Stream of thoughts. recollections, wonderings, and questions coming…

While leaving Brooklyn was a paradox (two things can be true per Glen) – it was incredibly sad AND there was also the anticipation of getting home to family, friends and familiarity. The sadness was ameliorated because I was looking forward to having a visit with my niece and her husband, Erin and Conrad and my grand nieces and nephew – Victoria almost 9, Carter 7, and Brooke 4.5. And oh boy! What joy! We plunked ourselves down at their house in NOVA on Halloween and got to carve pumpkins, read books, enjoy a neighborhood potluck and go trick or treating! I have not had that much fun in a long time! Those kids are each so different and all so endearing. What a wonderful way to start our journey home! (And I ticked off a new state – Delaware.)

On to Knoxville via Virginia. The drive was beautiful with rolling green hills and fall leaves. It is such a beautiful part of the country.

Then through Tennessee to Arkansas. A couple days ago, Glen posted about a stop for bbq in Memphis – a road highlight. I will say that as we drove through Memphis, there were some beautiful neighborhoods and it was interesting to see St. Jude’s which we all know is a wonderful foundation for children.

Next stop Little Rock. Arkansas was another new state for me. The first thing I noticed was that there were WAY more billboards for “adult only” stores than I had seen in any other state since we left CA in July. What’s up with that? The second most frequent billboard was for gun and ammo stores (local and online stores). That was no surprise. But my favorite memory of Arkansas is this story that I posted on IG and FB:

What could go wrong? Taking Dug for a walk in Arkansas. Went around the corner from the hotel. It was like I crossed into another world (think Deliverance without the river). I was kinda wondering if this road was a good idea (thinking I had watched too many movies) when a loose dog came running toward us from down the road. I turned Dug around and fast-walked back where we came from with this dog catching up to us quickly. A banged up red truck (of course) came out of nowhere and the driver and passenger started hollering at the dog to go back. The dog kept trailing us and now the truck. So the truck pulled up alongside me and the passenger gave me a big stick saying “…just in case…” and then drove off. Obviously we made it back safely, but I did have to threaten the dog with the stick a couple times.

That’s it for me and Arkansas.

We blew through Oklahoma (new state) and on into the top notch of Texas. Can’t say as I have a lot of specific memories of either state. Except…I did feel like it was the longest stretch of I-5 between Bakersfield and Sacramento…it went on forever and ever and ever, if you get my drift.

I also noted that I’m surprised that we have a shortage of goods because OMG – there are SO many trucks on the road. I mean SO MANY!!! And they are heading west and east. The rest stops and gas stations are packed at night with truckers sleeping in their cabs so those goods should be arriving at our stores soon!

We landed for the next night in New Mexico and I have to say I’m a bit curious about New Mexico. The landscape was interesting, the people were friendly, and I want to go back and spend some time exploring. We found a great family-owned Mexican restaurant in the tiny town of Santa Rosa. The young lady who took our order and brought us our food was maybe 12 years old. By the time we left I wanted to pay for her college tuition. She was incredible! That girl is going places! I wish I’d asked for her name! I wanted to do a little exploring and take some pictures, but after my dog experience in Arkansas, I was a little gun shy so I had to satisfy myself with a few pictures from the main road through town.

Zipping through Arizona, I was a bit annoyed that their rest stops were all closed. The signs along the highway did not indicate the closures so we didn’t know until we got there. When you plan your “relief” spots around the “rest” stops, that can be a problem. Come on AZ. You can do better.

AND – while masks were required in New Mexico, they apparently are not in Arizona because we have not seen ONE person wearing a mask. Well, that’s not entirely true because I’ve seen Glen and he’s seen me. I looked up NM COVID stats vs AZ stats and as you’d expect, NM’s vaccination rate is higher and COVID rate is lower. Simple math.

