Traveling Day

I started the morning with breakfast. It was a cold and windy day.
Reached the airport smoothly, and then...

The turn around flight from Denver to Rapid City was delayed two hours
due to icing. So I sat, wrote, watched and read. The flight to Denver
was smooth. At Denver, my original connecting flight was delayed and
hour, so after a brisk walk I made the connection and boarded. We
rolled back from the gate and...waited. And waited. Computer problems.
We rolled back to the gate, deplaned, and boarded another plane. Where
we rolled back from the gate and...waited. Computer problems. They
fixed it. We flew out and arrived in San Jose about two hours late. At
San Jose, I discovered my bag is on the plane...behind me. So, again,
I wait. But I am at home waiting and I have tomorrow off. It was a
good day, all in all.

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Reflections of a Minor Motel Fetish

A Winters Tale

There is a time when the best thing we can do is run through the darkness.

It is an act of faith. It is a statement of trust to run through the night.

We trust our memory of the terrain. We trust our memory of the twists, the turns, the curves, the rise and the fall of the path.

It is a flowing moment of liberation.

Why we run is a winter’s tale.

Sometimes when we run we run toward things.

Sometimes when we run we run away from things.

Sometimes, I would say the best of times, we simply run because we can.

I left the ranch about eight p.m. I had spent the day idly and felt the need to run rising as the evening overtook us. I dressed warmly, in layers, so I could peel them off as I went.

It was a short jog out of the ranch yard to the road and I turned north. It is a mile and a half along a relatively straight road to the mailbox.

I started out slowly, moving at an even pace until my eyes adjusted to the night. The world was cast entirely in shades of silver and gray. Once my eyes had adjusted to the night I could make out the strand of the road, light against dark.

I kept my paces short to keep my feet underneath me, to keep my balance centered, to land surely on each foot.

Aussie ran alongside me, ranging ahead and behind, coursing back and forth across the road.

Somewhere to the east coyotes were howling. I could see occasional fields of stars amid the mostly overcast sky.

It has been a long time since I ran through the South Dakota night. Time folded into itself and those moments joined with these. The run took on that timeless sense that all good runs do. Something surrenders into the purity of the moment.

I reached the mailbox and turned for home. My pace was faster, surer, covering the road I had covered moments before. I picked up the pace, felt my legs starting to burn, felt my lungs drawing in the sharp cold South Dakota winter nights air.

Aussie pulled in close to me on the run home. The pace was fast enough that when he ranged from side to side he got left behind and I could hear the rapid pace of his paws as he would rush up behind me.

I pushed myself hard when the yard lights of the ranch approached, lengthening my stride running with speed through the darkness. The approaching yard lights began to affect my night vision, I could feel it fading.

Some, as I approached the ranch, I was running at speed through the darkness, trusting entirely to my memory of the terrain I had just crossed.

My memory was flawed.

Not badly, but enough.

Just at the turn of the ranch road I hit a rock. I good sized one, slight domed, a sudden solid strike. It did not break my stride but I felt the blow. I slowed down and took the last quarter of mile at an easy pace.

I was limping by the time I reached the ranch. I went inside and stripped down. I took off my shoe and checked my foot. Tender, but nothing broken – just a solid blow in the darkness to the bridge of my foot.

I am sitting here now icing it and feeling that soft throbbing.

Every moment of the run was worth it. Sometimes we run simply because we can. Sometimes we pay a price because we decide to run, because we decide to trust, because we run for the sake of running.

Sunday In South Dakota

It seems odd but the last four days have flown by at a slow pace. LOL – that is the only way that I can think of to describe it. On Thursday I basically travelled all thirteen hours, arriving here at the ranch at about 11:00 PM. I talked briefly with my step dad and then fell asleep. We woke early the next morning (6:00 AM), drove into Winner, had breakfast at Joie’s and then went up to Winner Regional Hospital to visit my mother who was it with what ultimately turned out to be a form of colitis. We spent the day at the hospital, circling out once to get some lunch and once to run some errands. We left in the evening and drove back to the ranch. My mother called from the hospital and let us know that the doctor had swung by and told her that they were going to release her on Saturday.

So, Saturday was a shorter repeat of Friday. Bill (my step father) and I rolled out at 6:00 AM and headed into Winner and breakfast at Joie’s. From there we spent the morning at the hospital and Mom was discharged about noon. We ran a few more errands, stopped for lunch, and headed back to the ranch. (If you are a Google fan, Google Earth Carter South Dakota, the come about three miles west and eight miles south and there is the ranch).

I cooked dinner for my folks (steak, potatoes au gratin, baked beans) and we spent the rest of Saturday visiting and catching up. There were visits from relatives and family friends that pretty much occupied the evening, intermingled with telephone calls. I did figure out how to connect by dial-up, LOL, something I had not done with this particular laptop. It seems to work fairly well, but I feel guilty tying up the only phone line.

Today (Sunday) was far more laid back. We all slept in (the toll of the last several days). Breakfast was catch as catch can. The weather was nicer today. The sun was out and shining most of the day and the sky was blue. The temperature was up in the low forties but there was a biting wind from the west.

