[lumberjim]

We drove “the 10” west out of Tucson toward southern California. My Father’s friend Steve lived in Mission Viejo (between LA & San Diego), and we were going to stop and visit them. What a straight and flat road US10 is. We drove and drove along it, rolling our own cigarettes from Bugler tobacco, listening to Jeremiah’s Bob Marley collection on the tape player. We drove straight through that day stopping only for gas at some very interesting rest stops along the way. “last Gas for 80 miles” All of the Indian blankets you could shake a stick at, fireworks, pottery, discount cigarettes, and all that other rest stop stuff. We arrived in Mission Viejo at dusk, and called my dad collect to get Steve’s number. Steve wasn’t home when we called the first time. He had opened an invitation to us when he heard that we would be traveling the country, and we hoped to get a shower and a free meal, so we kept trying him. Finally, we reached him but he was on his way out to dinner with his wife, Marian. SO we had to wait until 11 when they got home.

He gave us directions which included instructions for getting through the security gate to his community. Oh boy. I remembered Steve from when I was little and my parents would go over his place, or they’d come to ours. We’d all go roller skating or sledding, or to amusement parks. They were fun. This yuppie environ did not match my image of him. It matched Marian , though. So, we pull up to the curb in front of his house, take all of the crap we have strapped to the roof of the ugly little blue chevette with the rusted fender flares, and Bob Marley stickers all over it, and throw it inside for the night. Steve answered the door with a smile and started to advance for a bear hug, but then his nose advised him otherwise, and he grabbed my hand instead.

It had been about 2 weeks since we’d showered. You get acclimated to your own smell after a while, but other people seem to pick right up on the aroma. So, we slept in our sleeping bags on top of their nice white beds, and showered immediately upon waking up.

Marian took and washed the clothes we were wearing, with much wincing and grimacing. She was a good sport, if a bit dizzy. We hung around Steve’s house that day absorbing the cleanliness, and the TV. When I went out to get some clothes to do laundry, I noticed a little pink slip on the windshield. “ NOTICE”….”24 hour warning to remove eyesore” I looked around the beautifully landscaped, hilly neighborhood and saw nothing but highline vehicles in all of the driveways. We left that night after dinner.