reverence

Ann drove all the way home. Pismo Beach to San Diego – 299.4 miles. Ann drove every mile of our everyday bookstore/coastline journey – more than 1200 miles. I didn’t get behind the wheel once. I was a good passenger.

Ann researched and planned the whole trip, highlighted bookstores from a book she bought for that purpose; booked, re-booked, and booked again each of our rooms. Drove the SUV around and about places like the 5 and the 405, up and through LA; the small streets out to Mavericks Beach; the seemingly endless 101, north and back south again. I was a fine companion.

Bart’s Books – Ojai; Phoenix Books – San Luis Obispo; Coalesce Bookstore – Morrow Beach; Pilgrim’s Way Books – Carmel; Henry Miller Memorial Library Books – Big Sur; Lighthouse Books – Monterey; Ink Spell Books – Half Moon Bay. The Ventura pier; the Santa Barbara pier; the Cayucos pier; the Morrow Bay t-piers; the Monterey pier; the Santa Cruz pier; the Pismo Beach pier. Feet dribbled and swished and splashed in the Pacific – Cayucos; Half Moon Bay; Pismo Beach.

I believe I have captured much of the noteworthy and report-worthy of our adventure here in the Blog these past eight days. Perhaps more salty nuggets will return to jiggle this 75.7-year-old mind and invite themselves onto future posts. I hope so.

This presentation, of sorts, had been brought to you by Ann and gifts from her sisters Sue and Patty. Every book I purchased along the way, at those magic shops noted above, were purchased by Patty, more than a thousand miles away, a PayPal’d gift to support our journey. Quite often I talk about “Gratitude” here in all these words defining Couch Surfing at 70. I sure hope I talk about it enough.

I have been changed by this journey, and the word that has come up for me most often amidst those 1200 miles has been “Reverence.” I feel more reverence toward and for all of it.

All of it.