Back in the U.S.S.A. La Quinta Hotel room, Coral Springs

    In a La Quinta hotel room in Coral Springs, Florida I am distracted with television, something I haven’t been distracted by in over a month on the road. On TV is a show called “The Basement Tapes,” about long lost recordings by Bob Dylan and friends shortly after Woodstock. A music legend, Bob Dylan has entertained for decades with a distinctive and recognizable voice.” The Basement Tapes ” are an early experiment by 60’s  musicians to break away from record companies. They are home recordings of jam sessions live from a friend’s basement when that idea was  becoming technically possible and affordable. One is surprised when returning to the U.S. Streets are wide, neighborhoods are affluent, trash is picked up. landscaping is immaculate. You can find any kind of food you want and it is fresh and affordable. The U.S., that many of us Baby Boomers grew up in, is like living in a house where all the plumbing works, the refrigerator is full, riff raff don’t camp out on your front lawn, bills get paid. When you come back home you see all the things you like about our U.S. When you leave, you only see the bad.