Sunrise over Oslo

1 September 2006

When I was a kid a had a paper route in Santa Ana. I was around 12, just stretching my metaphorical legs out into the real world. I was given the worst route that the Santa Ana Register had, an afternoon throw through the orange groves from Edinger all the way to McFadden west of Grand Avenue.

My favorite days were Saturday and Sunday, because I got to get up before everyone, get my folding done in the dark and head out the mile or so where my first paper was thrown, at Cherry Rivet on Dyer Road, just past the sugar factory that’s now a hotel resembling, well, a sugar factory. By then the sun was coming up in the fragrant orange groves, the traffic ranged from light to nonexistent, and I was full of joy.

Don’t try riding no handed nowadays on Dyer Road.

What brought all this to mind is this morning, unable to sleep at 5:30 am I went out on the deck and watched the sunrise over Oslo, which is breathtaking in its own way. I was alone on the deck except for a few guys from the wipe-down crew.
There was a party in the hallway until 4. The revelers were still at it, more quietly when I went out. They missed it! I remember that feeling.

20 days to go if the creek don’t rise.

Might as well head down to staff mess, load up with breakfast and head back to sleep. We’re docking now, so there won’t be any sleeping for nearly an hour.