Delay of Game

Blame the list. The list of things to do. A pile of things gnawing for my attention. Most of them were unrelated to the trip. There was a ceiling in bathroom that I’ve been replacing. And a fence at my son’s house that we just got started on.

And then there was the five hours spent on the phone with two large multinational companies trying to get the products they sold me to work as promised (yeah, I’m talking about you, Sony.And don’t pretend you didn’t hear me, Intuit.)

Which explains why I’m not on the road yet.  And why I still can’t get the camera to upload the pictures I take using either Wifi or the cable. Sony is still trying to reset the password from an account they obliged me to set up eons ago when my kids had a PlayStation – once they get that figured out, I’ll send better quality pictures. For now I’ll be glad to leave all that in the rear view mirror.

HitchHiking requires no password. Nor does it require a haircut, though I think a clean look helps improve chances of getting a ride. On my 1978 trip I did not get my hair cut once, and I had a lot of hair. One of the cruel ironies of aging is that the less hair you have, the more often you have to cut it. Especially if you have curly hair and you don’t care to resemble Bozo the clown.

Meet Sean, a barber I just met today on James Street at Nick’s Barber Shop.

Sean is top notch. A real artist at a friendly neighborhood shop that charges 15 bucks. Here he is showing off his NobodyHitchHikesAnymore.com wrist band. Thanks, Sean.

Next was a quick stop to pick up a vent hose for a stand alone air conditioner at the Spa. I’ve been meaning to retrieve this hose since I ordered it last summer, but it kept falling off the list. Syracuse winters have a way of making you forget about air conditioning Now with summer approaching, I thought it best to get this detail buttoned down before I leave my colleagues. I half expected to be told that it had been restocked or was no longer available. When I walked into the Appliance Parts Warehouse in Shop City the guy behind the counter said, “oh yeah, I remember you”. He went back into the shop to retrieve the part without once glancing at a computer. Didn’t even ask for a receipt.

Can I tell you how much I enjoy people who still believe in excellent, personal, customer service?

Hitchhiking is like that – you have stretches when you feel like you’re on hold, you’re going nowhere, you’re wasting your time, like nobody cares.  And then you meet Sean, or the guy at the appliance store, and life is good.

Toward the end of the day, I emptied out and repacked my pack, now at 30 pounds with the substitution of a camping hammock for the tent.

Before Ellen got home from school, I found a moment to set up the hammock, complete with mosquito net. Gracie and I took a nice nap down by the creek, which is a beautiful place to be this time of year. I’ll post some pictures. Once I get that password reset 🙂

The sun will be up in a couple of hours and I will be on the road. Not really a day late.

At exactly the intended time.