Anyway, here we are in Kingman, Arizona for our last night of our most incredible adventure. We got in early and it was a beautiful 81 degrees (after starting our day at near freezing) so Dug and I walked down Hwy 66 to a park. The dogs in the dog park were too scary for me (therefore for Dug) so we walked down a side street back to the hotel. Glen and I then ventured into town for dinner at a place that he found on Yelp. Sadly, when we got there it was permanently closed. COVID? Lack of tourist business? Kingman is a quintessential small town that is dying for lack of industry and the newer highway now skirts around the downtown. The town is really trying to make it a place to stop and the downtown looked like it would be fun for poking around. But sadly, times seem to be passing it by…

What’s that I see? Los Angeles?

One late afternoon, Glen and I were walking on a busy street in a Brooklyn neighborhood that we hadn’t been to more than once or twice. At that hour, there are always lots of people out and about – school kids, parents and strollers, workers coming home, tourists ;-), etc. . As a group of 6 or 7 moms with elementary-aged kids came toward us on the sidewalk, one of the young girls tossed some candy trash toward a trash can and kept walking. She looked straight at me as she did it and I could tell that she knew that what she did was wrong and yet…

Now, I will tell you that as a teacher (and a mom) there have been MANY times when I’ve struggled to keep my mouth shut when I saw a child doing something that wouldn’t fly at school or home. (My kids used to give me the evil eye when they could tell I was struggling to MYOB.) But sometimes, I just can’t stop myself. So as she kept walking, I said something like “Uh-oh, you missed!” The moms sort of made motions to get her to go and correct her mistake so she came back, picked it up and gently put it on top of the trash can. I said something like, “That’s just going to end back up on the ground when the wind blows”. I could see that she really did want to do the right thing and then I realized the real problem was not that she didn’t care or was lazy or careless. She didn’t want to lift the trash can lid to drop it inside. She didn’t want to touch it.

COVID has changed many things in society, some good, some not-so-good. This little girl was clearly afraid of the germs she might contact by touching the trash can lid. I got it. I understood. So I looked at the moms to make sure they weren’t freaked out by this crazy gray-haired lady, called the young girl over to the can and said, “I get it! You don’t want to touch the lid! This is how I do it!” I picked up the trash, used it to lift the lid, and then quickly tossed the trash inside before the lid came crashing back down. The girl and the group of moms and kids with her, all watched me finesse the trash into the can. You would have thought that fireworks had gone off with their “oohs and ahhs” when the trash safely landed inside the can and I hadn’t come in contact with the “infected” lid.

The little girl looked seriously happy with my performance. The moms thanked me and everyone moved on their paths with the little girl skipping along her way. Sometimes, you just have to stop and see the issue through someone else’s eyes. There are very few problems that can’t be solved with a little compassion and understanding.

Imagine..

Day three of our drive through the drive across began early again. We left that city with too much ugly orange and made our way from the rolling hills of Eastern Tennessee to westernmost Tennessee and Memphis. We approached the city and began to talk about lunch. Mostly on the road during these ambitious drives we don’t invest a lot of time in our meals, we try to make them easy. I’ve been all around Memphis, but never any time in the city. So, I asked JDT if it was OK if we were a bit more adventurous. AND as always, she said yes. I went on my phone and the place in the photo came up and resonated with me. The directions took us off the I-40 corridor and into the heart of Memphis. I’d always heard that Memphis was a tough town, kinda like Oakland. Hmmm.

I love BBQ. Pretty much any kind of BBQ. Yes, I love the king of BBQ (brisket) above all others. I think I found a close 2nd. Memphis is a pork town. Memphis is a BBQ pork ribs town. AND not the Carolina mustardy sauced variety. Their own “brand”.

JDT was driving, so I read up a bit on Payne’s offerings. Small number of items done very well. So, as we drove up I got this vibe that this “was going to be very good”. Then I opened the door as we arrived and the wonderfully smokey aroma flowing out of this place just made me smile. I went inside, got in line then ordered a half slab and a chopped pork sandwich.

