I left around 6AM, stars were out, it was cold. My MO for these early morning rides into the city: cup of fresh ginger tea, a bit of power plant in Ploom, the Michael Des Barres program on Sirius radio (for which I thank you, Lew!), iPhone ready for whatever pops up.

This morning as I drove the windy road, I counted 54 lights out in the sea, crab season just opened, and it might be a good one. Neighbor fisherman Todd pulled 35 pots the 1st day, got 700 lbs. dungeness crab (we had fresh crab with 1-hour-old porcini pasta, + my brother’s deep red Syrah wine last night, ahem).

I was driving my Toyota truck (picking up lumber today) when, on a tight turn, a white Porsche, came roaring up behind me, didn’t hesitate, whipped around me with a roar, crossing the double line, baby — you go!

It’s always a thrill to go thru the tunnel and see the Golden GateBridge. This is my bridge; I’ve been to the top of it, and crossed under it in a kayak — and this the city that I love to this day, 81 years later. I start the day with a latte and brioche at Cafe Roma, old-school coffee house in North Beach, spend a few hours writing, editing, blogging, listening to music on earphones before venturing out for the day’s chores.

This was playing as I went through the tunnel:

Last night I was heading home after visiting friends in Mill Valley and saw a couple trying to flag down cars on Panoramic Highway, without success. I asked if they needed help; they were visitors from France, had a dead battery. I didn’t have jumper cables. I spotted a car full of guys and surfboards and waved them down. One of them looked at mer and said, “Hey, are you Lloyd?” Sure enough they had cables and got the car started.

This is a bus at Zeno Mountain Farm in Lincoln, Vermont. The bus is used for a summer camp devoted to disabled adults. The camp has wheelchair accessible treehouse built by someone affiliated with Yestermorrow (Design/Build School in Waitesfield, Vermont)…

Jon Kalish

Manhattan-based radio journalist Jon Kalish has reported for NPR since 1980. Newspaper articles, radio docs, podcasts & NPR stories at kalish.nyc.

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Driving for 10 days on the wrong side of the road in Scotland was really stressful,  I think partly because I’ve been driving since age 14, over half a million miles of doing it one way. Ingrained habits…

I picked up a car in Edinburgh and was immediately terrified in the “roundabouts.” Cars pouring in from 4 directions, weaving in and out. “Give way to the cars on your right,” said Diana, and I used this as a mantra in the roundabouts. I ended up driving the last 2 days in a part of Scotland (near Irvine) that was peppered with roundabouts. Sheesh! I got better with experience, but it was still stressful..

The cabbie on the way to the airport navigated them smoothly, hardly slowed down.

It’s such a relief to be back the right (sic) side of the road.