“Shadin’ Up”
Several years ago my daughters, their mother, and I made a car-trip out to some of the western states. We went through Tennessee, Kentucky, the southern part of both Indiana and Illinois, across Missouri, up through Iowa, traversed South Dakota, into the Yellowstone area of Wyoming, across the southern tip of Idaho, from north to south in Utah, through the dessert country of Nevada (including Las Vegas), to the Grand Canyon section of Northern Arizona, from south to north into Colorado, along the wheat fields of Kansas, from west to east across Missouri, through the southern part of Illinois, and then back to our home in East Tennessee. It was one of those trips! Hopefully, as long as I have memory, it will not be forgotten. Now, since my memory seems to be working fine, I like to think back about the journey and recall some of the sights we saw, things we experienced, and events we shared. No doubt, you are able to do the same about some of the treks you have taken and places you have been blessed to see.
When dealing with the onslaught of the heat of summer, one of the memories that has returned to my mind occurred during this trip. We were traveling from Las Vegas, southward, to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was HOT! We were grateful for air-conditioning in our Plymouth Voyager. The scenery outside the windows of the mini-van was spectacular! However, stopping to get “up close and personal” with many of the things we saw was not something we wanted to do. The heat was almost unbearable. After a good bit of time riding it came time for a “potty break”, a time to put some gas in the car, and maybe get something cool and refreshing to drink. It so happened, we were riding across a portion of the Paiute Indian Reservation of Southern Utah. There were not any “convenience stores” or “7-11 Markets” along our path. After a while, we found a store at a crossroads. There were gasoline pumps and a small store for us to use. There were privies for use, outside, beside the store. We were delighted to find anything by this point in time.
I pulled up next to the gasoline pumps, intending to fill-up and then pull away in order not to block access to the next vehicle that would come along. After letting the attendant know of my intentions I began the process of putting in the fuel. By this time my daughters had returned from the toilet and were standing near me. At about the same time two trucks pulled into the store lot. Once they parked, both drivers jumped out. The drivers were acquainted with each other and immediately called out their greetings. After saying “Hello/Howdy” one of the drivers said to the other, “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in quiet a spell.” In response, the other driver just sort of shrugged his shoulders and said, “It’s just so blame hot I’ve stuck near home. I’ve been spending my time shadin’ up.”
Just the other day, my oldest daughter replied to a text from me where I asked of my son-in-law and her well-being, given all of the heat that had been bearing down on us that summer by saying, “We’ve just been shadin’ up”.
I never cease to be amazed how a little (seemingly) insignificant something like this event from a time long ago can be recalled and become fresh again.
It is hot today. You will have to allow me to stop right here. I need to do some “shadin’ up” of my own.