March 19, 2006

• From Charleston
  South Carolina:
  

  I’m doing spring break by myself this year.  Four full days of nothing but reading
  philosophy on a  Magnolia Plantation
  bench, photographing the emerging spring and walking in nature (well, and
  probably a bit of chapter outlining for the anatomy class).  I drove through the night to get here . . .
  left Indiana
  at 11:30 p.m. and was having fried oysters for lunch at my favorite restaurant at
  11.  My hands were just a little shaky
  from too much caffeine and too little (no) sleep but the oysters tasted just as
  sweet.

  I love traveling at night. 
  Different people travel at night. 
  It’s generally young people and bohemian looking types at the rest stops
  and gas stations (plus a smattering of scary people).  I filled up next to a couple of southern
  rockers pulling their gear in a small trailer around 5 a.m. in Knoxville.  They didn’t look any worse for the wear of
  having performed into the wee hours.  At
  night one can drive for miles with the cruise control on without ever being
  passed or having to pass.  Try that
  during daylight hours during spring break. 
  I love drinking coffee all night and listening to music.  I was trying to sing along with James Brown
  as the sun came up over the mountains around Ashville, NC
  . . . but my bladder was just too full to effectively hit those screaching
  Heeeeeaaay!’s   “Heaaay! Good god I wet
  my pants!”  That’s probably not a real
  James Brown lyric but it might have been mine.

  As always, the Bradford pears were blooming and just
  visible in the dawn light around Asheville,
  and the light green leaves of the larger trees were apparent the further south
  I went.  Tomorrow I’ll see the beauty of
  Magnolia plantation, a place that changes every year, but never really
  changes.  But for now, the coffee is
  gone, the cocktail is gone, and very soon, so will I.

  • 5:43 pm
  • 4 Comments