From Williamsburg VA, to the Okefenokee Swamp GA, Feb 10 – 21

From Williamsburg VA, to the Okefenokee Swamp GA, Feb 10 – 21


It did snow in Williamsburg; wet and windy and raw and so a perfect day for the DeWitt Wallace Museum and more specifically the Abby Rockefeller Folk Art section.

I was shepherded through by Ellen Morris, an interpreter/docent who gave me nearly 2 hours, one on one, as she described individual objects collected by Abby; an amazing array of fascinating art made by normal folk without the blessing of institutions. I was particularly drawn to carvings and weathervanes and as my old neighbor, Mrs. Hutchinson was a master theorem painter, I thought of her while admiring the collection.

When I came out 5 hours later, the sun had vanquished the snow and Williamsburg Village was a Christmas card scene. If prancing horses, sleds and sleigh bells had been there; I would have been looking at 200 years ago.

On Thursday I drove across Virginia in glorious sunshine. The roads were clear and sure. My goal was Roanoke where I found a hotel, which reminded me of the Crimea. Almost everything had a dusky smell. The guy at the desk was certainly Russian and after he asked for my driver’s license and photocopied it, I remembered the same being done in Sevastopol. This place was on the edge of a city Airport. It was certainly quiet; there was one other car in the lot.

Friday, I met with Lavahn Hoh, (now Dean of Arts? at the U of VA, Charlottesville) in a Ruby Tuesday restaurant nearby. He was one of my graduate students at the University of Wisconsin, now 37 odd years later he’s still where he was hired and is the only prof. I know who teaches a course related to all aspects of Circus. Consequently, with him in mind and found in my special flea market, I bought and brought an ancient Circus tent mallet; an 8 pound chunk of bug eaten, oak, ringed either end with hoops of steel and connected to a sturdy ash handle. If only there was a song about a tent pole driving man! We reminisced about UW days and old friends and then he had to leave for a previously scheduled appointment.

He mentioned “Barter Theatre” about 100 miles south and suggested I visit. I dialed it in to Tom-Tom and a few hours later bought tickets to a superb performance of “Alice in Wonderland “. Imaginative choreography throughout, for example when Alice has to go down the rabbit hole, a chorus of 8 dancers, dressed in brown, picked her up under her arms and flew her around the stage, bent down to create a ledge and rolled her across their backs, flipped her over and pulled her under. These same actors played all the bit parts by adding masks and props. The Cheshire cat, for example, had a segmented mask, so that eyes, nose, ears could each be folded back, over the actors head, to leave only the smile.

Kids in the audience participated with Alice as she got too big or too small to fit through doors held by the chorus. “ Should I eat this? “ she’d ask; to a response … “ No, it’s poison” from some tyke in the front row.

On Saturday, a little overcast, I drove towards Asheville and into a blizzard. Not a whiteout, rather lots of large flakes blowing horizontally. The road twisted and climbed through ever-higher mountains. This was completely unexpected and reminded me of Vermont passes as I neared the highest point. Signs warned truckers to shift into lower gears; a 7 degree slope ahead and in case of brake failure, a run-away truck ramp at almost every corner. As I came down I drove out of Winter into Spring; red buds burgeoning on maples, robins in their hundreds; Asheville in sunshine.

Haley, John and Evan Davison were friends we had made in Kaua’i a year ago last January 09 who have since moved to Asheville. Both Haley and John are artists and Evan their son, is a 10-year-old energizer bunny with unlimited imagination. They bought a house overlooking a park with a baseball diamond and behind it, a singing brook.

Furniture that Haley made in Kaua’i looks great in the new house. She’s a master cabinetmaker with a very discriminating eye for contrast and color in wood. Koa is one of the trees grown in Hawaii and the wood has a wonderful grain, almost like diffraction grating, catching and changing light as the observer moves. Haley uses it to great advantage. Check her out online. John paints and has been likened to Georgia O’Keefe except his themes are of the dramatic scenery of Kaua’i.

