L'aura del Campo

Meeting folks on the bus. "Arroz con leche"

Me and Mine:

The hills are frosted, the skies light grey, the leaves on the trees still brown. It feels like November.

Myrt picked me up at the depot and I was home shortly after 11 last night. Quick bought milk; quick went on-line to renew my library books. Slowly fell asleep and got up late. I must be back in the Montana... want to hibernate.

Today? Bought my baguette. Paid January and February's rent. I hope to be on the road again and bills are the last thing I want to be thinking about.

I haven't been writing. I have notes of the drive from Arcata to Eureka along the bay. I have notes from Golden Gate Park in San Fran. I didn't take notes of the sunshiny depot in Pasco... should've.

I talk on the bus. Does this surprise you? Leaving Arcata I met Zack from Gasquit, CA and Butte, MT who was on his way to Pullman, WA. He does micro-landscaping (think gardening).

And a couple sitting in SF waiting for the bus, playing cribbage (she won) and rummy (he got back). An older man spoke to me about how he was denied disability even after he lost sight in one eye (he drove bus). We also talked about winter in Ohio.

Approaching Sacramento, I had a delightful chat with Gabriel Rafael. He had just spent 18 months at Pelican Island (where they keep mostly lifers) and he was excited to be coming home to his wife, his 16 month old son, his family. He said there would be a bunch waiting for him. They were... about 20, complete with signs and video cameras running. He has 30 more hours of anger-management and realizes that he has to 'behave'. I advised that he might want to speak to family and friends so that they behave around him as well. I truly think he will succeed. I hope so. I also told him he needs to learn to sing to his son in Spanish (little Gabriel likes Sponge Bob ) as his background is Nica (Nicaraguan).

Gabriel con su hijo Gabiel:



The well-known children's song "Arroz con leche":



On the way north I dozed off, but spoke with Andrew who was on his way to Moses Lake and Job Corp. How green-it-wasn't. He's from Eugene OR. How he wants a certificate in pharmaceutical tech to go with the one he has in automotives. He mentioned about having cancer at 12; how he doesn't want to be a cop like some of his friends (like he wanted to be when he was 10).

Spoke with John from Spokane who was on his way to Coeur d'Alene after serving a couple years in Niger. He was in a small town at the edge of the Sahel. He has a degree in French and Business administration. He was helping with a project for growing gum-arabic. He speaks Hausa.

From Spokane I chatted with James. He's 17. His girlfriend is 16. They have a sickly 6 month old and another on the way. He was going back to Billings. He said he had to grow up fast when he was 9. How he was sexually active at 11; how he was mostly on his own at 12. How now his girlfriend's mother at 37 with husband #6 (he's 22) act like children and that it would be better to not live there with them... One could easily jump to some judgments... But, he told me how his family lines have cancer, diabetes and Alzheimers... then again maybe he needs to live fast and die young. He hadn't eaten (nerves) but I got him to eat some chicken and a burger.

Missoula: a balmy 36º at 2 p.m. Montana Standard Time.

58,426