More Than a Train Wreck

Today was an epic day of sorts--one that I wasn't looking forward to. We needed to borrow Dana's minivan and drive to Berkeley to pick up the final load of crap garden decor items and random things from the garage--including two boxes of old paint, pesticides and a half filled gas can destined for the toxic waste dump. On the bright side, we wanted to visit Tim and his family before Christmas. In the end, Dana decided to drive because she wanted to deliver presents to the cousins and wish her brother and his family a merry Christmas in person.

The day dawned, or actually failed to dawn, since it was pouring rain. There were high wind warnings everywhere and flash flood warnings in Sonoma County. Dana drove and OilMan was co-pilot. I sat in the jump-seat in the back holding on to the overhead hand grip with white knuckles. Visibility was terrible, the Petaluma River was nearing flood stage, and the bay was filled with dirty brown waves as we drove across the bridge. The wind gusts blew the rain sideways across the roadway. and threatened to blow the car into another lane.

Although OilMan brought his saw to saw pieces of lumber, stored in the garage for decades, so they would fit in the minivan, Dana nixed that. We dragged a stone bench, heavy round stone "decor items" covered in mud, a huge pot filled with wet soil and a lemon tree, and a large planter in the shape of a frog through the drenching rain to the car. At one point Dana said, "Do you have any steel girders you want me to load into my family minivan?" I would have cracked u,p but I was too dirty, cold and wet. The box with the gas can lodged right behind the driver's seat, wedged in between two old hoses and the stone "canon balls", we headed for Tim's house.

We were greeted there with dry clothes, warm beverages and a dryer for our dripping clothes. Tim was outside (!) barbecuing chicken and beef for our lunch. I would have liked to put my pictures from the kids' rooms side by side, but I don't know how to do that, so I settled for a picture of little boy vehicle overload from Owen's room. I feel pretty good about our decision to donate our Christmas money to needy kids this year! After a wonderful lunch of fajitas with all the trimmings and back in our warm dry clothes, we headed home through clearing skies.

The birds in the hundreds were hunkered down in the marshes, turned lakes, beside the road and an animal control van was dealing with some cows who had sensibly abandoned their flooded pastures and headed for high ground beside the freeway. The sun was coming out, the wind had died down, and I was happy indeed to get home. Bless Dana for doing that awful drive. We owe her a really good car wash.