Asheville has many similarities to Brattleboro Vermont. Art Galleries are thick on the ground and it’s undulating. A walk downtown or for that matter anywhere will get the heart pumping. It’s mountainous; the houses near their home were built in the 20ies and are rustic, comfortable spreads with mature trees in their surrounding yards. We hiked up to the famous Grove Hotel about a mile from their house made of dark field

stone and overlooking, literally a drop of a few hundred feet, a very challenging golf course. It took awhile before my second wind kicked in and I wasn’t gasping for breath. First stop was an Art and Furniture Gallery, which is as good as they get. It housed a tremendous range of super work costing from a few bucks to thousands. Outside, were wind turned sculptures, which I photographed and will try to reproduce? We continued up the hill in a slight rain and entered the main hall of the Grove, a cavernous space about the size of a football field, with two giant walk-in fireplaces on either side. A fire was burning in one while an attendant threw 6’ lengths of wood, criss-crossed over massive iron dogs. The blazing result was similar to one of my bonfires at home. We had a light snack, a beer and listened to a guitar quartet. The wind whistled whenever a door was opened, they being equally large. The building was probably built in the late 1800’s; it has the same quality as the great Railroad Hotels, like Banff; a person feels quite small.

Next day, I met Brent and Kurt two woodworking friends of Haley’s. Brent was the reason she chose to live in Asheville; his work is quite unique as he carves wood to look like river rocks and incorporates them into wild but functional furniture. Kurt carves without sketching; he just removes everything that isn’t necessary to reveal what’s in his mind. Both very neat folk; just the kind of people I had hoped to meet on this trip! Brent is a connoisseur of Bourbon. He sucked his teeth when I told him I had acquired a bottle of “ Bookers”, a particularly strong and tasty drink. It makes your toes warm about 30 seconds after the first sip. Eventually I’ll be reminded of their last names and then I can highly recommend checking them out online.

I had great fun with Evan who showed me his latest Leggo creations; galactic warships with droids and laser fighters. I made him a ball in a wire cone sculpture and, along with the sons of Brent & Kurt, they puzzled whether the ball was going up or down when spun. I also taught them to make a $ shirt, an origami folding of a dollar bill, and we got heavily into computer microscopes checking out each others ears, noses and skin. An experiment with a drop of water

from the Venus Fly trap produced wriggling critters and gasps of disgust from the boys.

On Monday, school was cancelled again as a dusting of snow overnight had left swirling white on the streets. John drove me about 5 miles away to give some perspective, up and up winding roads until we ran into ice and hard pack on the road. School busses and their drivers are not prepared for these conditions, thus the cancellation. I reckon we got to about 2000 feet above Asheville before turning back. Impressive panoramas in every direction with very large, costly houses nestled in the ridges and ravines. With this type of wealth, perhaps the artists can make a living? I like to think so.

Tuesday, another cancelled school day so I had a proper chance to say goodbye before leaving for Atlanta. Once again I passed through the surrounding mountains. Since I was approaching from the North and it was a beautiful clear day, last night’s snow lay deep on the ground and highlighted the branches of the forest trees. I stopped at a rest center and marveled at the scene I would have expected to see in New Hampshire. This area is certainly
to my liking.

In driving down the mountain into Georgia

the snow melted to dirt and brown fields and became flat. Lots of Lob Lolly pine grew in rows along the highway. I reckon they’re used for telephone poles as they rise like giant straws, straight and true. For most of the way there were almost no other cars on the wide 4-lane highway, until I approached the outskirts of Atlanta. It then became a moving tide of vehicles, 6 lanes, one way, tearing along at 70+ miles per hour, each a few feet off the other in an every increasing flow. The speed limit is 50; one would be flattened to obey. I can’t remember any other city in the world, (Rome, London, Paris?), where there is such a density of traffic. Perhaps LA comes close. I have a memory of a woodcut, a driver in Chicago, teeth gritted, hanging on to his steering wheel to the point that his knuckles are white. It’s not surprising that there are 2 or 3 fatalities every day around the city.

I haven’t seen Paul & Sally Wonsek since a delightful wedding in Vermont 13 years ago. The groom arrived sun burnt to say his vows because we’d all been canoeing that morning on a nearby river. Paul was a theater student the year I taught at U Mass, Amherst. Besides working on productions we skied together at Mount Tom. He taught me a lot. Today his business is involved with converting church spaces into theatre spaces, as more and more, especially in the South, pastors want to entertain as well as pontificate. Often their efforts are televised so light levels have to be high and lighting positions, if properly positioned, allow for modeling and excellent visibility.

On Thursday, we went to install two “ moving lights “, computer controlled lights that can turn any direction, change color, and include slides called gobos, flash in patterns; one light performing the task of many. The church was on the other side of Atlanta. Once again into and through the maelstrom of traffic, which is easier when, Paul is driving because he knows the way. Hairy when I’m driving; one has to be well positioned to make some of the off ramps.

