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The Last Ride

12/5/2020

23 Comments

 
This week author Suzanne Burke shared a photo prompt of a Road Closed sign situated in the desert. This image brought me back to my youth. My dad would take my sibs and me for rides over the dunes. Sometimes we ventured into the bombing range, where there were signs similar to the prompt. Most said, "Do Not Enter." Dad was a very law-abiding man, but occasionally, he'd bend the rules for buggy riding. 

Perhaps you'd like to respond to the prompt. If so, please click on the link above and you'll be taken to Suzanne's blog site. I hope you enjoy my short dialogue. 
Picture
Dad climbing a dune near the bombing range by Glamis, CA
THE LAST RIDE

​James, you saw the sign. We can’t do this.

Says who?

The authorities! You know what the sign means.

Yeah, but I don’t see any aircraft, do you?

No, but they could arrive at any moment.

And what of it? If we spot one, I’ll turn back.

You still broke the law.

It says road closed. It doesn’t say anything about goin' off-road.

Well, the meaning is clear.

Ah, come on, Lauretta. I just want one more ride!

You’re not a kid anymore, James.

Yeah, one of the reasons I need to do this.

Wait, I hear one. Maybe two.

The bombers? I don’t hear em.

James! Listen!

Okay, I hear em. I won’t go near the target.

That’s not good enough! The new pilots are practicing!

Just a little further. One more hill. I need to see it.

You’re a stubborn old mule, James.

Let me turn the buggy around. There! Take a gander, Lauretta. Ain't she beautiful?

Oh my … a patchwork of fields. You're right, the valley is beautiful.

Nothin' quite like it. I just needed one more look before it’s time.

You’ll have many more years, James.

Doctor says otherwise and you know it.

Oh my gosh, that was a close one! Let’s get out of this bombing range.

Well, my love, buckle your seat belt. We're gonna fly over these hills! 



23 Comments
Harmony Kent link
12/5/2020 04:39:06

Wonderful take on the prompt! I love it, Gwen 😁

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/5/2020 07:33:40

Thank you so much, Harmony. This prompt brought back lots of memories. 💜

Reply
John Howell link
12/5/2020 07:10:29

A beautiful story, Gwen. Amazing daring do on the part of your dad.

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/5/2020 07:36:11

Thank you, John. Sometimes he'd return home with pieces of bombs. He was careful, but as you mentioned, - daring. 🙂

Reply
Robbie Cheadle
12/5/2020 07:36:35

This is exciting with an underlying sense of poignancy, Gwen.

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/5/2020 12:53:13

Thank you, Robbie. I'm glad you liked it. 😊

Reply
Jan Sikes
12/5/2020 10:00:08

That was an adventure, Gwen. Great response to the prompt!

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/5/2020 12:52:40

Thank you, Jan. I so appreciate your visit and response. 😊

Reply
brchitwood link
12/5/2020 10:20:13

A lovely dichotomy/love and loss!

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/5/2020 12:51:58

Thank you, Billy Ray. Heartfelt memories for sure! 💗

Reply
suzanne burke link
12/5/2020 10:42:56

How lovely to have such a memory of your Father, Gwen. Thanks for sharing him with us today. 😍 I've scheduled your contribution to go up a little later today.

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/5/2020 12:51:09

Thank you, dear Soooz, for the prompt -- and thus, the memories. 💗

Reply
Jacquie Biggar link
12/5/2020 11:56:29

Sometimes, doing something you shouldn't is an adrenaline rush :)
Glad you have this fun memory of your father, Gwen.

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/5/2020 12:50:19

Thanks so much, Jacquie. The memory warms my heart for sure! 💗

Reply
Staci Troilo link
12/6/2020 09:37:30

A bombing range! What courage!

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/7/2020 11:20:01

We could hear the bombing practice from our home. Somehow, Dad always timed it perfectly. 🙂

Reply
Jill Weatherholt link
12/7/2020 05:54:45

What a wonderful memory of time spent with your father, Gwen. I loved the story! I'm curious, if you were driving, would you have done the same as your father? xo

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/7/2020 11:21:38

You made me smile, Jill. When I was with my dad going over the dunes, I'd be shivering -- not from cold but from fear. I'm hardly the type to venture into such things. 😊

Reply
Karen Ingalls
12/7/2020 07:16:18

A wonderful memory. of your dad. Thank you for sharing it.

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/7/2020 11:22:25

Thank you, Karen. It seems he and Mom are in my thoughts a lot these days. 😊

Reply
Teagan R. Geneviene link
12/10/2020 10:18:59

Yikes! I've known more than one person who would actually do something like that too, Gwen. It's nice to read unexpected takes on prompts. Hugs on the wing.

Reply
Gwen M Plano
12/10/2020 13:45:40

Thanks so much, Teagan. Some folks are natural dare devils. I'm the opposite. 😂

Reply
Miriam Hurdle link
12/10/2020 20:04:09

What a precious memory with your father, though scary, Gwen. I loved your story. My husband rode dirt bikes on the mountain ridge. It scared me to death. He stopped after our first year of marriage.

Reply



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Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ―Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning


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