Sunday, November 13, 2011

Have now used 3 of my 4 graces...

When I left my hotel room this morning, I was panic stricken to note that the headlights of my car were on. I parked around 6 pm, and skipped going out for dinner and it was now 9 am. Even though I thought the battery would be dead, I realized the lights were still shining which made no sense. I didn't bother putting my suitcase in the car, but immediately got in and it started normally. Let it run for a while, started it again and all was well. I have no explanation for this.

I know I have problems sometimes with car lights -- headlights, overhead lights, dashboard lights that go on automatically and I can't tell you the number of times I've stood in a hotel parking lot waiting for the interior lights to slowly go off before I went to my room. In fact, I remember one night I felt they weren't going out so I'd open the door and look until I realized that every time I opened the door, the opening would extend the time the light would stay on.

So I don't know how I dodged that bullet, but I did. One grace left. Wait, maybe I'll believe that there are unlimited graces so I only have one left in this round, but many more to come.

It was an easy ride home, across the George Washington Bridge -- still miss the Twin Towers every time I see the skyline. This picture looks like late afternoon, but it was actually around 11 am.


When a car is returned to this rental car place, you have to make a hard turn into this garage whose door fit cars in 1930, really, then down a steep ramp. And then haul your butt back up. Today, one of the rental car people said he'd do it for me, and took my suitcase out of the trunk, and refused a tip, but I offered it again and he said no, and I said "please have a beer on me" and he took it.

When I went to find a cab, there was one about one-third of the way down the block, just letting someone out so I'm feeling so lucky that I might have to go buy a lottery ticket.

Home again where the tree across the street has morphed into that beautiful late fall dayglo (almost) yellow.

2 comments:

Mary Mc said...

beautiful tree!! I love those, that color is scattered all around the neighborhood.

In terms of the car lights, are new cars better at surviving the lights being on for a long time? Plus I thought most cars turned off the lights automatically after awhile - but what do I know, I'm just glad the battery survived and you got home.

Melissa said...

Wow what a gorgeous tree! Makes me miss the color change of fall in the Midwest. Glad you are home safe.