Special Time

One of the questions I get asked the most by my friends and famly is if
I miss living in the Desert and what what is it I miss he most? I alway have
the same answer for them, Yes I miss living in the Desert and the thing I miss
the most is the quiet and solitude that living in the Desert brings. Of course
there are friends who still live out there that I miss seeing but I keep in
contact with my close friend there, although so many of them have moved else where
now. It will be 10 years next month that I moved to Los Angeles.

I think by nature I am not a crowd person. In different times in my
life I have had to be in front of large crowds of people whether I was singing
or speaking or teaching. I can do it and I think I pull it off really well,
but deep down inside I do much better with a one on one encounter or a small
group. The hardest part of moving to Los Angeles was the huge amount of people
I had to deal with everyday. Just driving anywhere in the City, you have to
interact with large amounts of people at any given time!!

When I was getting settle in here in LA and I allowed myself to start
getting out into the City and learning my way around, I soon found that my
favorite time of day to be out in the City was very early in the morning,
sometimes just as the Sun was coming up, before the City started waking up
and getting noisey. On my drives to and from work, I have to totally cross
over to the other side of town. And on my drives I see alot of graffiti
art that comes up over night and is not going to be there very long before
either the City paints over it,or someone else paints over it so they can
put their Art there. I am not talking about taggers, I mean small stencil
art or sometimes small original pieces that someone had taken the time
to do. As I saw these on my drives,I would try and take mental note where they were,
and on the weekends, I would get up before the Sun and head out with my
camera to document them. This was like a hobby for me. It was during this
time of me being out really early morning that I realized that LA has a time
of solitude, kind of like I use to experience in the Desert. It is a quiet
still time, a short time mind you, but a time when everything in the City
seems still and quiet. I love this time of the day!

Then little by little the traffic starts up and more and more cars
are on the road and then people start arriving to work and opening up
all the little shops and stores and before you know it, the City is
awake and roaring along.

This morning, my number one goal was to sleep in. It is one of the
few Holidays I get where I work, I had already done anything and everything
I would need to do this weekend. So the only thing I had planned to do
today was #1 Sleep in as late as my body would let me and #2 catch
a nap in the afternoon!! Sounded like a plan to me.

But it seems like someone had a different plan in mind for my day!!
We only have one window in our bedroom and it faces East. In the distance
is a rather large hill, so the Sun has been up for awhile before it starts
peaking in our window. Every night during the Summer we sleep with the
window open and the blinds as high as they can go. I love the night breeze!!
Well this morning I woke up around 6am and nature was calling so
as I sat up on the edge of the bed before I got up, I glanced over my
shoulder out the window and I have to say my jaw dropped. At that
moment the rays of the Sun hit the clouds that were the sky and
they came alive. I knew right then my sleeping in was gonna
have to wait. After making a pit stop in the bathroom, I put on
some clothes and grabbed my camera and down our drive way I went.
There were so many morning clouds in the sky and the Sun was hitting different
ones at different angles. Some were lite up and some were still dark.
As I stood there watching my part of the world wake up, I seemed to be
totally engulfed by the quiet and solitude around me. I stood there
and listen to the quiet of the morning and watch as one by one the Sun's rays
woke up the clouds. It was such an awesome experience.

We live on a street that gets really busy at times but not this
morning, this was MY special morning and it was wonderful.

But all too soon, the neighborhood did start to wake up but not
before the sun was just coming up over the hill.

We all having special moments like this everyday. But we get too
busy and our head too full of thoughts and they
come and go and we never notice them. When I visit my friend PW in
Joshua Tree, I always get up early and stand in his front yard and
listen to the Sun rise out there in the Hight Desert. There is always
a lite breeze blowing across the Desert and the rays of the Sun
flash in the sky just before the Sun peaks over the Horizon.
I amost hold my breath just before it peaks over and as soon as
the first rays hit my face, the two Joshua Trees in his front yard
come alive with the birds that live in them. A new day starts
and the Nature world is rejoicing. We should take lesson from them,
and watch a Sun rise and rejoice in the beauty of a new day starting.
We need to be more aware of what is going on around us and watch for those
special moments, made just for each of us. If we did our lives
would be a richer and happier place!

later...

ps..I did go back to bed for a little bit when I went back inside and I ended
up taking 2 naps this afternoon...yes I was lazy today!!!

