Between the Clouds...

I'm in Tulsa and am finding time to rest, play flute duets, cook karahi chicken (a spicy Pakistani dish), tour university campuses, read (Baghdad Diaries by Nuha Al-Radi), and play with a new symphony. In short, I'm enjoying myself immensely.

For me, the journey is so much more exciting than the destination. I love the people watching at the airports and how I always seem to run into someone I've met before on my travels. As I was sitting in Chicago O'Hare, waiting for my flight to Tulsa, I faced a woman with hollow eyes, darkish short hair and a face that I had, at one time, seen on a regular basis. My mind, over and over, tried to put the face in a familiar location - Was she a musician? Was she the parent of a former student? Was she someone that my parents knew? Did I grow up knowing her? Had I performed at her church? All of these questions bombarded my brain as I sat patiently waiting to board my flight. After a quarter of an hour of pondering and staring, I finally just walked over to her and probed a bit. We finally came to realize that I knew her from a Unitarian church I used to attend. My hair being a different color and much longer then, threw her off. She was able to update me on the new hobby of an absent friend of mine. Yes, I could see Kevin trying contra dancing! He'd try anything - one of the things I love about him! And so, It happens every time I travel, even when I've gone to other countries. I always run into someone from my past. And then I wonder, what was the purpose of running into them at that particular point in time?

The flight which I was waiting for turned out to be one of complete relaxation and awe. I was in a small plane, in a row to myself, sitting next to the window. Once we were up about 22,000 feet, we became the filling of a cloud sandwich. There were billowing clouds below us, and above was another thin, nearly transparent layer. It was breath taking and stunningly bright. The ride was perfectly smooth. We were floating. I was amused.

Tulsa turns out to be much more shapely than I had pictured. It's not the dusty, flat land that I had imagined it to be. There are lots of trees and even hills. It's pretty. The people are friendly and warm. The architecture is a wide mix of styles - Arts and Craft bungalows, Spanish style, Art Deco style, Native American influenced architecture, new condos, The Jetson's-like, modern sky scrapers, and many modern (60s - minimal) homes. I hear that there are several Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Tulsa. I'd like to see them. Maybe tomorrow.