6:30am.
Traffic is building.
I turn the corner to the I-95 on-ramp. Man in coveralls is standing next to his graffiti stained Seafood Delivery truck. He glances up at me, pauses briefly, and then continues to flick through a bulging wad of bills in his right hand. (You declaring that income, Friend?)
There’s a semi truck in front. A Friendly’s ad adorns its back door: “Eat More Ice Cream.” (What kind of cruel joke is this? You friend, need no more ice cream. Saliva begins to build up, quicker than the traffic flow. I’m worse than Pavlov’s dog. I could use a tall, thick Coldstone Vanilla shake. Right now. I’d skip lunch if I could indulge. I would. I might.)
I come up on a gargantuan, two-trailer Fed Ex semi. Driver sitting up high. The truck gleams in the morning sun. (Bucket list: Need to drive a Semi cross-country. Is he delivering new iPhone 6+s to Manhattan Apple Stores? Gadget man starts to twitch.)
I pass downtown Stamford and see the RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) logo towering over the city. (Well laddies. Is it time to cut the cord from Mother England?)
I approach a cement truck. It’s giant cylindric belly is on a slow spin cycle. Its Armadillo-like nose juts forward. Its monster wheels are bouncing up and down – – bouncy rubber balls. The driver has two hands gripping the steering wheel. (I need to drive one of them. Another Bucket List addition. I turn the music up and bounce up and down on the seat. I look around to see if anyone is watching. What an idiot.)
I crawl up the tail pipe of a late model Mercedes in the speed lane. A convertible, with Maryland plates. His top is down. He’s traveling 55 mph. Traffic is buzzing around him at 65+. I wait for traffic to clear in middle lane, and prepare to zig-zag around him. I look over, he turns and waves lipping a “good morning!”. (Should I share some warm NY hospitality and welcome him to Tri-State? Tough guy replies with a limp wave in return, and accelerates past Maryland.)
Traffic thickens and slows. Mind shifts to my calendar, the office is closing in quickly. My hand moves to the radio dial. (Pump me with nostalgia. Fill me up, fast.) America comes on. Ohhhhh. Ventura Highway. I lower the window. The cool September breeze gushes in.
Ventura Highway in the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger than moonshine
You’re gonna go I know‘Cause the free wind is blowin’ through your hair
And the days surround your daylight there
Seasons crying no despair
Alligator lizards in the air, in the air
I pull into the garage. 7:05am.
Another day at the Plant.
Game time.
Image Source: Tenny Confidential. Related Posts: Driving Post Series.
I was right there with you.
Thanks for coming all with me for the ride.
the odyssey. every day. new cast of characters. same game. love the bouncing in the seat.
Smiling. The Odyssey. Great description.
God, I love driving.
Me too Sandy. Me too.
Fantastic commute…cement trucks as armadillos, ice cream trucks as personal invitations and Maryland drivers comfortably inhibiting traffic in the left lane…And people wonder why rush hour commuters are exhausted before they even park. But this form of getting through – riving while observing – is a terrific alternative. I love the result. Go get that vanilla shake
Thanks Mimi. You are right. Commuters are exhausters before they even park. I didn’t get a chance to get that milk shake. There “will” be another day.
I always wanted to drive on of those semi’s…closest I got was an ancient 14 ton moving van while working my way thru college. No gauges, no springs – and the windshield wiper was the guy in the passenger seat leaning out the window with a squeegee on a broomstick…a post-teen paradise… 🙂
Jeff, I want “that” ride! 🙂
You make the morning drive much more interesting by paying attention to what’s going on around you.
Thank you Lulu.
David, you and your mind, lol…it never stops, does it? Thanks for this early morning commute.
It doesn’t Carol. It doesn’t. Therein lies the problem. Thank you.
Music and musings! Lovely commute. No incidents. Like the cement truck spitting out small greetings…believe me, you wouldn’t have liked it. And you had the privilege to meet a Marylander. I had those tags for 16 years. Not Mercedes for Maryland but Minivan and Durango for MD. Great read, would be a pleasure to commute with you every morning.
🙂 Thank you kindly Helen.
Love this, you have a way with words and getting us inside your head with them. Pretty darn great. ( I LOVE driving too!)
🙂 Thank you Bonnie!