Today is my oldest son’s birthday! He is 51 years old. I could act stupid and say, “How can that be?” Or I could say something dumb like, “It seems like only yesterday!” But I know, and those of you reading this know, and Paul knows, that it wasn’t just yesterday! I am aware of this reality whenever I see my two “grown-up” grandsons (Paul and Helen’s sons) Austin and Nick. Happy Birthday, Paul! Enjoy your special day.
Tomorrow we will be “On the Road Again.” My life of loafing about like a “harbor seal” here in Monterey will come to an end. My daily walks along the bay will be over. I will miss both! But with Douglas McArthur, I am promising myself, “I will return.”
The big question now is which way shall we go back home. Shall we go as far south as possible to avoid wintry weather and stay warm? We shall see and I’ll let you know.
Yesterday I walked on a sandy beach where once, in 1879, Robert Louis Stevenson walked. It was here that he pondered writing his famous book, Treasure Island. Stevenson, while in Monterey, was also curious as to how the many fires started in the California forests. He wondered if it was the moss growing on the trees that ignited them. He decided to experiment and set some moss on fire. The fire spread rapidly up the tree and Stevenson is credited with starting a forest fire. Fact or legend, I do not know. Unlike Stevenson, I did not conger up a book to write and I certainly didn’t start a forest fire while here in Monterey. Like Stevenson, however, I can say, “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The affair is to move.” Tomorrow we’ll be on the move again.
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