Just a thought… Even the worst days have an ending, and the best days have a beginning. [Jennifer Coletta]

Okay, for the final time, I will repeat that we’re in the US because we planned and paid for this trip long before the November election, and without prescience of the tariff ridiculousness that has kicked in. So Rob and I are on our way home and saying our good-byes to the US when we cross the border for what will most likely be the final time later this week.

We left the Palm Springs area (Cathedral City) Saturday and had the best, most gentle drive on our way up the coast. We stopped our first night at a humble Santa Maria, CA Best Western that was not only one of the best sleeps we’ve had in ages, but – get this – NO pet fee! This is like winning the lottery because some hotels charge $50 US per pet, per night – others even more. So yeah, one place we looked at, the dog fees would have been more than the room cost! Hard no.

Our second night (which was last night) was in San Rafael, CA, at another Best Western with a higher room fee but just one reasonable charge for the dogs. That, we could swallow. And our main aim was to get there in time for the Oscars at 4:00 pm our time, and catch Conan’s monologue, plus the whole show.

This is where our EV troubles came in. We had a charging stop planned at Walmart in Salinas (the town known for where the singer of “Me and Bobby McGee” let her get away). Great! Broke up the day’s drive and still would let us get to San Rafael in time for the Oscars.

Well, nice try…the chargers on one side of the parking lot were all full, with a few people in line waiting. On the other side of the lot, stood two chargers: one was in use, while the other had a non-EV parked obliviously in its spot. As the driver of that car eventually backed out, I raised my arms in exasperation and said, “It’s an EV spot!” at which they honked at me in anger. Oh sorry, sunshine, it was totally my fault that you had your head where the seat warmers go.

We finally got one about an hour after pulling off in Salinas, all the while watching the clock and the countdown to Conan’s monologue. While Rob charged, I walked an excited Dottie and Livi, then as Rob kept them company, I ran into the store to buy some discounted salads and an expired pie for Rob. Nothing’s too good for us! Then we were back on the road through the rolling green hills, past garlic capital Gilroy (anyone remember Memories of Gilroy from the President’s Choice line?) and on to our destination.

But to even out the frustration in the parking lot was a wonderful surprise: I noticed that a fellow standing chatting with the other drivers awaiting an EV spot had just gotten out of an orange VW ID.Buzz, the new electric van from Volkswagen. We’d just seen it for the first time in a TV ad and I immediately went online to check it out. Here except for the colour (and thanks to the Detroit Free Press), is what it looked like (I wasn’t nutty enough to take a picture of his). And at the end of the blog I have a must-see ad for it – hilarious!

Boy, if we didn’t already have a grown-up car, I’d SO want that, preferably in a funky blue. So I excitedly asked the man, who was about our age, if he loved it and he said yes. When I asked if I could look into the window, he said, “C’mon in and you can ride with me.”

Do you think I’d turn that down? I laughed as I said, “Well, it’s just like me to take a ride from a stranger!” and he reminded me that we were just backing into the EV charging spot. It was just delightful, as was he, and it had that delicious new car smell.

So an anxious time in a Walmart parking lot awaiting an electric charge and watching the time like a hawk turned into a giddy delight as I thanked him for the quick ride in a car he’d bought as an empty-nester for his wife for Valentine’s. He admitted it was kind of silly since it’s just the two of them, but I congratulated him on seizing the day.

The way things feel right now, I think we all need to.

Have a great week – our next episode of Gracefully and Frankly will be recorded on my end in a motel room, so wish me quiet neighbours and decent internet and we’ll talk to you Thursday!

Oh, and here’s that ad. If you are a fan of SNL and remember the sketch “The Californians,” VW hired three stars to bring it back, for the new van. Enjoy!