Photo copyright Jon Crispin 2011. www.joncrispin.com

Photo copyright Jon Crispin 2011
www.joncrispin.com

Friday, December 16, 2011

Roadside Shrines

This is my first attempt at a blog, and I'm a bit nervous. I hope you enjoy reading the miscellaneous things that catch my attention. I think editors are a sort of magpie. We like bright, shiny things, especially words. We pick them up, turn them over and over, and take them home to keep. I'm going to share some of the shiny things that attract my attention.
 A couple of months ago, I returned from a week-long visit with my uncle (91 years old) and aunt (87 years old), who live in California. They are vital, active, and loving. They live life to the full and are an inspiration to all who know them. Both of them are nearly deaf, so conversation is a struggle. My aunt is a redheaded woman with Welsh blood, so you can imagine her temperament. My uncle is a placid, patient man. One day during my visit, I heard what I though was an argument from behind their closed door. A week is a long time for a house guest, and the patience can wear thin. Since there was no way not to hear them, I decided that a walk in the California sunshine was in order, so I strolled around their garden, basked in the sunshine for some time and came back into the house. I should have known better. After 66 years of marriage, they had pretty much worked out the kinks. What I thought was an argument was simply bath day and change-the-linen-on-the-bed day. It's hard to shout in a gentle manner, and I mistook it for arguing.

On the way back, I drove home via a route different from the usual, boring I-10. I went south on I-15 to San Diego, then east on I-8 to Tucson. It wasn't any shorter, either in time or distance, and just as boring, but boring in a different way.

As I drove along I-8 I saw many roadside shrines, crosses and flowers put up by the relatives who want to honor the memory of their loved ones killed in accidents at that spot. I saw something that would have stopped me for a closer look if I hadn't been whizzing by at 80 mph:  a white, shining Star of David. I have never seen a Jewish roadside shrine. I had assumed it was a completely Christian and Hispanic custom, but that is true no longer. I marked the location (between milepost 42 and 43 on I-8).  Next time I travel that route, I'm going to stop and take a closer look.

So that is the kind of thing I plan to post here, stuff that is on my mind or attracts my attention. Hope it amuses you as much as it does me.

2 comments:

  1. I've never seen a Jewish roadside shrine. I wonder if they were Mexican Jewish, or grew up in a Mexican community- the writer in me wants to know.

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  2. I'll stop on my next trip to California and see of there is any information at the shrine.

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