we got there.
it looked serious. as we casually put some distance between us and the action, three of the troopers went around to the back of the rest stop, produced binoculars and were scanning the horizon like sailors on a the deck of a lost vessel.
“what’s happening?” i queried kate under my breath.
“they’re immigration.” kate responded “that’s the border right there”
as she said this, she casually tilts her head motioning toward the back of the rest stop. i follow the motion and notice that just about 50 feet from where we were standing is a nasty looking barbed wire fence.
“that’s the border? right there?” i asked incredulously.
“yep”, kate smiled her stan laurel smile, head nodding up and down.
“seems like it would be very easy for illegals to get across and just have their friends waiting at a rest stop, you jump in and drive away.” as kate whispered this we were meandering our way to a vantage point that had views of both of the areas in question.
i noticed that the group in the front of the rest stop were gone and so was the trooper’s vehicle. i don’t know if the mexicans had been arrested or just went on their way while we were at the back of the rest stop. i kind of think it was the former. meanwhile, the three troopers in the back continue to survey the area. just about this time, the dogs start barking at the remaining officers.
“we should get going”, i suggested and kate was in full agreement.
we herd the dogs back into the car and as we head off into the desert a theme starts floating in my head…
“…bad boys, bad boys, what’cha gonna do
what’cha gonna do when they come for you…”
as we drive along, listening to kate bush (one of kate’s favorites), we talk about just how porous the southern border really is. it’s almost like crossing the street in some places.
the deserts of west texas grew progressively prettier as we drove on. it is amazing how many different types of deserts the u.s. has. the colors change from state to state, almost like each state has its own decorator. when we hit the mesas and prairies of west texas we were blown away. they were incredible!!
kate saw some mustangs grazing in a valley. i saw a dead deer by the side of the road. ah, the privilege of being the driver.
the traffic is slowing, which is not normal for the ten. i notice some yellow flashers on the side of the road ahead.
“must be road work”, i surmise.
“left lane is closed”, kate says and we start to merge right. the one lane of traffic finally stops, which is really unusual for the ten. we notice that the traffic is being routed off the road. as we follow along, like cattle going down the chute, i notice what looks like truck scales off to the side.
“immigration again”, says kate, matter of factly
as we slow down to stop and go motion i see troopers standing on each side of the line of vehicles. merle’n sticks his head out between us to see what’s happening.
“i hope you dogs have your papers.” i joke, not sure myself what is happening. merle’n quickly moved to the back of the wagon.
we cautiously approach the inspection zone, a young trooper, packing heat casually glances into the wagon and waves us on.
“…bad boys, bad boys, what’cha gonna do
what’cha gonna do when they come for you…”
it was one of those many times when you are happy to look like a tourist and even more importantly, caucasian . this was definitely not the place to look mexican…or possibly……….middle eastern. we follow the herd back onto the ten just as it bears east again.
the two incidents seemed too much alike and much to close together to be coincidental. we considered that maybe the border patrol had gotten some kind of tip about something going down around here or maybe; just maybe; this was what life along the ten was like, in these parts. hard to tell.
the ten turns into 80 miles an hour so we were cruising along listening to some new madonna cuts and trying to take pictures with our camera phones. we should have dug the camera out, but we didn’t want to disturb the dogs. besides, when you are trying to cover a certain distance everyday you have a mind set that doesn’t allow for dilly-dallying.
any way, we were in the right lane because when you drive the ten you must stay in the right lane. the only time you use the left lane is when you are passing another vehicle
my cruise control was set for 83 miles an hour (give me an inch….) when we passed the state trooper car off the side of the road. his lights were flashing like he had just finished with some ‘out of state’ speeder who had already left. i was busy driving and camera phone picture taking, so i didn’t even think about it until i saw him behind me, lights still flashing.
i pulled over, thinking that the first thing this ‘good old boy’ west texas, state trooper was going to see was the line of earrings in my left ear. not the kind of first impression you want to make at a time like this. but he didn’t approach, instead he calls from the back of the car, asking me to join him there. i quickly comply.
he asks me, “ don’t you know that you are supposed to yield to the left lane when you are approaching an emergency vehicle off the side of the highway?”
i said, “no.”
he said, “don’t they yield to the left in california?”
i said, “no.”
kate quips from the car, “there’s no place to yield to, in california” all the while, trying to take a picture of us with her camera phone.
he ignores her. “did you know you were going over the speed limit?”
“my cruise control was set a little high” , i sheepishly agree.
he asks for my license and proof of insurance. as i gather my papers, he cautiously circles the car. we have a florida tint on our back windows, very dark. as he peers into the open driver’s window the pack begins to bark menacingly. he doesn’t’ even flinch. his circuit complete, he proceeds to politely question me about our journey.
i tell him that we are moving to florida; our belongings are in a pod somewhere en-route and that we are driving out because our dogs are too old to fly.
he explains the ‘yielding to the left’ law. i agree that it is a wise law and that california should institute it, all the while studying my reflection in his mirrored sunglasses trying to see if i was looking repentant enough and hoping he won’t ticket me.
