Random April Thoughts

 1.  When I say butter, what do you think of? For me, I immediately think: melting.  So, when I walk past our kitchen counter at any time of the day and see the butter sitting on the counter, I think I hear the butter yelling out, "Help me, I'm melting." It's still there. Does this look good?  (About ten days after I wrote this, the butter started appearing in the refrigerator because it didn't taste that good.)

2. I was in the park with my almost 20 month old grand daughter.  She was at the top of a small slide and she counted..."1,2, free", and then she said, "Go Riley."  She went down the slide and I was thinking we should all do that.  When you're about to go into an interview or dig up some bushes, or sitting down to a big chicken meal- "1,2, free, Go Jeff."

3. You know how they send you these invitations for free seminars at these nice restaurants? It's usually on retirement, investing, or something like that.  My friend Larry has been to many of them for the food.  I got this below in the mail inviting me to a pizza place.  First, I really don't like pizza.  I can eat it a few times a year and I'm good. Secondly, what happened to the prime rib dinner? I'm not going.

4. When was the last time you saw a man in a suit and tie riding on a motorcycle? I saw him, could that really be comfortable?

5. Do you think someone could invent a little robot that you can put on your front windshield that would clean off all the bugs and stuff that get your window dirty? You can't always go to a car wash.

6. Have you ever seen a car towing a helicopter? You can't make this stuff up, it really was a car and a helicopter. It was too fast to get a picture.

7. If you were a landscaper, wouldn't you want the account for just one of these mountains that has thousands of trees and bushes on it? Imagine the time it would take to trim them.

8. Did you know that if you're an adult the most difficult thing to do in going down a small slide is not going down the slide? Here's a picture of my legs dangling after I struggled to get onto the slide.

9. When does something fake look incredibly real? It doesn't happen often but take a look at how beautiful these fake flowers are that my wife bought.

10. And, last but not least to wind up the month is this true story. My wife bought a bunch of red grapes which she likes and I don't. I don't know how long they have been in our refrigerator, but I went through them to see what I could eat instead of throwing them out. Most seemed to be pretty good, but as I got to the last bunch of grapes I found something else: money.  In the plastic container pictured below is a dime and a penny. They say that money doesn't grow on trees, but how do you explain this:

The Walt Disney Museum

As a huge Disney fan for decades I wasn't going to miss out on going to The Walt Disney Museum which was located a couple miles from The Golden State Bridge.  As soon as you walked into the lobby past the entrance you see all around you trophies, plaques, and tributes to Walt Disney throughout his almost fifty year career.

Walking around there were endless stories and pictures of his life including his first successful cartoon character, Oswald the Rabbit. When he wanted more money from the guy he was working for in New York he was told no and that he could leave with nothing since he didn't own the character.  He left with nothing and on the train home to California he drew a picture of the mouse below.

Imagine, buy a loaf of bread and get a picture card of Mickey Mouse!  He was involved in a bunch of different projects his whole life.  "The story of Disneyland" was a special movie they were presenting that day and it talked about his struggles to get funded.  One story I never heard was that he needed more trees for The Jungle Cruise ride and so he put ads in the paper for anyone who wanted to get ride of their tree. They came to your house and took your tree and it wound up in Disneyland.

This was the layout for Disneyland or Disney World or both.  I was too busy taking pictures to read what it was, still it was pretty cool.  After walking through endless exhibits on several floors, it was the last small section about Walt Disney's death which was the most moving.

He had been sick, but no one knew how sick he was.  Ten days after his 65th birthday he passed away from lung cancer.  His list of accomplishments are endless, but he still holds the record for most Academy Awards by an individual, 22 and the most nominations by an individual, 59.

Below are two moving pictures that I had to photograph and one incredible tribute by CBS's Evening News, Eric Severeid, which is worth reading.  The best line in his tribute was, "He probably did more to heal-or at least soothe- troubled human spirits than all the psychiatrists in the world." He died sixty years ago this December-imagine his impact since then.

It was an inspiring few hours even for someone who has read a lot about Walt Disney.

The Golden Gate Bridge

It is not listed as one of the wonders of the world, but the Golden Gate Bridge is incredible and impressive in person.  It opened in 1937 and at that time was the longest and tallest bridge in the world. It is a symbol of California and one of the most recognizable landmarks in our country.

