I Am a Motorcoach . . .

” . . . with tidings from Christmas-itinerary-travels. Christmas is not an easy thing for a motorcoach to wrap its programmed digital consciousness around. The salvation focus seems a passenger thing not directly applicable to the purely material motorcoach experience. When systems go awry a motorcoach needs a mechanic, not a savior (and often several of them). In the case of wreckage, a motorcoach needs a body-shop, not a miracle. The concept of restoration is probably as close as we can come together on this one, though even that highlights the relative nature of “close.”

“Holiday” is much easier for a motorcoach to embrace. There are festive aspects of the holiday season for which big-shiny-mechanical-transport is ideally suited. Reflectivity, mobile celebration, and big wrap-around windows for panoramic viewing of lights and decorations top the list. Oh, and the Jingle-Bell-Rock’n sound system! An essential at this time of year. So, a few of us garage-mates thought we would make an effort in this blog to present a holiday story from the motorcoach perspective. We appeal to you in advance for Christmas charity if we don’t get THE story completely right.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

One thing we all agreed on is that a star is essential. Not stars, but a star. Whether a topping star or a guiding star, a star is ever-present in our holiday travels.

One guy named Dickens appears to have been the super-star among experts on caroling, which is also an important part of the season. He wrote a story about A Christmas Carol nearly a hundred and seventy-five years ago. Oceans away from his Christmas context, it continues to guide folks to theaters by the thousands.

After picking up our “carolers” from the theaters, the next stop on the longer travels is often an inn of some sort. There they can get some rest before resuming their holiday journey the next morning. But our passengers received some inn-convenient news at this particular establishment in Hermann, Missouri.

The innkeeper, Mr. A. C. Leisner (a contemporary of that Dickens fellow), informed us of the sad fact he had no rooms available. This, as it turned out, was because White House Hotel is (in these times) used only as a living history museum, complete with live period actors. So, everyone being of good holiday cheer, we decided to take a tour before heading elsewhere to stop for the night.

Late one night, a highly-out-of-the-ordinary special request resulted in a detour to a prominent medical center. A baby was born. Itineraries simply do not include such things. But they can accommodate them. Adjustments can be made (even by steely machines) for a wondrous occasion not to be missed.

And here we come to a seemingly random, though ubiquitous, part of this holiday story: indoor trees . . . dead, temporary, disposable, dressed-up, indoor trees! (Admittedly, motorcoaches are not designed to be imaginative, but even when we pooled our collective memory files this narrative development stumped us.)

So, making the most of the bizarre but beautiful . . . here, not under but on the Christmas tree, among trinkets and tinsel and striped treats and ribbon and . . . well, every kind of shiny adorning ornamentation, look closely and you will find four reflections of a jolly-red-ride (the “RADIO FLYER” for grown-ups) waiting outside to transport its caroling passengers to the next location. (Yes, you got it, like whispered suggestions for your wish-list.)

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

TANNENBAUM NEWS: “O Tannenbaum,” the well-known Christmas song sung by carolers around the world, was originally penned as a folk song about the beautiful qualities of a fir tree. Christmas oriented lyrics were added in the early 19th Century as the Christmas tree ascended in seasonal popularity.

LIGHTING NEWS: The lighting of Christmas trees began in Germany in the 16th Century, candles being added to trees and wreaths with melted wax. In parts of Europe, Christmas lights also became known as “fairy lights.” The tradition was electrified in the late 19th Century and since then has grown to electrifying proportions. Magnificent Christmas light sculptures, parades, yard and neighborhood displays and choreographed light shows continue to grow in popularity throughout the world.

NEWS OF WISE MEN: These look to be from the north. Wise in what way? On a trip to Branson these guys laughed splendidly, and generally exemplified “light as a feather . . . happy as an angel . . . merry as a school boy” and “A merry Christmas to everybody!”

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Few cities celebrate cultural diversity on par with Omaha, Nebraska. Well-known for its “Ten Countries Without a Passport” tours, Omaha is a great Christmas destination. And when you are in Omaha you will want to prioritize attendance at a Dave Marsh performance. Like a master ventriloquist, Dave Marsh’s art is dialogue, animating an impressive array of instruments to tell compelling stories and histories.

Gerald Charles Dickens is a great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens and, according to the rave reviews of Omaha tour passengers, a remarkable story teller and entertainer. An accomplished actor, director, and producer, he annually tours the UK and the US performing one-man shows inspired by the life and works of his famous ancestor. The 2017 tour took Dickens to twenty-one cities in thirteen states. (For more information, including future tour dates and locations: www.geralddickens.com. To follow Gerald Dickens’ tour blog: geralddickens.wordpess.com)

Quote Of The Day samples

“The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.” – Charles Dickens