I am being surprised in numerous ways on this Road Trip. Top of the list is the openness people have to letting me—in many cases, a stranger—stay with them for however long I need to. Actually,I might be reluctant to do it if the roles were reversed. There are also the reactions of my hosts in differing ways that both surprise and delight me. Lastly, there are simply unusual happenings along the way.
My first host, Bizzy, in New Orleans is a sister to a high school friend of mine so there was a connection that years do not erase. It always surprises me how easily we seem to slip into comfort with those we knew from our youth. I was high anxious when I arrived on her doorstep due to warning lights galore going off in my Prius while on the road. Bizzy was so soothing and even insisted on going with me to the Toyota dealer and sitting with me while I waited to get it fixed—no matter how long it took.
Bizzy was also the first host to invite friends to have dinner that she wanted to have meet me. My initial reaction, which I kept silent about, was talking with strangers takes effort for this introvert and I was not sure that I had the energy. On the other hand, it made me feel a bit like a celebrity—a brand new feeling. Sarah and Tom, though, had led such interesting lives as Peace Corps volunteers in several countries that conversation flowed easily.
My hosts Jo Anne and Joe in Denver are friends of Barbara in Tampa and swung their doors open for me. One of the first things Jo Anne asked me was about my eating habits. Surprise, people are concerned about feeding me and making sure that I enjoy it. My stock answer has become I eat everything except lima beans and liver–something apparently that most folks don’t enjoy eating. When I arrived, Jo Anne had a soup of dandelion greens and white beans simmering on the stove and its savory aroma made me feel instantly at home.
Jo Anne also took a maternal interest in me, although I am way older. She made sure that I walked each day even if I was not all that into it. Following a day of video-taping, she announced when I got home that I had two choices: 1. Walk the three bridges; 2. Walk miles somewhere else–where escapes my memory. The three bridges seemed the lesser of two evils plus I got to sit in the car and ride to the point of debarkation. I do remember early in the walk going past a bar and glancing at it. Jo Anne, who apparently does not miss a thing, looked over at me and said: “Not, yet.” The good news was that a stop at a bar was apparently in the plan.
Ruth and Jim, friends of my daughter and her husband, also hosted me in Denver. On the way to Denver is when my tire gauge warning light came on. Although I had the tires filled, I was still worried. It was also my first stop after blowing out my lights when shooting in Jackson MS.
Jim, who is a sweetheart, immediately swung into action to make things right. He made a valiant effort trekking to Radio Shack, Comcast, Best Buy and numerous other places to get the fuses I needed for the lights before surrendering to the fact that it was fruitless to shop on Easter Sunday. I was also strongly advised to have my tires checked at the tire shop down the road the next morning before getting on the road. Thank goodness for his insistence, though, as that is when I learned that my tread was pretty damn low and the misalignment of the tires had scuffed them up on their sides. Yes, I had had the tires balanced before I left at the Toyota dealer but apparently by someone with poor eyesight, who never noticed the condition of the tires.
Jim and Ruth’s home is where I was served an Easter dinner of lamb with fantastic gravy, grandma’s biscuits and a mango/black berry pie. I’ll be putting the recipes for the wonderful meals that I am enjoying on this Road Trip up on the website when I get home.
Next stop was in Colorado Springs at the home of my high school sweetheart, Dave, and his wife, Barbara. I had not seen Dave in years and never met Barbara although we all grew up in the same small village on Long Island. It would have been nice to have had the funds for a good face peel and the determination to have lost 25 pounds before arriving so I would not be a disappointment to Dave this many years later. Although, as I now recall, he signed my yearbook the year he graduated with the salutation: “Hi Chub”. They, on the other hand, had not gained an ounce since high school, looked great and were still very much in love after nearly 50 years of marriage. Barbara also made a wonderful quinoa dish that I want to make when I get home.
The surprise in this visit was the interest Dave and Barb had in sharing the places they enjoyed with me. Jo Anne had also exhibited this same desire to share the stories of the neighborhood as we walked around. Bizzy wanted to share her friends with me. I was and remain touched by the sweetness of people wanting to connect me to whom or what they enjoy and love about where they live. That is probably the biggest surprise of all—that I am given this importance by people I either don’t know or don’t know well.
More surprises to come………………