We spent the morning visiting. Bill’s niece Mary has been transcribing an old journal that belonged to great Aunt Hattie. Aunt Hattie had forty years of diaries that Mary is working on transcribing. Bill has some of the early transcription work and we spent the morning reading and talking about it. I will transcribe part of it here a little later in the week, because it is interesting stuff, at least to me.
In the early afternoon I put on my jacket and headed out to take a walk around the ranch. My mom’s dog Aussie decided to come with me. I just rambled around and took some pictures and enjoyed the day. It was partially overcast and with that wind my fingers and cheeks took a bit of a bite, but nothing significant. I will upload some of the pictures once I get back to California – with the dial up, uploading a picture of any size is going to tie the phone up. It was a typical blustery early winter South Dakota day.

The amusing point of the walk happened when we were in the wind break to the rest of the ranch. The trees still have some big snow drifts from the storm a few weeks ago, so I was walking up and down over the drifts and Aussie was ranging back and forth, poking into the cover, looking for things. He had ranged about fifty feet ahead of me when I topped a small drift and started a cotton tail rabbit from his shelter beneath a small bush. He leapt up and went bounding off over the drifts, heading straight for the dog. Aussie never saw the rabbit coming until it blazed past him. Normally, Aussie is reckless when it comes to chasing rabbits, but this one surprised him and as the rabbit bolted past, rather then give chase, Aussie jumped about four feet into the air with a yelp. He landed and the look on his face was “what the heck was that”! By the time he figured out it was a rabbit, it had already slipped into the cedars and was gone. Aussie when over and ranged in and out of the cedars trying to sniff it out, but it was probably safe in it’s burrow.
My sister came out and we spent the afternoon visiting, and then it was nap time. I laid down to take a nap but tossed and turned for a while. By the time I was ready to drop off into sleep it was what I call the “dangerous nap” time – that is the time when a nap runs the risk of turning into sleep, and if you fall asleep you will wake up in the middle of the night. So, I powered myself out.

We shared the tasks of getting dinner cooking, I spent some time on the telephone with one of my brothers (we basically passed the phone around). I popped online briefly and sent a few emails. I feel guilty composing emails online since I am tying up the only telephone, so I thought I would write things (like this journal entry) offline and send them quickly when I come online later in the night.
So far the visit has been very nice and the days have passed quickly, even though the pace has been very slow. (It seems contrary, but that is my impression.)

Lay Over

Okay, I have walked the length and breadth of SLC, drank coffee, had
lunch, ate a Cinnabon, sat, people watched, texted, called, emailed,
im'ed, peeked, poked, prodded and paused. I met a lady going to Geneva
to winter in the French Alps on a journey of self exploration. I
talked to a salesman of stepper machines. I helped a little old couple
carry their bags through the terminal. I talked to a TSA agent for a
while. I browsed the shops. I bought a bejewled elephant for my
mother. I bought a pair of earrings for my sister. I drank raspberry
water. In short, a typical layover. Life is an amazing thing!

Sent from my iPhone

SLC

So far so good. Flight was smooth out of San Jose and easy into SLC.
Now, I have about three hours to pass here. Going to see if I can get
online and play.

Traveling Light Today In The Eye Of The Storm

Work is winding down. All of my meetings for the day are complete. All of the immediate tasks are either finished or assigned to some to finish them. I am entering vacation very cleanly from a work stand point and it has been a while since I have had a vacation and could say that.

The last three years I have taken my San Diego vacation in late July, I have ended up working remotely at least some portion of the trip, and the same usually holds true on my South Dakota trips. I will accept the responsibility for some of it as a chronic overachiever.

After our unseasonable sun the day is gray and cool and smells of the approach of rain. This time tomorrow, I should be on an airplane approaching the Rapid city, SD airport, and then driving through the night and back to the reservation and the ranch with my sister. I am going to try and travel as lightly as possible. I was joking with a friend of mine today at lunch that the huge advantage of a South Dakota winter vacation is that you really don't have to make any clothing choices. It's pretty much blue jeans and button down shirts and boots and that is about it. I leave some cold weather clothing in South Dakota - a heavy winter jacket, sweaters, thermal underwear, cap and gloves. My sister will bring them to the airport to meet me.

My mother is back at the doctor again today (since last night), this time with another infection. I am hugely curious as to what I am going to find when I see her - it has been about a year since I was last home and though we talk on the phone quite frequently her last round of health related issues has me curious. One of the challenges is plain old communication - so that is where a good eye to eye conversation will be of great help.

My plan tonight is simple. I am going to do a load of laundry (clothes for the trip). I am going to eat dinner (my nephew Tom is going to attempt to cook a chicken pot pie, something he has never tried before). I just sent myself a note reminding me to mail the rent check (almost forgot about that!). Then I will wile away the night playing on the computer, watching some TV, visiting with my nephew, and just settling into vacation mode. I will pack in the morning (I travel so much for work I can pack in ten minutes for any trip, regardless of the length).

