Magic Tours

Every Monday morning I wake up with a, bang. Always approximately 5 minutes late, which means I have 10 minutes to get ready and leave before I'll be showing up late for my 8 o’clock class. I drive through my charming neighborhood, shaded by old trees, fabulous old houses, no sidewalks, the rose bushes in full bloom in practically every ones’ front yard. We certainly know how to grow roses here, my goodness! I drive out of my neighborhood and surface onto the streets of more stereotypical Fresno, the stop light at Blackstone and Gettysburg to be specific. To my left theres the seven eleven. To my right is the gas station that despite all revenue of gas prices nowadays, managed to go out of business. Now its all fenced and boarded up with out any pumps. Its the one next door to the family owned used car dealership. Often times theres some interestingly clad fresnian waving a red arrow that says “used cars less than $9999!” at the corner. Its always somewhat awkward.  Across the street from the gas station is the out of place t-mobile store with tiny manicured bushes. And across the street from that is the closed Mexican food restaurant. There’s always a couple cars for sale parked on the corner next to the for lease sign. Puhleease who’s going to buy that! But different from any other day of the week when I pull up to this intersection at 7:41 am, is Monday. The light turns green and I drive through the intersection. I always have to wait for the light to turn green. Its a rare day when Im able to hit 2 green lights in a row. Anyways, just behind the t-mobile is a huge parking lot always deserted. It’s the Fresno Ag Hardware parkinglot. I wonder when, if ever, was the last time they were busy enough to need all those kabillion parking spots. Ive never seen more than 5 cars in that lot at one time. But anyways this is where it gets good! Every Monday a crowd of the most bizarre people are standing in the parkinglot. Im talking crowd of people! Like 20 or more. Standing there in a mass about 10 yards away from t-mobiles dumpster.  I certainly don’t know who they are or how they got there. Theres never enough cars in the lot to get them all there. So since last fall, when I started driving to school this route, Ive wondered what on earth are all these people are doing massed in that parking lot. Its super errie. I used to wonder, are they waiting for the trash truck? Maybe its a church prayer walk? Maybe they are comemorating someone's death? Maybe its some strange cult and they are waiting for their leader? Drugs? Illness? UFOs? Ive been stumped this whole time. Then this semester I got a break in my classes from 9-2. But class starts again at 2 so I have to make this drive all over again at that time. Oddly enough the crosswalks were oddly packed with crowds of super weird people on mondays. Walking to I have no idea where. As I drive through the intersection there’s always a plain white charter bus that says “Magic Tours” in the Ag Hardware parking lot. There you have those bizarre people with walkers and limps and Hawiian shirts and windbreakers, getting off a tour bus and dispersing. What kind of a tour picks up people in an Ag Hardware parking lot and what on earth are they touring in Fresno?! On my way home from class this afternoon, which inspired this mysterious account of the adventures in the Ag Hardware parking lot, I almost ran down two old ladies jay walking. I mean seriously Grama? Completely separate from each other, like 20 yards apart, just crossing the street. They were waiting in the middle of the street for cars to stop driving, asking to get run over. Well I take that back, one of them wasn't waiting in the middle of the street, she was just jutting across at her snail like pace hoping cars would stop. So weird. One walked right past the bus stop, the other walked behind the Mexican restaurant so I don’t know where they were going. Twilight zone creepy man. Magic bus. Pishaw!

This is just a mystery that has plagued me all year and I thought I would share it with you. Ill try and get a picture next Monday and post it. Stay tuned.