Our annual retreat at U Bar U in the hill country, is something we all look forward to; this year no different: hitch up camper, arrive Friday, attend Folk Festival Saturday, hang out, relax, walk dogs around property, etc. Leave Friday come home Monday.
However, Fate had other plans. First, head dog (who has had terminal cancer) was really going down fast. She stepped on a rainbow Wed. night.
Second, I got a piano booked in Austin. This has happened before, I just went out to U Bar after the gig. This time Rita wanted to work in town on Friday, so we could only meet if we drove 2 vehicles. No to that. I decided to come back late Friday and drive us and the camper to the retreat center on Saturday morning.
Update: Saturday Morning
I wake up to Rita sick with diarrhea, “let’s wait and see if it goes away”. Bring piano to shop, come back to prepare to go, ‘still sick, “go without me”. OK, well, I’ll go and not bring the camper. Just the dog and a few other things.
As we get the Emergency Backup Dog (I guess head dog now) and prepare to load her into the van, she bolts off down the street, (maybe) never to be seen again. Well, she misses out, I’m leaving. As I round the block, I see her across the busy West Road, about to make contact with a local black dog that happens to be running around.
She sees me and comes across the street, but (of course) not to me. EBD stops in the middle of the street, so I jump in my truck and encourage her to move (with my bumper) down the street back to the house. All the time looking back at me in disbelief(!) Much like petulant teenager, testing me by stopping, but wisely jumping up to continue running when she saw I meant for her to keep moving.
Now running for the front door in full gallop, no second chances, EBD is staying home... I’m off to I-10 West, the Jewel of our nation’s Interstate highway system. Enjoying NPR as it is always best on Saturday morning, things look good. Right up until I get just past Katy TX. cars and trucks on the crowded highway come to a stop. And we sit. And sit. And...
2 hours go by with little to no movement. Here’s a “The More You Know” moment: “Did you know that when 10s of thousands of people are stuck on a major highway, the mobile internet is useless? Phone (mostly) is too. They are all doing what I was; that is, find out by the magic ultra-net what the heck is going on, and how much longer it will be going on.
Good ole 20th century technology kept purring right along and the radio continued. But the programing changed from comedy to tragedy, All the news of mass murder in Guatemala in the 80’s brought me down quick. That and the sensation of feeling trapped with nowhere to go on this damn road.
I gave it till noon then I’m turning back. We slowly crawled to the next exit and just before, I see the wreck that has I-10 closed, about 7 vehicles, in various states of damage, none that looked life threatening. A couple of Trooper cars there, but that is it, after more than 2 hours no emergency response. Tow trucks whatever. The cops at the scene sure didn’t seem care about the wreck or the thousands of cars now backed up. They seemed to be waiting for someone else to show up. I exited, U-turned and headed home, half a day shot.
Nice to hang out with the wife relax, good call Bil.
However, Fate had other plans. First, head dog (who has had terminal cancer) was really going down fast. She stepped on a rainbow Wed. night.
Second, I got a piano booked in Austin. This has happened before, I just went out to U Bar after the gig. This time Rita wanted to work in town on Friday, so we could only meet if we drove 2 vehicles. No to that. I decided to come back late Friday and drive us and the camper to the retreat center on Saturday morning.
Update: Saturday Morning
I wake up to Rita sick with diarrhea, “let’s wait and see if it goes away”. Bring piano to shop, come back to prepare to go, ‘still sick, “go without me”. OK, well, I’ll go and not bring the camper. Just the dog and a few other things.
As we get the Emergency Backup Dog (I guess head dog now) and prepare to load her into the van, she bolts off down the street, (maybe) never to be seen again. Well, she misses out, I’m leaving. As I round the block, I see her across the busy West Road, about to make contact with a local black dog that happens to be running around.
She sees me and comes across the street, but (of course) not to me. EBD stops in the middle of the street, so I jump in my truck and encourage her to move (with my bumper) down the street back to the house. All the time looking back at me in disbelief(!) Much like petulant teenager, testing me by stopping, but wisely jumping up to continue running when she saw I meant for her to keep moving.
Now running for the front door in full gallop, no second chances, EBD is staying home... I’m off to I-10 West, the Jewel of our nation’s Interstate highway system. Enjoying NPR as it is always best on Saturday morning, things look good. Right up until I get just past Katy TX. cars and trucks on the crowded highway come to a stop. And we sit. And sit. And...
2 hours go by with little to no movement. Here’s a “The More You Know” moment: “Did you know that when 10s of thousands of people are stuck on a major highway, the mobile internet is useless? Phone (mostly) is too. They are all doing what I was; that is, find out by the magic ultra-net what the heck is going on, and how much longer it will be going on.
Good ole 20th century technology kept purring right along and the radio continued. But the programing changed from comedy to tragedy, All the news of mass murder in Guatemala in the 80’s brought me down quick. That and the sensation of feeling trapped with nowhere to go on this damn road.
I gave it till noon then I’m turning back. We slowly crawled to the next exit and just before, I see the wreck that has I-10 closed, about 7 vehicles, in various states of damage, none that looked life threatening. A couple of Trooper cars there, but that is it, after more than 2 hours no emergency response. Tow trucks whatever. The cops at the scene sure didn’t seem care about the wreck or the thousands of cars now backed up. They seemed to be waiting for someone else to show up. I exited, U-turned and headed home, half a day shot.
Nice to hang out with the wife relax, good call Bil.
