Big smiles, warm hugs and goodbye kisses. Like me, she gets up early – 4:30 on weekdays and 5:30 on weekends. She works Thursday through Sunday, so we rarely get an entire day together.
I get on the freeway at Sly Park, and pick my way down the side of the mountain to Placerville. The sky is just starting to lighten. There is a gradient at the eastern horizon, which I see in the rear-view mirror. Light bronze to deep purple. There’s a lot of smoke here from control burns being done near Kyburz.
It takes me an hour to get home if I don’t stop for coffee at Missouri Flat, which I usually do. Then, smooth sailing in weekend traffic all the way to West Sacramento.
These are quiet, gentle mornings alone in my truck with the music off. I think about her or about music or about work. Or about life and things I’ve learned and things I want to learn and how much I’m loving it.