Thirty-nine years ago Monika and I were on a boat that went underneath the bridge, but this time I was going to walk on the bridge. My friend Rob and I took about an hour walk to the bridge and this is what it looked like from the ground level.

As we got closer to the bridge the view of course got better and better.  Finally reaching the top there were people walking, biking and lots of cars going both ways over the bridge.  The bike lane was also the walking lane.  I'm not very good with heights and so I took some pictures and we walked a few minutes before turning around.

Our walk back to the car was only 45 minutes and if it wasn't for the high price we would have taken a Waymo, a driverless car.  Rob took the above selfie and the below picture of the bridge I took from The Walt Disney Museum the day before.

My Favorite Rider Comments for April 2026

I asked the couple how long they've been together and he said, "7,632 years."  She said, "We're celebrating our 32nd anniversary at the end of the month."

Picking him up on Easter he said, "I stopped celebrating holidays when I was eight. I'd rather be low-key, but I faked it for a few years."

After telling me he had four kids I said, "That is a handful." He said, "My dad has 19 kids with two wives."

She: "Our girls are both big planners and Disney fans. One time we were in Disney and we said we need a bathroom break and one of them said, "It's not on the schedule."

He: "In Japan they have bowing deer. They look for crackers and try to take them out of your pockets."

I showed him the yellow ducky a plumber gave me from the place he works.  I said that it was like Ernie's yellow duckie on Sesame Street and when I sing Ernie's rubber duckie song to my granddaughter I try to sound like Ernie.  He said, "You  kind of sound a little like Ernie, but grown up."

I asked, "How did your wife get her name "Clover?" He said, "Her parents were hippies and they came up with it when they were lying in a field."

She said, "Everyone in the world is delusional."

Truck driver: "A few years ago I was driving in Utah on some snow and my tractor trailer went over a cliff with me in it. I just had a cut from the seatbelt. When they took me to the ER I found out I only had one kidney, maybe that's why God had me in the accident."

The young Korean just came back from his first trip to Japan and his first trip to Korea. He said, "I actually liked Japan better."

She and her boyfriend have been dating for five years and are close to being engaged.  They are about to take a trip and she said, "I am packing something cute just in case."

I asked the accountant if she liked numbers and she said, "I'm not good with numbers." When I asked how long she had been married, it took her a little bit to answer and she had trouble coming up with their anniversary day.

MORE DRIVER COMMENTS

I told her that my business name is "The Sunshine Man" and she told me, "I call my boyfriend, "sunshine."

She told me, "I'm a full-blooded Alaskan Athabascan." They are descendants of the original inhabitants in Alaska.

Her name is Divine and her last name is Blessings. She: "I didn't like my last name so I changed it."

Her mom has eleven kids and grandchildren from ten of them. She said, "I'm the only one who hasn't given her one."

He told me his mom had many talents and was, "A master of doing."

I asked, "How do you like working in finance?" He said, "I have my days of fulfillment."

I asked the couple how they met and she said, "We were both in line at a club and he wanted to use my friends and I to get in."  Me: "Did it work?" He said, "It did."

She's been in over 15 countries and told me that if people want to travel more, "They should skip going out to eat for a month."

She: "I was chef in Paris for three years, a manager of a health care facility, a pharmacy tech, and now I'm a flight attendant."

He: "I had a friend of mine who was so black, we said he was purple."

He said, "I'm in the twilight of my 20's."

The young officer explained what he was doing, "It just police work."

What was it like moving from Alaska to Atlanta I asked. He said, "It was quite hot."

The truck driver told me he was just out of the hospital after five days.  He said, "I had carbon monoxide poisoning which was in my truck."

MUCH THANKS TO ALI WHO IS ORIGNALLY FROM KUWAIT AND HE GAVE THIS BILL WHICH IS MY 74TH COUNTRY IN MY CAR.

Thanks also to the two riders who gave me the Alaskan polar bear refrigerator magnet and also the "J" which I'm going to pin on one of my Elvis socks in front of my car.(How's that for a ridiculous sentence?)

