revel in the sun.

a father, perhaps the best one in the world, sitting on a couch in canada, safe from the cold that attacks his bones. lit by the light of a lamp that has lit others in this same spot, on this same couch. he is indeed the king. having received his first social security check yesterday, we celebrated. we sang and laughed and we ate and drank. this, this life of his, is something to be proud of. a wife, standing in the cold of the mudroom, blowing her warm breath into the air. warm breath that looked beautiful in the light, but does not exist here on this filmless photo. the bright sun, rising up from the white snow, and breaking the glass of the window. a father, taking a picture of a son and his wife, while the son photographs him. the mother, obscured by his arm. a mother and a father, again protected by heat, standing at the wall above a fireplace, looking stoic. a week of family. the california folks, shuddering in the teeth of such brisk air.

and today, we drive said parents to the airport and begin our own journey. ithaca. new york. aside form the obvious {the gates} we will also be stopping by a bird store. a paper store. some restaurants and cafes. on my list, as silly as it may seem, i want to go see cafe sine, the place where it all exploded for jeff buckley. for some reason, i've never been there while in the city. i know it's a dive. i want to get lost in greewich village, and stay out far too late, drinking a bit too much wine. there will be a visit to andy goldsworthy's wall in the countryside, and there will be meetings with people we love. this i believe, is the most important part. the fact that randi will be there. that keri and i will get to spend some time with reid. after so many years, it is truly a gift to spend time with a man you hardly ever see, but miss quite a bit. this growing up business, and finding ourselves so far apart, seems so complicated sometimes. makes me long for gradeschool. wishing mike was here to make the drive with us. the antics of a roadtrip. but such is life. we grow and grow apart. the world is an enormous place, and we all spread our wings. we go to the places we are called. we listen to the voices. all of them. those that shout, and those that whisper.

right now they say to me, "go jefferson. shower. play your guitar for a bit. make another cup of tea. brush your teeth. revel, in the sun that has arrived for the day."

Posted by jeff pitcher at February 24, 2005 09:49 AM

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