The following is a collection of images of people with whom we have connected and reconnected on our trip. What's remarkable is the fact that everyone we've approached, whether via "Nice pie," or "Where do you come from?" has welcomed the chance to tell us something about his or her self. No matter how different our backgrounds and experiences are from theirs, we almost always have an enjoyable conversation in which we all seem to learn something from each other, and find a connection of some sort or another.
In terms of our itinerary I am skipping around a bit, although I am identifying places where we've encountered these people.
We met this extended family at an exhibition of Ansel Adams at the Mumm Winery in Napa Valley. We were coming in while they were leaving, and we stopped to chat. The blond woman, second from the left, comes from Sherborne, MA and is married to the man in the blue jacket standing next to her. He is originally from Argentina. They are having a reunion with family members she recently discovered when her birth mother located her. By extraordinary coincidence or some sort of whacky karma, her new found relatives come from Argentina as well.
This is Sydney, our waitress at breakfast in a lodge outside Yosemite.
When we first arrived, Sydney had a lot of tables and gave us a pleasant but quick greeting as she took our order. Over the course of the meal, the crowd thinned out and I had a chance to ask her about herself. She came from Groveland, the small town where the lodge was located, but was going to college a few towns away. When Sydney told me she was studying "Water Management," I said it is encouraging to meet a woman going into science. "Your family must be very proud of you," I told her. She answered that this was true and the person most proud was her grandmother who was a famous writer. Sydney then proceeded to tell us about her grandmother Carol Lynn Pearson, who is indeed a very well known poet, author and playwright, and who, as her granddaughter proudly explained, leads the movement pushing the Mormon Church toward a wider acceptance of LGBT members.
Below is Marion Richter and her daughter Pam who we met at breakfast in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
I saw the polar bears on Marion's shirt and assumed that she'd been on a trip to Alaska. In fact Marion has lived in Alaska since moving there from Colorado when she was a young bride. Her husband had been a geologist who studied volcanos in Hawaii and Alaska. Pam, a lawyer, was born in Anchorage and was a court reporter on the Exxon Valdez case.
Marion told us stories of raising a family in a place far removed from many of the comforts we all take for granted. She also mentioned that most people she knew in Alaska were delighted to see Sarah Palin leave for Namibia where, crazily enough, she will be our ambassador.
Meet Danny and Stellar, his Borzoi.
Danny raises this breed and shows in AKA events around the West. We met them at a dog show we happened upon in Williamsburg, New Mexico, on our way to Santa Fe. While Danny was waiting to take Steeler into the ring we spoke about how much I still miss our dog Blanche who died a a number of years ago, and how I long for the love and companionship of another dog but know that's not possible with the life we lead today. It was comforting to have the conversation with someone who really understood.
While on the subject of pets, we do have one at home that inspired the side trip we made to Benson, Arizona where we visited the Oasis Bird Sanctuary.
In our house, we talk about The Oasis as being a parrot spa when we're in the presence of Pearl, our African Grey who has been with us since she was hatched in Santa Fe 22 years ago. (There's a cautionary tale here about the danger of pet shops that I would be delighted to share with you.) As parrot owners we have supported this amazing organization for many years because chances are very good that Pearl may end up there someday Her life expectancy can be up to 85 years and she will surely outlive us all, and maybe our kids as well. If you'd like to apply for the opportunity to give Pearl long-term love and devotion in return for her driving her sharp beak deep into your soft fleshy parts, you should know that she comes with money. (That last part is David's editorial comment).
A whirlwind stop in Las Vegas gave us the chance to have dinner on top of a bizarre towering structure called the Stratosphere that looked like a water tower from which people bungie jump. The main attraction for us, though, was the chance share a meal with our much loved Provincetown neighbors Donna Vaillancourt and Robin Reid.
Say Howdy to Leonard the bicycle preacher who, along with his dog in the passenger seat, pedals for Jesus. We met outside a grocery store in Roswell, New Mexico. Leonard gently inquired about my faith and when I told him I was a Jew, he grinned and exclaimed that, like Jesus, he was once a Jew as well. I told him that if he ever makes it was far as New England, he had a place to stay in Massachusetts. He gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up, then we wished each other God Speed and continued on our journeys.