UNIQUE OCCUPATIONS

Climate Scientist for Texas Tech

Operations Manager for Australian Fitness Company

Content Creator

Former Production Assistant in the film industry

Underground Utility Locator

Builds Cancer Research Centers around the world.

I PICKED PEOPLE UP FROM THESE PLACES

Guatemala, Vietnam, India, Kuwait, Honduras, Somalia, The Congo,

WHAT MY RIDERS SAID ABOUT ME AND MY CAR

Accountant: "I want to stay in here all day. You're a beautiful soul, keep spreading your positivity."

The ride was only three minutes long and she handed me the second largest tip I've ever received and said, "I want you to have this, you're making a difference."

"This was the greatest Uber ride we've ever had."

The scientist said, "This is totally new for me."

"I love the car and the ride. Have an excellent day."

"This is crazy."

"I hope I get you again."

"Best Uber ride we've ever had."

"This was the most pleasant ride we've ever had."

"Thanks so much, it's been a great ride."

"I really enjoyed this ride."

MY FAVORITE RIDERS IN APRIL 2026

PEOPLE IN INDIA KNOW ABOUT ME 

Last month I posted about a scientist from Seattle, Washington who loved the ride I was giving him.  He told me that his dad was an independent journalist in India and that he would love to interview me.  My rider took pictures and video of me and a couple weeks later he sent me this message:

"Hi Jeff! I took an Uber ride with you one month back.  Here is the article in gujarati (language of mahatma Gandhi in a Gujarati newspaper loksatta. Hope you enjoy it." It was about eight or nine paragraphs in another language.  Below is the picture of the article and a couple pictures of me and my car.

My youngest daughter figured out how to translate it and his father did a very nice job in capturing the spirit of my museum.  After sending him this picture he told me that another newspaper picked up the story and they printed it also.  The article is dated April 11th and my riders have really enjoyed the story.

THEY MET WALKING DOWN THE AISLE?

That is very close to the real story. They each had a friend who was getting married-to each other.  They were both in the wedding party. They were matched up to walk down the aisle together which they did. Six years later they walked down the aisle together for their wedding and I'm pretty sure their friends were in the wedding party. After I dropped her off I was thinking about what she said to me, "I'm about 5 ft. tall and my husband is 6 ft. 4." How did they get matched up?

They just celebrated their third year anniversary and they have a 21-month-old daughter, the same age as our granddaughter.  They also live in the same development we were supposed to move into last year.

A UNIQUE EDUCATION

The young man who will be turning 18 soon told me that he had been in 48 states in his life. His parents took him and his older sister across the country since he was nine years old. They wanted their children to see the country and they spent a lot of time in an RV doing it.  His parents were multi-talented and they were able to pick up work wherever they traveled to. When I asked him what the best part of all the traveling was, he quickly replied, "Spending a lot of time with my family." What does his mom do now? She helps build wind turbines. He had quite and education and we had a great conversation.

A FULL-TIME TRAVELER?

I had one of those rides I did not want to end.  I actually told her when there was 11 minutes left in the ride that I wasn't going to drop her off immediately and her best friend who was celebrating her 40th birthday would have to wait.  My rider was very outgoing and has had a fascinating life.  She's been in at least 15 different countries, including living on a kibbutz in Israel for a year.  By profession she is a massage therapist and a doula, a trained professional who provides support before, during, and after a woman gives birth. She has a six-year-old son who gets most of her attention and has given her lots of challenges and a lot of joy.  I needed at least another ten minutes in the car with her, but I am certain that her life has been an incredible journey and it will continue to be so in the future. 

THE DYNAMIC DATING DUO

They were smiling the whole ride. She was from Hong Kong and he is Japanese and from California.  They were on a vacation in Colorado and hadn't seen each other in a number of months.  One of them is in marketing and the other is in finance.  How did they meet? She said, "We were in line at a club and he wanted to use my friends and I to get in." It worked out better than he planned.  You never know with relationships, but my gut feeling is that they could be together for quite a long time.

HIS DAD WAS JAMES BOND?

One of the most interesting conversation of the month was the young guy who had lived all across the world. Hid dad was in the Air Force, but his dad was a pretty special guy since he retired as a one-star general  He didn't operate as James Bond would on the ground, but he was involved for many years in a lot of special assignments around the world that were top secret.  My rider enjoyed living for some time in Japan which I've heard before from riders.  He's studying finance and is more interested in the international side which is not surprising.  I'm sure he has some great things ahead of him in his future and I very much enjoyed talking with him.

