Day32.LongDrive



We started out the day at the Waffle House. I love those pecan waffles- (the ones with the small squares). It was so hot again, I wasn’t looking forward to the long drive to Los Angeles, but too bad. After breakfast we went to the car and someone drove up to us and asked about the bell. I invited him to ring it and he said “Sure, why not” we had to untie the bell and put the clapper in anyway because Krys wanted to ring it at the airport. So it was like a command performance for the guy. He took the ear protection seriously and then swung the wheel really hard. He looked pretty amazed and waited until it was almost finished ringing before he removed the hearing protection. He loved the bell. It reminded him of firing a shotgun and he said I needed to keep th3 bell. I agreed, he was really happy to have ring it- it made his day and then he left.





We drove to the airport, ringing the bell all the way there. The security guard at the terminal was very interested in the bell. He asked lots of questions about the age, the manufacturer, and he touched it but didn’t need to ring it. He said he already heard it as we were driving in. I was really sorry to see Krys go. We made some nice recordings of the bell and after this is all over, that’s all the sound I will have left. I am going to miss the bell.



On my way out of town, I stopped at my Mother’s old apartment building and rang the bell 63 times- her age when she died. People waved or stopped to ask why I was ringing the bell. With each interruption or missed toll of the bell, I thought about what that year might have been like for my mother. It was really hot. I drove until my lips cracked then stopped for something to drink and to work at the Flying J on the internet before resuming the long drive.

Everything was going smoothly as far as the road went, until I hit the LA area, Then suddenly, the trailer and bell started to bounce. Bam bam bam. The whole car shook and my seat felt like someone was yanking it back over and over again. It was very scary and I had to slow down and put the blinkers on. This was on the LA freeway and I drove like this off and on (mostly-on) for more than an hour. When I finally arrived at my friend Nancy’s house, I was both completely exhausted and really happy to see her. So I hopped out of the car, slammed the door and realized that I didn’t have my keys on me. When I looked in the driver’s side window, I saw them lying on the floor. It was very late so we decided to call AAA in the morning and then go to the Gelsin Market as planned.