Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: ROAD TRIP (vacation) (07/02/15)
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TITLE: Temporary Insanity | Previous Challenge Entry
By PamFord Davis
07/06/15 -
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Fast-forward two years…
With high cost of living amid affluent trendsetters, nearby Palm Springs and Indio-dates swaying palms served as the backdrop for tennis courts and golf courses.
Unable to afford permanent housing, we had never moved from the confines of our small camper. Jack-of-all-trades, my hubby tried his hand at several jobs. Once, when working in a citrus orchard, I caught him ‘pickin & grinnin.’ Succumbing to financial defeat, we decided to return to security of his heritage in the Deep South.
Bidding adieu to the Golden State, we longed to hear, ‘Hi, Y’all.’ I’d describe my state of mind in June of 1979 as expectant and hopeful. In planning mode, we answered ads posted in Broadcasting Magazine, mailing out our resumes along with cassette tape air-checks. Both my husband and I hoped to land announcers jobs in radio, before children resumed school in the fall.
With gasoline prices at less than a dollar per gallon, it seemed plausible that severance pay from his present job would be sufficient for a coast-to coast vacation. Mapping out our route, we arranged stops along the way with family and friends. Upon reaching the east coast, we planned a Central NY State brief stay before relocation in the south. Was it faith or temporary insanity?
You tell me.
After paying the measly amount of $100 cash to neighbors for a used station wagon, (to replace our clunker), we wrapped up last minute trip preparations. Before departure from Mecca, CA, my husband secured our children’s ten speed bicycles on the top of the vehicle. The humongous station wagon had ample interior room for our family of four.
It also had a bad radiator. The mountainous Flagstaff, AZ terrain afforded scenic views but steep climbs proved too grueling for the car engine and radiator. It overheated repeatedly; so did I. No different from typical travelers, we made frequent restroom stops. In addition, we made radiator stops, allowing steam to escape before adding coolant or water. Add home movies to the mix.
Wanting to record our vacation sites for posterity, we used a Super 8 movie camera. Unlike typical tourists, we did not pay admission for tours. We posed in front of entrance signs at sites of interest, waved at the camera and continued on. Did I say it was June? So why was it snowing when we neared the Colorado Condo of my younger sister?
In St. Louis, we splurged and treated our daughter and son to a day at Six Flags Amusement Park. Maybe that was why we later held a yard sale in the Music City. It was there in Nashville that we sold the ten speeds to get gas money for the next leg of our journey. With Syracuse in our sites, we edged on.
Exiting Interstate 81, we traversed winding country roads towards the backwoods of Cincinnatus. Anticipating a two-week stay with one of my older sisters, we had given all prospective employers their telephone number. While there, my husband answered a farm hand help-wanted ad. Never too proud to do manual labor, he put on a straw hat and worked in nearby fields, cutting hay.
He worked; we waited. There were a few nibbles to our mailings. My heart pounded while talking on the phone with an El Dorado, Arkansas radio station manager. He was interested in both of us. In addition, the city was a short distance from my husband’s Louisiana hometown. It would give us frequent opportunities to visit his widowed mother.
We arranged to meet with the manager for interviews. Our dream vacation climaxed with desired positions, just in time for school registration. Faith? Insanity? I confess my faith was miniscule in Flagstaff Mountains and I murmured in the Music City. God never flinched.
He lovingly led us to successful employment at KELD, Eldorado, Arkansas. It was a fun job; we built solid listener ratings and lasting relationships to boot. The riveting recollections of that station manager were priceless, well at least solid gold.
He was a Memphis high school classmate of Elvis Aaron Presley.
All’s well that ends well…
‘Thank you, thank you very much.’
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I especially appreciated the end, "thank you very much..." Having seen Elvis in concert, I also heard this part, "Elvis has left the building, thank you and good night!"
God bless~
Thanks for inviting us in on your eastbound odyssey. Good fun, and I'm glad that the insanity was only temporary.
Thanks for inviting us in on your eastbound odyssey. Good fun, and I'm glad that the insanity was only temporary.