When you think of an oasis, you may envision palm trees and lush tropical growth, shade, and warm breezes. You may even imagine exotic women with long eyelashes fanning you with palm fronds as you sip on a drink with a little umbrella in it, but that's none of my business. Whatever the case, an oasis is a respite from the harsh surroundings. The official definition is a fertile area in a desert region where the water table approaches the surface.
So, does this qualify? (I do see some water approaching the surface in the ditch.)
When I dream of an oasis, it does not look like this. In fact, freeways do not enter into my dreams ever, unless they are nightmares. Some day, when you are truly my captive audience, I will tell you all about my driving and freeway nightmares. In the meantime, if you consider this an oasis, I would love to know why.
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Yeah. The "Oasis" in this case being the overhead restaurant that the Fred Harvey Co. pioneered along the freeways. They also held most of the Major U.S. Park contracts for hotel and restaurant services (such as at the Grand Canyon where I was once employed). So in their opinion one of their restaurants was an "oasis" compared to the monotonous pavement of the freeway. I doubt hat they offered dates and figs at these... ;)
ReplyDeleteI notice that says Kodachrome Reproduction on the back -- take a minute to think RIP for that wonderful old film. And no, that isn't an oasis to me ... but i guess if you were driving cross country and had been in the car for hors it might seem like one.
ReplyDeleteToo funny. I'm amazed at how many highways are featured in PCs; I guess the interstate was a big deal when it was developed.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm no fan of the negative impacts of freeways either (particularly to urban areas), if you look at the reality of many people having one or two paid weeks of vacation per year trying to haul their 2.5 kids 1000 miles to Disneyland before the age of cheap air travel, they were probably seen as a godsend.
ReplyDeleteI remember the 150 mile drives that took 5 hours because they went thru every little town, and I'm pretty happy these days to do it in half the time blowing down the freeway. Is it nice to get off the fast track and explore the back roads every now and then? You bet, but the fact that it is an option rather than a requirement, frankly makes it alot more appealing.
And as a final thought, if you really have to pee and the next exit is 20+ miles away, this is indeed an oasis.
Du hast ja sooo recht.
ReplyDeleteNach dem du mir so geholfen hast, wäre es das mindeste gewesen dich zu informieren, das sie das Rezept veröffentlicht haben. Böse Janine, Böse Janine!!!Es ist bei "They draw and cook" hier zu finden.
http://www.theydrawandcook.com/2010/12/sacher-torte-by-janine-moinzadeh.html
Liebe Grüße und ein schönes Wochnende
Janine
Now Christine, you know that median beckons for some lawn chairs, a tiki bar and flip flops. Very harsh postcard for sure.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of lawn chairs and garden 'cottages' along the rail right-of-ways in Europe, when you don't have a yard you take what you can get! Might be a little tougher to get to this median though, and trains rolling by have a little more romantic clout than endless cars on the freeway...
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