I had just attended a conference in Scottsdale, Arizona and was ready for SuperShuttle to pick up me and ferry me to the airport. Then, spontaneity intervened.
My friends, the Hansen Family (The Las Vegas Hansens not the singing Hansons or Hansen Brothers, the fictional hockey players)… 3/4 of them: Debbie, Ty, and Laura, suggested that I might drive back to Las Vegas with them. Rather than flying, I chose the longer return trip, with the company. I cancelled my flight and my van ride, opting for a 300-mile car ride with conversation, and casual stops along the way.
Laura was hell-bent on spending a little time in Flagstaff, home of her alma mater, NAU (Northern Arizona University). We made that stop and spent the time perusing the aisles of Bookman’s Entertainment Exchange. Bookman’s is a period-piece. A time-machine of used books, CD’s, vinyl record, video, gaming software, musical instruments and more. It has an in-house coffee-house, complete with guitarist, performing Beatles music when we arrived.
The four of us roamed in different directions. I hadn’t been in a used-record/book/etc., store in a while, but I have a routine. I go to the vinyl records first and look for James Brown, Tower of Power, and other soul and jazz music.
Then I go to the parapsychology section in the used books and look for any title, written by my father. In about three minutes, I struck gold, find a copy of True Experiences in Telepathy by Martin Ebon. It had an original sales price of 60 cents.
I gleefully took the well-worn paperback to checkout and asked if they offered an ‘Author’s son’ special discount. Showing my ID, in advance, the checker gave me a smile and $1 off the $2.97 asking price. So for a buck-97, I took home the book. I probably have a copy at home, but the joy of finding the book, sharing the experience with The Hansens, and enjoying the vibe at Bookman’s was as enjoyable a casual half-hour as I’ve had in ages.
A relaxing, long drive and treasure-hunt-or-window-shopping are the kind of activities I need to do more often. What are you doing just for the fun of it, without meeting some deadline or adhering to an unnecessary schedule?
Andy Ebon
First Generation New Yorker
Andy,
It was a lot of fun traveling with you, you were a good sport to put up with all the stops along the way, Ty’s lunch request for Wongs in Tempe (totally the opposite direction from where we needed to go), and Laura’s bookstop in Flagstaff! You then put up with us for dinner in Kingman at that “fancy” steak house!
You are welcome to join us for a road trip anytime!
Debbie
Put up with it? Hardly…
It was a pleasure… as you can see.
Andy