I really love California.
San Diego today was just simply beautiful today and this evening, as what I think is the best time of the year here (September-October) gets it going on.
I didn’t make time to write after leaving our old house here last week in Heather’s Subaru packed with stuff– to be honest I was just sort of heartbroken about leaving California after twenty years here (minus NCSA in 1997-1999), especially after my visit to San Francisco to party with Dave the Butcher before his trip to Berlin.
Regardless, I had a reviving time in New Mexico with old friends Beth Hill (who lives in Santa Fe) and Kris Huskey, who synchronicity-as-adverb was in Albuquerque doing an event for her new book Justice at Guantanamo: One Woman’s Odyssey and Her Crusade for Human Rights.
That was a great morning.
After a thunderous rainstorm and gorgeous sunset in the rearview mirror, I was really loving New Mexico and remembering why I’ve loved the Kerouac-ish roadtrip across country driving your own car in the past: its good for heart ache of a variety of sorts, to see and be other places than the ones you’re used to.
I blew through much of the heartland (eastern Missouri/Illinios/Indiana and Ohio in one dusk-to-dawn swoop, arriving at the most awesome Waffle House ever in Columbus. Four am seemed about right to eat for some reason and after ambivalent passing some Dennys and am/pm’ markets open 24 hours, it was like being called from a great distance in the dark to a yellow glowing private party. Waffle House #495 has the coolest crew, starting with Mike the manager who knew everyone’s orders when they walked in the door (the regulars, anyway) and clearly inspired fun, respect and a rockin’ vibe in Jill, Lane and the rest of his crew (a *great* thing to see if you’ve been both sides of that relationship like me).
I was inspired enough to drive two more hours after eggs, biscuits and gravy with a smile on my face and a free cup of coffee to go, leaving me only a couple for hours from Pittsburgh on a beautiful early fall Saturday morning, crisp and sunny with college football on the radio emerging from the Ft. Pitt tunnel and bridge into Oakland campus and our new neighborhood in Pt. Breeze.
Just to be clear about this now:
I already love Pittsburgh.
Even though my time there the last few days kept me too busy to write as well, despite all the hassles of our move, Pittsburgh is sweet and I’ll be sure to go on about it later, but for now lets say I got to go with Hunter on his first day of pre-school and got excited about the art scene and was safe harbored by my awesome married-into family up the street now, Uncle Barney, Aunt Dee Dee and McGinley cousins, especially Joe, who helped me talk through the local real estate headaches.
So now I’m back in San DIego for a great mural painting project that just came my way while moving and I’m eight kinds of grateful to get paid to make art in my beautiful state!!
Pictures, progress, more tomorrow.
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