The Open Road

     when we left the cafe the temperature outside read 102 degrees and that was in the shade so getting out of town and driving in an air conditioned car meant some cool temperatures but in our rush we forgot to buy a cooler for the water bottles

     we spotted a sign in the desert, jack’s ass, and since we hadn’t spotted a store for some time and we had hours to travel we stopped and asked about a styrofoam cooler and a bag of ice— jack  found a dusty cooler and then asked us if we intended to use the ice for drinks or for keeping something cold

     hours later we passed an isolated store where a tattooed woman sat on wood steps that led into the store—we stopped and bought something so we could use the bathroom but what I really wanted to do was take a photo of the woman who sat smoking and whose tattoos covered her arms and legs, but it seemed too intrusive— in hindsight i should have asked because it was one of those photos you see in black and white in photo books

     missing that photo is one of three things i missed on these road trips 

     once on the beach in california i found the largest pine cone—not as big as the twenty-two inch pine cone found in 2002 and memorialized in guinness – but my find was pretty big yet i left it because i was carrying a cache of small polished stones

     and places you miss on road trips even when you do your research  —i still wonder how i overlooked the giant’s shoes exhibited in a small museum in nova scotia