Playing Outside

Posted Mon May 13, 2002 in Stories

Some friends called late this afternoon and asked us to go for a drive. They were headed out for Silver Falls, which is a few miles east from Crosbyton. They asked us to go along. We said yes.

It was a good afternoon for a convertible ride. The temperature was about 70F and the wind was down. The sky had some light high clouds that diffused the sun. We put Young Son in the back seat, the top down, the windows up, and a CD in the player and headed east from Lubbock. The drive was just fun. It’s about 50 miles east to Silver Falls, which is just off the caprock east from Crosbyton. The time passed quickly.

We pulled into the rest stop, for that is what Silver Falls is. There are two weirs there. One downstream from the highway is a low structure intended to pond sufficient water to allow irrigation water to be diverted. The upper weir is really a low dam, about 12 or 15 feet tall. It’s intent is to impound sufficient water to provide irrigation water. The structures haven’t been used in years.

The kids all played around the streambed. There is a splash pool downstream from the highway and numerous turtles live there. We could see them come up for air. All of the kids (including the older kids) got a kick from the turtles.

Friends brought their picnic supper. We’d eaten before we left the house. We watched the kids eat and that friendly banter that is common between couples got started while the kids ate. We laughed and played as the sun set over the caprock. I would have photographed it, but there wasn’t a good place to get an image that wasn’t corrupted by the power lines that run by the highway. Nonetheless, the sky went all red and gold as the sun set. The high clouds burned with the evening light as the sky between them cooled more and more purple. Soon the sun was gone.

A game of tag broke out amongst the kids. Wife and I stood off to the side, guarding a piece of concrete that the kids kept threatening to trip over. We stood there, close (it was cool), just watching the kids and the other couple interact. It was fun watching the children run around, calling and playing. They must have gone on for an hour or so. The time together was special too.

At one point, I glanced over my shoulder at the sky. A low, thin crescent moon shone between lenses of cloud. Venus, Mars, Saturn, Mercury, and Jupiter were all visible in the western sky. It was a beautiful sight.

The kids soon tired and it was time to pack up and go home. Wife fell asleep on the way home. That’s a good sign that she relaxed. Relaxing is a good thing.

1. I'm jealous…

   I didn't get to see the 5 planets in alignment, and there is no place around here to even resemble the pictures you posted. I live in a noisey, polluted area. It once was beautiful, but too many people admiring this area have turned it into a junkyard of humanity…

   I think I need a drink..and I don't drink! Now I'm depressed…

   (I'll get over it…)

   — toxiclabrat    13 May 2002, 22:28    #
   
   

2. One of the reasons I love The West is because of the open skies that come with the low humidity. I also like Westerners. I'm pretty good just about anywhere west from Kansas City.

   The best skies, though, are in the Rockies, way up high. There, the stars burn so brightly they nearly hurt.

   — ruminator    14 May 2002, 03:45    #