Thursday, May 26, 2005
DeRidder, Louisiana
I drove into DeRidder about two hours ago. Seems that the Best Western is no longer a Best Western. It is simply called the DeRidder Inn. Wal-Mart is right next to the DeRidder Inn and it appears that that side of town is the busy side. I am in the center of the town, in what looks like the old business district, right now. The public library I am in is nice, modern, cold because of the tendency to freeze people indoors who feel like melting outdoors, and equipped with wi-fi. Here's the problem du jour though. Seems Verizon, whose reliability of service I sing the praises of frequently, has let me down. I cannot make a darn call out. This wouldn't be too big of a problem, but I am not sure where Eric is going to ride to because I told him the wrong address for the library and the hotel he's expecting to find isn't exactly the way he'll expect to find it. So I used Walmarto's payphone and left him a voicemail on his cellphone. It appears also that Sprint (which Eric uses) doesn't serve DeRidder region so well either. So we'll see if I meet up with the birthday boy any time soon.
Yes, it's Eric birthday. And what I pulled together as a gift was a bottle of bright-green melon Boone's Farm and a bag of Hershey's milk chocolate chips. I am working with limited resources. I wrapped these elegantly in a handled gift bag with a bright illustration of a watermelon on it; I padded the delicacies in bright green tissue paper and tucked a birthday card shaped like a green pickle alongside the gifts. The card read: "Bet you didn't expect to get a card shaped like a pickle for your birthday." Or something.
Here's a photo of Eric with his gift, when I gave it to him in Bon Wier, Texas
Yesterday, the card selection in Colspring wasn't so hot. I actually had to buy a "welcome baby" card for my cousin and his wife that had baby versions of Disney characters on it -- something I would never do given ample shopping resources. That card read "A widdle something for your widdle someone." Ha Ha. What I am really going to give Eric for his birthday is a night out on the town in Lafayette, LA, tomorrow night. We'll go to dinner and then go see Star Wars. I am surprised his head hasn't exploded having not seen it yet and it's been out almost a week. But his head seems to be well intact. Good thing too because if it weren't it would be even more difficult to ride between 80 and 120 miles each day.
Tomorrow we go to Lafayette and then have a day off there.
I wanted to add one more thing about Beverly from the McCardell Cottage in Livingston. She was telling us about her excellent breakfasts and said that she gave one of her previous guests a choice between the smoothie and a coconut-and-various-other-miscellaneous-ingredients muffin. She said this guest remarked "it was so good it makes me want to slap my mother." Or maybe he said he didn't know whether to "have a muffin or to slap his mother." So Eric has been trying to use that expression for the last two days. It doesn't ever come out sounding quite right or quite southern enough for the real impact and import to be all there.
Last night for dinner we drove from Silsbee, TX, to Beaumont, TX -- a real metropolis. I actually went into Target and felt a legitimate thrill. It was enough just to walk around and look at all of the bright things. All I bought was a gift card for my cousin and his wife (that would be the "widdle something" to put in the card for their "widdle someone"). This is my cousin Jeff, who lives in Tarrytown, NY. He took me to the train last Friday night in Tarrytown so I could go to Brooklyn to stay at my friend Amy's and hit the town with her. He stood on the platform with me the whole time and talked to me. It helped me to deal with the fact that I hadn't had to pee that badly since I was in a car bound for Detroit (from Ann Arbor) in 1993, driven by a crazy girl named Renee who turned on her brights in the fog. That night we were going to the Shelter to something called "Sin." After peeing, or having to pee really badly, what I remember most from that night is this guy without clothes on walking around with his hand outstretched saying "You are HERE." Halima and I have been saying that ever since.
OK, no sign of Eric yet. I think I'll have to go look for him and roam the streets of DeRidder.
Yes, it's Eric birthday. And what I pulled together as a gift was a bottle of bright-green melon Boone's Farm and a bag of Hershey's milk chocolate chips. I am working with limited resources. I wrapped these elegantly in a handled gift bag with a bright illustration of a watermelon on it; I padded the delicacies in bright green tissue paper and tucked a birthday card shaped like a green pickle alongside the gifts. The card read: "Bet you didn't expect to get a card shaped like a pickle for your birthday." Or something.
Here's a photo of Eric with his gift, when I gave it to him in Bon Wier, Texas
Yesterday, the card selection in Colspring wasn't so hot. I actually had to buy a "welcome baby" card for my cousin and his wife that had baby versions of Disney characters on it -- something I would never do given ample shopping resources. That card read "A widdle something for your widdle someone." Ha Ha. What I am really going to give Eric for his birthday is a night out on the town in Lafayette, LA, tomorrow night. We'll go to dinner and then go see Star Wars. I am surprised his head hasn't exploded having not seen it yet and it's been out almost a week. But his head seems to be well intact. Good thing too because if it weren't it would be even more difficult to ride between 80 and 120 miles each day.
Tomorrow we go to Lafayette and then have a day off there.
I wanted to add one more thing about Beverly from the McCardell Cottage in Livingston. She was telling us about her excellent breakfasts and said that she gave one of her previous guests a choice between the smoothie and a coconut-and-various-other-miscellaneous-ingredients muffin. She said this guest remarked "it was so good it makes me want to slap my mother." Or maybe he said he didn't know whether to "have a muffin or to slap his mother." So Eric has been trying to use that expression for the last two days. It doesn't ever come out sounding quite right or quite southern enough for the real impact and import to be all there.
Last night for dinner we drove from Silsbee, TX, to Beaumont, TX -- a real metropolis. I actually went into Target and felt a legitimate thrill. It was enough just to walk around and look at all of the bright things. All I bought was a gift card for my cousin and his wife (that would be the "widdle something" to put in the card for their "widdle someone"). This is my cousin Jeff, who lives in Tarrytown, NY. He took me to the train last Friday night in Tarrytown so I could go to Brooklyn to stay at my friend Amy's and hit the town with her. He stood on the platform with me the whole time and talked to me. It helped me to deal with the fact that I hadn't had to pee that badly since I was in a car bound for Detroit (from Ann Arbor) in 1993, driven by a crazy girl named Renee who turned on her brights in the fog. That night we were going to the Shelter to something called "Sin." After peeing, or having to pee really badly, what I remember most from that night is this guy without clothes on walking around with his hand outstretched saying "You are HERE." Halima and I have been saying that ever since.
OK, no sign of Eric yet. I think I'll have to go look for him and roam the streets of DeRidder.
# posted by jnewwave @ 11:12 AM 
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Tell me if you want some suggestions for Lafayette. It's where my brother's girlfriend is from, and it's the gateway to Cajun country!
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