Going Home

Heading home today. The five days of Christmas have really gone quickly, just as they usually seem to do, despite all the strictures relating to staying trying to stay Covid-free. As they say, "Time flies when you are having fun." So by mid morning I should be on my way after setting up my Waze app on my iPhone to give me good directions and advice should there be any traffic back-ups. For most of his life my husband was a firm believer in old fashioned paper maps even after GPS devices were available for cars. I did most of the driving, especially for long trips, because he didn't like to drive and, actually, I don't think he liked trips very much either. But almost every time that we set out he would pack the big map book. I would set up the GPS, but he often thought he had found a "better" way on a map. There were times when his suggestions and my doing the driving resulted in vocal clashes which I would finally diffuse by asking him if he would prefer to do the driving. He was impressed with the Waze app, though, especially with its ability to warn you of police presence and traffic back-ups. I think it was this app that finally proved the point that generally speaking, packing the map book was not necessary. Of course, I did find that it and Google maps have their limitations when I was doing census work and found myself in areas with "no service." But by and large I love these apps, especially Waze. "She" talks to me more so I don't totally feel like I am driving alone. I also found with Google maps and directions based on coordinates rather than a simple address, that I didn't always get to where I needed to go. One Sunday afternoon during my Census job, Google Maps had me going up and down on a tiny one lane dead end road where I was constantly being told to make a u-turn. I went up and down this road twice and never heard the words, "You have arrived at your destination." I just was told repeatedly to go to a certain point and make a u-turn. I finally gave up and went home! So much for technology sometimes. Today's image is another way of finding your way. I was intrigued one afternoon when I was out walking to see how two or three jet con trails had created a perfect arrow in the sky. And it really was pointing me toward home.