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A quote: “That though the radiance which was once so bright be now forever taken from my sight. Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower. We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind.” ~~ William Wordsworth
I’ll start with a story …
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We’re grandparents now, dear. Emily had a little boy.
Home from the hospital, I pulled out our last vacation album. Look how young we were! Summer at the lake, our girls so small. Here’s a pic of you helping Em roast marshmallows. Here’s my fave pic of you being goofy as you run off the pier into the water.
I love that picture as I still love you. I pray God allowed you to think it was the pier as you were falling, not the 101st floor that bright September morning. It is my only comfort. I miss you so.
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Now, it’s your turn.
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. featured image, cropped, Adobe stock standard license.
jamkev says: You are sitting in the reddish sand on the beach. The sun casts your shadow just behind you. It’s magic! Your figure appears in my camera and I snap. Suddenly you are off to play the water and the waves and the sun, but I have this perfect picture of you that speaks to me of time lost but not forgotten.
When I was growing up, we used to go up to one or another campground in the Ozarks for vacations. Sometimes we’d rent a cabin. Other times we’d set up this giant headquarters tent Dad got from the Army-Navy surplus store and all sleep on camp cots in one or another of its rooms.
But however we did it, we’d always be on a lake with a dock and a beach. I’ve got all kinds of memories of us kids playing in and around the water, or climbing the cliffs that bounded the campgrounds. With all the crazy stuff we did, It’s a wonder not a one of us got seriously hurt. A couple broken arms and legs, but no crippling injuries or drownings.
These days, I see my share of those kinds of places, but it’s not like I have much chance to go climbing rocks or swimming in the lakes. Most likely I’m lying low in a safe house hidden among the cabins, waiting for the all-clear to continue whatever mission I’m on in the fight to restore the Republic.
Cameron says: She sighed in irritation. “Really? Are you six?”
“What’s the problem now? We’re here to have fun, aren’t we?”
“Yes but people are watching,” she replied sharply. She was constantly reminding me how I embarrassed her no matter what I was doing. I had to act like the Perfect Boyfriend at all times or it was the end of the world.
“So what? They would do the same thing. And so will I!”
I jumped as a friend snapped the picture. When I emerged from the water, I’d broken up with her.
I kept the picture. It was worth it.
Lewis says: How that made me laugh! My mother’s constant harangue was “What will people think?” My dad went off the diving board with us on few occasions, always the best fun for us when he did! One time in a new pair of swimming trunks he lost them! We all had to dive around to find them, then he emerged to the mantra and said “They probably think I lost my trucks, which I did!” Thanks for reminding me of that fun time, Cameron!
Cameron says: Happy to entertain. My own experience was a bit less humorous. I was with my girlfriend at the time at the local fair. There was a stand selling cinnamon buns and they were offering discounts to families that purchased them. I looked at the dude behind me and said “Hey! How you been, cousin?” which just started a cascade of long lost family members. And then I heard “Stop it. You’re embarrassing me!” from the girlfriend.
Still got the cinnamon buns and met some cool people. I took that memory and made it funny for this story. -:-)
Lewis says: Lewis says: 🙂 🙂
apparently this comment section does not take emoji! Good one!
Navig8r says: “That’s a fair imitation of the way the sensei teaches things in the dojo down the street, but this is a dojang. There is a difference. Eyes on target. Hips cranked all the way over for full power. End of the kick, knee is straight, not bent. Turn the foot horizontal to angled slightly down. Pull the instep back so that you are attacking with the side of the heel. Get the arms and hands down into a guard position, left arm protecting the chest, right arm extended and protecting the side. Fists clenched tight or knife hand.”
“Yes, Sah-bum-nim.”
Navig8r says: It was a convenient oddity of nature. A snow fed lake next to a hot spring in a prime hiking area. Hike, or fish, then relax in the hot spring before supper.
The hot spring was sectioned off into pools of different temperatures so you could choose for your own comfort. The hottest was 130 degrees F. Few tried it, but it did attract the occasional adrenaline junkies and attention seekers who reveled in rushing from the hot pool to the lake. They described it as feeling your soul leave your body. Surprising a soul would come back after that.
(Saratoga, Wyoming, but it is a stream there instead of a lake.)
Dupin says: That was the last time I saw him.
I jumped in making a splash, but he never appeared. Only a mass of bubbles that broke surface shortly after I did. The water was crystal clear. Nothing. He wasn’t there. Search & Rescue came. Still Nothing.
They finally gave up. We did too and got on with our lives.
It’s been five years now, and I still wonder about that day. And look at my glass, the Devil’s Cut swirling there. Like every year, I give a toast with his favorite bourbon.
My cellphone rings. Shit. The Caller ID. It’s him.
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