The pastor of this church is a soft-spoken gentleman who is not afraid to “get down and dirty” and physically do the work of hanging posters, setting out chairs and so on. As general contractor, he has built a conglomerate of buildings from scratch to cover about 2 acres. Paul has been his consultant in making it also a theatrical space. I’m not sure whether he took my observation regarding the repetition of history, as a compliment: Medieval cathedrals being the early home of the Passion Plays and now modern churches converting into production spaces for Christian Theatre. Anyhow, he was gracious.

One evening, we went to see the I Max version of “Avatar”. I had seen it before in 3D Theatre and thought it “awesome”. The I Max version was staggering, so much so that when the film ended after 2 and 1/2 hours, none of us were sure our legs would support our bodies to walk down out of the auditorium. The seats are sloped at about 30 degrees to the screen. The dimensional effect is so real that, at times, one feels the auditorium spinning and the body being flashed through space. We sat reading the credits for about 10 minutes and then, hanging on to railings, staggered out of the theatre. Even 10 minutes later, sitting in the car, it felt as though we had just finished a workout in the Gym. Wow. If this is the opening salvo of a 3D film, I can’t imagine where it will go. It’s as though we can live in dreams.

Friday I met with my old colleague and friend, Roger Zobel, from the Rosco Days in Port Chester, NY, ( 73-79) . He and his wife Pat began a Theatrical Supply business and have been living in Atlanta for nearly 30 years. We always laughed a lot and enjoyed each other’s company because he’s a funny guy and Rosco was a very small company , perhaps 7 or 8 people. Roger’s presently in a wheel chair due to 2 accidental falls which first, broke his hip and then, shattered his femur. We had lunch together and then chatted away the afternoon. I’m pleased to see that his spirit is undaunted and he’s still full of laughter.

After lunch at a local BBQ where I must report the pork sandwich did not compare to Mark’s, I said goodbye to Paul and Sally. I’m extremely impressed how well their lives are ordered and the mastery of the tools they have developed to perform their business.div>

Passing south through Atlanta from Marietta where they live was once again harrowing. Thank God it didn’t last more than 25 miles where , I found myself mostly alone, tooling along at 75.





Valdosta was my destination and a motel 6 in particular. Jeff and Kristina were to meet me tomorrow, somewhere in the Okefenokee Swamp about 50 miles south east of Valdosta. Jeff is Linda’s son, Kristina his fiancée. They will marry in September in New Jersey where Jeff grew up but live and work in Gainesville. FL.

NicksWalkabout Feb 2-9, 10

Peg’s Condo could have been transported from Europe, beaded silk sheer curtains on all the windows ; a dark purple damask, swaged over the south wall, framing, sliding glass doors which lead to a small, outdoor porch and flower garden space. Inside, everywhere and often in front of ornate gilded mirrors, artificial flowers so real I kept feeling the leaves or petals to check. The carpets placed over a white, wall to wall, are purple and gold as is the sofa, there are peacocks on a room divider and in a large oriental rug in the living room floor. Very cozy and well appointed ; a spacious kitchen and all, surrounded by windows.

Since we had talked until 2 the night before, I didn’t wake until 10 to brilliant sunshine. Omelets for breakfast and the conversation continued. Peg mentioned that the vertical blind mechanism in the living room wasn’t working. I took a look and realized that the drapes, quite heavy, about 9’ across and in three layers, were coming off the wall. I asked if she had some tools and she produced a little purple bag filled with a nearly complete workshop. Then for good measure, a tote with additional tools and proceeded to fill the dining room table with mini plastic boxes containing many, many drawers each filled with screws, rawl plugs, nuts, bolts etc.. Almost too much , but as Peg says, “I’m a pack rat, maybe I’ll need it one day”. I worked happily on the project until she came home from her part time bank teller job just across the adjacent Mall. She made a delicious dinner and then we watched a Net Flick movie.

It was clear to me that the hardware supporting the drapes was too light and we’d have to find a replacement. I went to a nearby Kmart and bought heavy duty corner brackets and replaced the supports on the damask drape. The rod for the sheers would have to wait.