Jessica, our unstoppable waitress in the small town of Sanderson, Texas, about an hour or so east of Marfa, served us up a mess of smoked brisket with a sidearm. We think it was more a fashion statement than a warning because no one, and I mean no one, would ever think of messing with this woman - even if she weren't packing heat on her hip. When Jessica expressed an interest in visiting the East Coast, we invited her to 'come on down' but cautioned that she has to leave her pistol behind. She really seemed fine with that.
Clyde was also having lunch at Jessia's place. We caught up with him as he was about to rev up his Harley and take off down Highway 17. It's not too often you see a guy on a hog giving a lift to Kermit and Wylie Coyote. What Clyde and I shared was our history of lousy knees. He was facing replacement surgery and I had mine a year and a half ago. I asked him about insurance and he said the VA was going to cover his surgery. I mentioned something about the shock of seeing a young woman (Jessica) packing heat, and he was quite happy to show me that he was as well. I stopped myself from asking why a big, tough guy like him needed a gun; things were going too well in our little chat to throw in that curve ball. Lest any of you worry that I have drunk the Koolaid when it comes to guns, not so. I still am vehemently against, among many other issues concerning guns, folks walking around with loaded firearms attached to their hips (or any other body parts). But I'm never going to win that argument with Clyde. I would rather walk away having him think that people from the East Coast aren't, for that reason only, all assholes. In fact, I didn't think he is one either. As far as I'm concerned, that's a beginning.
We were in Jamestown, California for one lovely overnight. I saw this posted in front of the local grocery store and thought about it as I continued my walk through the small town. Circling back I saw a fellow removing it and wondered why.
He told me that he had gone to high school with the couple. The wife had died, but he knew where the husband now lived and was going to send the album to him. It left me with a very good feeling about both the enduring power of printed photographs and how a good deed can create connections as well as help preserve past memories.
John works at the Galveston Island-Bolivar Free Ferry. Before he directed us to our slot for driving onto the boat we had a talk about music and sports. He was kind enough to let me record a bit of our conversation.
At Ten Thousand Waves, the Japanese inspired spa in Santa Fe, I had a day of heavenly R and R. That evening we had dinner in their restaurant with our dear friend Phil Strause, who had traveled to Santa Fe with us from Tucson. Sitting across the room from us was a Western couple dressed in full formal Japanese regalia. Not something you see every day. Naturally, I had to know more. Meet Duane and Kathryn Elms, celebrating their 25th anniversary. They hail from Roswell, New Mexico (more on that later). They are -- fasten your seat belts -- competitive costumers! They have won world championships including the one at MagicCon in 1992. They design and sew their own costumes. And here's the amazing connection. Our friend Phil (on the left), besides being a world class pediatrician (which is how our connection was made; Phil was our kids' doctor when he lived and practiced in Massachusetts), is a world class designer and sticker of embroidery who has studied Japanese embroidery with some of the world's masters. He and Kathryn attended classes in the same school in Atlanta and they shared the experience of having been taught by the same Japanese master.
Tim works at The Alamo and gave exceedingly thoughtful and straight forward answers to our questions about the special exhibit currently there about Jim Bowie. To most, Bowie is an unqualified hero, until you give a close reading to the few lines in the exhibit that make you stop and question. He owned and trafficked in slaves and had seriously shady real estate dealings. I asked Tim about how the public's perception of Bowie's life squares with the reality of things Bowie did that were far from honorable. Tim wasn't at all defensive even though he worked at The Alamo and could have understandably gone a different way. He told us that the reason Bowie left the States and moved to Mexico (giving up his American citizenship) was, in part, to leave his troubles behind and begin a new life in Mexico.
Wishing you all an awesome Halloween weekend. We are observing, more than than celebrating, in New Orleans where we have tickets to attend VooDoo Fest. Photos and updates to follow.