Well, I landed safe and sound in San Francisco amidst thunder and lightning. Most odd; the weather in Amsterdam this morning was decidedly better.
Geoff picked me up from the airport, where I had been given the third degree over my immigration status. It turns out that the consulate in Amsterdam hasn’t yet informed the authorities here that I’ve surrendered my green card, so they wondered why I was coming in on the visa waiver programme. Whatever.
After coffee at Café Borrone in Menlo Park, Geoff drove me to a car hire agency, where I rented myself a handy little Nissan for getting around over the next few days.
After dinner at Pizza Chicago and a quick coffee down the road, I headed back to Jim’s place, where I’m staying while he and Susannah are out of town. I’m about to crash, as I’m absolutely knackered. Internet access here isn’t working, so I’m using my mobile phone as a Bluetooth modem. Bah! It’s as slow as hell.
Leaving the family behind this morning was excruciatingly hard. I shed more than a few tears during the course of the day. I don’t think I’ll make another trip away from my ladies any time in the near future.
Tomorrow sees Geoff and me head to Oakland for the first Dead Can Dance concert. That should be pretty special. Let’s hope so, because I’ve come a long way for it.