“i have to run you for warrants”, he says as he heads back to his car.
kate says quietly, “i got a great picture of you two”
that’s kate, always looking for souvenirs.
i hear the dispatcher’s disembodied voice repeat my name.. now, i know that i haven’t had a ticket in more years then i care to mention and i certainly didn’t have any warrants out for me. still, it’s always a little unsettling to be facing the ‘authorities’, especially when you are an ear ringed ex-californian standing in the deserts of west texas, while your wife makes sarcastic attempts at humor to lighten the situation.
he comes back with my papers, and a slip of his own paper, in hand. my heart sinks.
“i’m just going to give you a written warning” (about the yield to the left law)
“try to watch your speed”.
i gratefully sign his warning, and get back in the car and slowly drive off.
“i forgot to save the picture”, kate said sadly as we crept away, “and it was a real good one too”.
i was secretly relieved. kate would have used it as our next christmas cards.
this day has been so long it is going to take me two days to finish it.
...more tomorrow
,,,love from all of us to all of you.
*************************
day four, part 2……a night (crack of thunder) in west texas…
...imagine if you will, an innocent couple in a volvo station wagon trying to make it to san antonio and the comfort of a dog friendly motel 6. you can see them as they drive deeper into dark west texas night. the passing landscape is like a velvet elvis painting, without the elvis...black and thick as molasses dripping into a dark well…black! black as an empty grave on the moonless night...black! black as the hind side of a gigantic...well, it was dark. the silence, the silence was like a vacuum...silent as a cd player between cuts…still as an unwound watch wrapped in cotton...silent! silent as the hind side of a gigantic...
the scene ran through my head as I drove through the night. one could almost hear a voice say…..
“we need coffee and gas if we’re gonna make san antonio tonight.”
for a moment there, kate sounded a little like rod serling.
i’ve been watching for the blue info signs they have along the ten. looking for gas, food…anything. we were both tired and don’t usually travel long after sunset but we decided to extend our daily travel time an extra 2 hours to make it to san antonio.
kate read the blue sign before i did. “gas, next right.”
“it looks kind of dark to me” i said, squinting through the windshield.
“it’s coming up, take the next right!”.
“you’ve got it navigator”.
we took the next exit down into this dark gully. the road took a bend to the left under the ten into total darkness. the only thing i could see in my headlights was (cue organ music) a dead-end sign. i started to feel a little creepy.
kate was insistent, “back up, there’s a road on the left”.
backed up and sure enough, there was a small overgrown, one lane road.
we took it, leaving the comforting lights and sounds of the ten behind.
as we twisted and turned through the dark we kept seeing these small signs directing us back to the ten, but they seemed to be leading us away. “this is starting to feel like the opening scene of a horror movie.” i timidly joked. “i think i can hear the sound of chainsaws in the distance”.
“don’t get spooky! where’s the dam gas station, anyway?” just as kate finished her sentence we pulled into a clearing.
it couldn’t really be called a town because there were only four buildings along side of the dirt road.
“there’s the gas station”, kate mumbled.
at least it once was a gas station. now it was run down and overgrown with weeds and cobwebs. i bet if you could see the prices they’d read 19 cents a gallon. the other buildings were dimly lit and as rundown as the gas station.
“aaarreeeaahh”, i joked, trying to imitate a chainsaw roaring to life.
“stop it! it’s creepy enough already” kate laughed nervously.
she was right. i half expected leather face to run out of one of the houses and to start sawing on the front of the volvo.
“kristen would poop his pants if he were here” i said, all the while thinking, where are the state troopers when you need them.
“if they come after us, we’ll let them have the dogs.” kate added lightheartedly.
“we’ll give them mysti, the little butterball.” i agreed “she’ll make some fine chili.”
we were joking, yeah, but at the same time there was a nagging thought nibbling at our humor. we were safe. there was nothing that could happen to an unsuspecting couple on a dark night in a remote spot in west texas, in this day and age, was there?
as we drove slowly (and quietly) through the town, we continued to be optimistically silly. but, i swear, if one of those doors would have opened, we would have screamed bloody murder and roared out of there at high speed.
up ahead, there was another little sign leading to the ten. i goosed the gas and as i made the turn i could see headlights in the distance. i glanced anxiously in the rear view mirror thinking i’d see some miscreants chasing behind but i could see nothing but black beyond the tinted windows.