On Wednesday, another beautiful Spring-like day, I suggested we explore along the river. We had also agreed to a dinner with Amy, David and kids that night on the other side of Washington. On the way to the shore, I suggested we explore on Amy’s side, thus missing the horrendous Washington rush hour. We bisected Washington, straight(ish) through its center and, on coming out the other side, I noticed a sign for the Hdvar Smithsonian Space and Flight Center. Wow, I’ve always wanted to visit and Peg agreed. At the parking entrance we paid a $15 fee which turned out to be the entrance fee as well!

Outside, just behind where I parked , was a silver twist of stainless steel, 45 feet high, 6’wide at the base , top tapering to 6” , and imbedded in black basalt. It reflected the color of the sky, the trees, the base, in fascinating ways as one moved around the sculpture. One of the most beautiful modern pieces I’ve seen created by light and reflection.
Walking into the main hall at the second floor level, 40 feet off the floor was overwhelming! Directly below was a Blackbird, the menacing 2800 mph spy plane that replaced the U2 ; almost no wings , just short stubs at the end of a 120 foot fuselage; certainly another wing. Behind it and in another monster hanger was the Space Shuttle. Looking to the right and left, hundreds of planes, some supported from the ceiling, 40’ above and in dog fight formation, others displayed in rows on the floor below.

I think we were there for 3 hours before we stopped for tea. Peg was bushed and I learned she had had a serious operation about a month ago.! I left her in the cafeteria to check out the hang gliders and ultra light section. Not very well represented but I was told by one of the docents that money was tight. Hell, you could get a fleet of ultra-lights for the price one of the planes represented. Also, I was a bit miffed when the description suggested Ultra light construction was not as safe as normal aircraft construction. I don’t know many pilots who have walked away from 6 crashes ( as I have ), without injury, and I put that down to the strength of the ultra light frames.

We arrived to find Amy and the boys, Adam & Benjamin and Isabel, their sister, waiting for us. The boys excused themselves to go out and have a snowball fight and Isabel and Peg communed. I had a great chance to talk to Amy who looks as pretty as I remember and seems to be very happy as a Mum.

I thoroughly enjoyed the boys 9 and 7. They helped me carrying split wood and start a fire, showed me their bedroom, ( where David has made indestructible 2” x 6” bunk beds ), their Star Wars and Lego creations. Both lads are good with their hands and happy to share what’s on their minds. Isabel is a girly 3 , was in a long flowery dress and she didn’t mind climbing over her brothers on the couch. I’m told she is tough and holds her own.

David made his world famous crab cakes, the ones that are so good they set a standard which is often in one’s mind when ordered at a restaurant, but rarely met. Good fun and a delightful family evening. Back to Peg’s by midnight.

Thursday was threatening. Weather men were predicting record snowfall and people were lining up to hoard supplies. We found the exact rod we needed for the sheers, marked down from $64 to $12 at Penny’s. Peg mentioned she’d be glad to have a ceiling fan in her kitchen so we stopped at Home Depot and found a beauty, on sale, and then as dusk fell, did a $250 grocery shop. Peg says she does this about once a month. It started to snow…. let up about 30 hours later. Whilst 100,000 houses were without electricity and the roads were completely blocked, I knocked off the projects, read, ate well and was warm in good company.

We went out for a walk Friday late afternoon into the usual winter wonderland. By now the SNOW was crotch deep as we left the Condo and piled 12’ high by plows. Peg didn’t have to report for work which was true of the rest of Baltimore. Saturday dawned sunny and dazzling. Guys from Ecuador, on a snow shoveling crew asked me if I could tell them where the fire hydrants were. Vanished under 34” or buried by plows. Went for another walk and conditions were improving; one clear(ish) lane where there had been two; some cars out. The whole area had been declared a disaster to allow emergency, electrical and snow people a chance to get ahead. I dug out my and Peg’s car. Initially you couldn’t tell the difference between them, just two haystacks of snow. The sun was warm and soon, I was in shirt sleeves, shoveling snow; almost my favorite thing to do. It was so light, I could move a stack 3’ high with one swipe.

We returned to the Steakhouse for dinner in the midst of the Super Bowl game and got back in time to catch the last, dramatic half. Another great day !

Monday morning I surfed the net to find out what was available in Williamsburg, VA, 180 mile south. Neat B&Bs but decided I’d wing it as usual. The drive was magical; everything covered in fluffs and piles and sheets of snow. About 50 miles south, it was not so deep and a few hours later, just patches. Nearly wound up in Jamestown but at the last moment saw signs for Williamsburg.

