Day Tripping

Today John and I went to drink kava. I didn’t feel anything. “All we are is dust in the wind…” (Kansas). The bartender, Dawn, gave us the low- down: she explained to us what kava is and what it is used for. First, she gave us kava in its raw form. Then she joined us in a toast of “Boola!” She told us “it’s got a very earthy flavor.” I didn’t mind; I thought it tasted like tea. So we ordered a strawberry kava drink, and Dawn served them in little coconut cups. It tasted good. It did not, however, give me the feeling I anticipated. John said he did feel it. “It’s kind of like the mushrooms.” I was bereft of any elation or sedation or unity or oneness. 

    Then we went to downtown New Smyrna beach. I wanted to go to Cool Beans coffee shop, but they were closed, so we just admired the bamboo and orchids on the patio. I got an espresso at a little outdoor bar. “Don’t you want cream and sugar in that?” “No, the suffering is part of the experience.” We walked to the beach and took off our shoes and walked the shoreline a ways. I scooped up some sea water in my coffee cup. John picked up a tiny soft-shelled sea creature, and I said “it’s a sea man!” (Oh man). Coming back we passed a lifeguard. “Life is good,” John said to him. We walked through a souvenir shop, where John pressured me to buy some clothes, and when I didn’t he said “you’ve lost your Woman card.” Haha, I suppose. We walked past street bars where we could smell the beer and feel the air conditioning pouring out. A man was there with his three well-behaved dogs. Then I spotted some angel wings painted on a building, so I got John to take a picture of me in front of them. “How bout an ice cream?” he said. We went into Zenos and I got a strawberry in a cake cone and John got a chocolate brownie flavor. We also bought some taffy, with flavors like cherry-limeade and sex on the beach (taffy?). We walked to the car with our cones as an ominous storm approached. We ate taffy as we drove back to Port Orange in the rain.