“aaarreeeaahh”, i shrieked. “they must have been too busy with their last victims to bother us”.
kate added quite bravely, “they knew we had these vicious beasts with us” glancing back she could see the pack, all of them quietly sleeping.
we both sounded very bold but we were quite happy to get back on the ten and the company of the few fellow travelers heading east. i’m very happy to say that the rest of the way to san antonio was pretty uneventful.
as we first rode into san antonio, i had a hankerin’ for (more like a cravin’ for) some kind of food that didn’t come on a bun with fries or was extra crispy or regular with two sides and biscuits. i wanted to go someplace that you were actually seated by a waitress and you pondered over a menu while drinking a nice ale and kate was asking about the desserts before we even ordered the main course. not someplace expensive but someplace nice with low lighting and a quiet atmosphere. the kind of place you don’t find along the ten.
within san antonio’s city limits the ten is an elevated freeway and we were searching the road ahead for those extremely tall signs that herald an approaching oasis of gas, food and accommodations not necessarily in that order.
“there it is!” kate cried out. and, sure enough in the distance i spy the towering motel 6 sign just off the freeway.
“do you see anything good to eat?”, i desperately asked, saliva filling up my mouth at the thought of shrimp alfredo or even chinese, any kind of food that didn’t have road before it.
“let’s get our room, get the babies situated then we’ll find something to eat.” kate tried to calm me.
“something good to eat, i’m tired of food to go.” i whimpered.
“we’ll find something good to eat”, she promised
so we pull off the ten onto a frontage road, head toward the motel 6 sign and i notice the driveway.........just after i pass it.
“was that…?.”
“yeah, it was back there.”
i couldn’t stop and back up because there were a number of cars behind me and i couldn’t pull over turn around and go back because this was one of those one way frontage roads.
"just go to the right here and we’ll go round the block”.
“aye, aye navigator”, i responded, stomach rumbling like some approaching storm.
so we went to the right, right past an olive garden!
“mmmmmm, pastaaaa” i moaned, very homer simpson like.
“we have to get our room and walk the dogs then we’ll eat.”.
“ok, ok” i agreed.
“keep going to the right here i think this is a loop” kate directed.
we went right, onto another one way frontage road that ran along another freeway. we passed a what’a’burger and a few other fast food establishments.
“how do we get back?” i pondered aloud as i looked to the right hoping to find a street that crossed back over to the ten. i was not thinking so much about the motel but more about the olive garden
“mmmm pastaaaa”, i thought to myself, very homer simpson like.
“keep going to the right…here…go right here!”
we turned into this upscale shopping mall, the kind that has a frontage road running round it, a lot of expensive women’s stores and a whole posse of those electric security cars protecting the bmw’s and mercedes from smash and grabbers. as we cruised along the outer perimeter i studied the mall proper, hoping to see some kind of semi-fancy restaurant….nothing.
we came upon a drive leading out of the mall.
“turn right here” kate was beginning to sound like a broken record.
i complied and we were cruising through some hilly area, expensive condos shining on either side. we seemed to be heading away from where we should be but i have to admit that hunger for good food was really clouding my judgment and my sense of direction. i wasn’t sure where we were.
but, kate, like an oracle says, “keep going and stay to the right”.
we head down hill to a stoplight just before the elevated freeway.
it is our friend, the ten, again. even before she has it out of her mouth, i turn right onto the one way frontage road where we started, about, what seems like hours ago. i do not miss the driveway this time, i park the car away from the office, deal with the night man and we check the location of the room, hooray! it’s in the back. we find a small strip of grass in the back and walk the dogs before returning to our hunt for good food.
we turn to the right again, visions of the olive garden dancing in my head. it is closed.
no, no! i scream inside, it’s just not fair.
“Noooooo pastaaaa”, i moaned pitifully.
“we’ll find something else”, kate says reassuringly. “go to the right, up here.”
“the right?”
i am not quite sure what happened after that. depression hit me like a roach coach. we seemed to go round and round and round on the loop, like some evil mobius strip. round and round and round until finally exhausted we limped into the what’a’burger parking lot
“at least they have onion rings and mozzarella sticks”. kate always looks on the bright side.
“mmmm mozzarella stickssss” i said sadly, totally un-homer simpson like.
we consume our food and head back to the motel 6, and sleep.
...yours, david, kate and the pack...
*************************
day five, the ten, from san antonio to baton rouge, la…
san antonio is a beautiful city, very metropolitan. a real jewel in the rawhide of texas. you can tell there is a lot of money here. nice architecture, old and new and definitely color coordinated. the alamo was here but we didn’t see it. no time for history it’s just......
