Frequent flyer smiles

Another trip to the mothership in Berkeley last week found me back in my "spiritual home," the Bay Area. Once again, meeting with some of my authors and colleagues out there reminded me how much I love my work. I was also reminded again how much I love the place.

All the flowers blooming in the bright and cool misty air made me nostalgic for when I used to have my own garden in San Francisco. I'd marvel at the way you could grow things all year round, that "Spring" arrives sometime shortly after Christmas.

The calla lillies were my favorites. And there they were blooming just outside my friends'' apartment. Bougainvillea in riotous fuschia profusion colored white stucco garden walls, and tiny yellow wildflowers dotted the open space in Tiburon where I walked. Up there I had a 360-degree view of the Bay, and watched ships sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge towards the Port of Oakland.

My friend Karen, an ardent Tibetan Buddhist, got to see the Dali Lama in person on Sunday morning, and Prince Charles and Camilla popped in as well, touring organic gardens in Marin County and Berkeley.

I'm resigned to flying all over the place frequently, as it's a part of my job. In this time of bird-flu fear, it feels dangerous to crowd into the planes and share the close recycling air with all the other passengers coughing and sneezing. I usually find the in-flight movies boring, but I gave in and watched "Must Love Dogs," only to be pleasantly surprised how it made me and my seatmates laugh out loud. I love Diane Lane and John Cusak, and there was even a character named Michael Nolan. The plot was pretty thin and in the end it all was just a bunch of fluff, but it made the time pass between Denver and Philly.