Summer Drives
11:15 was about the time of my Saturday night return from KC. Somehow I was still awake by 6:30, probably used to Puck coming in for the morning wake-up call, even though he had spent the night at the Silverspoon’s, no doubt feasting on eggs and bacon.
On my oldest cousin’s 38th birthday, it was another cold 90 minutes-plus in church down a full row of Snicketts participants. Puck was bummed that his best bud was visiting relatives in Pennsylvania, and so wasn’t interested in staying longer once the service had ended.
After boxes of Little Caesar’s and cheesy bread, Mom and Dad napped, El Oso left for a fancy memorial service in south city, Joe and Jaya were swimming with her family, and the rest of us sprawled in the living room, Francis stretched mummy-style on the floor, napping. This was after he and Irish had slugged it out with cushions and flip-flops over some “he/she started it” thing.
Three o’clock, Goldilocks was warmed up for a drive across the border to the river road. Cliffs, forests, river. A pirate ship speeding down the waves. Hadn’t seen that one before.
Our traditional stop-off in Pere Marquette came somewhere around the time Rose was talking about toasted flea sundaes. Who knows. These conversations float in and out of my air-waves sometimes.
“All that protein. Like how people eat crickets. Oh wait. Fleas have blood in them.”
Anyway, after driving up the cliffs for a few good look-outs…
“Oh, we should have our picture taken there,” Mom said as we flashed by an overlook of fields, forests, and river. “It would look just like a Renaissance painting.”
“Hey, Dad! Can you stop up there? We want to check out that military booth. I can pick the lock.”
Dad didn’t stop for either.
Instead, Mom, Rose, Irish, and I walked through the graveyard to examine the tombstones. Wind-worn titles from the mid to late 1800’s. I guess we always try to find the oldest ones.
About an hour later we found ourselves at Silky’s frozen custard, just behind a whole little league team. Sitting around on a mild warm evening in late June with cookie dough concretes.