We switched back over to me driving and we drove away. JDT opened the wrapping around the pork sandwich. What a terrific homemade sandwich. A hamburgerish bun with chopped pork butt, mustard, slaw, pickle and who knows what else. Delightful! That was gone in mere minutes. Next, it was on to the ribs. You should know that ribs are not really JDT’s thing. So, I was on my own. The styrofoam box included 8ish meaty sauced ribs, some potato-ish salad and 4 slices of white bread. It dawned on me. This is a different version of Everett & Jones (E&J). E&J is an Oakland institution that I have frequented for nearly 40 years. Wonderful Soul Food. The Payne’s BBQ soul food rivals E&J.

Two hours later we got to our hotel in Little Rock. I ate two more ribs. Plus I have some to take with me tomorrow!!

Sometimes life is just perfect!!

We began what I call our drive through the drive across states. Yesterday afternoon and last night we were with JDT’s niece and her family. They are wonderful with three under nine and it was Halloween. Well, let’s just say I am not as young as I once was.

We spent the morning and early afternoon driving from Northern VA diagonally down to Eastern Tennessee. We’re staying on the outskirts of, as Blair puts it, that town with a bunch of ugly orange. LOL!!

We decided not to dine in as we drive through the drive across. We, and frankly the vast majority in NYC are practicing safe habits. Down here, much less. So, upon arrival in that ugly orange town, we were hungry so we got takeout from a place nearby (a short walk). A short while later, JDT wanted a Wendy’s Frosty and I wanted some milk to go with the cookies we baked for the journey. We walked down to the Wendy’s. OH NO, the “dining room” wasn’t open, so I proceeded to see if I could walk through the drive through. Talk about strange looks from the people in their cars in front and behind me. Well, they wouldn’t take my order. Killjoys!!

We spotted a minimart as part of a gas station across the road. I proceeded to start to cross the road, and wait for it . . . JDT asked, “where is the cross walk”. OMGoodness, I nearly died laughing. The picture as part of this post is looking back with the Wendy’s on the right (see the Wendy’s outline) and the minimart on the left.

How many southern institutions can you make out from the photo?

Sometimes life is just too perfect!!

Out of sequence, but I want to share a bit about David Byrne’s American Utopia show? Concert? TedTalk?

Visually, its simplicity was stunning. It opens with Byrne seated at a square table in the center of the stage. He’s holding a “brain” in his hands. As the stage curtain rises, around the sides and back of the stage, curtains of beads that look like water falling, begin to rise. It gave me the sense of David being seated in the center of the 9/11 Memorial fountain (a square) with the curtains being the outside walls and waterfalls. I couldn’t help but see it as symbolic.

I’ll let Glen share more about the show as he’s the David Byrne/Talking Heads fan, but I do want to share one take away from the show. And there were many thought-provoking moments…

Toward the end, he talked about the pandemic and said something like …if we’ve learned one thing through it all, it’s that once everything is stripped away and we’re left with what truly matters, we’re only left with two things. “You and me. Us.”

Us. Full circle back to Glen’s post(s) about the circle of life and our shared purpose in this Brooklyn adventure. Us.

And thank you for being part of our “us” and joining us on this journey of “us”.

I have become quite fond of my early mornings here in Brooklyn. I usually get up before 6 and have an hour or two to just be with myself and think. I used to fill this space by turning on the TV or logging on to my computer. Not as much any more.

This morning I woke up even a bit earlier. The emotions came washing over me. It didn’t hurt that I checked my phone, saw a notice of a Brodie Brazil post on BoMel and the A’s and went and watched (if you get a chance and enjoy “humanness” I highly recommend).

Mission Accomplished!!

I’ve experienced these short periods of life that have left me somehow fundamentally “changed”. Chico State from fall ’79 to spring ’83. My journey with cancer from May ’08 to February ’09 (and beyond). My “experience” in SoCal from late ’86 to early ’91. All of these, if not exclusively were primarily about me and my growth and maturity.

