Journey Home...
My Dad called to tell me we had
lost my Uncle John. I knew he had been sick for some time
and that eventually this call was going to come, but it's never
easy to get this news. John was a good guy. He was
always humble, hard working, did a lot for others, and often
took all the tension out of a tense situation. I still
remember the day he married my Auntie Sue at the Methodist
Church in East Templeton. He was a real character!
So there was never any doubt I
would go back to pay my respects. I cleared the decks and
on Thursday after a meeting in Reston, I changed clothes and hit
the road, driving up Route 15 until I tied into my regular route
home to Massachusetts. The road was so smooth I didn't
even stop to make any images. I made a couple quick
hit-and-run stops to get fuel and that was about it. I got
to my parents early in the evening and spent some time visiting
before turning in.
The next day, I spent the morning
visiting with my mother and the afternoon visiting with my Dad.
I tried to connect with Allan and Lisa but did not find them
home. I left voice mail on all their numbers and got a
text reply the next day but it was too late to meet up.
That evening I went to dinner with
my parents at Pete and Henry's in South Royalston. On the
way out, I got them to stop so I could make a couple images.
This one was a keeper.
On the way up Athol Road I caught
a glimpse of the back of the church that I don't often see.
The time of day was right so I hustled back up to town and made
a few images. Needless to say the clock was wrong - it was
actually about 5:40pm...
  
That night I caught Beth and Gus
as they were going out to dinner so went back to my parents for
a while. On the way there, I stopped and made a few images
at Stone Bridge Pond
Beth called and we went with David to the King Phillip to have a
drink and talk.
The next day, Saturday, was John's
memorial at the Otter River Sportsman's Club. This is the
place where many of our family reunions are held. The last
time I had been here was for Rodney's memorial service. I
hope we can come here for a more upbeat get-together.
Lots of people came and I made
hundreds of pictures of the families. I shared them via
DVD. I surprised myself and got a few really moving images
of people I have not seen for years.
I planned and made my exit in the
afternoon around 1:30PM. I wanted to drive home on
Saturday so that I could take the day Sunday for rest and
relaxation before returning to work on Monday. Along the
way home I made a few images.
The first stop was to photograph
an interesting truck. This stretch is one of those places
I remember as a child when sleepy from the long road trip we
would pass interesting landmarks but never stop. This
truck was not there at the time but this whole stretch of road
has always held a sleepy mystery to me. The truck was a
nice time to take a break before I got on the highway.
  
Much later, I stopped again at a
scenic outlook to stretch my legs and grab an image or five of
the last light of the day.
 
And finally after stopping for the
last time for fuel, and just entering the Pennsylvania Turnpike,
I cranked the camera ISO speed to 25600 (ludicrous speed!) and
made a cockpit image... My camera was speeding out of
control but my car was only going 61 MPH...
The trip gave me time to think
about John, the time I knew him, and what lies ahead for his
family and our family. Every once and while, one should
take a solo drive of about 1400 miles. It can really help
one get some things straight...
In Memory of John Faulkner |
