Dreams, Moments, Travels
For the last time, I am preparing my dinner on my own. It is decided, John will return tomorrow. While it was good to clean out the freezer and finally eat all that cabbage soup, pasta sauce, and other hidden goodies, I am really looking forward to more variety and flavors, and, ultimately, lots of fresh greens and veggies when our veggie subscription starts up again in a month or so.
For the first time since John left (and hopefully for the last time for a while) I am cleaning the windshield of our faithful silver chariot, otherwise known as Hyundai Accent. The accumulating dirt made driving into the sun during mornings and evenings rather difficult. Based on my husband’s comments in the past I didn’t think I had enough arm length and upper body strength to use that squeegee thingy properly, but in the end, I did a decent enough job.
Before leaving Santa Barbara, California, nearby wildfires raged for days, burning over 80,000 acres. The smoke closed major freeways while high winds whipped the fire into a land-eating frenzy. On this day, the air smelled heavy of burnt wood, ash-covered cars, plants, and homes. People walked the beach with respirators, and the sun’s rays barely pierced the thick haze. I waited for a breeze to clear the air or an earthquake to shake the fire to its knees while the palm trees stood a silent vigil, waiting for the blue skies to return.
Try as I might, when I finally treated myself to a shopping excursion at Goodwill, I wasn’t able to find more than one t-shirt. At least it was less than $5 even though it looks brand new, and it bears a German logo. Of course, this is the kind of store you have to visit regularly, so I’ll be back soon (or so I hope).
As we are waiting for our flight home, blue sky finally appears. Unfortunately, our plane doesn’t. And when it does, it has a broken part. Our flight, originally scheduled to take off at 6 PM, finally departs at around 11:00 p.m. EST, getting me home at about 3:00 a.m. AZ time.
View from my hotel room on the 6th floor. I’m actually enjoying the gray sky, rain, and greenery.