Introducing the CW Award

Here at Blog156 Headquarters management and staff has been discussing the creation of a new award, inspired by my sister, CW.

It's the "Next time, you can stay home" award for tourists who don't know how to act and don't know how to pay for services. "They can stay home!", she says.

It could become part of pop culture:

as a noun: "She's such a CW".

as an adjective: "She is so CW".

as a verb: "She has been CW'd".

Surprisingly the first recipient of the CW is an Australian.

Aussies aren't clear on the concept of gratuities. And, suppose it could be confusing - Why is it appropriate to tip at Denny's, but not at McDonalds". Do you "tip" in the Emergency room ?(short answer - "yes", a bribe might help in an Emergency Room.)

They're confused, they don't ask for help, but they notice other people tipping, so they pay $5 (making them Canadians).

On the other hand, Aussies are always easy travellers, they never ask for anything special, and they're always gregarious.

So, you can forgive their quirks.

Which brings us to:

Natalie, from Sydney.

Natalie gets the CW because she has embarrassed her com-patriots.

She was the first pickup on the manifest, ten minutes late, and "cheeky"about why it was ok for her to be late.

Let me give all you Aussie's a hint about what NOT to do in America: Do NOT be derisive about the American accent. Do you Aussies realize you talk like a lizard who sells automobile insurance?

It got much much worse when she didn't appreciate my explanation of the Sonoran Desert.

And ENDED when she didn't tip.

Natalie, You have been awarded the CW, "Stay HOME" Award.

Which brings us to Clara (Left) and Margit (Right). Margit was born in Budapest in 1934, moved to Austria "to escape the Russians" when she was 11, immigrated to U.S. in 1952, became a "naturalized' citizen, married an American for 50 years, had three children, and is retired in Cleveland. Clara is her friend, visiting from Hungary.

They were darlings, I flirted with them all day long. "The most important thing I know about Hungarian women is that they're such good cooks!"

At DesertView, Margit couldn't make it back to the bus on time because her legs were cramping so badly she couldn't walk. She was afraid I was angry with her when I found her leaning on a trash can for support. She took my arm and it took us another 10 minutes to get back to the bus. She commented on how strong my arms are - and I was smart enough to ask the right questions about her history. Her husband of 50 years died of cancer 7 years ago. They were at Grand Canyon together 30 years ago, and she wanted to find the spot at Bright Angel Lodge where they had been. (I promised she'd see that spot before the day was out.)

I made them scream and laugh at my stories on the way home. I was sure to tell the stories about our famous Arizona Bordello Madams, (Belgian Jenny was the riches woman in AZ.)

And they each gave me a kiss and a $20 when they left! Come back, my Hungarian Girlfriends!

Bob Leake can come back. Bob was an Air Force mechanic in the Korean War. (Which means he joined the military just as President Truman ordered the military to integrate.) Bob grew up in Tennessee and has become one of those older African American gentleman who have burned through injustice, disgrace, and their own anger, and have learned dignity and kindness.

After the military, he spent 30 years driving the subway for the New York Transit Authority. He retired two weeks before Sept. 11, and his pride was that his son was driving his subway in Manhattan on Sept. 11... "Who got his people out of there."

Bob was travelling alone on Amtrak, making his "Bucket List" trip across America. Now his wife is gone, but they had taken their little children to Grand Canyon and he wanted to see it one more time.

I'm glad you saw it with me, Bob. Even though he forgot to pay the driver, Bob can come back.

This was a good day to share with

Lorraine.

Lorraine is from Atlanta. She is a publishing consultant who matches children's book authors with illustrators.

Natalie, the Aussie, stayed overnight in Sedona, so Lorraine was my last dropoff. She sat in the shotgun seat all day and was a great co-pilot. Lorraine is just a few years older than me, but young enough to enjoy the other guests. This was a mental and professional vacation for her high stress job. She loved the statistics, details, history of the Arizona, and she enjoyed the company of the other guests.

What a high stress job she has! She has to "match-make" diverse artists and get them to see the same vision. Boy, was she ready for a vacation day.

Darn it, I should have gotten her e-mail to keep in touch.

Have fun, Lorraine. Come back soon.