ROAD TRIP

ROAD TRIP:

My brother called to tell me that Uncle Paul had died at home on February 15. The funeral was scheduled for Wednesday morning at 10:30 at the Cloverdale Chapel and internment at Emmett Cemetery at 2 p.m.

So we packed and husband and I left eastward bound in Winter over the Blues headed to Emmett...in the Winter. We drove in shifts mostly an hour or so. The weather in Oregon was appropriately wet. The road spray was such that it was precisely like driving through a car wash with bad windshield wipers all the way to Pendleton. The rain stopped there and the wind blew and buffeted us quite badly. The Blues were mercifully dry and clear. We got into Emmett about 8 pm after various stops for fuel, food and rest stops. We checked into the local motel, no tell. The manager of this establishment has a sign on her door, “Beware of friendly dogs”. Boy, I'll say; the big one is a tan colored Bull Mastif weighing a good 150 pounds. The other dog is an arthritic white English bull dog who only weighs 140 lbs. They were very um, welcoming.

We coordinated with Richard (He was one of Aunt Wandas' choices for pall bearer) and Cathy and I rode over with them to the services. I'm glad Richard was driving the usual Treasure Valley real estate market has been booming steadily through the entire recession. Didn't recognize much. Got to the Chapel and visited with many family members. Paul Berglund (Uncle Paul's Grandson) and Jeremy Boyle (also a grandson) were both speakers. (Generally speaking the Berglunds sure do make good looking young men and women) The services were nicely done and there were some who spoke of their relationships and friendships with the family over the years. They had a montage of old photos that were very interesting, I was even in it. Most of the speakers mentioned Uncle Paul's truck driving career. We grew up as kids being exposed to stories of long haul trucking and the perils therein. We were educated on trucking etiquette; don't drive in the blind spot, back up until you can see the driver's rear view mirrors, don't pull over too soon when passing, wait until you can see the lights in your rearview mirror before pulling in front, keep an eye open for mile markers, you will need this to estimate miles left on that particular highway. We also heard tales of chaining up for Ladd Canyon so we were channeling Uncle Paul on that part of the route.

We headed to Emmett to dress a little warmer for the ceremonies at the Emmett Cemetery. The wind was blowing so hard that Tim lost his hat and we had hat chasing activities. Everyone there was invited to meet at a local establishment afterwards. We went to pick up Aunt Ollie and met up with them and had a very nice visit. Young Paul Berglund has posted on Facebook that Cloverdale had posted a video of the services on their website. I was tempted to share a Boise Berglund memory but declined in favor decorum. However, here is my sharing. The Boise Berglunds welcomed visitors and they always left the door unlocked. One time we went to visit and no one was home, so we went in, used the facilities and left. Mom wrote a note; “We crept in, we crapt and we crept out.” Not all visitors left notes. Aunt Wanda came home once to find the recliner turned completely turned upside down. She pretty much knew who to call, T.K.Jensen an old family friend. She read him the riot act and he told her next time he would turn over the couch.

Over all it was a loving send off for a much beloved Grandpa Berglund. I learned a few things about Uncle Paul; his middle name was Eber, the fact that he joined the Air Force while a junior in highschool and served a full hitch. I had always known that they eloped to Winnemucca to get married. I did not know Wanda was sixteen at the time! They were so young and cute and darn near unrecognizale.

In summary the Berglund brothers, all members of the Greatest Generation, are gone now; we loved them and have cherished memories of them. God Bless them all.

We left very early Thursday morning because we had furry live stock at home who needed to be fed and watered. The weather was cold and the snow clouds started descending east of La Grande and continued to do so. At every chain up stop there were dozens of truckers chaining up. We continued to carefully follow the slushy trail of the semi's in front of us. Got over the Blues, keep on tip toeing past dozens of truckers. No evil messages at the Meacham message board. It all went away going down Cabbage Hill and the rest of the drive was mostly clear. It is amazing what a new pair of windshield wipers can do to boost the driving morale.

God Bless you each and everyone and Drive Safely!!

PS: I hope that young Paul Berglund's Lime Green Dodge Charger can be fixed as he had some driving adventures on the way to Boise from Nevada....in Winter....