Happy second Saturday of what we might call Aprilary if we look close at the weather. But the calendar says it’s spring, and Linda G. Hill says it’s time to let the voices in our heads run free.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “jam.’” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
If we were having a beer, you’d be wondering about my week away.
“Welcome back, my young friend. I take it your trip was a success.”
“Thanks, David. Faith and I had a good time, crammed a lot in to a few days and played a good game of hide and seek with the weather.”
“Hide and seek? From what I could see, it rained the whole weekend, here, there and everywhere in between.”
“Everywhere in between for sure. Ten hours down and seven hours back, mostly in the rain.”
“Wait, did Pittsburgh move while you were gone? That’s a big difference in driving times.”
“It didn’t move, but on the way down, we got jammed up behind a bad accident. We were either stopped or moving at four miles per hour for two hours.”
“Where was the accident?”
“Right here in Connecticut. We left Faith’s place at eight-thirty and got gas in Port Jervis, New York well after twelve-noon.”
“Yikes, that’s a bad way to start a long trip.”
“We managed to keep our wits about us. We were on vacation, no deadlines.”
“Hey guys. Can I bring you your usual drinks? I hope so because I already poured David’s bourbon and drew your beer, Dan.”
“I did rekindle my taste for I C Light while in Pittsburgh, but I’m ready for a Modelo.”
“That’s John Howell’s Bourbon you poured, right Curley?”
“Of course, David. The only kind that comes with cherries.”
“Cheers, Dan. I guess if you’re stuck in traffic, it doesn’t matter if it’s raining. But how did you stay dry the rest of the time?”
“I don’t know, but we did. The only time we got caught in the rain was after dinner the first night, walking to the car to head back to our hotel.”
“Were you outside much? I saw that gawd-awful hill you walked up—not my idea of a vacation, by the way.”
“We hiked up and around that hill and we walked around Mt. Washington—that’s the six-hundred foot mountain between the south side of the city and the Monongahela River. Then we drove across and climbed the steps from Duquesne University down to the Tenth-Street Bridge.”
“What the heck is wrong with you two? I mean, va—ca—shun, do you even know what the word means?”
“Of course we do. It means doing something you like in a place you enjoy. For us, that’s walking in Pittsburgh and taking in the sights.”
“Is that all you did, walk?”
“No. Friday night we went to a Fish Fry at the Immaculate Heart of Mary church on Polish Hill.”
“Isn’t that a little rude?”
“What?”
“Calling it Polish Hill.”
“That’s what it’s called. There’s a sign saying ‘Welcome to Polish Hill.’ No disrespect intended or accepted.”
“I see. So you ate fish.”
“We did, and we took orders of pierogi and Haluski back to the hotel for dinner on Saturday.”
“Did you have a kitchen?”
“Yes. I was staying in a one-bedroom suite, but Faith’s room also had a kitchen. We ate in my room and watched a movie after dinner.”
“What else did you do on Saturday?”
“We walked.”
“How silly of me to ask.”
“We visited the Strip District. That’s an old warehouse district that has been turned into a tourist area. Shops, cafes, etc. Then we drove out to the University of Pittsburgh campus and also walked around the Carnegie Mellon University campus.”
“I suppose we’ll be seeing doors from these places…”
“Indeed, and from an area called Shadyside.”
“You know, you should publish a guide to Pittsburgh. All these places are in your books, but I get lost sometimes.”
“What a clever idea, David. In fact, I have just such a book almost ready to release.”
“Um, Dan, I was talking figuratively. I didn’t really mean I wanted to buy a guide book to Pittsburgh.”
“Well, when it’s released, if you act fast enough, or at the right time, it will be free.”
“Free? I like that.”
“I know, David…I know.”
“When will this be, and why do I have to act fast.”
“As far as I know, Amazon only lets you make books free for a limited period of time. I don’t even know if you can make them free upon release. In any case, I’ll let you know.”
“Where did you guys walk on Sunday?”
“Nowhere, we went to the coldest baseball game ever—thirty-nine degrees*.”
“Is that when the Yankees pounded you guys?”
“Nope. It’s the one game during that series that we won. We got to see Aaron Judge strikeout and pop-out five times.”
“So, you managed to stay dry, eat some good food and see the Pirates beat the Yankees. I’d say you guys were blessed.”
“That’s how it felt.”
*39°f (4°c)
All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.
No Facilities 
Add your thoughts or join the discussion. One relevant link is OK, more require moderation.