Back in the U.S.A.

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"I'm back in the U.S.A." (as Chuck Berry sang in 1959) -- at least temporarily -- arriving early for a family reunion of cousins in July.  My sister and her husband met me at the Buffalo airport in the late afternoon of the 12th, and I'm having a great stay with them.  Conversation with them seems like picking up threads that were not interupted all that long ago.  But I'm experiencing this climate as being rather "cool" after a full decade in the Tropics.

My first urgent goal was to explore the old farmhouse attic and find my gear:  hiking boots, warm clothing, etc.  So on my first morning here (Friday the 13th) I waded into the mounds of junk.  I stopped when I finally found my prized broken-in pair of L.L. Bean hikers.  (First shoes/boots I've worn in nine years!)  I also grabbed some favorite fleece jackets, which I layer.  But I did not yet find my long-john bottoms or fleece pants, and I'm cold without them.

The intense work of sorting and wrestling with heavy boxes of books and climbing hardware -- in a small cramped space under the low attic roof -- has made my aged body a collection of knots of raw pain.  My back hurts so bad that it is painful to breathe.

After that morning's work, my first full day here in NW Pennsylvania was beautiful.  May was blooming and the scents were wonderful.  I haven't smelt such rich temperate zone vegetation in a decade.  I was outside with my brother-in-law as he worked around the farm's trees and future garden, but I wasn't of much help because by then I was walking around like an old man.  The wind was fresh, and I had enough proper layers on to feel very comfortable in it.  It was not like the 100*F temps and high humidity that I'd just left.

Then yesterday it got colder and rainy.  Today it is actually snowing in the early daylight hours.  Wow, snow on the Ides of May!  I must look for gloves in my next foray into the attic.  Our hope is that no more frosts occur to ruin this year's apple crop.

07:30 on a Sunday morning, and I had just looked out the window to see an Amish buggy go by.  Now that proves I'm really back on the old home ground.

-Zenwind.
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The Whipping Post

“Sometimes I feel,

Sometimes I feel,

Like I’ve been tied to the Whipping Post,

Tied to the Whipping Post,

Tied to the Whipping Post,

Good Lord I feel like I’m dying.” 

The Allman Brothers Band.  Southern Blues-Rock at its best.  Yeah, right now at this moment it feels every bit as much down-and-out suffering Blues as that, and the Allman Brothers manage to identify this existential predicament spot on.  I’m in physical pain, and these Blues help. 

My count-down to my travel to North America is only a couple of days away, and I’ve been struggling to tie up loose ends. I ventured out to Bangkok to get Tuk some necessary items and also to get myself some stuff – like these Noise Cancellation (NC) earphones, which are phenomenal when reproducing music!. 

In this hellish hot plus-100*F heat (without the unspeakable humidity even factored in), I ventured out, primarily for Tuk but secondarily for my Music.  The excellent music reproduction of the NC headset surprised my highest expectations.  I’m hearing details of the music that I had missed for several decades.  This is rich musical experience. 

I took the express boat home.  It was crowded and I only found a seat (on the starboard, i.e., East, side out of the afternoon sun) right up front beside the pilot.  He was a master who took his responsibilities seriously.  I watched in awe as he carefully nudged his craft into the river channel, which is only about 70-80 meters wide and full of crazy boat traffic.  He continually looked all around, to the left and right and behind, to chart a safe course.  I was impressed. 

I was in great physical pain.  I had a heavy backpack full of shopping stuff, and even the simple travel into the city heaps pain upon pain.  I had the foresight to buy a small quantity of booze as pain-killer, and I took a double-shot before heading for the river boat. 

Once cruising northward – homebound – I plugged in the new NC earphones and sampled from my collection of music.  The Allman Brothers Blues Band looked appealing, and I played it over and over.  Although I was northbound, I appreciated their song “Southbound”, “coming home to you.”  Their song “Blue Sky” is another song about heading home. 

But the physical pain I experienced, even tempered a bit by the booze, made “The Whipping Post” the most relevant song of all.  Again, the music quality was extraordinary. 

My boat pilot assumed that I was a tourist farang, and when we stopped at the boat pier for Kao San Road area he pointed it out to me in case I would miss my stop.  I replied in some of the only Thai I know that I would disembark at a pier further up the river.  When that pier finally approached, I thanked him and gave him my smartest military salute, which he returned.  We grinned and parted as friends. 

It’s a lovely country, if only it wasn’t so goddamned hot! 

Gotta stop now.  I’m still refining my packing for the trip to the States.  Lightweight, lean, and fast. 

-Zenwind.

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