A Small Excursion

Journal on today’s jaunt

Today I had to de-sap my vehicle. It had been parked in an unfortunate locale, and was laden with muck. Heading to the Shell, I triple-washed the windows, but then felt I’d got a freebie. Needing wiper fluid, the counter man, on selling it to me, asked if I wanted a car wash. I said no, but on filling my car with windshield cleaner, I realized I was headed to Los Gatos, and I didn’t fancy rolling up with grunge on the body, so I circled back and bought my ticket.

The line was long to clean my “bus”, so I put on Felix Francis’, “Crisis” on my Libby app and listened with my hearing aids while running the AC significantly. On rolling through the brushes, my antenna carefully removed and stowed, I wondered if the car would get clean. I’d only used the cheapest cycle, and it had been pretty sticky with grime.

Heading to a book sale, I had to use the facilities, so I got a key at a gas station and took care of business. Wanting to pay for the privilege, I spied my beloved Lenny & Larry’s Snickerdoodle, and it was pricey, but I grabbed one for later. Continuing to Los Gatos, I saw the annual Art & Wine festival in full swing, with a cover band, booths and food trucks. I figured I might get lunch there.

Version 1.0.0

Finding a good parking space a few blocks away from the action, I noted happily, that my jalopy was quite clean. I walked mostly in shade to the events. This was good, as my CKD and being under the sun do not mix very well if prolonged. Struggling to find the sale, my phone told me to turn left at Villa Ave, which if there, was 100% unmarked. Following my nose and tracking with Google Maps, I located a small plaza behind the festival, where a tent stood, with a few ladies overseeing the klatch, and where maybe thirty boxes of books were being perused by various and sundry.

Happy to have landed there without further ado, the sun bearing down pretty well by then, I located a tome on Biblical places, with photos and descriptions. I MIGHT have gotten it were it a less hefty volume, but I live in a small home, and have little shelf space. I kept looking, determined to find something worth buying, and happened on a handsome little hardcover Shakespeare from maybe the 1940s. Then I spotted a Grisham, and later, A.A. Milne’s When We Were Very Young. I am not so young, but it looked like fun, and might have good resale value later if I relinquished it at the bookstore.

I found my fourth book, Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, also a tiny hardcover, but it was so nice, and I figured someone might need it more than I did. I am already a Christian, and am not that into most non-fiction so I left it there for someone else. Going up to the “counter”, a few boxes of books on a trestle table, I eventually got the attention of the four ladies there. They encouraged me to get a fourth book, as it would be included in the price, but I thanked them kindly, saying I had what I needed and paid in full.

One of them smiled at me… four for a dollar…