Observations on the Road

As an observer of changes, I am seldom bored.  I began a recent trip by noticing that some pretty homes that I like to look at along Whitmore Road are no longer visible now that the foliage returned.   There are lots of baby calves to “awww” over, though.
When I got to I-5, or  “The Five” as it is known in Southern California, I had to look hard for new sights.  My destination was Folsom again.
One semi-amazing thing I saw was some enterprising farmer harvesting what appeared to be hay from the center median. He may have planted it or maybe it just magically grew there. I do not know. Every few miles there was a stack of rectangular blocks of hay. As I drove on down the road I came upon a guy driving a large contraption that I recognized as farm machinery with those sharp wicked-looking circular  blades cutting the hay from the center of Interstate Five! Well. This never happened down where this road is known as the Santa Ana Freeway!

Another not so unusual observance of mine was that the Department of Placing Orange Cones In Equidistant Arrays had been busy. There were many tidy arrangements of them.
Near the Cone Displays was evidence of other Cal Trans workers. The Big White Signs Team had been there. Their signs stated that the cones were to show us that our tax dollars were at work, improving our driving experience by making the roads better.
The Department of Warning Signs had been there, too. Their signs were warning us that any traffic tickets the highway patrol were able to issue would be doubled in price if any driver broke a rule while driving by the Cone Display. I was very careful. I know the state needs money but I need to keep mine for gas.

The one thing I did not see was a single soul. There were no people anywhere near the signs and cones. And no, it was not the weekend yet.

The guy in the bright yellow plane was there, as always, busily spraying poison on the food he was growing. Obviously enough people still eat the poison food. I would imagine his airplane is pretty expensive to operate. I am always worried that someone will run into me around there as everyone is always enchanted with the bright yellow plane and they drift into my lane while watching it zoom low over his crops.
I always hold my breath there.  I don't want to breathe the poison or crash into other vehicles.

I had a lovely visit with Mama and my sisters. We ate at Cafe Luna in Placerville, which is the best little restaurant on the planet, and worth the drive from here even if your mama doesn't live there.
The next night we ate fava beans that came in my sister's weekly box of unpoisoned veggies. We ate them with a nice Chianti; no liver.
We looked through boxes and boxes of old photographs and wondered where all the time had gone.
We went to the movie and saw Water For Elephants. It was excellent.

On the way home there were still no people working where our tax dollars were being spent. But then again it WAS Sunday.