A Lovely Day - Haiku My Heart

I have some upcoming alone time on my calendar and I thought I would practice being along today.  As plans go, it was a complete failure.  Reality was much, much nicer.

Alone time beckons
Prep time an  epic failure
Reality smiles

My friend, Elaine, has been slowly relocating herself back to the Bay Area.  First she moved 35 minutes up the road.  No big deal but then she lost her job.  Two months later she was blessed with a much better job and travels now to San Francisco.  In another week she moves to Walnut Creek and she'll be about 80 minutes away.  Again, no big deal except that it's out of the valley, into the traffic, and over a set of low coastal mountains.  But, the good news is that I can take a short train ride from Modesto to Martinez.  No traffic stress, cheap ($30.00 roundtrip) and FUN.

So we met for lunch, caught up on the past three weeks and then went our separate ways again.  I picked up Delaware and headed over to Pet Extreme for a pet carrier.  He is so small that at his biggest, he will still be easy to take out and about.  A proper pet tote will make it easy and for the most part more acceptable when I go into business establishments.  And then, of course, I had to stop by Elaine's house she owns here so she could meet the little guy.

But soon enough I was home again and thinking about heading over to the fairgrounds to meet up with Don and friends at our Tea Party booth.  It was so hot and I don't do well in heat but off I went, leaving Tanner and Delaware at home.  Tanner has turned into a good big brother for the little guy so I knew things would be fine.  But three hours later, I was distracted and worried about the dogs.  Fireworks, though far off, can be startling to our furry friends and sure enough they've started and Tanner isn't happy.  It is a good thing I came home.

One of the things I like about fairs and festivals is the wild colors and designs of the food vendor booths.  The colors and designs, combined with the taste and smell of the foods they offer, make them  a true feast for the senses.  So I started walking down the food aisle and started my series of food vendor instagrams.  Doing this is such a great way to meet people.  Asian, Hispanic, black, old, young, families, friends - everyone has an instant mini-story and loves to share their lives with you at least if just in that moment.  I took it one step further and got Facebook address and emails so I could share the pictures with them.  With the Facebook pages, at least, I'll be able to follow them and what events they will be at.  I already know I'll be seeing the Pablo's Salsa familia en el mercado del viernes por la noche los agricultores Turlock.

One place I'm looking forward to visiting in Modesto is J's Coffee House and Grill.  They serve a seafood gumbo that I hear is killer.  I'll be making arrangements to meet up with my friend, Bev, soon so we can enjoy this unusual (for Modesto) treat.

I'll leave you now to enjoy your fireworks.  If you are 2 or 3 time zones away, you have no doubt enjoyed them by now.  I love watching the Macy's Fireworks over New York City Harbor and they've just started for me on the West Coast.

Wishing you all the blessings of freedom that is our God-given right. Use the grace that resides within your hearts.  Reach out to others.  Build bridges with the values that you hold most dear and most of all . . . LOVE.