...the third star to the left and straight on until morning. after our long day yesterday there is this unspoken need to get home.
as i found out, quite sadly last night, the roads in san antonio are built on a loop system. round and round and round you go outward to the green side of texas. more water, means more people in east texas. you see oil pumps everywhere. big pumps, small pumps sucking the crude right out of the earth and storing it in small tanks then they haul it to the bigger tanks of the refineries. but not here, not in san antonio, ship it to el paso. just leave the cash here.
it was a wild rollercoaster ride through houston on super bowl sunday the freeways and interchanges are under construction (all the states are busy using their highway funds) and as we careen through the chaos the traffic is like a school of fish running from predators. a high speed chase through the canyons of houston’s high rises. big trucks, suv’s and not a trooper in sight. it was like a thrill ride. it was so exciting i wanted to take the wagon back upstream and run the rapids again but kate said, no!
after we leave houston behind, texas goes deep green. as we cross that invisible line that separates the dry south west from the wet south east, kate finally has come up with a name for our chariot, we christen the station wagon, priscilla, queen of the deserts. not too original but she has ferried us safe and sure through the deserts. carried us and the pack secure across the miles, on our way to st pete.
we have now traveled over 2,000 miles and it has taken its toll.
driving all day, sitting in a car seat and eating road food soon poses some tribulations besides stiffness and indigestion. kate has been having problems with (how to put this politely?) constipation and it’s equally annoying cousin…. hemorrhoids. we picked up some senna tablets to try to relieve this situation but so far, no go. she’s been a little hesitant to try a super dose due to the fact, she hates public restrooms. so, she has been going easy and trying to time her doses to coincide with our motel 6 stops. kate is not very stoic. the ten, like any major truck route, has a number of rough patches and every bump solicits a slight groan from kate.
she’s been trying keep up a bold front but i know she has a sore behind
suddenly a subtle shift in the atmosphere.
it began as a slight fidgeting.
we were listening to music and talking when i noticed a change of tone in kate’s voice. she seemed distracted as if some stray, arrant thought was kibitzing our conversation. now, we’ve been together a long time and over that time, one thing i have learned for sure is...when kate is slightly upset about something, she begins to loose track of the conversation.
now, i was driving,
80 miles an hour,
in the dark, on the ten .
i couldn’t risk even an observant glance at her.
for fear we’d all die a fiery death on the side of the road.
then….silence.
now, we’ve been together a long time, and the second thing i know for sure about kate. is…when she stops talking,there is...something, wrong.
dogs in the back, stretched out, comfy cozy, sleeping…no help.
the grateful dead, a nebulous soundtrack, makes the current situation, even more surreal.
“we have to stop...”, kate said quietly
now, we’re driving,
80 miles and hour,
“...I need a restroom.....”
on the ten,
in the dark.
“...a rest stop, anything”.
now, we’ve been together a long time now, and there’s another thing i know for sure about kate is…she hates public restrooms. what to do?
we’re driving,
80 miles an hour,
in the dark,
on the ten.
on an endless causeway that is currently crossing miles of real swamp.
the mighty ten, just a mere 4 lane highway, delicately balanced just two feet away from bayou friggin', alligator and snake infested, swamp and it’s pitch black, no moon. this is not the spot you want the senna to finally kick in. especially when it seems like it’s going to have a...cumulative effect.
“i really need a bathroom,” kate said, “really soon”.
i knew we were in trouble. kate has been backed up for a few days now and if nature decides to call she’ll have no choice but to answer.
a very powerful force, nature, especially if it’s a conference call with multiple doses of senna. who knows what it may inspire. especially, with three dogs in the back. this has the potential to become a very messy situation.
suddenly, the landscape seems to be changing...land ahoy!
as the ten comes back to semi-solid ground...a blue sign ahead!
“gas station coming up on the right.” I shout triumphantly
a sigh of partial relief from kate. it’s a truck stop, well, more like a truck repair station. no cars visible, just 18 wheelers scattered about.
we pull around back and in between the repair bays a lone sign “restroom” above a lone partially opened door.
kate bounds from the car before i even stop. the dogs are up and pacing the back.
we wait, the sounds of diesels all around us.
we wait, in the thick louisiana night, staring at the grease stained restroom door.
we wait, just long enough to start to worry and then finally, kate emerges, a smile of relief on her face.
she walks, light footed back to the car.
“that was the most disgusting bathroom i’ve ever used”, she says
“there was water on the floor in front of the toilet, a kotex machine and a condom dispenser on the walls. the place was filthy but it was the most beautiful place in the world”.
i started thinking that it was funny how when your need outweighs your disgust, a place of revulsion can become an oasis in your minds eye.
as we head east, towards baton rouge we change cds to the band.
their funky southern sounds and kate’s lightened mood calms the pack and they quickly go back to sleep.
when we cross the bridge coming into baton rouge, the skyline is gleaming like jewels in the night. the mighty mississippi reflecting back its image makes it three dimensional. truly a sweet sight.
baton rouge is beautiful in the dark but by mornings light you can see the rough edges of a depressed economy everywhere you look. the people are friendly, but not quite happy. however, that’s for tomorrows report.
the pack is settled on the extra bed. kate is already sleeping, sounder then she has for days. i checked the weather channel and it’s great traveling weather ahead. i’m going to read a little, then try to catch up to kate in dreamland.
