The Flood

San Jose – Santa Cruz

 

On the morning of my birthday (Sept 20)  I awoke with a call from LeAnne.   Her mother-in-law lives in San Jose and she had brought herself and her two kids from Twin Falls Idaho to visit her for a couple of weeks.  We haven't seen each other in a year.

She told me her mother-in-law, Lavon, would be in San Francisco that day, and if I wanted to, I could meet her in the city and get a ride to San Jose to stay for a couple of days.   Seeing as I didn't have to work until Saturday at the earliest, and it being Tuesday, and my birthday, it sounded perfect.

Leaving my boat to dry, I hopped the ferry and met Lavon on time.  We enjoyed the long drive to San Jose with good conversation—we had never really had time to talk much before.

Her house was beautiful.  We pulled into the drive and LeAnne, Alissa, and little Elijah stepped out of the door.   Elijah, only four, I had never met before.  Alissa was a year and a half.

 

The afternoon was spent talking and catching up.  She gave me a long needed haircut.   For dinner we had salmon and wine and LeAnne had baked me some brownies for a b'day cake.

The next day we took Lavon's car to Santa Cruz with the kids.  We walked the town and went to the beach.   We could hear the barks of the seals from far away on the wharf.  I felt like a dad-for-a-day.  The kids were good and we were back by early afternoon.   Lavon had a meeting or something of the sort so she sent us out to sushi.

 

I left the following day by train.  It was Thursday the 22^nd.   On the train I opened my book for the first time.  I am starting Lord of the Rings for the third time.   As I started the first chapter, called a Long Expected party, I realized that the book began on the same day, Sept. 22—Frodo and Bilbo's birthday.

It is interesting to start a book on the same day as the story itself begins.  It is almost ominous.