Some more tough days ahead for LA County as the winds and fire dangers kick up again. Just horrific to witness. Even worse than the fires which engulfed Maui. In total…I think I’ve visited Lahaina five times in my life to date. Four times when I was single, and another time with my wife early in what is now year forty-four in our marriage.
In total…I’ve been on the Islands six times and all the four major islands each at least twice.
But California cuts closer to home for me. I was born in San Diego when my father was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. As a kid we made the trek back several times. As an adult I was back in 2003 for the OU-Washington State Rose Bowl game. I was back again in 2007 when my son played in an ice hockey tournament in downtown LA.
I’m still kicking myself for not making the 2017 trip to the Rose Bowl when OU played Georgia in that historic double overtime game in the national semis. In reality, that was the last OU team which had a real chance of winning the national championship.
But on the two previous trips I made the trek along the Ventura Highway from Del Mar all the way to Pasadena. You have not lived as an American if you’ve never made that drive in a convertible with the top down on a sunny day.
My cousin Jan, who in reality is my older sister, at the end of this very January will retire from the Gates Foundation and move from Seattle to Del Mar. I hope that as long as I keep navigating my cancer journey we’ll be able to visit her at least once a year..if not maybe twice. I’m hoping that’s a big part of my journey as I head down the runway of the final chapters of my experience here on earth.
So, yeah… my heart is with California right now. But let me add this in closing…the other part of my heart will always love Oklahoma despite some of the snarky things I’ve written on my blog during these Trump years.
Consider this when you judge me…during these Trump years I had to navigate my father’s death from cancer, my mother’s final grievances with my father, I had to deal with the angst of Trump even being a candidate, my ‘brother’ Mark’s completely unexpected death this July, and then of course… now, as Trump re-enters the White House as Time Magazine Person of the Year no less.
But let me tell you this…when those Crimson and Cream jerseys come bounding out of that tunnel at the Cotton Bowl… this heart is all Oklahoma. When I’m out fishing or just taking in one of Oklahoma’s seventy-seven counties this heart of mine is all OKLAHOMA.
Pure Oklahoma.
Have a nice Monday in sunny Oklahoma today.
Mike J
Editor’s Gift to Reader: Here…drive it and feel it yourself.
Sooner born and Sooner bred, although I may not be Sooner dead 🙂
Love you,
Jan
Yeah, the Sooner dead part isn’t something I want to embrace right now all things considered with me right now. Praying for California especially considering who’s going to become POTUS on Monday. Maybe he’ll cut a deal and it’ll be called Trumpafornia moving forward. This guy never cuts a deal without a quid quo pro for ‘his’ truly. So moving forward…look for this—Trumpafornia and Trump-Ukraine. You read it first on my blog.
Love, MJ