On Safari

Since it has been just a couple of weeks since Patrick came home from Taiwan, we
really had not made any big plans for the Labor Day weekend. One thing I really wanted do was not to do anything, just spend some time hanging out at the house and vegging as much as possible. So when Patrick asked me if I wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo with our buddies, the Au's, I said sure, I knew we would have a good time, we always do when we hang out with them. I was even a little excited about going to the San Diego Zoo, some 25 years ago it was one of the first big adventures my BFF LB and I had taken, our very first "road trip" together. Sometime when I feel really brave I will even share a picture of me and the flamingos on that fateful day. (One she finds hillarious and one that gives me the shivers every time I see it, how could she ever
let me go out in public dressed like that!!)

So it was not until Saturday morning that I realized we were not going to the actual San Diego Zoo, but to the San Diego Safrai Park!! I had heard about it
for years but have never taken the trip over there to it. And let me tell you now,
it is NOT in San Diego!! A little close maybe, but not real close!!

We met up with the Au's and their friend, Hamilton at a Chinese cafe called
Younique, and it was,
first time I had been there but it a nice place, a happy place to have breakfast.

So after breakfast we headed out in our 2 cars,and a couple of hours later
we arrived at the Safari Park. Now up until now I really had no idea where it was
located, and we were following our trusty GPS and at times I felt like she was
having a good time with us and just having us drive down some roads we really did
not have to be on at all. But finally we drove into this really beautiful valley
and there it was!! Really, out in the middle of no where. But I guess when you have
as many wild animals as they have roaming around free, you really don't want it
in a residentual neighborhood!!

Since it was a major holiday, the place was packed. We found parking close
to the entrance but our friends were not so lucky. (I have to tell you, if you
are somewhere where the parking lot is going to be really crowd, you REALLY want
to have Patrick with you, the parking faries LOVE him!! No matter how crowded a
place is, the car Patrick is in, always get a primo spot!)

The Park is really amazing. They have so many things to see, they have different
paths that lead to certain habitats like the goriallas, lion, elephants and
such. It is really like you are walking in a dense forest as you are walking
to the different areas.

The most awesome area is where all the animals roam
free in a huge area, it is really breath taking to see. We took the tram
tour that takes you down into that area and they show you the many different
animals and explain thing about each one. It was really amazing to actually get
to see them roam around like they would in their natives lands.

Once the tram trip was over we started making our way back toward the front of the Park,stopping along the way to get a view of the new baby elephant that was only
3 days old!! Our friends were staying over at a Hotel that was close to the Freeway, so we headed over there to let them get checked in. We were able to walk
over to the Elephant Bar that was close to their Hotel for dinner and
then Patrick and I headed back home.

I would really recommend if you have hot been to the Safari Park go!!
It is an amazing place where they are actually breeded wild animals that
are going extinct and returning them back in the wild of their native
habitats. I has been doing so for some 40 year now! The one thing
I sould caution you on though, go when it is not a hot day. Let me
tell ya, it was HOT and humid yesterday. I am sure we will be going
back at some point, it really was a fun day!

www.sdzsafaripark.org


later.....

You Just Never Know.......

I remember the day I first met "Soan". (I would find out later is real name is Norman) Summer was just starting,that means we were already having temps over 100 degrees and just about all the Snow Birds had left the Valley. I was on my way to the Library and I had just turned on to Sunrise Way, and there on the right was this tall kid carrying a very tall and very loaded backpack. He was walking down the side walk in the same direction I was traveling. I remember thinking he must be really hot carrying the large load he had on his back as warm as it was outside.
I passed on by and went to the Library. When I came out of the Library parking lot, I saw he had made it to the corner by the Libary. As I came to the signal light on the corner where he was standing, I glanced over at him and and realized he actually looked like he was fixing to pass out. The light turned green so I had to go but
when I got where I could, I made a U-turn and headed back in his direction.
Now I am not going to sit here and tell you this is the firt time I had spotted
a guy on a corner and made a U-turn to go back and talk with him, but I must say I think it was the first time I had done it because I thought the guy was over heated and
about to pass out!!!



When I got back to the corner he was still standing right where he was when I came out of the Library. I pulled over to the curb and got out of my car. As I was walking up to him I introduced myself and asked if he was ok. He seemed to be ok but really overheated, so after talking a few minutes amd realizing he was not a serial killer, I had him put his back pack in the trunk of my car and we were headed back to my apartment. He was all of 19 years old.



