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It has been a long time since I posted a blog entry. I feel slightly ashamed for not keeping up with it to be honest. I have so much to write about, but it frequently seems easier to think about writing than it is to actually sit down and write.
Today, I am on vacation, I am sitting on a patio in San Francisco, California, sipping a rum and Coke and enjoying a beautiful evening. I dont even feel my jet lag, or the fact that I have only had 5 hours of sleep. I am frankly as relaxed as I have been in weeks and it feel pretty good. I miss my girlfriend already, and I just saw her this morning. She couldnt be here with me on this one, so I miss her.

The air here has a special quality that is difficult to name, it is, well.. silky. Yes that is the term, the air is silky. Coming from the midwest, I am used to heavy air. Oppressive with humidity in the summer and harsh with cold in the winter. Here, and every time I have ever visited California, the air is what struck me as being very different from the moment I exited the plane. It wafts in from the coast and swaddles the land in a cocoon of soft warm air, often scented with some tropical flower, or suntan lotion, or just good old bracing sea air.

I have been here many times, I have good friends in the Bay area and it is pretty easy to get on a plane and visit. No rental car needed, no hotel room needed, just a few bucks for liquor and a bite to eat and I am good. Each time I come, my one request is to see the mighty blue pacific. I was born not 5 miles from her blue, endless majesty. I waded in her soft waters from an early age, and the images of the ocean have been indelibly marked on my mind almost from birth.

Today, my friend Jeff drove me to the ocean. It was incredible, the northern coast of California is nothing short of spectacular. The views were endlessly breathtaking and the salt air smelled so good, I wanted to get out and have a tangible communion with this mighty sea. Alas, since it was such a nice day, everyone in the city decided to come out and frolic in the ocean. We couldnt find a place to park! Traffic everywhere that frequently slowed us to a dead stop on the highway. I dont mind too much, the crowds would have diminished my private little communion anyway. I got an eyeful of the sea, and another memory to file away, of the hills and the fog and the breakers and the rocks. The romance of the coast still permeates my soul, even if I cannot get my feet wet.
I wanted to share these spectacular vistas with my girlfriend back in Ohio, but realized I had left the camera at home. So for this day of my trip there are no photos. Yes I am indeed kicking myself in the ass. See on this trip, I am driving back to Ohio with my friend. We leave on Monday morning and will be crossing the West on our trek back to home sweet home. There should be plenty to blog about and I am going to attempt to record it all for this blog.

Day1 The Flight:
The flight was great, not a cloud in the sky and smooth as silk. The aircraft was hauling ass too, and we were 25 minutes early. I sat and read the entire way there, and the 4 hours passed pleasantly. I have only two observations. One was the in flight snack. Once upon a time this seasoned traveler could count on a meal, or a bag of peanuts, or some nice bit of food on a 4 hour flight. However, lately, the snack have been more and more lame. Today we get this package of goodies wrapped in a plastic wrapper with Delta Airlines proudly emblazoned on the front with "ENJOY" printed in giant font on the front. Inside were some raisins, a very small box like you would give your small child. Additionally, there was a package of two (2) short bread cookies as well as a small tub of cheese product. No really, it said Havarti flavored pasteurized cheese food.
There was a small plastic knife and a bag of crackers that said on the package, "garlic herb crustinis". Oh great, cheese and crackers, I thought, until I opened the package. The "crustinis" were about the size of the raisins. Small little crouton like bits that while good, did not provide anywhere near enough real estate to smear Havarti flavored cheese like food on them. Not that I didnt try mind you, I am sure it looked pretty ridiculous to see me trying to smear cheese like substance on my tiny bit of flavored bread.
The only other thing that was notable on the flight was the number of folks that had to use the bathroom. I mean really, from the moment the seat belt light went off folks were jamming the aisles trying to get back to the can. Now the flight wasnt even crowded, I even gave myself an upgrade to a better seat once the aircraft was in flight, and I happily sat there, enjoyed two Coka Colas and read a book. I did not have to pee. However, everyone else on the flight did. It was an endless procession to the restroom for 4 hours. I dont know, perhaps it was something in the water. I wonder if any of THAT waste was jettisoned onto a server farm somewhere.
More on the trip later, and I promise to have photos.
SLF 04-28