Wednesday 1 July 2009

Tuesday 30th June 2009 – A Eureka Moment

There was that last look round the room to check nothing is forgotten. I catch my eye in the mirror: "Get on with it", I say, "you've got to go!" It's that 'no key' moment. I'll start the car, drive on to the road, and I'll be homeless again. Wherever I stop next, at some moment I'm going to put my hand in my pocket and think I've forgotten something, but it will only be the missing key.

I'm intending to get well into California today, so I will be traversing almost the whole of the 'Mythical State of Jefferson'. All the way I will be listening to JPR, Jefferson Public Radio, from Humboldt State University.

I currently have no internet access, so it's much harder to refresh myself on details, but I think the Mayor of Port Orford (where I will be stopping), tired of state capitals ignoring Northern California and Southern Oregon, started a secession movement among the border counties, to petition congress to admit a new State of Jefferson.

He was well and truly sunk by, as Harold MacMillan used to say, "events, dear boy, events", because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour, abruptly changing the subject. Curiously, they also bombed the putative State of Jefferson, the only occasion during World War II when mainland USA was bombed.

Port Orford is still a functioning fishing port.

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Down on the quay, I visited the fishermans' mens' room. It had a notice on the door saying that the hydraulic equipment would be taken out of service on Tuesdays and Thursdays for testing. I was almost afraid to go in, but my curiosity got the better of me. Whatever it referred to, it was not in the mens' room: it being a Tuesday and all. I wonder what it was.

I stopped for breakfast (well, more brunch, really) at Brookings, which is right on the border. I asked, as I always do, for my eggs 'over medium'. The young waitress managed to write that down as 'OM', and duly brought me an omelette. Got her a good public bollocking from the lady proprietor.

Then it was on to the only large (ish) town between Glasgow an San Francisco, Eureka. I found a splendid Pub-Brewery there, with terrific beer (unfortunately still 'American strong'). But I suddenly noticed a tee-shirt on the wall, advertising their wares, which was just the right colour for a friend: I knew it would match her eyes. They tried to offer me all sorts of substitutes, but I made the stunning waitress climb the ladder to get the exact colour wanted: and she did.

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So I settled into the back of Rozzie in the Town Centre car park, content with my evening's work. I wonder if I got the shade right?

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