Hello from Eastern Washington. I'm sitting in Pioneer Coffee in Cle Elum specifically to write this post you are reading. Yesterday I took the day off and camped in my longtime favorite desert country, the blandly named "Quincy Game Range," an amazing desert oasis of lakes, ponds, streams, sloughs and birds, birds, birds flying everywhere. Last night, camped on Lake Quincy, I watched swifts and swallows dart and dash above the lake surface in an acrobatic insect feeding frenzy. Dusk was incredibly beautiful, the orange sunset reflected off the lake, the background soundtrack provided by local coyotes. I dipped multiple times in Lake Quincy's cooling water, and this morning took my customary stroll over to Burke lake for a morning swim. Today was hot, in the mid-90s F. My goal, besides leaving taxi behind for a day, was to finish my "To Age 13" chapter synopsis/outlines for my publisher submission package. I accomplished that, and in about two weeks, I'll be ready to begin the process. I hope it'll be faster than what happened to Robert Pirsig's 1970s bestseller, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," 213 attempts later before a publisher picked up the book. Am I ready to get out of the cab permanently? What do you think?
When All the Cabbies Return
Business appears to be slowing down, and that could be due to more drivers returning after their unemployment holiday. I think it's inevitable that all of us will be screaming soon because our usual summer customers, all those tourists, cruise shippers and baseball fans are simply not here this year. So far, our sustaining lifeblood has been our great account business but add more drivers and we will experience a huge dilution---business watered down to a weakened brew. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think I will be. What happened to the New York City cabbies and their profound loss of business is soon to visit us. If I'm wrong, I'll be the first to praise the taxi Gods, and even go to taxi church if one existed, religion suddenly my new hobby and occupation!
Seventy-three days in a row is insane!
I got back from New Mexico on May 13th and immediately got into the cab. Yesterday, July 25th, was the first day I didn't work since coming back. Today, Sunday, I'm going to pick up the cab, enabling an early start tomorrow. Did you know taxi is an insane business, and last week there went another $400.00 into two separate repairs.
Who is having fun? Not me, not me, and it may be sunny but it isn't funny giving away all my blood and sweat hard earned money! Enough said, Fred!
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