Peaceful Easy Feeling

Posted on August 5, 2013 under Storytelling with one comment

It’s very difficult to pack a week of activity and emotion into five hundred words.  Such is my challenge as I try to sum up my thoughts from my recent visit to the North Peace Country.

Did you ever notice that when you are vacationing, you always seem to be eating, especially when the vacation is all about visiting old friends?  When we weren’t eating, we were driving Vinnie’s old red truck past magnificent fields of canola, wheat and barley.  Many of the locals feel that this could be one of the best crops ever.

We walked, we talked, we reminisced, we shopped (well, one of us shopped), and we laughed (a lot!) and even let a tear slip by times.  We shared stories of times past but made sure that we enjoyed the present.  The days were long and warm.  So were the memories.

We stayed at Kay and Vinnie’s farm, the epicentre of hospitality in Golden Meadow, if not the entire area.  The Helfricks are the best hosts that one could possibly imagine.

I am an early riser and the first morning at the farm provided the first of many humorous incidents.   It was still dark as I was creeping around the kitchen trying to make coffee in order to get my heart started.  I was making every effort not to wake anyone so I left the lights off and fumbled my way around.  I placed the filter in the basket and commenced pouring the water into the back of the tank.  To my horror, the water started spilling over the edges, into an adjacent drawer, down the sides of the cupboards and onto the floor.  In my semi-conscious state, it took me a few seconds to realize what was happening.  Someone had filled the tank to the top the night before, preparing to make coffee in the morning to take to work.  I took a lot of good natured ribbing for this.

The purpose of the trip was to gather with former students that I had taught (and I use the term loosely!) back in the late 1970’s. There were two official functions which were very heartwarming and several other unscheduled get-togethers.  Thankfully, none of my former students exposed my frailties to my wife.  It was a chance for pay back but mercifully, they restrained themselves.

It was amazing to jam with Trevor, a former student from Whitelaw who took the few chords I taught him and went on to become a wonderful musician.

While I am not one of those who lament the passage of time, it is still quite shocking to be standing in front of someone you taught who is now a mother and a grandmother.

Betty and I want to thank everyone who treated us so kindly.  We could not have been made to feel more welcome.  My good friend, Jim has an expression that I think of often at times like this; “It’s hard to make new, old friends”.

To paraphrase the old Eagles tune,” I got a peaceful easy feeling.”   Thanks for the memories.

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