All is well on the home front, for now. We are stopped in Tucson due to Miles' insistence on watching "Can't Buy Me Love". Oh well, to each his own.
A big thanks to the gang at Wedge VW Repair and Restoration for renewing my faith in the automotive service industry. Our last experience with a VW service station was less than optimal. Paul and Rod took good care of us, and my girl received new brakes, along with a fixed heater and windshield wipers. 
Not only did we get great service, but the owner of Khyber Halal, the Afgani restaurant next door, cooked us a FREE steak gyro dinner while we waited outside for the van. Up until that point I felt somewhat frustrated and uncertain about where we were going and what we were doing next. Yet, as this day unfolded, all uncertainties dissipated.
The last story comes after we
exited the Scottsdale Goodwill. When we reached the van we were
stalked by a lovely couple in a pickup truck. They believed the
Westy's previous owner to be a Middle Eastern drummer from Seattle they had known in 1994. Whether it was or wasn't didn't matter
because this inquiry led to the realization of our shared similarities.
This musician/artist couple, who lived simply off their music and odd
jobs to get by, were so generous to treat us to dinner at a nearby
Mexican restaurant. The rich, connected conversation lifted each of
us in different ways. At one point in the conversation, a gentleman at the table
next to us interrupted, “Excuse me, but I overhead what you
were talking about and I'd like to join in”. For well over an
hour the six of us strangers talked as old friends. As we parted at
the restaurant's closing time, we discussed our belief in there being
no coincidences, and that each of us had co-created this magical
evening as we let go of our expectations and opened ourselves up to
the moment. I mentioned the necessity of a minimum of eight hugs per day for emotional maintenance, to which we all laughed at our exceeding this benchmark. All in all, it's days like these that make me oh so
grateful to be alive and traveling.