July 8, 1998. At least that’s what the photo stamp says. We were visiting Daddy and Lois, as were Jan and Neil, Susie and Angie. Daddy put us all in the back of his pickup and drove us around the McCord hills as south in Nebraska as you can get. It was just about sunset when he stopped on the road for me to get a shot of my kids standing with one foot in Nebraska and one in Kansas!
I wrote this little thing when Jim was in the midst of his first cancer. He had no energy and could barely talk, the treatment had been grueling and we had been documenting it on Caringbridge. I thought it might be time for a break from all that… This image is from years earlier than the time of the story.
House of the Rising Sun, Journal Entry: January 23, 2014
I thought we could use a little levity!
Several years ago our whole family, Sean, Elizabeth, Jim and I were in the car on our way to Fairbury from Kansas City. I can’t remember why right now. I just know it was a family thing and it had to be in the last few years ‘cuz we were in the Maxima. The kids were in the back. Jim was driving and I was sleeping in the front seat. I have been known to fall asleep before we are out of town sometimes. I’ve been that way since I was a kid. Don’t know why.
Don’t worry. I stay awake when I am driving the car!
So, anyway, we were headed west on HWY 36 across the northern border of Kansas. I still believe that stretch of highway between St. Joseph, MO and the turn off on HWY 15 is just about the prettiest drive around.
Well on that trip I didn’t see much scenery, pretty or otherwise. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was asleep from Hiawatha on. Pretty boring for my family, though the kids probably slept for part of it as well. About Marysville Jim turned the radio on and started singing along. He does this with regularity. At first he was keeping his volume low because, of course, I was sleeping and he was being kind, but as we flew down the highway the songs got livelier and he sang progressively louder. Eventually the kids joined in. No doubt there was some Van Morrison or Eagles playing.
I was annoyed, but I tried to tune them out and remained in that almost asleep state.
Sometime after Washington, KS and before the turn off on HWY 15 House of the Rising Sun came on the radio. Well, with the encouragement of the perfect vocal opportunity the volume went soaring – from all three of them!
Let’s just say there is no way to sleep WITH ONE FOOT ON THE PLATFORM AND THE OTHER ONE ON THE TRAIN!
I was awake. I was also annoyed beyond annoy, and also a little cracked up. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but it is true. It was just as funny as it was annoying and after a while we all had a good laugh. Needless to say House of the Rising Sun is now a family joke, and must be sung-along-to in full volume. It’s not pretty!
Cut to Monday afternoon, 1/20/14, Jim and I in the car, with me driving this time, just turning from 84th Street on to HWY 6 on our way to Omaha. KGOR is on the radio. (That’s the Oldies Station out of Omaha for those of you from far away!) You guessed it, House of the Rising Sun comes on. Jim and I lock eyes. We smile. He shrugs. He can barely whisper right now, much less sing full volume. I pat his knee and assure him, “We will sing it together this summer.”
And we will!
And we did.