We’re headed East today, taking a giant leap across the country, a huge mouthful of miles and hoping not to choke. Time’s compressed by a gig on one end and Kristen’s desire to have a friend on the other – but the distance doesn’t get the same kind of treatment and we’ve just got to cover the miles as we’re able. A re-run of Casey Kasem’s top-40 countdown from this day in 1971 is bringing us a not very proud era of music…. Flipping the station launches us into the 80s and nothing much better : Robert Plant having an awful brush with some sort of lounge sound as the lead singer of The Honeydrippers. I can only imagine what this looked like and shudder as we roll along on I-10.
Not a cloud in the sky, sun beating down on pines and palms and advertisements for golden, crispy, deep-fried everything. We roll past truck stops that sound like cheap gentleman’s clubs, Kwickie Stops and T&A and the Lube Lounge… and I-10 just points arrow-straight to the horizon.
Kristen just hit 45,000 on her car, she’ll have paid it off next week, I don’t know about the future but the immediate present is so bright I’ve got to wear shades. Curse the silvery-bright surface of my laptop.
Oh God. Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” coalesces on the stereo and assures me that time is NOT going to be passing ANY faster.
Fortunately, just cause it’s been six hours in a car for ME doesn’t mean YOU have to suffer through it… we’re back in the Eastern timezone and I’ve driven the last 400 miles or so. My first and possibly last of the trip. Kristen’s a highway driving MACHINE and I like typing, editing video, working on photographs, lyrics, web updates, the mailing list… whatever else. It hasn’t been a very “business” day, just driving and thinking and listening to music. I’d Love to say the latter was deeper than it’s been – but it’s been an 80’s party all up in here and we’re not ashamed.
The couple of clouds above us here in Florida are getting structural and massive as the sun goes down behind us and the trench of greenery is fading to black with an uncanny swiftness as light just DRAINS out of the world. I guess there aren’t a lot of clouds to reflect the light back and the world’s so FLAT here that the sun just VANISHED before we even realized it. There’s a hint of colour in the rearview mirror still, but it’s getting quickly overridden by headlights and moonlight. Starlight to come, I’m sure.
It’s been a good day – but I’ll be glad when we’ve alighted at our friends’ house – dismounting from the Hyundai this day is going to be most, most, most welcome.