...later, gator.
*************************
day six, florida bound…
we got up really early because, tonight we will be sleeping in tallahassee fl. we planned to grab some quad mochas at starbucks and to wash priscilla before we hit the road. we filled the tank and got a $2.00 car wash coupon last night but the car wash was closed. so, this morning we thought we would try again.
well, the car wash was still closed. not one’s to waste $2.00, we tried to pull around front for a refund. the problem was i didn’t see the small protruding curb on my left side…there was a large pop and priscilla’s left foot quickly deflated.
to make a long story short, we needed to get some new front tires (baby needs a new pair of shoes). luckily there was a tire shop about a block away, so i put on the spare and we drove on down.
while we were at the tire shop we spoke with the manager about new orleans. he advised us not to go into town. he said if we did, to run the red lights if we didn’t want to get carjacked. he said the police were not even writing tickets for “runnin’ the reds” because carjacking was such a problem.
he said that, folks in baton rouge use to always go to the french quarter on the weekends (it’s only about 60 miles away) and that it has always been wild but now it was “lawless”. he hasn’t been down there, since katrina.
kate was only too happy to mention my run in with the texas state troopers (she likes to keep everyone abreast of my misadventures).
the manager said in a thick southern drawl, “yieldin to the left, that ain’t no law. they probably pulled you over ‘cause you had california plates on.”
"they don’t like california?” i queried
“naw, they don’t really give it no never mind, it’s the highway. they do a lot of smugglin’ along the highway. that’s why he checked your car out.”
i pondered this…station wagon...dark tinted windows...california plates. he might have thought we were the fabulous furry freak brothers out to exchange our california lsd for some heavy duty texas peyote. well, he got the furry right. the trooper must have been surprised, when he found dogs in our car.
seeing as how we were travelers, they got to our car right away so it only took a little over an hour. this was good, since we were hanging with the pack in the parking lot.
all and all we lost about four hours travel time and paid around $100.00 for the tires. but, we still felt lucky when we thought about it. after all, it could have happened on the ten going eighty mph and we did get our $2.00 back
we finally got a chance to get some coffee and after we sipped some java, we slipped tom petty into the cd player and hit the ten once again.
“it must be a strange life.” kate mentions out of the blue. “these spots along the highway, a lot of them have no tourist attractions. nothing to catch your attention, except when you need something. they just provide services to the people, heading some where else.”
i thought about that...motels, gas stations, fast food and the same…motels, gas stations, fast food at each stop.
nothing as impressive or as celebrated as the…grand canyon…or the alamo...or the largest ball of twine. nothing as notorious (or as sinister as)...the spahn movie ranch...or waco, texas...or roswell, new mexico.
all these spots have to offer is just a little comfort or a safe haven or maybe just what you need when you’ve been on the road a long time from where you started and you still have a lot of miles to go before you get to where you’re going.
while i’m thinking about it, it seems like everyone you talk to in each of these spots, is from somewhere else. you wonder if they were travelers like you, who didn’t really have any destination in mind. so, they sort of stopped along their way and signed on to the mighty ten’s work force. maybe it’s their purgatory for not knowing what they want out of life or maybe they just finally found their niche in this weird world of ours.
the ten bypasses new orleans proper but we could still see lots of wind damage and a lot of empty, vacant buildings and abandoned shopping centers. from the ten, it looked like a ghost town. as we passed gulfport, mississippi, we noticed that all of their beach exits were still closed after all this time.
on we drove. louisiana, mississippi, alabama all fly by our windows as we make a beeline for florida. we are riding the ten along the gulf coast. you can almost smell the salt in the air.
the sunsets have grown more distant as the miles roll by.
sinking further and further into the west, waving like old friends
on the other hand, the sunrises have grown more brilliant as we ride the ten, east. opening up each day like it’s a new map with countless directions for the future
this has been a journey of wonders, just kind of rolling along, on its own momentum… sure of its final destination
it seems that i am just the driver’…
“shut your mouth…keep your hands on the wheel
...don’t say nothing...this is for real”
oops, sorry, the peter gabriel cd had me digging in the dirt and waxing philosophical.
you know what i really am? i am a teller, and I figure, that this old world can always use some new tales. …slightly twisted by an off-center narrator who has been wandering in the desert for quite a while now. a seeker that has finally found a place to sink a new well in his dehydrated imagination and has brought forth a flowing stream of babbling words just waiting to pour out on a page.
on the purely physical plane, the road we have traveled has been a long but fairly smooth road. sure, there has been an occasasional bump or two but priscilla, kate, the pack and me have traveled it quite well. on the emotional plane it’s been a roller coaster ride. we are sad to leave family and friends but eager about starting our new life, excited about finally completing our decade long quest for florida.
as the first stars come out, we are close to tallahassee fl and we are both smiling. tomorrow, at this time, will find us in our new home. thinking about the miles we traveled and the happy years we have before us...
