[road trip]

yet another weekend out of town for our fearless hero. this time however i did not forget my flip-flops, forcing me to purchase a new pair the moment i arrived at my destination. sometimes i swear i honestly would, "forget my head if it wasn't screwed on," as my fourth grade teacher used to say. i used to roll my eyes at my mom's little reminder lists she'd have laying all over the house. now i keep one on my desk, in my pocket, the desk at work...

anyway. i got a lot of much needed rest during my time away so that was nice. i have no idea why i sleep better when i'm on vacation than when i'm in my own bed, but that's how i am. felt like bette midler driving to barbie h. in beaches as i headed off down the road. it hit me this time, and i say this time because i flash to that scene a lot in my head while driving on long trips, while i was in pennsylvania. diana krall or joni mitchell was singing to me and i found myself drifting off. yes i do have moments of extreme gayness. as i passed the sign for kennywood park i wondered if kenny rogers had his very own version of dollywood, or is it just a coincidence? i suppose i could look into that but i'd rather believe that kenny has his very own theme park with lots of fried chicken and a ride just like disney's "it's a small world" that plays "islands in the stream" instead. as we drove through the tunnel in the mountain i immediately thought of the scene in what dreams may come when robin williams dies. and i thought it was best to focus on my driving so i wouldn't suffer the same outcome. once we hit the curves of west virginia i felt like i was in that saturday morning cartoon pole position that i used to love when i was a little kid. from time to time i even sing the theme song in my head. then i saw the pretty white country church in the middle of a farm. it always looks so peaceful way off in the distance at the bottom of the hill. we passed the stairs leading up the side of the expressway into the mountains that appeared to lead to another church. that always makes me laugh. passing random stairs on the side of the road as you're flying by at 80mph tends to do that i guess. while crossing the potomac i had the urge to be drifting on it in a makeshift raft just like huck finn, just to see where it would take me. of course i would need a book and my nomad to keep my company, but i still think it would be fun. unless i saw a snake, then it might suck. and i love you berkeley springs, west virginia. tiny little town with your one screen movie theater, that is what a movie theater looks like when you close your eyes and dream. we had a great trip. ate a lot of ice cream. bought some clothes i really can't afford. walked a lot. rode a ski lift up a mountain to see the leaves that were just starting to change their colors. this weekend made me remember why i love autumn so much. the colors, the slightly cooler air, the warm cider, the pumpkins. that first weekend when the air starts to get a little cooler always reminds me of saturday mornings when i'd sleep in and wake up to the sound of my parents laughing in the back yard and the smell of the smoke from the leaves they were buring coming in through my cracked window. i miss those saturday mornings.