The Early Word Gets the Burn

This past week, which isn't quite over but was supposed to be filled with errands like flu shots at the hospital, to shopping for a bag at EMS, and to other preparations for travel, has been something else for The Big Trip's Nathan Conroy.

The times you have with those whose company you enjoy needn't be spent on diamonds, skydiving, or the bigger and the better. Conroy was on site for dirty tasks and simple pleasures with his father and his friend, saying about the experiences: "I have raked the lawn, played billiards innumerable times, gone for a walk, and watched movies. And I have had the honor of taking these ordinary activities to the moon. That's what a good conversation can do."

Conroy's friend, Matt Dennis came all the way from Augusta, Maine via buses to visit in Rochester, New York. The hauls to and fro were 13- and 17-hour rides, respectively. While no visit to Lake Ontario took place, Dennis learned how to slackline for two nonstop hours at Cobb's Hill Park.

When asked about where you were during a historical moment of monumental importance, be it of tragedy or accomplishment, the circumstances you were in have a beastly tendency to set up a replica in your memory bank. The guards must be off duty or very lazy and unambitious.

So it is and was and will be that Conroy enjoyed watching the events of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado with his father and his friend on the couch in his brother's room. There were two pizza boxes, three plates, two glasses and a handful of napkins on the table between the couch and television set. Father, Michael sat on the green chair and focused intently on Joe Biden, et al. Dennis also sat on the couch, with a shirt over his head, occasionally making faces.

Dennis was dropped off at the bus station at four a.m. after two days of fun. Nathan Conroy returned home to see his father off to work at five a.m.

Conroy still has the words from the speeches from the Clintons, Kucinich, Gore, Biden, and the Obamas running circles in his head. Please comment with your thoughts on these speeches or other things on your mind! Thanks again to Matt Dennis and dad for good times!

It's reassuring to know that "Words that are tethered talk together" says your landescaper, n8