There’s a light breeze.
The high is in the high 70s to low 80s.
The canals are flowing at full capacity.
The air is clear.
People are outside, enjoying it.

Wait, what’s that? It’s not April? What the hell do you mean it’s June?

Last week I was able to get out of Fresno for a couple of days, and away from the stress of work, the neighborhood, and the seemingly endless line of dogs that keep finding their way (via Kim’s truck) into our yard. Yep, I left all of my stress behind. Nothing stressful about flying, or visiting family, or weddings (especially when your aunt is re-marrying the husband that once cheated on her).

Below are highlights of trip.

Good: My seat on the first leg of my flight was next to the only empty seat on the plane.
Bad: I can’t fit in a single seat (I’m too tall, that is), and having an empty seat next to me only offers more space to contort in.

Good: The hotel shuttle driver knew a shortcut around the traffic jam on the freeway.
Bad: That traffic jam was the reason I sat at the airport waiting for him…for almost an hour.

Good: Outside, the weather was cool and clear, with low humidity for most of the weekend.
Bad: Inside, it smelled like stale cigarette smoke. Everywhere. And some places were quite moldy.

Good: The food. Oh, the food…
Bad: I’m trying to diet.

Good: It’s legal to transport a frozen daiquiri from the local store (some are drive-through), as long as there’s tape over the hole designated for a straw.
Bad: A daiquiri in a Styrofoam cup spills easily, and doesn’t smell very nice the next day. Especially when it’s mixed with the dog poop that someone tracked into the car.

Good: My aunt had a TV at the wedding, so that the men could watch the LSU game.
Bad: LSU got spanked, so all the men were in a foul mood.

Good: My grandmother danced like it was her daughter’s first wedding.
Bad: She wanted to dance with me (and I don’t dance—ever).

Good: The police in DFW have Segways.
Bad: TSA said my toothepaste container was “too large to confirm,” though there was only two ounces left in it. I guess that’s not bad, in the sense that they’re concerned about safety, but it’s annoying.

I’m ready (I think?) for the event, but stress has been accruing for some time. And it’s good to get away sometimes—I hear it can help to renew appreciation for Fresno to get away. I’ve forgotten that California’s restrictions on little things like smoking in buildings greatly improves quality of life for non-smokers; say what you want about Fresno’s air quality outside, I’ll take it over the smell of stale smoke any day (and won’t be surprised if I return with a sinus infection).

Oh, and that new cell phone law: I appreciate it now, after riding in a rickety 15-passenger van while the driver talked on hers. Is it too much to ask that at least one of the wheels be in balance?

The bike is registered as a 1973, but the engine is a rebuilt 1984 Shovelhead FLH. John’s life has consisted almost entirely of tearing down and rebuilding engines, cars, lawnmowers, trucks, Harleys—you get the idea. This was his baby, and despite a bit of dirt from sitting in the garage (he’s suffered a herniated disc for over a year and couldn’t ride it), it was clean, and ready to ride. He signed over the title, and Kim and I loaded it in the back of her truck.

The bike has a clean title, but because the engine was rebuilt, there are no identifying numbers on it. When I took it to the DMV for registration, the inspecting officer couldn’t verify the VIN, and deferred me to California Highway Patrol for investigation.

I began calling the number furnished by the DMV that day, leaving a message for Officer Clay, the only VIN officer in Fresno County (as I later discovered). I continued to leave messages over the next six months, never receiving a returned phone call; I didn’t hesitate to ride during this time, despite the fact that my temporary tags expired after only 30 days.

In preparation for my ride to the coast over July 4, I started calling other offices, desperation apparent in my voice. I finally received the advice I needed: contact Officer Clay’s staff sergeant. The staff sergeant answered my call, and within 30 seconds he was able to transfer me to Officer Clay (who just happened to be available at the time…). I finally had an appointment.

On July 1, I scrambled to get to CHP in time, but once I arrived I was told Officer Clay wasn’t available. Instead, two men in jeans and flannel shirts accepted my paperwork and began inspecting the bike. An hour later, they explained that a state-issued identification number would be fastened to the engine, and that I could now return to the DMV to finalize registration.

The next day (the day before my trip), I sat at the DMV for another hour, only to discover that the two men who performed the inspection hadn’t completed the paperwork. After yelling at the clerk, and subsequently apologizing, I received an extension for my temporary tags (though, only after asking what would happen if I were pulled over without a completed registration).

Hopefully next week I can get back to the CHP, then back to the DMV…

(AP) — A new statewide report says seven of California’s 10 unhealthiest counties are in the San Joaquin Valley.

The study released Tuesday says residents of Tulare, Kings, Merced, Fresno, San Joaquin, Madera and Kern counties breathe some of the dirtiest air, and live farthest from grocery stores and playgrounds.

The Having Our Say Coalition argues those conditions lead to higher rates of obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure.

The community groups are pressing for legislative reforms that would direct extra resources to the valley.

Counties scoring the worst had high poverty, and large minority populations with limited access to health insurance and a lack of green space.

That we have poor air quality is not news, though the reminder does come as a bit of a slap in the face. What I do find interesting is the implied link to poverty, health insurance and lack of green space.

*I don’t smoke, but sometimes wonder if it would harm me any more than summer in the Valley.

With the continuing escalation in gas prices, and the perpetual shift in thought about personal transportation, I wonder if my grandchildren will take similar trips.

This is certainly not my area of study, but it seems to me that travel can be divided somewhat naturally into three distance categories: short-range (0-25 miles one-way), mid-range (26-300 one-way), and long-range (301+ miles one-way)—or something along those lines. The former and latter have existed for centuries, but I’m guessing that until the birth of the automobile, mid-range travel was not very common (that’s really more of a question than a statement).

It seems (to me, at least) that long-range travel has become stagnant—with regards to evolution and potentional for growth—while mid- and short-range travel have been challenged by rising fuel prices and ozone depletion. It may now be more attractive to take public transportation or a bicycle/moped to get to work, or to a store a few miles away, rather than a car.

I’m not sure if this makes sense anywhere but in my head, but I wonder what travel will look like in 20, 50, 100 years. Will we still visit the Grand Canyon? Will historical landmarks still be relevant? (Note that I’m not saying they won’t; I’m also not equating relevance with value.) Will we still take road trips?

Since I was a child I’ve dealt with allergies: a runny nose, a seasonal cough, and the occasional ear or sinus infection. I didn’t expect for my ailments to disappear when I moved from the humidity and pollen of the South, but I did think that they dry air might help a bit.

Unfortunately, my symptoms went from seasonal to daily. I now wake up with a dry, scratchy throat, and when I exert myself a little too much (like working in the yard for eight hours while it’s 108 degrees), I feel the onset of asthma.

Today I started coughing; I don’t expect it to clear until the smoke from the wildfires dissipate. Maybe it’s all a conspiracy—if I could breathe the air outside, I would be able to open the windows and save on energy costs…