I arrived at the visitor center just after it closed. Thought I’d find a library and there contact B&Bs. Most of my drive had been through country. When I turned away from Historic Williamsburg (WB) which is 1770 in style, I bumped into commercial WB. Every hotel or motel chain you can think of vying for my custom. I settled on Travelodge at $75 for 2 nights with all the amenities and no one here.

Same was true for Historic Williamsburg next day. I reckon no more than 60 people were visiting. Still all the venues were open and I spent as much as 30 minutes each, one on one, with many of the craftspeople learning and questioning. The Cabinet maker, Cooper, Silversmith, Joiner, Apothecary, Milner & Taylor, Blacksmith, were friendly and welcoming.

I participated in a trial where I played the partof a South Carolina gent who tried to use his own State’s currency to pay off debts. My horse and saddle were taken until I could come up with gold or silver; they thought I would abscond and suggested 39 lashes on my bare back. (Virginians however did not tie knots, nor bits of iron or fish hooks in their lashes. They claim no one died from the punishment. ) I was given 7 days to pay or my horse and saddle would be sold at public auction, the remainder returned to me but the judge said this option would return very little.

Lunch was in one of the Taverns eating an excellent beef stew and drinking rum laced cider. Tomorrow, I plan to visit the museums as it’s supposed to SNOW.

Cape May to Edgewater MD, 1/26 - 2/1

Walkabout blog. Feb 6^th 2010 Cape May to Edgewater MD 1/26 - 2/1

Heather & I left home for Cape May on Tuesday, Jan 26^th, to spend a few days at the Jersey Shore, relax and shake down all my new electronic stuff: I Pod Touch, Tom Tom GPS, and cell phone. The electronic stuff is intended to keep me in touch and informed as I travel toward Fairbanks, AK over the next few months..

Our first stop was unplanned at Batsto Village, site of a former bog iron and glass making industrial center ( 1766 – 1897). I noticed a sign for the village on the Garden State Turnpike, and as Heather had never visited …. It was a foundry because bog iron, a stone with a very high percentage of iron, could be picked up all along the Mullica River and barged in 20 ton flat bottom boats to Batsto where it was smelted. Charcoal was manufactured in the surrounding forests and the whole operation required the support of a village.

This ironwork continued ‘til about 1855 when more efficient methods of production came about because of the discovery of coal in PA. Batsto switched to making plate glass using a German method where a man standing on a platform blew and swung the glowing glass into a 24 inch diam. cylinder, about 6’ long. The cylinder was then split one side and the glass flattened to produce quite modern window glass.

At the Visitor Center we were welcomed by Terrie, a friendly lady, who when she heard I was a carver, offered to contact me when her woods were being tidied up; I could have whatever I wanted. Although I didn’t intend to, I bought a super book filled with Campfire songs. A well thought out Museum introduced one to the village and gave detailed Historical information.

First stop was a water driven circular saw mill just south of a small lake and a tumultuous race. A fish ladder allowed wild fish to pass the dam. The air was crisp, clear, sunny with a biting breeze. Then over to the General Store, which primarily served the village residents with groceries, clothing, toys. It became a Post Office in 1852; mail is hand canceled and because of its Historical importance, no zip code is required.

We peeked into the Mansion an imposing 4 storied, solidly built house with 10 foot ceilings and a wrap around veranda. Nice views of the lake and surrounding buildings. Very comfortably furnished.

We asked for directions for lunch, got lost and found a Diner. As always, good food but too much; left with doggie bag, next day’s lunch.

It was falling dusk as we arrived in Cape May. Our efficiency apartment was perfect, clean, spacious, comfortable and in the very center of old Cape May; walk everywhere, no need to drive! Naturally we had to get on the beach to find treasures. When we couldn’t see them anymore, we returned to the apt.

Heather had cleared out my fridge so we had a delicious supper. Out again, bundled up, window shopping the 3 or 4 blocks of quaint stores with beach-y stuff before return to watch Telly.

Wednesday was brilliant and about 26 degrees. We had a hardy breakfast explored the Congress Hall a hotel which has hosted Presidents and was at one time called” Toms Folly” because it was so big and mistaken common intelligence felt it would never be a success. Hottest spot in town for ever so long.

