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Crazy Lou jumped into my little convertible with his usual half outta control enthusiasm for life, ready for any adventure to come our way. I was ready too. It had been a long week, and I was ready for a good ride out into the countryside.
It was late summer in the rolling hills of Western Maryland. The air was warm and humid, and it had just rained. Lou and me often would grab some beers, a couple joints, and head out onto the endless ribbons of asphalt running like roller coasters all through the hills and backwoods of the Old Line State.
On this day, I had decided we would explore back country dirt roads reasonably close to our homes, but still isolated from the madness of Washington DC and other growing suburbia insanity. “Goin’ out to da country” as one of our favorite songs would exclaim.
After couple hours of driving, going through smaller and smaller townships and country crossroads, we found a promising dirt road that disappeared into a tunnel of towering hardwoods and overgrowth. We figured this was the road we had been looking for.
My little car purred along very slowly & quietly for at least 45 minutes on the damp dirt as Crazy Lou and me finished up the first of our stash. We had no idea where we were. There were no signs of civilization excepting the dirt road.
As we came around a curve , slowly dodging small bumps and puddles and barely moving, there off on the left hand side of the road, was a small black child, stooped down at the edge of a puddle. What in the world was he doing out here? His stripped shirt stood out against the backdrop of forest, and he looked up as we carefully approached his position. I moved my vehicle to the right a little, slowed down even more to be extra safe, and gently passed him, reacquiring him in my rear view mirror. He had a look of horror on his face, and my stoned brain finally caught on to something being amiss.
I stopped the car, got out and started to walk back to see what was wrong with this small child. What had I done, I wondered. He looked fine.
I bent over in front of him, and he explained in a sad voice, that we had scared his frog, and it had jumped into the puddle, and he couldn't find it.
It was about that time, I heard a screen door slam.
Huh? From where?
I looked up and over the boy's head, and there, sitting back off the road, hardly visible, was the biggest wooden house I think I have ever seen in Maryland. Old too. Really old. 1700’s maybe?
No paint….just wood.
And on the front porch was a woman. A really big woman, and coming out behind her, was her man. A really big man.
She had her hands on her apron-ed hips, and he was standing at the top of the endless flight of stairs going up to their porch.. I stood up and waved, and said something nervously about the boys frog.
Daddy raised one of his hands up, and motioned to come over to the house. While I was considering that option, I realized there was a football game going on behind the house. All young men, and a pretty well filled out couple of teams too. And some of them had noticed us.
I turned and called Lou, 'cause I wasn't gonna go over to see Big Daddy without some company. After all, Lou was in the car too! Just as much his fault as mine, right?
Well, make a long story short, Lou and I ended up as guests of this HUGE family, out in the middle of nowhere, for 7 hours. We sat in the shade of the open porch and surrounding forest, in old wooden rockers sippin' real lemonade, and watching all sorts of colorful birds peck at the feeders hanging around the roofline of the old wooden porch. As dusk fell we were invited to stay for dinner. Who could resist?
Upon entering the old home, well, I just don't have the words nor the space here to say. But I will say this. It was huge, clean, poor, humble, old, and warm with family love like none I have ever experienced. We sat around a monster table, obviously handmade....all of us, including the football team, which of course was entirely made up of their 11 other sons. We dined on home cooking from the deep south , like Kings and Honored Guests. Imagine!
Hugs all around when it came time to leave. And the ride home? Was exuberant and joyful, tearful and totally elated. What a day!!!! What stories to tell! What marvelous memories to hold!
A year later Lou and I set out to find that home and those friends again. We had a difficult time finding the magic gate to the forest. But after many tries, we found it. We were excited to surprise them with gifts and food and we dipped into the old stash box in preparation of our grand reunion. As we came around the familiar turn, we looked for the house and all it's beautiful occupants. But something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
Slowly Lou and I climbed out of our vehicle, and slowly sank to our knees.
Tears started to flow uncontrollably. We looked at each other in disbelief. And our stoned brains could hardly comprehend the pile of ashes and debris sitting where the house used to stand. It was totally gone.
Nothing but a large empty space where once stood the home, of a family, I will NEVER forget.
No answers no solutions never resolved.
We sat there for an hour. In silence.
And listened to the place, that was once so alive with love.
Stay tuned
I do
Tunes
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| Goin' Out To Da Country, Baby Ya Want a Go? |
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