Several times now, I've had observations that I forgot to put in the then-current blog post, so I'm making this catch-all post to put them in after the fact. It will start small, but I'll go back and update this post once in a while as these random thoughts float up to the surface again.
California's stricter smog regulations can be a pain in the butt and in the adjacent wallet. But I noticed on this trip that as soon as I reached Arizona, and for all the rest of the trip east, traffic smelled different. Particularly in slow, congested spots, you could really smell the extra hydrocarbons and such that came out of exhaust pipes.
People think of California as being quite liberal but I've noticed that it's the South where you see all the drive-through liquor stores.
Cows won't turn to look at a passing car, but they will turn to watch a snarling little motorcycle go by, buzzing at 8000 RPM.
Large signs on restaurants that say "Good Food" are a clear danger signal.
Did I mention that my lovely and talented daughter got five As on her recently completed semester, following up on her 4.0 average in the fall semester?
The essence of the East, for me, is water. Water flowing everywhere, in tiny trickles or massive rivers. Every gentleman farmer with a pond in his yard. Woods growing rampant, everywhere that they haven't been cleared. At times during the ride I tried to imagine what it was like for the early pioneers, pushing through a thousand miles of dense forest across the Southeast. What a huge task that was, to clear the first roads and trails.
Yep, as the Joni Mitchell song says, "...you don't know what you've got till it's gone..."
ReplyDeleteAh the drive thru liquor store. Isn't THAT a good idea!
5 A's? My my, the apple never falls far from the tree, does it?