I pack lightly following the three by three principle. (Wear one set of clothes, pack two sets - if you mix and match the shirts and pants, and do laundry, you can go nine days without wearing the same combination twice.) The other packing principle I follow is what I call the Walgreen's principle. No matter where you go in the US, odds are very high their is a Walgrens. Don't bother packing toiletries. Stop at Walgrens early in the trip.) Because I think the little details of life are often very telling, let me share my packing list and you can see what it says about me.

I take two bags.

One is a blue nylon carry-all (with a gladstone design, though it is not actually a gladstone).

In the blue bag goes.

2 boxer shorts
2 pairs of socks
2 gray pocket t-shirts
2 button down shirts (one black, one blue)
2 pairs of pants (one dockers, one blue jeans)
1 pair of pajamas (cotton)
1 silk sleeping bag liner(1)
1 small "Eagle" packing cube with:
1 laptop charger
1 CAT 5 network cable
1 Electric razor and cord
1 mouse for laptop
1 phone charger
1 camera charger

One is a laptop backpack. Into this goes:
1 laptop computer
1 power cord with airplane adapter
1 pair of sunglasses
1 light beach towel(2)
1 washcloth(3)
1 hair brush
1 small travel soap
1 small travel deoderant
1 spare battery for iPhone
1 travel phone charger
1 camera (Sony DSC09)
1 CD/DVD Travel Case with 3 movies.
1 Squid(4)
1 Toothbrush and Toothpaste in plastic case(5)

And that will pretty much be it. Once I get past security at the airport I will add a bottle of water, some snacks, and an airport book.(6)

I have footnoted a few of the entries and I thought I would take the time to explain them in a little more detail. I travel extensively for work, have for years, and have learned some great lessons for travel.

(1) Silk sleeping bag liner. You can buy one of these at any camping store, depending on quality and size, they run from $20 to $100. They pack very tightly in a little case and do not weigh much. I tend to value my sleep and when traveling, sleep can be a tricky thing in strange beds and strange sheets and strange places. The silk sleeping bag liner means that regardless of the quality of the hotel (or friends house) you always sleep in a consistent quality "feeling". Believe me, it can make a big difference should you hit the motel where the sheets are Walmart irregulars. On longer trips I will actually take a pair of flat sheets from my home.

(2) Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Mine is solid blue and doubles as a flying blanket or improvised pillow.

(3) A good washcloth is invaluable for, uh, washing things. And wiping things up you spilled.

(4) A squid is a cool little outlet splitter. They come in all sizes, mine splits one to three. If you need to charge something while in an airport and the outlets are full, you can split it and share with other people at the same time. Also holds true for wherever you end up staying, be it motel or a friends house.

(5) I have had the experience of squishing my toothpaste inside the bag. Ewwwwwww. So, I have this little target crush proof case that holds toothpaste and toothbrush together.

(6) The airport book! Years ago I started the tradition with myself. When I fly, I get a new book at the airport gift store. There is one rule. I have to buy a new author, someone I have never read before. Then, when I finish reading the book (often on the same trip), I leave the book in the airport on a bench or seat, having written a note inside giving it as a gift, with my email address. Over the years, I have gotten some great notes from people who picked up the book.

The only other thing I often note when I travel is always layer (sweater and light jacket), so you can warm up or cool down when you are in the airplane or airport. I am going to start out in San Jose (60's), travel through Salt Lake City, and end up in Rapid City (20's). If I dressed warm for the arrival city, I would cook before I got there. If I dressed cool to leave, I would freeze enroute.

As you can see, my brain is already deeply in vacation! I am already on my way! At least in my imagination.

About The Pictures Below

The weather in San Francisco was very good and the sun was bright, which made it a nearly perfect day for an amateur photographer. From top to bottom...

Turtle was very large bronze fountain, very detailed and life like, though a little too large for any use I might have for it. I loved the detail. (If you click on any picture you can see a larger version of it and see some of the detail.)

Three Pieces of Dim Sum - clockwise from top - a potsticker, a spicy pork dumpling, and shrimp on green pepper.

The Lion of November was another bronze foundation, once again, I love the detail. The sun was very cooperative.

The Frog Prince - detail of yet another bronze fountain.

Rod Waiting - my beloved HiTech V-Lights on a hardware floor. I was leaning against the wall waiting for my coffee at a Starbuck on Geary.

Pacific Sun - North Beach, San Francisco.

Iconic SF - the Transamerica tower from Chinatown.

Guardian - one of the Temple Lions at the gateway to Chinatown.

Ghosts of Chinatown - murals on a fire escape, central Chinatown.

Edifice - the sun on an anonymous highrise. I stopped at wondered at the web of thousands of lives that must spin around it.

Chain - detail of chain in parking lot fence.

Bronze Children - another statue on the street in Chinatown.

Beautiful Machine - detail of a Harley parked on the street in Chinatown, simply a beautiful machine.

Hope you enjoy them.

Chinatown Pictures - Sunday November 16th

Believe in Life

"Nothing else matters much - not wealth, nor learning, nor even health
- without this gift: the spiritual capacity to keep zest in living.
This is the creed of creeds, the final deposit and distillation of all
important faiths: that you should be able to believe in life." Harry
Emerson Fosdick

Sent from my iPhone