I hope not. But it was very weird passing this official-looking sign posted near the bottom of the hill on one end of Westerly Terrace, the street I stayed on with my friend, Joan, during my recent visit to LA.
I had a lovely visit to LA, including marching in a big march against ... well, I guess it depended on who you are. There were many people with signs against the DNC. Others were against the Electoral College. I felt good joining in the chants about "Refugees are welcome here," and "Immigrants are welcome here." But there were others; "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go," that I felt didn't express my feelings. No, I'm not happy he was elected. But he was elected. I was marching in support of all the groups of people that he has promised to alienate and whose lives will likely become more difficult because of his proposals.
Joan didn't sign me up through Airbnb this visit, and she charged me very little to stay. While I was there, I made curtains for her, to separate her side "office" room, which also has another bed. Sometimes she has Airbnb people in both of her bedrooms, so she needs to sleep in the office. I slept in there two nights while I visited. I also helped her put digital photos of her artwork into an email to go to a shop that sells works by local artists, and a couple of other sewing things. I also introduced her to the beauty of smoothies, and she got herself a more powerful blender while I was there.
I got to see Adam Mellema in a sort of Prairie Home Companion-style variety show at the LA Breakfast Club. This is a place that was established in 1925, and which had members and guests among the Hollywood elite back in the day. It seems to have been a club for male entertainment industry people, sort of like the Kiwanis Club, but for the entertainment business. Anyway, its aging members had been dying off, and the club was fading away, until a young woman took an interest in it. The traditions are very much alive, and more, younger people are participating and attending.
It was so wonderful to see Adam perform. He most often tells stories to children and families; but he has also been developing a group of pieces around the stories of WWII vets. These are stories he has collected himself from the men themselves. He told one of those at this program, and I was completely enthralled. Adam is a very talented man, and I'm so glad to see that he has found many ways to use his creativity and bring his gifts to many people.
On Monday night, Joan was taking her ex-student and friend, Katherine, out for dinner for Katherine's birthday. Since Alice and David had plans, I accompanied them to Sawyer, not far from Joan's house. The atmosphere was amazing. We sat outside on a patio with a fireplace at one end, surrounded by uprights wound with plants that blocked just enough of the outside world to make it feel very intimate and away from the hubbub of the city.
Another evening, Alice and David introduced me to Diablo, also easy walking distance from Joan's place, right on Sunset and Westerly Terrace. This is a taco place with a twist, or many twists. I had a bison chili taco, a chicken tinga taco, and one with Brussels sprouts, green onions, pomegranate seeds and bacon. Fabulous!
I walked Larchmont with Alice, David, and Cassidy on Sunday, made my way out to West Hollywood to have supper with friend Scott Pascal on Tuesday evening, and parted company with Alice & David after breakfast on Wednesday morning.
I left LA around noon on Wednesday, bound for Grand Rapids. Google maps had showed me that the fastest way was to take I-15 out of CA, past Vegas and Salt Lake City, jog around a bit, and connect with I-80 in Wyoming. Google maps didn't say anything about the weather.
This is a rest area in Hanna, Nevada. The last time we were here, the pavement was so hot I was afraid it would burn Remy's feet, so we hurried from shadow to shadow.
This time, it wasn't cold, but it certainly wasn't hot, and the wind was blowing so hard, I could barely hold the camera still.
You can see how windblown Remy is. This was to be an ongoing feature of the next few days' travel.
This is just another mountain vista. All of this is so much more impressive in real life. For one thing, the road doesn't seem to feature so prominently when I look out the window of the car. And even if I just move my eyes subtly, I can take it so much. Plus, I can focus on the shadows of the clouds or the mountains in the distance. It's hard to get an iPhone camera to do that.
Travel was pretty easy until Wyoming. As we approached our first night's stop, Rock Springs, WY, it had begun to snow and blow, and it was getting late. Remy and I found an inexpensive motel and tucked in for the night.
This was the view from my motel window the next morning -- this would be Thursday. I got an early start because I planned to get to Des Moines today.
Waited at a dead stop about an hour out of Rock Springs for a jackknifed semi to be cleared. Fortunately, because we were completely stopped, I was able to read my book.
This was the condition of much of the road for a while after leaving the traffic jam. But conditions did not improve.
We stopped in Laramie, briefly I thought, for gas. But when we got back on the expressway it had been blocked east of Laramie. We returned, found a Starbucks, and although it was only about 3:30 in the afternoon, got a hotel for the night. It turned out later that the expressway had been opened again around 5:30 or 6:00, but by that time, I had paid for the hotel room. It's probably just as well. Road conditions couldn't have been too good that night, judging from what I saw the next day.
The dawn as I left Laramie was stunning in all its phases.
This is a sample of the "laddering" that the packed snow and ice created on the road for quite a stretch. Fortunately, people drove carefully but not ridiculously slowly, so I made pretty good time, considering.
Another accident-caused traffic jam. Between Laramie and midway across Nebraska when the snowy conditions cleared up, I saw nine jackknifed semis. The whole time I was traveling through the inclement weather, I only saw one other kind of vehicle, a pick-up truck, off the road.
Interesting bridge adornments in Council Bluffs, IA.
A little closer, through my very dirty windshield.
This was the sunset behind me -- I love the reverse function on the phone camera -- somewhere in Iowa.
I just drove and drove and drove. I tried to consolidate stops, making sure anytime I stopped for gas both Remy and I relieved ourselves, and I filled up water bottles. That way, we could keep stops to a minimum.
I would have stopped again if I really felt I couldn't stay awake, but by making sure I had food and water, and regular rest stops, I managed to keep my energy up pretty well. Once I hit Benton Harbor, I knew that we could get the rest of the way.
We arrived at Annie's about 3:00 a.m. on Saturday. Fortunately, the place I sleep at her house is in the basement, so I slept in till about 10:30 easily.
I played a service at Parkwood Presbyterian on Sunday, the 20th, and I'll be there again next week, before heading back to Bay St Louis. After the phenomenally long drives I had on this trip, I may well make the trip back to MS in one day this time, especially now that I know where I'm going.
I've been thinking a lot more about how I want to spend my time in Bay St Louis, now that I've gotten to know it a little and been away again. I am not good at sitting around. I get lazy in mind and body. I will meet more people and set some project goals -- or find others who will set them for me, as in scheduling a speaking date or two for the North Shore UU.
I hope some friends and/or family will be inspired to visit me this winter. It would be lovely to show people around and enjoy the beautiful coast with my loved ones.
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