Nola in December

i find myself walking along a treelined street that boasts homes on the National Historic Registry at every turn. As i look above at the clear blue sky i notice the beads that hang as jewels from the trees, hundreds of them sway in the breeze and sparkle as the sun hits them just right. the streetcar passes at an appropriate southern pace and i wonder again how it happened that i am in New Orleans.

according to the locals it is cool for this time of year, usually it would be in the 60s, but for a few days, the days i happen to be here it is only inching towards 50. with a blue sky and bright sun i can forgive the lack of warmth and revel in being outside without the thought of an umbrella or raincoat. to be clear, i own neither so while i may think of using them in San Francisco or Oregon, i will not. instead i opt for withdrawing indoors or getting wet.

passing the time in the hotel sitting room i listen to the many languages being spoken, admire the architecture of this cerca 1800s building, and ponder the people that have sat in this same antique chair. it is a luxury as a traveler to have the time to sit and just take it all in, at least it is for me. there is no better way to get to know a place than to watch and listen to the people as they go about their daily activities. certainly museums and tours can tell you a lot, but so can just being in the moment with people, and the locale doesn't really matter.

and so today alone i will exchange my antique chair for a seat at a local lunch hangout, a park bench, a church pew, a bar stool, and finally a chair on the veranda.

more travel but this time to familiar places

hours ago I arrived back in the big city I have called home for the last 10 years. It has been about 7 months since I was last here. 7 months, 5 countries, hundreds of new friends, and infinite experiences later it feels as though I never left. I do not like this feeling. Best described, it denies the existence of the last 7 months and it shows how easy it would be to return to my life before.

Of course that is not quite true. I cannot return to what once was, nor would I want to. That being said, it is there, that sense, that feeling and I must reiterate, i do not like it. I did not anticipate this feeling AND am not surprised by it. in fact, it is comforting to observe it in action.