This was about US!!

So, as we pack up and jump in the rental Rav4, I really hesitate to use the term “back to CA” or “return home”. Developmentally I really need to see this as evolve and advance. I believe in life in those terms. Yes, it can be a bit unbalanced.

You have changed US forever Brooklyn. THANK YOU!!

This morning I leashed up Dug and headed out for our last morning walk. I was going to turn right, but saw Earl and Bob out front so I wanted to go say a quick goodbye and thank them. Oops. I couldn’t find my voice. Or I didn’t trust my voice. I paused and managed to get it together to tell them that we are leaving tomorrow and that we SO appreciated their support and kindness during our stay. They responded by saying that they were sorry to see us go. AND they told me that we are part of the Halsey Street family. I was touched, but true to my usual avoidance of a final goodbye, I pivoted to humor, found my voice and said, “Great! We’re coming to your house for Thanksgiving”! We all got a chuckle out of that and then Dug and I walked into the sunset. Not really. We just moseyed on down the street with misty eyes and took a good long look around. This neighborhood would never get boring. I always see something new and something familiar.

Halsey and neighboring streets…one last time…

I’m not ready for goodbye.

Yesterday took me to Midtown. My friend, Julie told me about an historical fiction novel about the JP Morgan’s librarian. It’s based on a real woman whose brilliance not only got her the position, but also enabled her to socialize with the NY elite (think Carnegies and Vanderbilts) hiding the fact that she was African American. So, of course I had to go visit the library. The best part of it is the actual building and rooms that are essentially in their original form. Quite a stunning building and the antiquities!

From there I wandered into Grand Central Station, NYC Main Library, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and on to Central Park and Columbus Circle.

We ended our day picking Tim up at Penn Station, eating dinner and then enjoying a Rangers game. The game was great and oh boy…I forgot what it’s like to be surrounded by a bunch of really drunk guys at a sporting event (NOT Glen and Tim!).

Soaking up every last drop of NYC.

I grew up (from the age of 6, so at least mostly) in rural Nevada County. Actually in the small town of Rough & Ready, CA. It was a town of less than 200 when we moved there in the early 60s. The big town (5,000 – Grass Valley) was ten miles away. So, walking the streets or crossing the streets really didn’t happen in R&R. It was crossing the road, AND there is a difference. As a young boy with two older brothers, we walked everywhere. Our house was in the middle of eleven acres and the “driveway” was 1/4 of a mile long and a pretty steep incline. So, riding bikes was something we did, just not that much. Plus, much of our walking wasn’t on roads or even paths. It was through fields, pastures, woods, etc.

Upon those occasions when we went to “town” you took your habits with you. So, we certainly didn’t cross streets in cross walks, we just did as we did on the roads; waited for cars to pass and crossed the road. These habits are with me to this day.

Have any of you noticed that you can get a bit of a tell on a City’s personality by the way people cross the street? I’ve always felt at home in NYC. HUH? A person mostly raised in rural Nevada County?

JDT and I went to Viet Nam in October 2019. My favorite part of the trip was in Hanoi. Hanoi is in the north and was the capital of the old North Viet Nam which was communist and the American opposition during the Viet Nam war. It retains some of its communist roots, yet is this vibrant, emerging, incredibly entrepreneurial culture. Second HUH? We stayed in the craziness of Hanoi. One of my favorite keepsakes from the trip is a cell phone video I took from the rooftop “bar” of our hotel. It is a bit over a minute and captures one of the essences of Hanoi. The video is during normal early evening of an intersection of six streets. First, you must know that the main form of transportation in Hanoi is the motor scooter. My guess is they outnumber cars 5 or even 10 to 1. It is amazing to see a family of four (third HUH?) making their way through the craziness. So, the video captures all of these motor scooters coming together in a random and orderly (fourth HUH?) fashion and seemingly unfazed. A bit more than half way through the video a family crosses in the middle of this craziness. AGAIN unfazed and unharmed. In my walking, which included many street crossings (few damn crosswalks!), once I figured out the personality, I took instantly to it. You see, once you get started there is no pausing. You pause and a major accident will occur. Trust me, this may have happened had I not so gently goaded JDT to trust the plan and charge forward.

