After a morning discussion with his sister Kathe about insurance, funeral plans so on, Gary had the rest of the day free to go with me to take a drive. We went to find childhood memories, nature, and ice cream.
First we drove to Lowell Park where I saw a golden kinglet two days ago. Today, the roads were blocked off because of flooding so we retreated.
We came back down the road and stopped at a place Kathe had told us about. Shirley's insurance agent had mentioned there was a truck there with the Harms name on it. We stopped in and were directed behind a shed and sure enough, there was a red 1954 International truck. Painted on the side was the name G.A.Harms, Gary's uncle George, who died prior to the year 2000. Gary remembered the truck well. Since George sold it, it has been through two other owners but has been maintained very well. The truck bed had recently been painted a bright red. The odometer read 69,000 miles which means it had been turned over more than once.
It reminded me of Michael Perry who wrote about his own love affair with an International truck in his book Truck, which every man should enjoy reading.
The next stop was Culvers for ice cream, an essential part of any day.
We stopped at Oakwood Cemetery and indeed, Shirley's grave had been excavated and the tombstone hauled away for inscription of her final date.
We circled around looking through Dixon, Rock Falls and Stirling for Gary's boyhood haunts. We stopped at the nature areas I had marked. At Rock Falls, we spotted coots at Lawrence Park, but couldn't go very far because of the high water. The city swimming pool was an unapproachable island at the far end of the park. We moved on.
We went south of Stirling on Woodland Road to go to Oppold Marina and City Park. The first bird we saw was a great egret, tall and white and looking happy to be there. He was followed by scaup, cormorants and way in the distance, a flock of American pelicans.
Next was Sinnissippi (native for Rock River) Park, another Stirling Park. At this point, the Rock River widens at becomes shallow with MIssissippi-like sloughs here and there. Gary's family used to have reunions at this park so it held even more memories for him. There were more pelicans and scaup here.
Our last stop was at the Prairieville Cemetery where Gary's great-grandparents and other ancestors are buried. We walked around and looked at the stones. Most are granite so the dates are still as clear as they day they were carved in the 1800s.
It was the kind of day one should spend before a funeral. There were memories, yes, but there was also nature who tells us that life is going on as it has for millenia. Long after we are gone, the pelicans and cormorants will still be going about their business and that is as it should be.
First we drove to Lowell Park where I saw a golden kinglet two days ago. Today, the roads were blocked off because of flooding so we retreated.
We came back down the road and stopped at a place Kathe had told us about. Shirley's insurance agent had mentioned there was a truck there with the Harms name on it. We stopped in and were directed behind a shed and sure enough, there was a red 1954 International truck. Painted on the side was the name G.A.Harms, Gary's uncle George, who died prior to the year 2000. Gary remembered the truck well. Since George sold it, it has been through two other owners but has been maintained very well. The truck bed had recently been painted a bright red. The odometer read 69,000 miles which means it had been turned over more than once.
It reminded me of Michael Perry who wrote about his own love affair with an International truck in his book Truck, which every man should enjoy reading.
The next stop was Culvers for ice cream, an essential part of any day.
We stopped at Oakwood Cemetery and indeed, Shirley's grave had been excavated and the tombstone hauled away for inscription of her final date.
We circled around looking through Dixon, Rock Falls and Stirling for Gary's boyhood haunts. We stopped at the nature areas I had marked. At Rock Falls, we spotted coots at Lawrence Park, but couldn't go very far because of the high water. The city swimming pool was an unapproachable island at the far end of the park. We moved on.
We went south of Stirling on Woodland Road to go to Oppold Marina and City Park. The first bird we saw was a great egret, tall and white and looking happy to be there. He was followed by scaup, cormorants and way in the distance, a flock of American pelicans.
Next was Sinnissippi (native for Rock River) Park, another Stirling Park. At this point, the Rock River widens at becomes shallow with MIssissippi-like sloughs here and there. Gary's family used to have reunions at this park so it held even more memories for him. There were more pelicans and scaup here.
Our last stop was at the Prairieville Cemetery where Gary's great-grandparents and other ancestors are buried. We walked around and looked at the stones. Most are granite so the dates are still as clear as they day they were carved in the 1800s.
It was the kind of day one should spend before a funeral. There were memories, yes, but there was also nature who tells us that life is going on as it has for millenia. Long after we are gone, the pelicans and cormorants will still be going about their business and that is as it should be.
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