California Road Trip Highlights

It took 39 years for me to get back to California and after 41 hours of driving and 2,700 miles I have returned.  I had a lot to do and a bunch of things to see.  It's important to have plans and also to make adjustments when they are necessary.

The Golden Gate bridge and the Walt Disney museum I will blog about separately since I have plenty to say and a number of pictures also.  Here are the other highlights:

SCENERY:  Some spectacular mountain and valley views and I stopped a few times to take pictures. Frequently, mountains were different colors on both sides of the road.  Every mountain had hundreds or thousands of bushes and trees. I did drive a few hours in the dark on a few mornings and I missed some of the majestic views.

I did get to drive on the highway early one morning through Las Vegas with the hotels and casinos glittering in the darkness.  I did see some of the west coast ocean views mixed in with some of the mountain scenery.

FRIENDS: Thirty-nine years ago our friends Rob and Jill were married and our trip out to California included their wedding and an incredible ride down the coast to Disneyland and San Diego. I've know Rob since grammar school and we played tennis and worked a summer job together in high school. We haven't seen each other in fifteen years and we got to hang our for a couple days this past week.

We went to a beer garden and I had a sip of beer. We ate at a Mexican Restaurant and I ate Mexican food which was pretty good since it was chicken.  We spent both days taking a long hike with great conversation.  

ENTERTAINMENT: I drove with Sirius X radio on and heard a lot of great music, some comedy, some baseball and also basketball.  Rob and Jill took me to see my first Alfred Hitchcock movie, "North by Northwest which was made in 1959. I thought the plot was pretty complicated and I had to look up a synopsis of it when I got home. It played in a beautiful refurbished cinema and the crowd really enjoyed it.

GAS STATIONS: One of the things that really stood out 39 years ago was that California has a lot less gas stations than I'm used to seeing.  That has not changed and it was still very surprising that they were not all over. Pictured below is the one near their house with gas prices close to $8.  I did not buy any gas there, but there were some others over $8 per gallon.  The most I paid on the trip was $5.99.

                                           

ICE CREAM AND SODA DIET: I decided at the end of last year I would go one hundred days without soda and ice cream and I broke my diet on the trip.  It was 103 days without soda and 108 days without ice cream.  I got a small cone for $1 and it tasted pretty good.

MY CAR: Rob and Jill had both read my book and she gave the book to her dad who enjoyed reading it also. I suggested we go over and give her mom and dad a tour of the car which turned out to be a lot of fun. Her dad is 95 and I told him he's the oldest person to ride in my car and offered to put his picture up in the car, He loved the idea and it's in the car already.

Making Friends With Ollie

I met Ollie the moment my friends, Rob and Jill, opened their door in Menlo Park, California last Wednesday.  Ollie greeted me the way most dogs do-tail wagging, barking loudly, and clearly mouthing to me, "Who are you and when are you leaving?" Ollie is pictured below.

You are probably asking what kind of dog is he and how old is he, but after 13 hours of driving that day, I honestly don't know.  They probably told me, but I can tell you that he's a dog and lives there and it's his kingdom and I was obviously trespassing.

I explained to my friends that my relationship with dogs is complicated. I didn't have a pet for 60 years and I have had a dog for the last five years. I am used to being around dogs, especially the barking kind.  Two of our kids in Colorado both have two dogs so we sometimes have five dogs in the same house.  I do remember that clearly happening.

Over the next 24 hours, Ollie would greet me with loud barks and would circle around me. I gave him a few quick pats and talked to him as if he understood I was friendly.  He wanted me to throw his toy as you can see below.  I didn't want to make a habit of it, so when it was on the floor I gently kicked it to my right and he went after it.

That may have been the friendly gesture he was looking for.  On my last day there he wasn't barking possibly because he could tell I was leaving.  I snuck out of the house early the next morning without saying goodbye to him.  He's probably been wandering past the guest room all day looking for me.  I'm almost certain in his head he can hear James Taylor singing, "You've Got a Friend."