Reports From the Road #6 Homeward Bound

The worst thing about vacations is that they must come to an end eventually. The trick is to make as memories as you can while you have the chance, so that when the vacation does conclude itself, it will continue to live on in cherished memories that, unlike the vacation itself, never ends. Make hay while the sun shines, as they say.

Lake Chatfield

With that in mind, we set out to make a our last full day with Megan and Devin a day for the memories. To this end, we went stand-up paddle boarding at Chatfield State Park, which is south of Denver. Debbie and I first tried paddle boarding a year ago in Daytona Beach, Florida, and fell in love with it, so much so we be bought our own boards. Chatfield Lake is a large man-made reservoir that is perfect for SUP, due to the fact that no boats are allowed. This means no wake, and standing on the paddle boards is much easier. We we paddled around the lake, we were treated to a great view of the front range of the Rockies. Not a bad way to spend your last day of vacation.

When we were done paddle boarding, we drove back to Megan and Devin's home to get ready for supper. Once again, Devin was the chef, and his tacos and his quacamole was outstanding.
While the meal was being prepared, I made an effort to spend some time with Megan and Devin's dog, Darlin'. Darlin’ Dog became our granddog ten and a half years ago when Megan rescued her from a shelter in Nashville. I will never forget meeting her for the first time when Megan came to visit us shortly after, and we fell in love with her straightway. Darlin’ is a mix of two breeds:  Rhodesian ridgeback and beagle, 

and she is totally devoted to Megan and to anyone Megan loves, which includes us. Debbie is “G Mommy,” and I am “G Daddy.” While a bit nervous around strangers, with us she is the ultimate herder and protector. Even though she is approaches her tenth birthday and is slowing down some, she still has such great love for the people who love her. I love her as much as I would a grandchild, and I cherish every minute I get to spend with her. She’s a good dog indeed!

When this morning (Tuesday) came, we got up early and said our goodbyes to Megan and Darlin’ (Devin, who has to work late tonight, was having a sleep-in, and we said our goodbyes last night), and we Point per our little Volkswagen Rabbit toward I-70 East and set out for home, sad for the departure but happy for the many memories we carry home with us. Hopefully, I will have some good photographs as well. We stayed on the interstate until just past Hayes, Kansas, when we turned south on US 281 and drove until we came to US 400. There we turned left and drove eastward through golden fields of Kansas corn and wheat and skies bigger than I have ever before seen.

Quite coincidentally, we came upon Parsons, Kansas, in the southeastern part of the state. Although I have never been there before, Parsons has a special significance to me, as it is the home of Dwayne's Photo Services. Since 1956 Dwayne's Photo has operated as a film lab, and in late 2010 they processed the last roll of Kodachrome ever, and processing had ceased everywhere else. Just a couple of weeks before developing that last roll, they processed my last roll of Kodachrome. Beginning in September 1980 when I purchased my first real camera new in the box (a Minolta XG-1) with my first teacher paycheck, I was a devoted Kodachrome shooter. I have hundreds and hundreds of Kodachrome slides stored away, slides that documented mine and my families's lives for thirty years before Kodak discontinued making the film.

Tomorrow, home. Stay tuned.