Day 7
March 8
Kerrville, Texas to Lafayette, Louisiana

The drive was more challenging with two major delays. The first east of Houston near the San Jacinto Monument exit. Traffic stopped, perhaps because of an accident, hard to tell. I went north to 90--and drove to Beaumont from there. Then, once across the Louisiana border, there was construction. I opened my windows and enjoyed the cool air floating across fields and crawfish/rice paddies and the pines that line parts of the road. Miles of cars waiting, sometimes creeping in line. In front of me was a long white limousine. I’d see an arm wearing a white dress shirt emerge from the window, the hand holding the short remains of a cigar. I could smell just enough that it was intriguing rather than annoying. To my right, an 18-wheeler with a bright green cab sometimes would inch forward, and I’d close that window to limit the noise. The sky was blue blue with a few white puffies.

With one bathroom stop and one stop for gas, it took eight hours.

I woke up with such energy. Even though there have been no keiko, no classes for me this week. The energy is hard to describe--as though everything were in sharp focus and inviting. So ready to continue moving! At the same time, the cats, the early daylight in the house, the peeled orange, the faces of my friends, their rugged hillside all had a lit, in-this-still-moment reality.

I avoided at least 2 road hazards because of a dream that a newspaper flew into the window as I drove in a city. In the dream, there were emergency lights ahead. Since I remember few dreams any more, I paid attention. A yellow newspaper sleeve kited over my car in San Antonio as I was boxed between two vehicles carrying heavy road equipment, all going 70 MPH. I immediately came to attention, and there it came. A sofa in the road!

It was a good day to be paying attention.

The only real frustrations this week came with civilization/higher density population at the beginning and end.

It’s been a glorious trip.