I strategically left some out of Part 1 because it was getting too long. Then I assembled the leftovers that are mostly about food.

Here they are:

I’m hungry.

When am I not?

***

We’re getting closer.

I can almost smell food.

***

Little house

on the freeway

just big enough

to live in.

I hope they have a kitchen.

***

Heading toward the restaurant

and I gotta go.

I think I can hold it in

‘til we get there.

I hope the restroom isn’t locked.

***

                Just in time

When we get to the restaurant

I’m heading straight to the restroom!

***

Got to the restroom

in the nick of time.

Who’s Nick?

Locked the door behind me,

sat explosively,

said to myself,

“Just in time!” and

“Not a moment too soon!”

Guy in the next stall

Said, “Yeah.”

I left lighter,

Ready for lunch.

***

                No Names

Earlier,

Another place.

Been there twice.

Once was enough.

Didn’t stay.

***

Now Split Pea Anderson’s,

A dependable favorite.

The last survivor of

A chain of two.

The Mother Ship in Buellton

across the street from thriving Solvang

closer to us

gave up the ghost and

closed its doors.

Now, the second still open in Santa Nella,

Same food, same peas, same pea soup.

I heard somewhere that

they make the food in Solvang

and truck it up to Santa Nella,

but that may just be rumor.

In any case, it’s still Danish,

with the added bonus

of a connection to Victor Borge

whom we love

and is hailed as the Great Dane

(not the dog).

(We also love

the Danish Ballet.)

I can’t believe

there still are menu items

I haven’t tried!

Last time I had the sausage

with red cabbage,

the cashier said it’s his favorite.

This time I had the Pot Roast of Beef

which I’ve wanted to try

for some time

good enough to have again

and again

and just writing about it

makes me hungry.

I’m working through the menu.

They always give you lots of food

like a family.

I ate almost too much,

if you can believe it,

more than just enough.

We practiced at the table

saying “Help!” in French.

I said,

“Gimme Hilfe,

S’il vous plait!”

The waitress said,

“Not in Spanish!”

All the waiters and waitresses

are friendly and

have a sense of humor.

The waitress brought the bill.

She put a pen with it.

I reached for my wallet and

took out my credit card.

I said, “Should I pay here,

or go to the register?”

Kristina and Chaz said,

“This is the first time

I’ve seen them

take payment at the table.”

Kristina said,

“She’s being nice,

spoiling you.”

I said,

“She must have seen me walking

back from the restroom

and is saving me

the extra steps

to the cash register.”

The waitress said,

“I’ll take your money,”

 and walked away with my card.

She waved it and joked,

“I’m going shopping.”

I think it was a joke.

I checked with the bank.

They can usually tell

when someone is joking

about money.  

Yes, of course she was, joking.

I signed the receipt,

left extra for the joke,

and rounded up.

Outside in the bushes

and on the little wall

three little kittens

trained to be adorable

were chasing each other.

Mama Cat watched over them,

moving aside for passing cars

in the parking lot.

This was her domain,

and don’t you forget it!

I had seen people leaving the restaurant

as we were going in,

and I thought they were looking

to see if there was

a fountain with water in it,

but now I realize

they were watching the kittens.

I suspect that some people

come here to dinner

because of the kittens.

What a clever establishment

to provide us

dinner and a show!

As we left the parking lot

the windmill was turning,

always a good sign.

***

Because we had already eaten,

when we came to Kettleman,

we kept on going.

There are two fixed points

in four hundred miles of highway,

Santa Nella with Split Pea Anderson

and Denny’s at Kettleman.

That Denny’s is our favorite Denny’s

because of the staff

who have become family friends.

We share our lives

and eat the food

and come back.

Across the street is

Bravoland

a kind of Knott’s Berry Farm North

without all the rides

but a gift shop,

hotel, restaurant,

and a little walk-through

cowboy village,

parking in front.

A cut-out billboard

with a cowboy on a rearing horse

is posted on the freeway

before the turn-off

to let you know

you’re getting close.

It’s designed to lure children

to make their parents stop there.

I’ve never been inside

but someday

I may step inside

to see if there’s any hoopla.

***

That’s maybe enough

for now

about food on the trip down.

Of course,

when we got to Altadena,

we went to Stater Brothers

to stock up,

but that’s another story.