...till i write again
...david and kate and the fabulous furry freak dogs
*************************
................................. (*)
you do remember, back on day three, that i promised that i would try to be more informative about the various states we have driven through? well, we have been doing research on wikopedia about this and i’ve been trying to dust the alzheimers off my memory to be able to give you the highlights of each of the states we have very briefly visited.
kate has been very helpful. her memory is like a steel trap.
“yeah, that’s been rusted shut.” that’s kate always modest about her abilities.
well, i’ve been googling my treo
“i don’t know if you can say that online”
“ i’m sure i was red flagged by the nsa the day i mentioned the small cooler”
sorry, for the interruption.
we found out that the area we crossed, at the start of our journey, is called the sonoran desert. it reaches from the edge of southeastern california across the western two-thirds of southern arizona and encompasses much of the state of sonora, in mexico.
the wildlife of the sonoran, ranges from hummingbirds to rattlesnakes to desert bighorns and with such a harsh climate you’d be surprised to find so many mammals, reptiles, birds, and even about a dozen amphibian species, including the world's largest terrestrial salamander, the tiger salamander.
“mysti saw one of those”.
“that was a rock”.
“it wasn’t!”
“was so!”
“wasn’t!”
“was so!”
and the sonoran desert has the greatest diversity of plant life of any desert worldwide. pretty interesting, huh?
“wasn’t!”
even though the colorado, the yaqui, the salt, the verde and the gila rivers all pass through the sonoran region, the desierto de altar, in the western sonoran is one of the driest areas in north america, and has periods of drought that have lasted for up to 30 months.
“now, that’s a dry spell!”
although we did not stop in phoenix we did drive through. i remember the cars and the speed limit signs.....
“i remember, let me tell them”
i yield the floor to kate.
“just give me your phone”
Phoenix is the capitol of Arizona and the fourteenth largest city in the United States. Phoenix seemed to be a very green city even though it is in the northern reaches of the Sonoran Desert and has some of the hottest seasonal temperatures experienced by any large city. Only some cities around the Persian Gulf such as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Baghdad have higher average summer temperatures.
Even with the extreme heat, forty-one percent of all terrestrial bird species found in the United States can be seen here during some part of the year. There was a beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright Building right off the freeway in the middle of downtown and at the first rest stop we made in Arizona they had this giant cactus.
“a prickly pear cactus”.
“don’t interrupt”
Most of the state of Arizona does not observe daylight savings time and they have spectacular sunsets.
“are you finished?
“yes.”
“hey, you used upper case letters!”
“my thumbs are daintier, more princess like.”
“yeah, and you don’t have ‘carpal tunnel’”
“excuses, excuses”
“e.e.cummings didn’t use upper case letters”
“that’s true”
“and he didn’t use a treo either.”
“no, just a typewriter with a broken shift key.”
a little further on the sonoran desert sort of blends into the potent chihuahuan desert. it is the largest desert in north america. and covers more than 200,000 square miles in the u.s... it extends into parts of new mexico, texas and sections of southeastern arizona. the vast majority of this desert lies at elevations between 3,500 and 5,000 feet.
the chiuahuan desert has an abundance of wildlife. some representative animals include the black tailed jack rabbit, the cactus mouse, the greater roadrunner...
“what makes him greater?”
...the mojave rattlesnake, the new mexican whiptail lizard, the red spotted toad and the tiger salamander.
“mysti saw one of those!”
“did not!”
“did too!”
it is a shrub desert so the variety of perennial plant life is limited. yuccas and agaves growing with grasses and creosote bushes, give this desert its distinguishing appearance. prickly pears and mormon tea are also found there.
“i didn’t think mormon’s could drink tea.”
“no caffeine.”
“oh.”
even though there is not an abundance of plant life the colors of the chiuahuan desert are quite stunning and the young yucca trees look a lot like bushy people standing out in the desert waving at you as you drive by.
i now pass the conch shell to princess kate, of the dainty thumbs.
“thank you piggy.”
“hey, how come i’m piggy?”
“who ate the last of the cookies, hmm?”
“well, i...”
Even though the capitol of New Mexico is Santa Fe the largest city in the state is Albuquerque. The landscape ranges from wide, rose-colored deserts to broken mesas to high, snow-capped peaks. Millions of acres of New Mexico are protected by the federal government as national forests.
