Random Things...In A Car...In A Picture

Sunday I posted a picture of some random things in a car. It wasn't the greatest picture, by any means, just a few items that sat shotgun as I drove home from Idaho Falls. In the picture, I have:

An unfinished 20 oz bottle of Vanilla Coke

A wrapper to an eaten Midnight Dark Milky Way candy bar

The CD jacket to Electric Light Orchestra's Greatest Hits: All Over The World

A disgarded tie purchased from the newly-opened Deseret Industries in Ammon, Idaho

These served as my traveling companions and that that's what I called them in the picture I posted. Like I said, not the greatest picture, but interesting in a weird kind of way.

Last weekend we started out from Idaho Falls just before 10am, Sunday morning. All the cars and vans were loaded up with kids and food. All the cars and vans, except for mine. All the kids picked the places they wanted to sit on their way home. And when everyone was in a car, mine was empty.

It took me a few minutes on the open road to realize not having anyone with me wasn't necessarily a bad thing because that's when I put in the ELO disk, cranked the volume, and sang at the top of my lungs.

If you don't know already, ELO is some fantastic traveling music. I know if my daughter was with me, she would have put up with it. If any of her friends were with us, I'm sure we would have listened to something else.

The drive from southeast Idaho to northern Utah is usually uneventful, but on this particular trip, there was much to see. We had sun between Pocatello and Malad, encroaching clouds in Tremonton, and by the time I hit Ogden, I drove through snow. At no time were the roads crowded which always helps make a road trip better.

I don't travel much, by car or otherwise. And I wouldn't want to travel alone often--I'd rather make the journey with family or friends. But on a spring Sunday afternoon last weekend, traveling by myself with Vanilla Coke, Midnight Dark Milky Way, and ELO as my companions was great.

Those Beautiful Idaho Skies...

I've visited the neighboring state to the north more times than any other save my home state. As a child, every summer (and many times fall, winter, and spring...) my family would travel to the Gem State. It was a logical destination--both my mother and father lived most of their lives in Idaho and we had family there.

There's no way I could appreciate the state as a child--I was too young. We'd travel first in the big Buick Electra 225s that were my dad's favorites. After he passed away, we traveled in many different cars that my mom picked up here and there. As I grew up, I drove back and forth in the cars I chose, and finally, in the cars and vans my wife and I bought. As a kid, the scenery was just that--stuff to see until you reached the place you were going.

Maybe it's because I drove from Idaho Falls alone today that I looked up and noticed just how amazing the skies above the road and plains were. Then again, it could have been the sunroof that allowed me to see above the traveling car.

I was unable to check out a lot of the skies this last weekend. I spent most of the time in the gymnasium of Skyview High School on Idaho Fall's east side. I attended my daughter's last ballroom dance competition as a high school student. If you've never attended, these are the types of events where you go inside the gym in the morning, and sometimes leave long past the sun has set. Friday night, I took a break and looked up.

I'm glad I did.

It was beautiful.

I snapped a few pictures, trying to capture what I was seeing. On the building's west side, I stepped outside and saw a group of dancers taking in some fresh crisp Idaho spring air. Their colorful costumes proved a stark difference to the colors of Mother Nature. I didn't get their permission to take their pictures. I tried to make them unrecognizable. You might, if you know these dancers, recognize them. There's more than a good chance the dancers in the pictures will never see this post.

I hope when the opportunity to return to the Gem State occurs, I'll take more time to notice, not just the agrarian landscape, the long-cooled lava rocks, the sagebrush, the majestic Snake River, and the towering Teton Range, but the incredible umbrella of blue and white above.

Leaving Home...A Flash Fiction Story

She killed the engine. The already packed car sat idling for several minutes before she turned the key. The aging Toyota sputtered, then died. She thought she should say a prayer—she’d definitely need any help she could get.

Looking west out the passenger-side window she peered down a long back alleyway and a wave of nostalgia washed over her. That alley—it’s where she played hide-and-seek as a child, where she rode bikes as a tween, and where she snuck in after curfew as a teenager. The alley way knew her secrets, her dreams, her joys, her fears…it knew her.

And she was leaving the alleyway and the only life she’d ever known behind.

What if they hate me at college? she wondered. What if I don’t fit in? She was so excited when the letter came from Stanford. She screamed with excitement as shaking hands held the letter of acceptance, but now, the shy Idaho-born-and-bred girl of migrant farmers wondered if she could make the grade—literally.

I should call Mom—no, it’s time for the lunchtime rush. And, she thought, they’d said their goodbyes that morning before her mother left for work. Besides, sh remembered, she’ll be home for Thanksgiving—only three months away. Oh how she wished she could say goodbye to her father, but a drunk driver make that an impossibility.

Her dad…in all the excitement, she hadn’t even thought of him. All the preparations, the packing, getting the car ready for the trip—she had forgotten about her dad.

The girl glanced down the alleyway one more time, took a deep breath, and fired up the trusty engine. She’ll swing by the cemetery on the way out of town. After all, it’s only a few minutes out of her way.

Spending The Day With Dozens Of Teenagers...

Yes, I agreed to help chaperone several dozen teenagers as they participated in a ballroom dance competition in Idaho.

Yes, I was of sound mind when I agreed to do this.

Yes, I understood what would be involved in making such a decision. 

Actually, this isn't the first time I've attended this particular event. Last year I drove up with my daughter. Having never been, last year was draining. There's just so...many...kids. And when you get hundreds and hundreds of teenager ballroom dancers in one place it gets...so...loud.

The difference between this year and last, last year I wasn't a chaperone. I was just a dad. So far, it's been about the same, except we had a pair of siblings riding up with us. They were well-behaved and pleasant company.

Come to think of it, every teenager I encountered today was well-behaved. That's the amazing thing--so many kids in one place, and they're respectful, kind to each other, and friendly. It's easy to condemn a generation. By looking at examples of poor choices, everyone can be labeled as such. And even though they were loud, that's about the worst of it.

Of course, we're only a few hours into our adventure. We've all got a few days to be together. Thankfully, I'm in a hotel room, away from the masses when I need sleep. I'm sure bunking with everyone would make things tougher. I don't anticipate the kids getting a lot of sleep the next few days.

Tonight my daughter dances. It's an honor watching her compete. She's brave like that--something I most likely wouldn't have dared to at her age. Then again, maybe I would. I know one thing, when I was a teenager, there were times I was very loud.

Yes, I agreed to help chaperone several dozen teenagers as they participated in a ballroom dance competition in Idaho.

Yes, I was of sound mind when I agreed to do this.

Yes, I'm glad I did.