Gary and my roomettes were across the aisle from one another. They were three feet six inches wide and six and a half feet long. They had two bench seats facing one another that folded down to make a bed. There was a second bed folded up against the wall hanging above the first. We …
Author: Robert
The California Zephyr
I took the train to Denver on Saturday, August 5th. I had planned to start in Grand Rapids, but upon further review, boarded in Holland. Long term parking near the Grand Rapids depot is in short supply. Holland has ample free parking, but I didn’t use it as my son, David, dropped me off. My …
600
When I started this blog, I planned to write forever. I still do. I’ve learned this year that none of us know how long forever lasts. It’s different for everyone. We each have our own timer. This is blog number 600. That seems like a lot until you break it down into years. It’s been …
February 6, 1985
The journal that Ruth kept the longest, began in February of 1979 and ended in May of 2000. She didn’t date every entry, but she did the first and last. As I’ve read it, I’ve nicknamed it her venting journal. In her final entry she wrote… “I should destroy this book or maybe in my …
Choose Your Words Wisely
I started writing this blog on September 15th, 2022. Ruth’s accident was twelve days later. Her death shuffled my priorities. I always have a half dozen titles, or opening lines, in my “draft folder”. I placed this aside and didn’t move forward with my original thought. I planned to write about being married and take …
He Changed His Mind
The couple that bought our house loved it. They loved the way it was furnished, the view of the lake, Ruth’s eye for the smallest detail, and they told us at closing, “We could see right away that this house is filled with love.” They went on to say, “We’ll do our best to continue …
I’ve Waited
I’ve waited to write this story because only a portion of it is mine. I received a phone call from a former Lake LeAnn neighbor who just recently heard of Ruth’s passing. I had sent her an email a few months ago, but she said she just opened it yesterday. We spoke about Ruth for …
Public Service Announcement
The summer between my junior and senior year of college I dated a girl named Rene. We went out a half dozen times, making a couple trips to lake Michigan. I even brought her home once to go to somebody’s something. She was an attractive, blonde Phycology major. I called on her expertise to answer …
Her Most Recent Visits
By now you know that I believe Ruth’s spirit is near. I don’t experience her presence every day, but she’s around. If she’s not with me, she’s with one of the kids or someone near to me. Michael’s birthday was July 10th. He’s not as convinced as me that Ruth’s spirit is with us. Some …
Her Thoughts
I’ve found several journals Ruth kept. None of them are elaborate. Some are simple spiral bound notebooks, while others were specifically designed for journalling. There’s a few in Florida and I’ve found several in Michigan. Not one was completely filled. She jumped from book to book and didn’t write anything for months, perhaps years, at …