Vacation 101

Hello everyone, it's good to get away but oh boy there's nothing like home sweet home! Cathy recommended the book,"Tuesday's With Morrie", and I read the whole book before the train ride was over and this is quite a feat for me. So now I'm going to try and read a book a month. The things I learned from the book were immediately put into action. I'm having to use Andrea's laptop my monitor is behaving badly today I guess it missed me. We boarded the bus at 5 A.M. for a two hour ride to catch the train, it doesn't come to San Francisco, you have to get it either in Emeryville or Stockton. We were able to grab seats with a table and that was really nice to be able to strecth out. I totally forgot the camera, had plenty of new batteries but no camera. So I have to get intouch with my friend who did bring their camera. Already I miss wakeing up before sunrise and enjoying a cup of coffee on the deck over looking the still waters of Queensway Bay and watching the pelicans and the ducks playing together. It took me a little while to realize that every two hours the Queen Mary would sound off with an loud blasts from her bellows. The first time it happened I looked at Andrea and cautioned her on eating too many burritos!!! The tourament went great, they were battling it out tooth and nail. When it came down to the final women's match everyone was quite and bitting nails and hanging on the edge of their seats. It was a race to three and one girl was already one game up, then they went on the hill(tied up)this is where alot of praying and biting nails came into play. They both move up two all, no one is leaving the room not even for drinks the bartender and some of the hotel staff have stopped all activies to watch the final showdown. The referee racks the balls the last game is underway. They are put on a shot clock they now have 60 seconds to make their shots. The tension is mounting still no one is moving. This could be the last shot right here, she lines up her shot takes a deep breath the referee anounces 30 seconds she shoots the cue ball strikes the eight ball sending it into the rail comes off the rail goes around the remaining stripe ball and falls into the side pocket. The room comes alive with cheering and congratulions, San Digeo wins the Women's Division. I truly felt as if I had a heart attack !! It's moments like this that I live for, to me this is what pool is all about, skill, preseverence and a little bit of Luck. Monday morning arrived and with it brought one more morning on the deck enjoying the pelicans and ducks with my coffee. This day gave me three little baby sparrows who sat and chirped to me a beautiful morning song. They were so cute they even brought me some of their bird nest material. We went to breakfast and I had this wonderful Greek omelet. Thanks to The Thinking Man's Babe, I have had omelets on the brain for a week now and I finally got one. Here come my babies to see if I will share my toast. I did but not at the resturant, Andrea thinks I'm crazy because I talk to all animals even the birds. A bee landed on her and I told her to sit still, I walked over put my hand out and coaxed it onto my hand and took it out of the immediate area and it flew away. Ok, so I'm a little crazzy! We have to catch our bus that will take us to Bakersfield for the train. We were waiting and the bus arrives, the time frame from one connection to the next is small, we board the bus and his mirror falls off, well not really off maybe limp is a better description. Hmmm, can mirrors go limp? So, we wait for the mechanic to arrive and tigthen the mirror. Ok, all set down the road we go, next stop Union Station in LA. Pick up more people and back out on the highway. Somehow we pick up time and things are looking good then, then, then the bus loses all power and but of course we just missed the rest area so we have to be stranded on the freeway. The freeway where no one is doing less than 65 mph, the bus barely hobbled to the shoulder. Sitting in the first seat is a commerical driver behind him is me and behind me is yet another commerical driver. He radios for assistance they send another bus, another bus that has an oil leak and won't make it up the GrapeVine!! The three of us drivers are furious! We know all this could have been avoided had the driver pretriped that bus from the begining, the limp mirror was the outward sign of things wrong. One of the guys got pictures of the drivers just standing there and all of our luggage thrown out onto the iceplants. I'd been patient long enough several of us really needed a smoke. So being the rebel that I am I lead the march to freedom, out the door we went to plant our butts in the iceplants along with our luggage and have a cigarette. We all expected the driver to try and tell us to get back in the bus he was clearly out numbered. The third bus pulls up and we begin out pilgrimage to the next bus. Some driver radios him from the opposite freeway and says the train is two hours late. What the driver didn't say was which train was late, so our driver assumes that it's our train ( has anyone ever heard of Never Assume) he begins to drive as if it's Sunday and no one has anywhere to go... Meanwhile we are all asking questions "WTH". By now we are extremly late and dispacth as been trying to get a fix on his location. OMG there is Bakersfield 48 miles, 25 miles yes! We pulled into the station that bus emptied out so quickly we were all glad to see Bakersfield. Well it was a trip right, right, come June we will be renting a car.