Chatting with Grandpa and Grandma

Leaving the Biden event about 6:30pm--right about the time Hillary was scheduled to hold forth around the corner--I made my trip over to Linwood, banking on the "politicians always arrive late" mantra. I found the gate closed and the hours clearly posted as 10-5pm. I was chatting on the phone with Cassie at the time, so I told her I'd call her back while I "figured things out."

The car gate was closed but there was an open walkway, so I parked the car and headed on in by foot. Now, I don't make a habit of trekking through cemeteries by moonlight, but I was determined not to be spooked by the one my grandparents were resting in. That, and I just wasn't coming all this way without saying hello. So, I started up the hill. I quickly realized my first mistake, forgetting my gloves and hat. Last I had checked, the car thermometer said 22 degrees, but luckily, there wasn't much wind.

The 6-8 inches of snow covering the ground made it fairly bright, and I made a few educated guesses about which roads to take. I've been there enough to know the general direction to go, but not enough--thankfully--to know it by heart, in the dark. Graves and monuments stood all around, and occasionally a rabbit or something would dart in the corner of my eye. I got to the end of the road and realized I was right where I needed to be, looking straight into the plot where Paul, Lavon, and Kathy lie.

Just then, I saw some bigger movement. I wasn't sure if it was a dog or bear--just kidding--but then it looked at me. Right over near Grandpa and Grandma's grave was a deer staring at me. The moonlight silhouetted it's head. Beautiful. I fumbled for my camera-phone, but in the low light it was useless. Then the deer was gone.

I tramped through the snow over to the grave. Up to this point, I'd enjoyed well-plowed roads, so this was different. I saw the deer tracks and used them to ease my path. I found the grave, but only the big "Laube" part was visible. Without thinking much, I leaned down and brushed the snow away from the names below. Very cold. Bare hand meets snow. Oh, well.

I stood there with them high above the Mississippi and chatted a while. Made sure they knew all about Skyeler's birth and Thanksgiving at Dave and Carol's. How quickly the house had sold. How much we missed them.

Might have forgotten Giff and Yami's wedding. (Sorry, dude.) Wondered aloud what they would have thought about the current Democratic field and about my change in course career-wise. When I was out of words, I began the tramp back down. It went surprisingly fast, and I was soon climbing out through the gate again.

I'm kinda glad the gate was locked. It made it special.