West meets East

We received a visitor from Arizona today. Ed Burkett came to visit. Ed and I were fellow deck supervisors this past spring training season. We worked the stint for the California Angels in Phoenix. Ed had phoned, stating he was in this local area for his high school reunion. Mentioning what year is a moot point. At our age, bragging rights are a foregone thought. ( That reminds me of a wake-up call we received last week. I know I’m growing older. My body doesn’t seem to want to work in sync with my desires. But upstairs, in my head, I’m continuing to function like that carefree twenty-eight year old from the past. But I digress. Robin and I are waiting in a room at Reading hospital last week, awaiting attention for the infection. To pass the time I was reading a book from my Kindle. Across the bed, Robin read her email and played mental games on her newly purchased I Pad. A young nurse entered the room, surprised to see our activity. She commented on the Kindle, and asked Robin what she was intently doing on her device. Pleased, she smiled and said, “wow, you two are really up on technology for old people”. There it was. Those spoken words. As I’ve said, I know I’m growing old, but never had it been verbalized to my face. It was as if I’ve run head first into a standing wall. Reality was awakening me. A bout of mini depression gripped me immediately.) And how did I get to this point when relating a story of a friends visit. Ed journeyed an hour down the road as I met him in the parking lot of Lake in Wood. I shared the beauty of the park with him and Robin and I reminisced of stories from spring training. Sharing a lunch date we vocally dreamed about this coming season and what may be in store for the onset of another training camp. I finished the day doing some stock photography. I have a gig doing some photos to be part of a marketing display for a national entity dealing with supplemental vitamins. Today we’re heading east to visit with the young ones. But a diversion took me through Strasburg. The local steam engine had just watered up in preparation for the days rail trail. Fortunately for me, the morning sun had cast a reddish hue and again, I just happened to be in the right place and the right time.