Life is a Highway

It's been an incredibly long week in my life, one of those weeks when I've been so busy running to get things done I haven't thought much about the greater meaning of everything that has happened.  Today, I put over 150 miles on my car road-tripping to Southern California's "High Desert" (aka Lancaster/Palmdale) for a birthday celebration for a friend.

That gave me a lot of time alone to think.  

On the drive home, the sun was setting, and for long sections of the drive south on Route 14 back to Los Angeles, the colors of the sky were beautiful, a gradually blurred descent from indigo to rust.  And while it isn't the safest thing in the world to do, something told me to pull out the camera, point it towards the sky, and click just once.  When I got home and saw what I captured, I had a revelation...

Sometimes the road ahead of you is unclear.  But when you see something beautiful in the distance, it's best to keep heading towards it.

Tow Yard Art

I love taking pictures of everyday things I see while I'm training in the field and trying to make them look more like art.  Here are my latest efforts from a couple of days outside....

Boys Will Be Boys

Every time I get home to Delaware for a visit, I cherish the time I spend with my nephews. They have a special place in my heart, because even though I only see them a few times a year, they share so much of their lives with me it's as if hardly any time has passed. And for the most part, they make me feel young, except when they stand next to me and I realize how much taller they've gotten!


My nephew Mike is the family social secretary. He started calling my Mom yesterday, asking when Aunt Meg was going to be home. She explained I had to travel all day but would be around in the morning. So today, before I even got out of the shower, he called back to see when I was coming to visit. He always has lots to show me, and it always starts with a tour of his room.



Mike's latest thing is collecting "silly bands." Anyone out there with kids is probably aware of these things, and potentially frustrated by the level of obsession kids have with collecting them. These are sort of a version of the "jelly bracelets" that were so popular when I was a teenager, except that they're more flexible and come in these crazy shapes.



Mike has a ton of these things, including one in the shape of the Philadelphia Phillies logo!



One of the things I find so entertaining is how much my nephews are like my brother. It's like scenes from my childhood doing things with them. For example, my brother played the drums when we were kids, although perhaps not with this much fervor.



Playing ball - catch specifically - was also a huge part of growing up for me. My brother always played in Little League, and he was very disciplined about practicing his position, which was catching. My little sister would pitch, and I manned second base since I was bigger and could actually catch a hard throw from my brother, who needed to make sure he could make the throw to 2nd in time to catch the opposing runner. My Dad was a trooper and not only sunk a home plate in the front lawn, but measured the exactly distance from home to second base so I knew where to stand and my brother would always be practicing his throw right.

Mike and Will and both pitchers, so the roles are a little more fluid. But regardless of what they're doing with the ball, serious determination goes with the task.



But yeah...they have plenty of fun too!



They're both also EXTREMELY competitive. We decided to play ping-pong for a while, and Will unilaterally decided I would play on Mike's team. Mike promptly handed me this paddle -- clearly a poor endorsement of my perceived ping-pong talent.



I eventually got a better one, although it didn't help my play at all. I guess 6 year olds are pretty good judges of talent.

There is one activity I was HAPPY to be left out of.....



Yup...definitely my brother's sons!

I took the wrestling match as my signal to leave. Because speaking of Little League, Will has a HUGE came tonight, playing for the Lewes Little League Championship, and I didn't want him to be too worn out. Pre-game naps for everyone...including me!

Backyard Meditation

In a backyard somewhere, on a day filled with clear blue skies....



Under the shade of a tall palm tree...





...you have time to appreciate the little details that make life magical.





The smell of oranges ripening on the vine...



A lantern dancing in the breeze flowing through low hanging branches.



And with a friend by your side...



...and not a care in the world....



...you realize how peaceful it is to...just....BE.

A Day In Pictures

Business travel (in general) isn't terribly exciting, so I thought I'd spice up the first day of this trip by taking a bunch of photos of random things that inspired me visually and otherwise.

Welcome to my life on the road...

Think YOU Had a Bad Day?

I've had my share of bad work days. We all have. But when you see something like this, it really helps you realize maybe what you're struggling with isn't all THAT bad.

Imagine having to call your boss and explain this.

• You damaged the company vehicle.
• You damaged other property.
• You caused the police to come redirect traffic for 2 hours around a busy parking structure until a concrete contractor could come out and reattach the pylon supporting the height warning pole you hit.
• And you had to stay there the entire time and have people look at you while thinking, "What an idiot."

If I wasn't busy working in the office building next door when this happened, I would have been tempted to go say hello to the driver and share a story from my college years that would make them feel a little better. Because they aren't alone. This has happened before....

• My story involves a band truck loaded with percussion equipment.
• The truck got stuck under a railroad bridge, which caused the top of the truck to peel open like a sardine can.
• A rescue crew was deployed, which freed the truck by letting the air out of the tires until it was safely below the level of the bridge, then pushing it out from underneath.
• The driver of the truck, who I will politely not name, is still ridiculed at alumni events to this day and regaled with tales of the incident.

Have you ever had a day worse than one of these? If so, I'd love to hear about it, so leave your comments! You'll have my sympathy.

Changes In Latitude

There is a certain magic about an afternoon drive heading south, away from the City of Angels...

The I-5 traffic stays steady, then starts to open up when you reach the Orange County Line. Then you hit Ortega Highway, right around San Juan Capistrano when the roadway starts a subtle bend closer to the coastline, and you feel the air cool a few degrees.

You feel it getting closer.

And you keep driving, and the road keeps shifting. Then you hit the bend at San Onofre, and you see it, so you pull over because it pulls you it, begging you to watch, listen...commune.

Your first clear view of the vast blue of the Pacific Ocean, just over the dashboard lights.



In the afternoon sun, the sky blends effortlessly with the calm waves, blurring the horizon line so beautifully you hardly care that you can't tell where one starts and the other begins.



The sea birds know there is no better place to be at peace, sunning themselves on the rocks and enjoying the view of their limitless sky.



For a moment, you glance down and consider your options. New places, faces and adventures awaiting you....



Then you spot a furry friend, and you both calmly stop and consider each other, wondering what the other is thinking.



And then a circling helicopter from Camp Pendleton reminds you this is the real world, not a fantasy of peaceful blue. The birds take flight, as if to chase the intruder away and restore peace to the skies.



And you stop once more, close your eyes and determine your course.



And under the watchful gaze of a knowing bird, you spot the path back to the road, back to your life.



And you pull back on the freeway...and keep heading south.

Life Lessons From A Salvage Yard

Lesson One: Necessity is the Mother of Invention
No air cleaner hose? No problem! Cut the bottom out of a sour cream container, and you can MacGyver your car into running like new!



Lesson Two: Avoid Sticky Situations
A soda can exploded inside this vehicle when it rolled over, and the straw stuck to the window! Messy, but great for a laugh.



Lesson Three: Things Aren't Always What They Seem
I initially thought these were bullet holes, but they didn't go all the way through the panel and out the other side. Turns out, this is what the Fire Department does to a vehicle to stabilize it before they pull it back over an embankment. Stick a fork in this one!



Lesson Four: Be Prepared!
You never know who you'll meet when you're traveling the highways and byways of life. So have chewing gum, deodorant, music, and antacid at the ready....



....and by all means, don't forget your spare toothbrush!



Lesson Five: Don't Drink and Drive!
No further explanation required.





Be safe out there everyone!