Weather Wormholes

Tuesday, March 04, 2008 | comments (6)
Saturday morning, shoveling snow from our driveway before heading to Newark for a flight. Five hours later, it's all sunshine and t-shirts, sipping margaritas on the patio of the Blue Goose in Plano. A soccer dad with shin-guarded kids beside us. And, on the other side, Harleys rumbling in the parking lot. Tattoos on display. Double D moms with "Don't Be Jealous" t-shirts. Suburban grey-beard banker bikers, bandana'd and leather-vested and flaunting their mid-life crises a month or two early. This strange mix of cultures. This strange mix of seasons. Because it's 70 degrees and sunny in early March in North Dallas. And we're sitting on a patio—the same exact one—where ten years ago I would've been found serving drinks. And not much has changed, except the name on the building. Time travel happens, ya'll.

Then it's light-weight longsleeves on E&K's back porch for pool, and beer on draft, and a broken E string. And man, that sentence would read a lot differently if you just changed a single letter, wouldn't it? Here there's another Harley rumbling, asleep on a lawn chair. Magnolia splayed out like a morning prayer. And us laughing over a shed in Jersey that's never been opened because there's mostly been a river of ice between me and it. And an empty shed is a scary prospect in Soprano country. And wow, jackets and gloves and shovels and boots seem so far away. Three hours northeast.

Sunday, the wind and rain began while we puzzled at Mom's. 2000 pieces. And the pot roast made some smoke, so we opened the windows. And then left them open. Because puzzling can make you hot—all that brainpower spent matching shapes and colors together. And it's nice to do that kind of work with a cross-breeze.

And then the rain got heavier. And the winds got colder. And last night, on the third day of March, North Dallas saw what might be described locally as a "blizzard" of snow, short-lived, but furious and heavy. Leaving a blanket of white on the flat landscape. Jackets and scarves back on. Pushing wet snow off the windshield with our arms. Then, us in our all-seasoned rental, headlights screaming against this horizontal army of flakes. Feeling like Star Wars at warp speed. Passing through another weather wormhole.

Then this morning waking to sunshine and highs in the mid-50s. Dallas will be back to t-shirts and margaritas in no time. And there's a bit of the sadness, because they don't grow Tex-Mex in North Jersey. The patios, chips and salsa, and salted rims. But that's what time travel and weather wormholes are for.

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Comments

I love opening the windows when it is raining...throw pot roast in the mix and I am sold.

Posted by lemmonex on Mar 04, 2008 at 3:28:42 PM
It was so great hanging out with the two of you. Even if my E String had to be sacrificed - it was well worth it. But, did you have to bring that snow with you? Seriously, we kinda want to keep to the short sleeves here. There are predictions there might be more snow Friday. The worm holes are sure wriggling.

Posted by lucesco on Mar 05, 2008 at 3:00:41 PM
What a post! Oh yeah, time travel definitely happens.

Margaritas are pretty easy to make at home, you know? And fresh salsa, too. Do you have a pool table? Bring Dallas to Jersey?? Well, why not?

Posted by Reya Mellicker on Mar 06, 2008 at 8:44:55 AM
"Then it's light-weight longsleeves on E&K's back porch for pool, and beer on draft, and a broken E string."

Ohh, what a lovely line!

These are the best trips--the ones that only last a few days but so wholly and wonderfully free you from where you were before your travels began.

Posted by Hannah on Mar 06, 2008 at 10:25:51 AM
Reya: My homemade margaritas are pretty good, if I do say so myself. However, drinks are ALWAYS better when somebody else makes them. And I think a little Big D will be coming to NJ this July 4th.

Lemmonex: Pot roast goes well with so many things, doesn't it? Especially when Mom makes it.

Hannah: If only I hadn't of had business there, too, I could have escaped completely. Stupid work.

Posted by rothko on Mar 06, 2008 at 10:49:18 AM
Yes, Reya Big D will be represented in NJ this 4th of July. Don't know how many of us are coming yet, but we all look forward to it.

Posted by e on Mar 06, 2008 at 3:00:08 PM
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