The Trip Etc.

Got to the place where I was supposed to leave my rig with the mechanic. Surprise, surprise, he wasn't there. Called him; he was at hospital with wife all day; said to ask mechanic next door to put rig somewhere and he'd get to it soon. So I did and got a dissertation from the next-door mechanic guy about my mechanic's lack of work ethic -- after all, he'd come to NM in the 1960s and got in with all them hippies and druggies and bikers, but he does good work. So he grudgingly took my rig off, after I'd left a note in it for Grant (my mechanic), and I went back to the house with Greg. Left Albuquerque about 10.30 am Monday 7/26, cool and rainy.

Stopped in a funky Indian-run motel in Shamrock TX. Down to the road on Tues. to somewhere east of Amarillo. Wed. put me just east of Memphis. And Thurs. night was spent somewhere between Nashville and Knoxville. Headed out about 10am, after a big breakfast at Uncle Pete's Truck Stop, and got to Asheville about 2.30. Stopped at Pastimes and got one issue of Buffy (there were two issues but there was a missing number in between, so he kept the later one and is ordering the missing one). Then over to see Mary-Anne. John R. had called to say he wouldn't be home until 4pm so I was killing time.

John and Ken R. and I were playing cards that evening and Ken graciously offered to move up to the attic for his last few days (he leaves tomorrow) so I could go ahead and stay there instead of moving to Mary Jo's Montford house and then to Black Mtn before coming back to John and Hazel's. Made sense to me, so I did it.

Birthday was nice -- two kinds of cake and two kinds of ice cream. Amy was supposed to come but a friend's son broke his arm so she had to babysit while the kid got taken to the ER. Tonight is dinner with Mary-Anne. Tomorrow is lunch with Amy, dinner with Gillian. Thursday is fancy dinner with Blair and Mary-Anne as a b'day gift. Saturday is party at Amy's with bonfire in back yard and just hanging out. Sunday is road trip with Mary-Anne to visit Linda & Linda at their Mt. Airy campsite (they're RV friends I met in Kansas), and then on to Diana's in Davidson.

Phew. But so far nothing for next week. I may need the recuperation time.

Ken and Hazel and Johnny have all begun using electronic cigarettes, which deliver a nicotine hit but just vapor and no smell. Am giving this serious consideration. It's cheaper, too.

More later.