Progress

Hi,

Tuesday was a travel day. Airplane, rental car, freeways, digital parking, new food, and old friends (and relatives).

It's no surprise to me that so many of you knew the 'Easy Monday' song. "You've Got A Friend" by James Taylor is one of those hits that lives on. If you said it was by Carole King you were also right. She wrote it, but James recorded it first. Time now for another trip to the 'Summer of Love'. "Paranoia strikes deep. Into your life it will creep. It starts when you're always afraid. You step out of line, the man come and take you away. We better stop hey...." Clue: The song was inspired by an actual event in Hollywood. It's by a group named after a steamroller. Hmm. Oh, and the title is not in the lyrics.

Driving into the sunrise, on my way to Altadena, it struck me that I hadn't been this cold since our trip to NYC to see Seth and The Godfadda Workout. The body remembers extremes. There was something rather spiritual about watching the glow of the dawn. It is a beautiful thing, even from behind tall buildings, and we (most of us) sleep through it every day. Hmm. When I got to my mom's house she was ready to go. Everything was going ahead of schedule since the morning traffic was light.

After picking up Lisa we went to LAX where I dropped them off and proceeded to Lot C. That's the place where you park your car when you're going to be gone for a day or more. Meanwhile, back at the airport, Lisa and Jean were checking in, getting a wheelchair, and negotiating security. I was standing in a parking lot waiting for a bus. (Ha)

Our flight to San Jose was a little late, and the floor was getting hard, but we were on an adventure and it was fun. Watching all the other travelers is one of my favorite things to do (sometimes). This time of year, with families returning from visits, students returning to school, and others looking lost makes for interesting dialogs in the mind.

Traveling with a person in a wheelchair has it's perks. While my mother will tell you she could have walked onto the plane with no problem, rolling her on got us on first, with seats together. So, lesson learned. We had a very friendly cabin crew who took good care of us. When we landed in San Jose the main guy told us to stay in our seats until the plane came to a screeching stop. It got chuckles from the crowd, but what really got us was when he made a screeching sound when the plane finally stopped. Hilarious.

There are moments when technology can make you feel totally powerless, helpless, and foolish all at the same time. I went to pick up our rental car at Hertz (thanks Linda), and found that we would be driving a Nissan Altima. Beautiful car, but when I got in, there was no key. Just a remote for the doors. I noticed a button on the dash and knew what to do. Pressing the button yielded nothing. What? It said start. I got out, walked around the car and then decided to try again before asking for help. (a guy thing) I put my foot on the brake, pressed the button and it started. See, I was trying to start it without following the rules of safe driving. (Ha) Now you know. We love the car.

We drove to Oakland and met with The Cousins. Albert helped me find a parking place and explained how to use the parking meter. Insert credit card, choose amount of time, and print. Then you put the little paper on the dash showing when your time is up. All the meter police have to do is check the time before writing you up. I like the Chiang Rai way better.

Tomorrow (Thursday) I'll fill you in on the rest of Tuesday. It's time for breakfast with Lisa's dad, Joe, and a trip to the art store.

Have a Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,
Danny

"You progress not through improving what has been done,
but reaching toward what has yet to be done."
~Kahlil Gibran

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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