NYC has its own personality. It is not for the faint of heart. I’ve learned how to almost instantly spot a tourist. They are the ones standing at a crossing, with no cars coming and waiting for the walk image to appear. New Yorkers never do this. Life will pass you by if you let it. Some of my favorite experiences have simply been crossing the street (no damn crosswalks!) with a car approaching in the distance. The car will almost always honk (such a New York thing). I used to get offended in a CA kind of way! Not nearly as often now. I mostly just give them a little wave (possibly single finger depending on how long their honk lasts), grin and know how much I miss this when I am gone.

Just reason number 57 of so many reasons to enjoy life’s adventures!!

You all know I love MY Oakland sports teams!

Last night a news flash came up on my phone – Bob Melvin signs 3 year deal to manage San Diego Padres. Almost instantly I group texted JDT, Blair and Niels – “BoMel?? No!!! AND I am very happy for him and will love him forever!!!”

This in 14 words summarizes my relationship (and likely those that have been fans for over 50 years) with the Athletics. It is very complicated. Blair’s reply – “A’s fans never get to have anything good….” AND I understand her feelings as a fan since about the age of 4 (1996 – sorry Blair I just told everyone you are nearing 30!). I always have 1972, 1973, 1974 (the last GREAT baseball dynasty!) and 1989 (a savored sweep over the “dismissed” Giants during which they never led a game for one moment – NEVER!). She and younger fans only have the near misses of the early to mid 2000s and the recent struggles to get over the top.

Being an A’s fan has taught me how to enjoy the process, not just the result. If you were born post 1989 and see life through a results prism, you might write texts similar to Blair’s AND make no mistake, I have suffered with the A’s since 1989. AND I’ve learned to find a way to enjoy all phases of the A’s.

I still remember watching that night in 1975 with the Red Sucks in town and in the dugout on the first base line with Joe Rudy in a Red Sucks uniform. Charlie Finley had begun the “tear down” of the MIGHTY A’s. It broke my heart, especially to see Catfish wearing Yankee pinstripes. The next “rebuild” happened with Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. That still hurt, just not as deeply. AND the one where I finally started gaining some balance in my perspective occurred with Jason Giambi. It was with this “rebuild” in 2001/2002 that I started to appreciate Jason Giambi’s incredible contribution to the A’s and, frankly, his deserved reward he received with his life-changing contract with the Yankees. It took a season or so, AND then most A’s fans cheered heartily upon JG’s regular return visits to Our House.

Thank you BoMel for all you gave to the A’s for a wonderful 10 years. I will never forget your part in being the Rays before the Rays became the Rays. It was masterful how you led my A’s to incredible overachievement. AND now I continue to root for you and your success (at least most of the time and especially against the Giants). I know you will guide some incredible young talent (one of your true unique abilities) on that Pads team. AND finally Happy Birthday to you on your 60th. I’m hoping you’ll get a nice big trophy present later next year!!

As My A’s begin another cycle of “rebuild” there are many things I look forward to. It has happened so many times I just know that most, or all of, Chapman, Olson, Manaea, Bassitt and Montas will be “moved” in order to avoid arbitration (the thing that MLB owners hate the most) awards. I look forward to following each of you with your new teams. I look forward to the influx of talent and making their way to MLB. I look forward to the team being led by either Mark Kotsay or Ryan Christenson (my two co-favorites for the job). AND I look forward to those mid-week day games where I get to rub elbows with old time A’s fans. You are truly the best.

It is amazing to me how sports replicate life!!