Christmas Morning

I ran out of gas this morning on the way to work.

Yes, I volunteered to work on Christmas day and I through my negligence I volunteered to be in my present situation also. It was still dark out and there was no one driving around. The desert was very, very quiet.

The "good news' was that I was no more than a couple miles from home. We had recently switched phones and I don't think my wife could even hear the ringer. No answer. I called and called and then gave up. I called the road-side assistance service I have through my cell phone company. No answer.

No big deal really. I started hoofing it back home with a calm sense it would all be o.k.. There was plenty of moonlight. The shadows of the saguaros and cholla were stretching over the road framed by the blue hue that moonlight casts. It was very quiet and the only sounds were my foot steps and the occasional coyote howl and a rooster. The air was clean and cool. It was actually quite beautiful.

I was carrying my guitar and if it weren't for the fact that I was trying not to be late for work I was tempted to stop right on the road and play a song to the desert this Christmas morning. Instead I started to sing a Sons of the Pioneers song called Blue Shadows on the Trail:

"Shades of night are falling
As the wind begins to sigh
And the world is silhouetted against the sky.

Blue shadows on the trail
Blue moon shinin' through the trees.
And a plaintiff wail from the distance
Comes a driftin' on the evening breeze.

Move along, blue shadows, move along
Soon the dawn will come and you'll be on your way
Until the darkness sheds it's veil
There'll be blue shadows on the trail... "

My wife is awesome as it is. But maybe thanks to the Spirit of Christmas I was spared the usual spousal chiding I deserved. I especially thought I would get "what for" just for getting her out of bed before dawn. She joked about it all and actually sped (very rare for her) to try and get me there as close to "on time"as possible.

And just to let me know she meant it, before I got out of the F150 she gave me one of the best kisses ever.

Christmas Shopping

Even before I made it my car after work yesterday, two people gave me their Christmas shopping/car accident horror stories.

"Oh my God! You're going shopping this close to Christmas?"

And then the advice ensues as if they were a WWII combat veteran.

I tried to reassure the people that I definitely wasn't going to the mall. That would be stupid and something I would never do until the 23rd.

Give this guy some credit. I planned it out. The store I planned to shop at was a specialty store that I knew wouldn't have much traffic. I parked in a small, nearly empty parking lot off an alley and walked a half block just to avoid traffic.

In the store the staff seemed happy to see me and was very helpful. I found two great gifts: one that my wife had pointed out months before with glee and the other one was imbued with such tender relevance and symbolism that I almost cried when I saw it.

Speaking personally, I have always had such romantic hopes of how people will react to the 'special" gifts I give. Sometimes when I see that "certain gift" I imagine the giver will open up the package and experience great joy, tears of joy, disbelief, child-like wonder and other such emotions.

I don't know if finding those "great gifts" can ever be accomplished shopping on-line. As a direct experience there is something about seeing, touching, smelling & otherwise actually holding a gift that the internet will never replace. As we hold something we are considering buying it, there are the subtle changes in texture, color and perspective as the item turns in your arms and hands. How quickly it stimulates the imagination can only be experienced in person.

Even if something is seen in a store then purchased on-line...I am not yet convinced it's the same thing. It's not the "things" we buy people for Christmas but what they mean. Can this transfer take place when things are purchased on-line without seeing them first?

If you have any ideas, click the "Comments" link below this entry, select "Anonymous" and share your thoughts. It won't be the same as you being with me in person but it'll have to do. The web is good for some things.

Orlando-Land of Magic!

As I looked around the airplane cabin I noticed how odd it seemed to not see someone wearing Mickey Mouse ears. No Goofy ears. No Stitch ears. Also lacking was the continuous sound track of happy, warm & fuzzy music filling the air at every turn. This could only mean one thing: my vacation to Disney World was over and my wife and I were going back home to Tucson.

So sad for it to end. But what a gift to have been able to have gone there is the first place. Thanks to the lovingly and diligently compiled assets of the members of my wife's side of the family they footed the bill for the major costs of a week long trip to Orlando with passes into Discovery Cove, Sea World and Disney World.

Even though some days were rainy and cold, we took it rather in stride. Rain has this nice way of clearing the parks of baby-strollers which made ambling about quite a bit more enjoyable. And-Oh Boy!- there was so much to enjoy!!!

There is really too much to tell but, the week of fun included getting patted on the back by Eeorye while eating breakfast, the Bear Jamboree Christmas Concert, Shamu, petting and hand feeding southern rays, kissing and getting taken for a ride by a dolphin named Lester, a Christmas choir of 500+ voices and seeing amazing things I could have never imagined.

We had some very romantic times in Epcot's Italy and many other places. Why wife said we would have to eat less junk food when we got back. I told her that would not be such a challenge since we would no longer have cotton candy every 30 yards.

By the way, being from the woods, city and the desert, I had never worn a wet suit before my trip to Discovery Cove. One little tip: the zipper for the wet suit goes on the inside of the suit and you zip up your back-side. That's all I have to say about that.