I don’t know why it is exactly, but going through the car wash has repeatedly provided brief moments of simple delight. Perhaps if getting the car cleaned was something that occurred more frequently, I might have eventually become a bit jaded about it. But I (somewhat embarrassingly) admit that the car does not get washed very often, ensuring an infrequent thrill that brings out my inner child.

The trippy patterns created by brush, spray, bubbles, light, and those great big blowers at the end generate constantly changing, mesmerizing windshield landscapes. This past week I went through a car wash where a series of different colored lights were strobing as the car moved through, enhancing the other-worldly experience.

The journey began as we headed towards the Milky Way galaxy.

There was a quick visit to a prehistoric planet – a deep, dark jungle below, where dinosaurs probably lurked. The glow of volcanic activity appears on the horizon.

Suddenly these wild-looking strips of furious fur and flame began attacking the glass, whipping around like some crazy interplanetary beast. How cool is that?

The beast quickly retreated, leaving behind a phosphorescent sea

which morphed into a moody sky of altocumulus clouds

And then, like a swift carnival ride, it was suddenly over. The winds sent the water droplets skittering away, leaving us squinting as we emerged into the bright sunlight, back on planet Earth.

~*~