“The
moments of pleasure we enjoy take us by surprise.
It
is not that we seize them ~ but they seize us.” (Ashley Montagu)
In
early October, 2001, my son calling from California (his place of
employment), had a proposition for me. “I'll pay your flight here
to San Jose ~ spend a week or 10 days here ~ on the weekends we'll
tour the coastline vistas ~ and from travel businesses here, locate
the immense trees whose trunks we can drive through. Knowing that
you love to drive, I require you to drive my Honda Odyssey van back
to Ontario for its emission test. You need to have this completed by
November 15th.
“Did
I hear you correctly?” I asked. “Oh, Yes, Mom,” he replied.
In a few days, I propositioned him, that, “Yes, I'd do the drive ~
with my desire to visit Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon in Utah (and
all its weird rock formations), then Arizona's Grand Canyon both
north and south sides. ~ these sites prior to touring through
Colorado's Rocky Mountains, northbound to access throughways
eastward. He loaned me a CT from which to call him each evening en
route.
We discussed events of the day...destination for the morrow...
then, he'd check on weather conditions for the next day or two.
Arizona's Grand
Canyon:
Impressed, mightily I was viewing Zion National Park and Bryce
Canyon in Utah! Then southbound a few miles to Arizona's Grand
Canyon which is phenominal. Over-nighting at Jacob's Lake motel, the
staff highly recommended, “You
must drive to the canyon's North Rim to view it at sunrise!!!”
As I drove through the forest, the sun arising in the sky and
splaying its golden rays between tree trunks, I parked at the North
Rim (1,000 feet higher than the South Rim), and marvelled at the cool
morning's stillness with occasional bird tweets as they welcomed
their day. And as the sun rose above the horizon casting its
rays...and in the stillness of the morn...not e'en a leaf on the
trees moved. Two gentlemen and I, standing on the high rim, noted
that as the sun rose, the canyon walls became alit and travelled
slowly down, down, down to the Colorado River as it snaked its path
like a narrow coloured ribbon! So spiritual...so
mesmerizing...beyond being supernatural...almost divine!
'Twas a sunrise spirited by Nature's gift to mankind!
Leaving the Rocky
Mountains in Colorado:
Driving
eastbound, one morning, my son called ~ informing me, “I've made a
reservation for you at a Hair Salon in Kearney, Nebraska. They are
expecting you tomorrow morning...thought you'd enjoy this treat!”
How thoughful and considerate, was this! What a pleasant surprise!
The full staff warmly welcomed this Canadian woman driving from San
Jose, California to Hamilton, Ontario.
I
agree with Boris Pastemak who said,
“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.”
“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.”
Spending my last night in Michigan, smiles came to my face upon
hearing an airplane; glancing into the darkened sky, considering that
he may be on that plane for a few hours (compared to my several
days of land travel ) spending time with family for his birthday,
prior to returning to California.
What impressed me was that during those 11 or 12 days 'on the road'
I
saw no accidents ~ until I crossed the border from Detroit
intoWindsor:
and there at a stoplight, a transport truck had buckled the back
fender of a sedan.
So many pleasures I've had in life, yet space here to highlight only
a few ~
going back in time as my memory kicked in to recollect.
My Dad's Love of Cars:
For my 1962 June wedding, he purchased a NEW Buick Skylark...blue
with a white hard-top...to cap off his thrill of being 'Father of
the Bride'! Unfortunately, in November of that year, a sudden heart
attack snuffed out his life. Rather than leaving his beloved Buick
parked in my mother's driveway over the winter months, I drove his
Skylark to Hamilton where I was teaching. My mother promised that in
the spring, she would take 'driving lessons' then learn to drive
the Buick.
I
finally drove my Dad's car!!!
She fulfilled her intention...and after 2 tries, passed her driving
tests. She loved the Skylark...babied it...drove in only favourable
weather...it became her Pride and Joy!
“We'd Better Get
There First,” my
father always said when I asked if could drive his car when out on
a summer's day for a drive to Lake Erie's beach or a Sunday drive in
the country. ( In summer I worked at his garage, earning money to
pay for Teachers' College.) And on the return back home, his answer
was always the same. After 3 years of teaching, I'd saved money to
Own My First Car!
Movie Tickets or a
Case of Gingerale: In
High School days, I played softball on a farm girls team named the
Burford Bluebirds. Occasionally my Dad took me to Brantford towatch
the Red Sox of the International League play baseball. On one
occsion, the lucky number in my program was called...so excited I
was, winning 6 tickets for movies at the city's Capital Theatre and a
case of gingerale. But being a devout Christian man, he had no use
for 'the ills of Hollywood' so my winning prize was the gingerale!
Finding a Five-Dollar
Bill:
When in Grade 7, walking through the village of Burford on my home
from school one day, I discovered a $5 bill lying on the sidewalk in
front of the Printer's Shop. Entering the shop door I told told the
owner about it. Stating that no buyer had returned to inquire about
lost money, he said to me, “Finders, Keepers ~ my Dear ~ purchase
something for yourself.” WOW! From my own petty savings and this
$5, I bought a pair of white ice skates to replace a neighbour boy's
scuffed-up-old brown skates, much too big for me. What a luxury! How
elated I was!
Which Famous Painting Are You?
A
few of my readers send articles of interest to me ~ as is this
following of intnrigue! The intro read:“If you love art, then
you've certainly come to the right place. Why? Because you're about
to find out just what famous painting your spirit embodies. Do you
think you're one of Leonado da Vinci's accurate sketches ~ or are you
more of a kooky Picasso painting? Take this test and find out for
yourself. This, I couldn't resist! Aghast I was, when told:
You're
Da Vinci's Mona Lisa....with a few mentioned attributes...conluding
with...you'll be around for centuries. Great
News for me!!!
Surprise and
mystery is at the heart of creativity, said Julia Camen.
Her quote reminded me of a letter sent to me by my son
which was hand-printed by a primary school student (or possibly Grade
4) thanking a speaker
who came to their school to present a talk about weather.
Dear Mr. Ramon, thank you for comming to our school and teeching
about weather. Some day when I become “Supreme-Ultra-Lord of the
Universe, I will not make you a slave. You wil live in my 200 story
castle where unicorn servants will feed you donuts off their horns.
I will personally make you a throne that is half platinum and half
solid gold and jewel encrested.
Thank you again for teeching us about meteoroligy; you're more
awesome than a monkey waring a tuxedo made of bacon, riding a cyborg
unicorn with a light saber for the horn on the tip of a space shuttle
closing in on Mars while engulfed in flames. In case you didn't know,
that's pretty dang sweet.
Sincerely,
Flint.
( My
Mom says to excoose my spelling errors.)
Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...December 14, 2018
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