Cattle and dairy top the list of major animal products and their crops include hay, pecans, and chili peppers. Ancient Native Americans mined turquoise for making jewelry. After the Spanish introduced refined silver alloys they were incorporated into the Indian jewelry designs.
and now, there are giant road side stands with miles of signs preceding them like moses before the flood. moccasins...serapes...turquoise jewelry...pecan brittle. these giant, hand-painted billboards stand along side the ten just like the burma shave rhyming serial signs of long ago. at least burma shave was subtle, well maybe not subtle but, at least smaller they weren’t like these colossal signs crying out...moccasins... serapes...corn dogs...all things south western.
these garish breadcrumbs lead you down the road to a revival size tent. with bargain basement prices. and real rattle snake skulls. i didn’t see signs for ‘jo jo, the two headed boy, scourge of the big tent’ but i figure that he must be there too. needless to say, we didn’t stop.
as for texas.....
“well, we certainly covered that.” kate sighs.
up next, louisianna, named after king louie the XIV. we traveled in the alluvial regions, which includes the low swamps and coast lands, where the mississippi empties into the gulf of mexico.
“don’t say empties” kate says, quietly reflecting on a dark night in louisiana not too long ago. “just give me the treo”.
The capital city is Baton Rouge and the most populous city is New Orleans
Louisiana is often affected by tropical cyclones and, as we all know, is very vulnerable to strikes by major hurricanes, particularly the low area around and in the New Orleans area. The entire state averages over 60 days of thunderstorms a year and it averages 27 tornados annually.
“and, they have alligators too.” i gleefully add.
Creoles and Cajuns of French Canadian ancestry are dominant in much of the southern part of the state. While many people elsewhere in the United States use "creole" to refer to mixed-race peoples, Louisiana creoles also may be whites of French ancestry or people of predominantly African backgrounds.
Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes in the same way that other states are divided into counties. Louisiana was formed from France and Spain colonies, which were both officially Roman Catholic. Consequently, local government was based upon parishes, as the local ecclesiastical division.
Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the Orleans Territory was divided into twelve counties. The borders of these counties were poorly defined, but they roughly coincided with the colonial parishes, and hence used the same names. Its per capita personal income is US$24,820, ranking last in the United States.
it is definitely americas’ ‘low rent district’, but the people seem nice and the bayous are very striking in a haunting sort of way. i will say that the pack did not want to go in the motel room in baton rouge.
“they went in and immediately ran back out.”
“that wasn’t the nicest motel 6 we’ve been in. remember, they had a paper clip holding up the chain in the toilet tank.”
“...and the security guard almost caught us red handed with two dogs, too many...”
“...and it was the most expensive... no triple a or aarp discounts....”
but it seems, it was the most memorable motel 6.
i don’t remember much about mississippi but i do remember seeing a number of casinos along the ten. immense, flashy casinos, bigger then the one’s on the strip in reno.
“the phone please.”
Mississippi is the second largest gambling state in the Union, ahead of New Jersey and just behind Nevada. Jackson is the Capitol and is also the most populous city. Per capita personal income in 2005 was $33,569, 50th in the nation yet the cost of living in Mississippi is one of the lowest in the country --thus this must be put in perspective.
In contrast, Mississippians consistently rank as one of the highest per capita in charitable contributions. Lumber is a prevalent industry in Mississippi with over half of the state's acreage covered by wild trees. They are mostly pine trees, but Mississippi has an abundance of other trees: cottonwood, elm, hickory, oak and pecan.
“there are a lot of pecan trees across the south”
“we saw them in new mexico, texas, louisiana and mississippi”.
“but not, in alabama. we didn’t see much of alabama.
“let me tell them about alabama”.
Alabama is known as The Heart of Dixie and the Yellowhammer state. The capital is Montgomery and the largest city is Birmingham. Alabama's industrial outputs include iron and steel products (including cast-iron and steel pipe); mining (mostly coal); plastic products; cars and trucks; and apparel.
“hey! i thought everything was made in china, now ‘a’ days”.
“we probably ship it to china.”
Also, Alabama produces aerospace and electronic products, mostly in the Huntsville area, which is home of the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the US Army Missile Command headquartered at Redstone Arsenal. The city of Mobile is a busy seaport on the Gulf of Mexico, and with inland waterway access to the Midwest via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
that about covers the informative highlights section of our trip. i know that you want to thank princess kate for her enlightening narrative.
“i just thought that our readers deserved a little more then, ‘...i saw some cars and speed limit signs....’”
well, let’s get back to the day at hand......shall we?
*************************
...day seven, next stop st. pete! (wahoo!!)
it’s tuesday and we’re right on schedule.
