Linda and I recently drove to Santa Monica for a one week get-away. We need to break out of our routine every once in awhile because, well, you know. Since it is Thanksgiving week we wanted to share our thanks with as many family members as we could, so we went to her mother's house. Many family members were gathering there so it seemed like the perfect place to be.
Along the way we discussed some of the things we used to do as kids to help pass the time while traveling in a car, things like license plate bingo, slug bug, I see something and its color is..., etc. Things sure have changed since then.
Now-a-days if you forget something at home you can stop in just about any city or town and find a Walmart or other store to buy whatever you forgot.
I saw a church steeple, its bright white spiral reaching up to the sky against the dark shadow of the surrounding mountains. This was surrounded by a score of trailers and I remember thinking it is the only truly permanent structure in the valley. People come and go but that church remains.
One thing I don't care for about driving is the constant searching for something good to listen to on the radio. Sure you're thinking we should have a CD player or mp3 player or whatever, well I forgot to bring the CD's and we can't justify spending whatever it is on a mp3 player or iPod like so many others do. Besides, it was sort of nice to get away from all the outside chatter, propaganda and music that becomes your life's soundtrack. We just spent the time talking. And it is much easier to do so without kids demanding to stop for bathroom breaks or fighting amongst themselves over whatever.
We ran into road construction on every freeway we traveled over. There must be a lot of money passed out to states for this purpose because it isn't just in our home state of Utah, but also Arizona, Nevada and California. I understand the need to maintain our nation's freeways because we need to keep our commercial routes open. We Americans 'need' to buy anything we want anytime we want. Can you imagine a world where you cannot get something you just have to have right now? We are such a spoiled nation.
We passed through the Mojave Desert and it amazes me that people actually choose to live out there. Sure the desert has its beauty, but it also is a very harsh environment. Stark weather conditions can make or break your spirit, or worse. And you generally live miles from the nearest facilities and amenities, not to mention medical care. I have observed that the character of the desert is more pronounced near the mountains where there is the greatest contrast.
An experiment I wanted to do is to see what places offer the best coffee. The purpose is to find out if there is any noticeable difference in what is offered at convenience stores, restaurants, fast food joints and coffeehouses. Carl's Jr has a coffee blend they call Channel Islands Roasting Company. It is made from the Arabica coffee bean from Columbia and has acceptable flavor. I would have to give it a low to mid-range flavor rating. Mind you, I am very inexperienced in coffee flavors for I have only been drinking coffee for one year. I am partial to Hawaiian coffee. I will continue my taste test and will update as I can.
I am viewed differently according to the length of my hair. Do any of you guys with longer hair feel this? During my adult life I have worn my hair at differing lengths. I have worn it short (in the military) and long (during college). Currently I wear it just touching my shoulders and I am comfortable with it at this length. Very few people around me however are as comfortable with it as me. They say things like "you need a haircut". Plain, simple and to the point. I like that kind of directness. But I will wear it to whatever length I feel comfortable with. Sometimes when I am out shopping or just generally out in the public eye I get looks from people that I interpret as "you need a haircut". And I feel this is what they are thinking because my friends and family tell me this very same thing. I think it is funny, but people are allowed their own personal views and it does not bother me in the least that they feel differently than I. But, there you go. It is what it is.
While we were driving to Santa Monica, we tried to find a sit down restaurant in Las Vegas for breakfast. I don't know if you have ever tried to do this without getting onto the strip, but it is impossible to find anything other than a fast-food restaurant for breakfast. Why are we being made to eat at these foul places? The food is not as healthy, which is the main reason I choose not to eat there. We finally gave up and went to Carls Jr. which is, in my opinion, the better choice of this type of eatery.
No comments:
Post a Comment