July 14, 2018
It was at a National Monument in NE New Mexico where I saw a familiar face of a man who was accompanied by a pretty, dark-haired woman. After studying him from a distance for a while, I screwed up my courage, walked up to him and said, “Jack, is that you?” He searched my face with a quizzical look. OK, so maybe I had misidentified this guy. Or it would be understandable that he did not recognize me or my wife, Pat. It had been a number of years since we had seen each other and I had lost my red hair, was mostly bald and sported a grey beard. But, this guy still had a full head of hair and looked very much like my cousin, Jack Heacock.
So, I identified myself. “I’m Winfield Sterling, maybe your cousin,” I said. Now I was overwhelmed by doubt and expected him to reply that he had no acquaintance with anyone by that name. And, would I just mind my own business? But, suddenly, the expression on his face changed into a big smile of recognition. He engulfed us in a big, bear hug and introduced us to Eleanor.
Now understand that the Capulin Volcano National Monument is way out in the middle of nowhere New Mexico, way up in the northeast part of the state between the towns of Clayton and Raton. It’s a place where you might never, never expect to see anyone you actually know. It was January in 1999, it was cold, not exactly tourist season, and we were the only four folks there that I could see. At least, that’s how I remembered it — until I searched my old photo files and found this photo of the four of us at the monument. Because we could not take long-range selfies back then in 1999, there must have been some other kind person who took this photo with my camera. Thank you, kind person.
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| Win, Jack, Eleanor and Pat |
Anyway, we chatted a while and as we were parting, they suggested that we might consider coming to visit them in Evergreen, Colorado where they lived at the time. “Sure, sure” I answered — you know the way we wish to show our appreciation for the invitation but are thinking that it is likely a long shot.
After parting company, Pat and I headed for Colorado Springs, where we attended a wedding of Pat’s cousin at the Air Force Academy. We enjoyed the wedding, had a good time meeting lots of Pat’s relatives, and it put us in the mood for more family gatherings. Then, because we were heading on north toward Denver, we decided to call Jack and Eleanor to see if they were available for a visit. Of course, they graciously extended another invitation to visit the next day. So, after Pat and I had breakfast at the Blue Cow Cafe west of Morrison, we met Jack and Eleanor at the beautiful Red Rock Amphitheater. After a tour of the facilities, we visited some dinosaur tracks someplace and then parked our motorhome by their home in Evergreen where we spent the night in it. That evening, we drove to the Buckhorn Cafe, but it was closed, so we enjoyed their good company at a wonderful Chinese Restaurant — according to Pat’s diary. We carried on a relaxed and entertaining evening of conversation about family, travels and such and felt that it was a well-spent evening.
It’s not like Jack and I had been out of touch — I often had sent him some of the short stories that I wrote about our travel adventures, and he was usually complimentary. He once said my writing style reminded him of Mark Twain. But then, maybe feeling that he had overdone the compliment — my next story he called a “shaggy dog story” — which was likely closer to the truth. Anyway, I valued his comments because he was a much better writer than I.
Since Jack was a preacher and I was a teacher, our life experiences were very different. But, we certainly must have shared some Heacock genes that compel us to travel. We have both visited some wonderful parts of the world and, against all odds, brought us together at this remote volcano.
Anyway, next week Pat and I are heading for Oregon — which means we will pass through New Mexico. I thought that maybe we might again visit the Capulin Volcano National Monument. If we see Jack there, we will let you know.
Winfield Sterling
