Nawab and I: Follow Ms. Garmin

Adam Hochberg, NPR

At the Queenston crossing the line up was short. I stopped at the stop sign about 20 feet away from the officer's kiosk. The car's license plate, underbelly, occupant's faces were scanned and sent miles away to be checked and stored.

The officer asked for our passports, scanned them, told me one of them was expiring next month, and asked some routine questions - purpose of visit, for how long, carrying any food or live plants and waived us off.

Thanks to Ms Garmin, the drive was stress free. No more fiddling with highlighted CAA maps forcing M to act as co-pilot. Listen to the music, radio, stay focused on the traffic, talk, think, drink tea, and follow Ms Garmin.

The odd time we took breaks, or stopped off to admire the surrounding or the small towns we passed (Town of Wales in Erie County, upstate NY, inc. in 1818) or the windmill farm on E20A, or the village of Warsaw, Ms Garmin would gently slap on the wrist with 'recalculating....'

t: The advantage of not being human is you don't have to have a SIN or passport.
N: Borders are man made. We have no need for them.
t: Next you will say...
N: ....Gods are man made too. Stop invading my domain.
t: (smile).
N: You are happy to be driving.

t: hmmmmm

N: Shaikh Saadi going for Friday prayers.

t: Sometimes you are too vague.

(As the story goes, Saadi washed and mended his only pair of clothes for the Friday prayers and was walking towards the mosque. A rich man passed by in an open coupe, with a driver and a guard sitting up front and two guards standing up behind the cab, wearing gold embroidered robes. The Shaikh looked up and thought, 'O Allah, is this justice?'

A short time later Saadi came across a paraplegic who was sitting on a wheeled board, pushing himself towards the mosque. The Shaikh looked up and said, 'O Allah I thank thee for your blessings.')

N: You will understand this when we head back.

t: Hey look at the windmill farms

M: Stop muttering t, look at the windmill farms

t: That is what I was telling you..

N: I have told you to be careful when you talk with me.

t: We will drive through all the states in this Appalachian trail.

N: You will?

t: You brim with sarcasm. Why did I not leave you behind?

N: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine...

t: Yeah yeah and you forgot to mention Newfoundland and New Brunswick.

N: I was testing you.

t: Why? You are the wise one O Nawab!

N: Now who is being sarcastic? Drive on. You 'll be late for dinner if you stop by to visit the Corning Museum.

t: Yaar, shall we drive on? Maybe we'll catch it on the way back?

M: Yes, way back. You know this is the fourth time we have skipped this?

Ms G: Recalculating!