Dreamways

Salt Lake City. Saturday night, back at the Embassy Suites. It is MUCH warmer than a week ago. We just finished cheese-and-wine-dining in our room. F most definitely did not want to dine out: “My head is too full of stuff, overstimulated; I just need to sit in a room, not contend with yet another restaurant space!”

We breakfasted today in Reno’s sister city, Sparks. Bret was hoping to find a true coffee house, and therefore did not want to eat at our hotel. Not surprisingly, no such thing was to be found in this part of the world.

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San Francisco. Friday morning. The city is quiet, at 06:30.  It was deliciously busy yesterday. Breakfast at the Union Square café / kiosk that is reminiscent of Emogene’s. The beautiful de Young Museum, with its exhibit of Arts & Crafts stuff. Farmers’ Market at the Ferry Building. Café Trieste. Dinner at Dora’s brother’s New Orleans cuisine eatery, The Elite Café. Fascinating tea tasting at the Red Blossom Tea Co. in Chinatown. Lots of pavement pounding.

People stories.

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San Francisco. F and I sit in our lovely room at the Hotel Adagio, formerly the Cortez, which had kitchens in each room. The culinary spaces are gone, now made into sleeping rooms.   We breakfasted at the Café de la Presse on Bush and Grant, a lovely, spacious French space, if un petit pricey.

Talking with Bret over coffee, I inquired what are his thoughts about doing honor’s thesis. He started explaining why he isn’t going to pursue it. I realized that I was not interested in his explication.

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San Francisco. Tuesday afternoon. We have just arrived and settled into our 11th floor, corner room at the Hotel Adagio on Geary. This, after lunching at Café Flore, a place that elicits a powerful feeling of Home in me. We left Tahoe around eight or nine. The motel’s breakfast was rather dismal, so we went for real coffee at a combination coffee house and sushi bar up the road.

In San Pablo, we visited Eula. She is bedridden.

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South Lake Tahoe, NV. Sitting in our Best Western motel room, Noam Chomsky is talking about the Iraq war on TV. I’ve never seen him “live”, nor have I ever heard him speak.

This trip has had a truly magical quality for me. I have been filled with the varying beauties of these western landscapes. Pulling out of SLC, the morning light of tender silver gave everything a heartbreaking clarity and lightness. The skies through most of Nevada were flocked with all sorts of clouds.

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Salt Lake City. Our second road trip in as many months! We picked Bret up at 08:00 and hit the road, Jack. A smooth and easy drive, each of us taking a turn at the wheel. It is downright chilly here in SLC. The snaggle-toothed mountains closest to town have a fresh dusting of snow!

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Later. Denver. We both had a wonderful night’s sleep in Lincoln, about ten hours’ worth!  For me, it was a deep and rich slumber, filled with Dreams. It was white-gray overcast until we reached Ogallala. Colorado was windy and sunny.

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Lincoln, NE. Easter. We left Rockford early this morning. Driving through much rain in IL and IA, we arrived in the capital of the Cornhusker State around 4:30 this afternoon. We are staying at the rather chichi Embassy Suites right downtown. (F noted that these posh accommodations cost literally a few dollars more than our not-in-the-least bit impressive room in Rockford.)

A typically struuggling downtown, with some interesting architecture.

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Rockford. Saturday morning. F had a very rough nite with stomach issues. He wound up driving to get Pepto Bismol (such a lividly pink liquid it is!) and Gatorade, while I was sleeping. He is now slumbering, poor fellow.

We dined last night chez R. Ellyn was there, as was Sarah’s cousin from Mankato, MN, Joanie, and her hub, Phil. Sarah prepared what she called a „comfort meal“: meatloaf, potatoes, broccoli, salad, ice cream and strawberries and macaroons.

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Rockford, IL. Friday, late afternoon, almost 5:30. We have arrived at our fourth floor room in the Baymont Inn & Suites.

The drive through the entire state of Iowa was actually quite lovely. Iowa immediately looks and feels distinct from Nebraska, much tidier and agricultured. The weather today was again – perfect. Sunny and warm. The countryside in Iowa and Illinois so GREEN, all flat surfaces are grassy. Trees are just beginning to gently leaf out.

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