So to make a long story short, or as My Sister Goya would say, let me give you
the Reader's Diget version, when we got back to my apartment and he got cooled off
in the pool, I found out he was 19 yrs old, straight and had come out from the East
Coast with some friends to see what kind of life he could have out here. His friends
had ended up getting arrested (not sure for what) soon after they had arrived
in Palm Springs and he was pretty much stranded with no where to go and not much money.
Ok,so those of you who know me already know where this going. I really liked this
kid, he was a real sweetheart and as far as I could tell, he was sincere and was telling me the truth. I felt deep down inside that I needed to help him. So after really giving it some thought (ok so I ran in around in my head a couple of time), I told him he was welcome to sleep in my couch for a while until he could get a little settled and figure out what he needed to do. He was totally shocked and had not expected it. I had already told him I was Gay and he had no problems with it so after talking about it a little more and setting some ground rules, he moved his backpack from my car to the corner of the living room.



Since I had lived alone for awhile it was a little strange having someone around
all the time. But he never was any trouble. All my friends liked him. (he was REALLY good looking so I had to tell all my Gay male friends he was off limits!!) Within
a week he had a full time job and offered to help with expenses. He ended up staying
with me for a couple of months and during that he met a girl and they hit if off
and after a few weeks he ended up moving in with her We were like family by
that time so he was always coming around checking on me. He was a great kid.
After a year or so I had moved to a new place and he and his girlfriend moved
and somewhere along the way we lost contact with each other. It wasn't long after
that I met Patrick and moved to LA. From time to time I wondered where he was
and what he was up to. I had his birhtday on my calender and would always wish him
a Happy Birthday on his special day.



FAST FORWARD 20 YEARS......



At work I always keep my phone on my desk with the volume turned off. I keep it where
I can see the screen in case Patrick or my Sister texts me. We were really busy
that day and when I looked down, Facebook had notified me someone had added me as
a friend but when I glanced town I did not recognize the name so I touched the screen so it would disappear. After a very busy day I headed home, had dinner and headed
to the Libray wiht the Nephew, its something we do every couple of weeks. I got
back home and was getting ready to go to bed when I rememberd the Facebook thing,so I
got on to check it out. When I brought the picture of the person who had added me up,
my mouth dropped open, it was Soan, an older version, but it was him.
He had also sent me a message with his phone number and asked me to cal him as soon
as I got he message. I was so shocked!!



So I called him and man were we both excied to hear each other's voices!! We talked for a little whild and kinda caught up. He told me he had been trying to find
me for the last few years. He started working at a Security company and from
there he access to the flies the Police Dept uses. That is how he was able to
find where I was. During our conversation he kept telling me it was very important
that we get together because he had something he really needed to tell me, that is
why he had been looking for me. So we checked our calendars and came up with a date a weeks later.



It was a great reunion. That skinny, tall young man I last knew is now 40 yrs old,
6'4" and weighs 280 lbs!! But his face is that same handsome face I knew but now
his hair is totally grew (in a good way). We went to breakfast and caught up
somemore but it was not until we got back to my house that the conversation took
on a more serious tone. I could not imagine what it was that he needed to tell me
that was so important that had hunted me down. We were siting at our table when
when got a serious look on his face. What he told me made me get all teary eyed.
He said he had hunted me down because he really needed me to know how thankful
he was that I had taken him in when I did and gave him a chance to get his life on track. He could not remember if he had every told me how much he appreciated
what I had done for him. I just sat there with tears in my eyes as he
talked to me, I could not believe it. He went on to tell me that he had gone back
to school and got his High School Diploma and had also gone to a trade school
and was a certifed mechanic in a special field. Because of the economic downturn
he had lost his mechanic job and was working in security until he could find
something else. The urgency to find me esculated because he was making plans
to move back East in a few months to be closer to his family and find work there, but
he needed to talk to me before he left. He said be believes none of that would
havd happened for him had I not stopped that day to see about him and then
let him stay with me. I was speechless, what do you say when someone tells
you something like that? I assured him I had always known that he appreciated
it because he had alway acted like he did. I always knew he appreciated it,
even if up until now,he had never verbally said so.



We spent a couple more hours visiting and he headed home and I head off to
something I had to do. For the next several days I was in a kind of daze.
I kept thinking how different things might have been had I not stopped
that day, but then you never know, maybe someone else would have stopped
to help him, these things you just can't know. But I do know, you
never ever know what a diffence you make when you stop and help someone,
even if you have no idea who they are......


later