The lighthouse beckoned only 3-4 miles away along a deserted beach which in summer would be writhing with lotioned bodies. ( In fact the town was deserted. We walked down the middle of most streets and rarely saw a car.) Of course we stopped all the way along picking up shells and the occasional “ Cape May Diamond”, a small crystal clear pebble of quartz. I even found a completely wooden, two pulley, tackle, which we hid to pick up on our return.

The Light House was closed however an informative museum at it’s base was warm. It had a large Pine Barren snake, I’d guess 5-6 feet long and similar to one I saw not far from home; striking markings, sadly endangered. We discovered that the necklace-like seaweed was actually whelk babies in waiting.

A wild fowl viewing stand gave us a commanding view over a ½ mile marsh which, even in January had lots of birds. We were surprised to see Swans. Our return skirted the marsh until we found a path through the dunes to the beach and back to the hidden tackle.

After lunch we went into town to check out Cape May Victorians. They’re cheek by jowl in multi-hued colors, with extraordinary, fret work trim. A guy could make a good business with a computer controlled jigsaw supplying replacement patterns.

That evening we dined superbly at the Blue Pig, highly recommended and across the street in the Congress Hall.

Thursday was more or less a repeat; beach walks and town walks but this time North towards Cape May Harbor. In the afternoon we drove to Sunset Beach on the mouth of the Delaware. After a free coffee in a tourist trap store we found an entire beach of Cape May Diamonds. Not one or two spread over 15 feet of sand, but the entire beach; you could gather them by the bucketful. Now we started collecting special, colors, shapes and sizes. We wandered East around a point to find only the normal sand beach ; puzzling, until we talked to two old lads who told us that the beach was constantly being artificially replenished.” Sunset Beach has never been touched and it hasn’t changed in 30 years “

We walked through a neighborhood where a plot, 50 x 100 had an asking price of 1.6 million. At least you could get an old house for that in town !

Friday we came back to Philly via Wheaton Village in Glassboro. There, a museum with 7,000 glass objects , were on display. The history dates back to English times when the British insisted on selling the colonists everything, no manufacturing was allowed. South Jersey has sand and trees forever so it wasn’t long before colonists ignored the rules. In fact in the 1700 some 230 glass shops sprung up in the Pine Barrens making bottles, plates, jugs, window glass etc. and in time, all sorts of decorative glassware. My favorite piece amongst many was a modern technical construction of a transparent cube approximately 16” square, with ever smaller cubes inside until one in it’s center, perhaps 4” square with a diffraction grating, was also clear. From any and every angle, it sparkled differently, flashing light and color; like looking into a fire. Quite amazing.

Dropped Heathie off in Philly about 5pm and headed from home. Lots of things to decide and do before I left ; mainly turning off the house for the next few months. Heat has never been a problem as in 30 years nothing has frozen inside. Now I think about it, I may not have switched off the fuses ? Don’t know can’t remember.

The weekend was spent trying out packing the car with the bicycle, golf clubs, fishing gear and determining which clothes to bring. Hutch was very helpful in the final stage of preparing the I P Touch. He told me how to download pictures, I transferred 2 to the desktop and pushed return; I now have a completely filled file of 1000 pictures, even though many are of Trudy and Larry’s trip to Alaska. Don’t know how to get rid of ones I don’t want.

Sunday Heather & Mark came to help clear out the fridge. We went out to the “Passage to India” and had an excellent meal. Monday they left short of noon, which had been my deadline. Didn’t get away until nearly 4 and so had to put my foot down to cover 175 miles to Edgewater Maryland by 7 pm. At the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which is just down 295, 50 miles , I turned on the TomTom. Took a while to do what I thought it should ( or took me time to figure out what it was doing. ) Taking roads that do no have tolls , TT directed me down 301 through wide open farm spaces. At times I was alone and as the sun fell, skeins of geese traced webs through an azure to pink to purple sky. I could have been flying my trike, car in auto mode, and the dark trees bordering the highway, only difference , I couldn’t feel the wind in my face. After miles of solitude I came across Bay Bridge and bustling humanity. On both sides of the highway cars were approaching, headlights bright in my eyes, cars everywhere turning into and off the road. Sort of like suddenly finding yourself in Disneyland when you’ve been in Indiana.

TT brought me to Peggy’s front door but she was still at work at a nearby bank. I walked through a small shopping center; she had left, walked back, and rang the bell to her condo. Lovely welcome. Went to an excellent steak house for dinner and talked until 2 am.