The title of today's post is the punchline of a shaggy dog story; feel free to reverse engineer your own plot.
Kenny and I got a hotel room in the Fisherman's Wharf district of San Fran. Unfortunately, my little sniffles may have turned into Kenny's flu. Nonetheless, we paced ourselves and strolled the Japanese Garden in Golden Gate Park, walked through Little Italy and Chinatown, and generally made the best of it. I dropped him at the airport and went straight over to Mary and Mary's place. Mary and I were in a little ballet troupe my second year of college. I stayed with them last year (see San Francisco post), having not seen Mary in 44 years. We picked right up all over again. I joined them for some exercise classes, an Asian massage, a jam session, the penultimate WNBA game between the Valkyries and the Dreams, walks with the dogs, helped harvest their persimmons; you know, regular life stuff!
Also in Oakland? My dad's third wife's grandkids Skye and Zoe. I joined them and their little ones for Halloween and trick-or-treating. What a hoot. I don't have much for costumes in the van, but I wore the Berry Fairy hat from Northwest Nomads and the smiley face shirt and called myself a “Happy Strawberry”. I didn't know them much when they were growing up, but hanging with them really felt like family. Thanks, dad!
From there I once again met up with my friend Beth, whose trajectory has matched up with mine for a fifth time. We always enjoy each other's company, and spent a couple days enjoying the city. I think I'm gregarious, but she treats strangers like they've always been best friends, and in a couple of minutes they're usually acting like it. As we were leaving a restaurant, she made a comment to a customer that began, “Babe!…” I said something like, “I couldn't say that…” and then we were discussing when or if a guy could ever use the term. We had left the restaurant and were halfway up the block when someone shouts, “BABE!” It was the waitress bringing me my cap, which somehow I have not lost since I began my journey. Or, more accurately, it has always come back to me despite multiple separations.
I'm having a couple of solo days as I head towards Humboldt Redwoods State Park, but then I'm meeting up with a new friend, Amanda. We had some great conversations at Northwest Nomads, and discovered we have a mutual love of the Redwoods.
I try not to make these posts, “I did this, and then I went here”, but sometimes that's all I've got. Just so you know, I'm in a good space grief-wise, I'm enjoying my days with good food and good company, and I'm seeing lots of beautiful vistas. Life is becoming ever simpler as things that really matter come more into focus. I'm heartened by the Blue Tsunami of the midterms, but can only manage “guardedly optimistic” after ten years of perfidy, corruption and cruelty.
I'm out of videos previously recorded, so I had to overcome my inertia and make a new one. I picked “Tell Me You're Doing Well”, as I met up with my old college flame after all these years when I drove through Kentucky, and learned the answer is yes.