Truly Random Thoughts on our recent
California trip:
1. The first morning Linda and I
scared up a roadrunner at the start of our run. It jumped out from
behind a palm tree as we approached and ran away faster than I
imagined a bird could move. It was tall and altogether beautiful.
So of course I had to use Wile E. Coyote as a sermon illustration
yesterday.
2. Death Valley captured me. Miles
and miles of canyon hikes through banded colors and formations.
Never have I seen an environment so clearly shaped by water--in a
place devoid of water almost all the time.
3. My love for Linda flowered a little
on those hikes. She is so tough and honest. She says whatever comes
into her head. Sometimes this can get to be a little much,
but I suppose my silences can sometimes get oppressive.
She took such delight in the desert plants, the birds, the colors,
spending time with her son and husband. She looked kinda cute in her hot weather hiking ensembles. And she can hike with anybody.
4. I experienced vertigo for the first
time. I have always loved rock climbing. Dan has the bug too. On
our walk up Mosaic Canyon he kept taking little side trips up rock
walls. Occasionally I followed him. Once his route led out onto a ridge. As we moved along the path grew
thinner. Eventually, at a point maybe thirty feet above the canyon
floor, the path got about one shoe wide. Suddenly I felt the world
moving. I had to squat to regain my equilibrium and then slink
back down the way I came. I guess I am 57 years old, after all.
5. The next time I get to Barstow,
California I'm eating at Mama Lola's. Authentic Mexican in a
storefront filled with Anglos, Chicanos, young, old. The retired
couple next to us sounded like they spoke Russian or Polish. Mama
herself came to the table. What a treat after a three-hour drive
through the high desert.
6. The Getty Art Museum in LA was
worth it just for the views from the sculptured gardens overlooking
the city. The Bouchardon and Impressionist exhibits were more than
ample icing on the cake.
7. We arrived at the Santa Monica pier
at dusk. The homeless were setting up for the night in overwhelming
numbers. We had just driven past the golf course where the PGA would
hold that weekend's tournament. The Asian beauty wearing precious
little posing for a photographer on the railing before the sunset.
The black guy trying to make a few bucks singing to a Motown track.
Families with skin colors from chocolate through mocha to vanilla
with wide-eyed kids soaking in all the sights. Carnival music.
Twisted cypress and sycamore trees. Churro vendors lining the
pedestrian bridge walkways.
I recognize how blessed I am to have
the time and means to travel with family. Thank God for this huge,
diverse, beautiful nation!