“...changes in attitudes,changes in latitudes
...nothing remains quite the same...”
jimmy buffett’s new compilation cd is the pick of the day and it is a beautiful day. we got the sunroof wide open and the warm florida sunshine is pouring into priscilla. as we sing along with jimmy, we can smell the gulf and watch the palm trees sway in time to the island beat.
we left the ten today. after more then six days traveling on it, it was like saying goodbye to a good friend. soon after we left tallahassee, we transferred to the nineteen which heads south, straight into st pete.
the pack is a little antsy. they slept while we drove but any departure from the highway; rest stop or food stop and they were up and pacing. i know it’s because they are so attuned to our feelings. when we get excited, so do they and we are excited, about being so close to completing our mission.
“...find a far off wonderland...
...settle back and take command of your life today...”
for a week now, they have been little gypsy dogs and they have traveled well. averaging ten hours a day on the road with short rest stops (maybe two or three a day at the most). we are very proud of them and ourselves. it has been quite a journey.
“oh look, more nut shacks”, kate’s eyes are gleaming “but they are all closed up.” we have been passing various road side nut stands but the harvest has not yet come in.
the nineteen is lined with florida slash pines, tall and regal, southern live oaks with spanish moss shimmering in their branches and a number of various types of palm trees scattered about. i muse to my self, that we have all of those in our new front yard; two giant slash pines, two tall and slender betel nut palms and a young live oak all standing guard in front of our new but still vacant home.
just for a moment i wonder, if the house is lonely. crazy thought, huh? but, it isn’t, when you really think about it. a house is the largest investment most people make in their lives. and, with thirty year plus mortgages, it is the gift that keeps you giving. you may sell it and buy another, but that is just an extension of the original investment.
it is also the most intimate of your possessions. they say that your car is an extension of yourself and its true; your car, your clothes, they are an external expressions of yourself. they are, how you want the world to see you. but your house, is the internal expression of yourself. it is the one place where you can actually be yourself. the place you can walk around with just your underwear (or even less) on. your home sees you at your most intimate times. if you think for a moment you’ll know exactly what i mean. she sees you when you are just you, for better or worst, not just when you’ve got your outer skin on. in a way, she absorbs your true aura and becomes you. a house needs people to become a home.
our house is 54 years old (4 years younger then me) and has known only three owners in all that time. the original owners from’53 to ’71, the couple from whom we bought it, from ’71 to ’07 and us, ready to stay with her the rest of our days. as she sits empty and totally dark is she wondering who’s next , is she feeling she’s been abandoned.
that is why we’ve been racing cross country. we didn’t like the idea of our home sitting alone. we have tried to put those thoughts out of our heads for the last week, but now that we are almost there, we can’t. with all the road tales behind us, our final destination is the only thing on our minds. and, the more we think about it, the more the road keeps stretching out , like a tight white rubber band all the way to st pete.
“i can’t wait to see the famous weeki wachee mermaids”
“the who’sitz and what’s itz?”
“the world famous mermaids of weeki wachee springs; it’s the only underwater theater of its kind! there is no tank or aquarium. the theater is built into the spring itself and the mermaids perform in this natural and pristine spring while visitors enjoy the show 16-feet below the surface of the water! i want to see some manatees too, they’re so cute!”
kate’s on cloud nine. she’s back in florida and she’s loving every minute of it. me too! it is hard to believe that we are finally here. all of our planning, preparations and hard work really paid off.
“i want some fresh seafood...and not on a bun either.”
we arrive in st pete around 3 pm. we swing by our realtor, greg’s office and pickup the keys to the house. greg is as happy to see us as we are to see him. we talk for a short while then head for the house. we pull up into the driveway and let the pack out of the car and into their new back yard. they run around barking and sniffing, sniffing and barking. we leave them there while kate and i try to discover which of the nine keys i have, work the front door.
i finally figure out which key goes where and we enter our house.
it is completely empty and seems smaller then we remember but due to past experiences we know that once our new retro furniture is in, it will appear bigger. sad to say it’s going to be empty a little while longer. the pod is in town but it won’t be delivered until thursday (they are closed wednesday), so we have just two days to wait.
we let the dogs in from the back yard and they wander room to room trying to catch a familiar scent. i sit down on our beautiful terrazzo floors and at once my suspicions are confirmed, they are beautiful but not at all comfortable. we need to get an airbed and some other provisions.
just before we leave, after we’ve closed and locked the doors, i call the pack to me, i crouch down (for there was no chair) i turn to the pack (which is not easy to do, in a crouch) and i say, quietly to them.
“now’s the time, guys. if any of you has anything to say about the trip, now’s the time”. they look at me...then to themselves...then back at me. then they laid down.
now, my dogs and i have been together for a long time and if there is one thing i know for sure...it’s their body language. i can tell you, without even the smallest hesitation that they said to me, just exactly what kate and i were thinking.
finally...we are home!
Copyright 2007 David Spangenburg
