Road Trip on Memory Lane

09/30/07 07:04 AM | Up Chucks

Where can a set of roads take you? Back. They can help you lose yourself to a past that you thought you knew better. Help you remember yourself, remember your past and make you realize that even memories can cloud over with time.
Yesterday I took that trip, a small part of it at any rate.
Jenni and I headed out at 5 PM. We went to Spencer Lapidary just off the junction of highways 37 and 13 on the southern tip of Elwood. We've seen it a few times, but never stopped until yesterday. It has some amazing rocks, and since I was a "rock hound' when I was in Junior and Senior high school I was enthralled. We both were, and after a 45 minute visit to a showroom roughly the size of my living room and dining room, we left with some very wise purchases in a bag too small for a PBJ sandwich. My big purchase was the 2" diameter Brazilian Agate sphere shown here, and in detail below. phases

Above: Three Faces of My Brazilian Agate Sphere in detail.
Below: The other six stones from Spencer Lapidary. Chuck Pace ©2007

The primary reason I stopped at that particular spot is because I worked in that very building when I was in high school. It was Rogers and Son Union 76 full service station, owned by Marshall Rogers, and run by Ron Rogers his son. It was before the time of self service. We did car repairs, alignments, brakes and batteries. I was driving a suspect '69 VW bug, my coworker Jeff Hauk an awesome 68 Sapphire Blue Satellite 400cid beast, but the neatest car in the stable was Ron's weekend night ride, a dirt sprint car with graphics and lettering painted by me, I got to go to a couple of races in Kokomo when Ron running and really enjoyed the action.
Leaving Elwood on highway 13 our next stop was Swayzee, IN. Where I went to elementary school, and the first place I ever remember living. The place has changed some, and is smaller than I remembered. Jenni and I had double Cheeseburgers at Social's Cafe, which was called the Peace and Plenty last time I saw it. After dinner we headed to my grade school buddy Jeff Shane's first house, then to the house I grew up in. On the way out of town we drove past a couple of other buddies homes that I used to ride my bike to. I was telling Jenni a lot of the history of the school and town as I drove.
Swayzee

Next over to Marion, then south to the farm where I spent my Junior and Senior High School years. The current owners took down the house and barn, and have a double wide trailer on the property now. More changes. On into Frankton, I barely recognized the place, the Elementary and Jr. High school are not where they were, the "downtown" is completely different and the High School is twice the size it was when I went there and graduated 29 years ago. I was warned by Nicci Herrin, another Frankton Eagle alumni, that I wouldn't recognize the town. She was right. I feel like I'm old, and someone keeps moving my chair. Dang.
The day ended with me trying to find the home of my best high school friend Dwaine Jackson and his sister Dana's who both now live Anderson. I found Dwaine's but not Dana's while driving around in the dark. Well it was a good day. I've got the stones to say so.