The Reunion & The Release

   We had all agreed to lunch at Trafangler's, which was in and of itself nothing short of miraculous. The agreement to have lunch part, not the choice of a restaurant.

   It had been awhile since we had all gotten together, probably close to four years. Oh, I'd seen a few of the guys here and there - Jake at his brother's wedding, Jorge and Trent at the bowling alley on 4th st., and of course Gary, who still worked in the same department as I did - heck, we run into each other quite a bit, but it was never planned and we didn't talk much, just exchanged pleasantries and went our separate ways.

   The group had been tight in the beginning, but that's how it always is when a group of strangers are thrown together to work on a somewhat dangerous, long-term project. Once the project was completed though, we all just fell out of contact - not intentionally or with any animosity, we just all sorta went back to doing what we did before we had to work together.

   Somehow, someone (it might have even been me), got the idea we should all get together and catch up with each other, see how everyone was doing, etc., etc.

   The remarkable thing was that all fourteen of the guys were still around and had the time and inclination to get together.

   And that's how, on a cold, windy early Spring day in late April we all found ourselves gathered together around a large rectangular table (which was actually three smaller square tables joined together by the very accomodating restaurant staff).

   Everyone spent at least ten minutes chatting with whomever was next to or across from them, and several guys (Don, Anthony, Trent) didn't even sit down until they'd walked the perimeter of the table and exchanged greetings with everybody present - the wait staff (there were two assigned to us) had a dickens of a time getting the drink orders in, but handled it without a single misstep.

   By the time the drinks (second round) and food orders had all been served, I'd spoken with everyone at least for a few minutes. It was nice, as far as these gatherings go - no one had suffered any major setbacks, everyone was still working and above water financially - at least that's what was reported.

   About halfway through my salad, Jer, who was seated to my left, threw out a conversational gambit, asking everyone in general if they were all satisfied with what we had accomplished. A lot of nodding of heads and "Yes's, yeah's," and "of course's" followed by a call for a toast to "Team Arcanum!" was the answer.

   Then he turned to me and almost half-whispered another, more specific question. With a far more serious intensity, Jer said, "Do you think the project was your greatest accomplishment?"

   I turned to look straight at him and replied, "No Jer, not my greatest accomplishment. I regard simply surviving this long, you know, not dying, or at least not suffering a major injury, my biggest accomplishment."

   Ever have one of those moments when everyone has inexplicably quieted down at the same time you say something not intended for everyone to hear? Well, that's what happened to me right then.

   The quiet was deafening, as they say.

   Which was broken by Jer's loud laughter and the almost roar from Blaine exclaiming "Don't we all, don't we all!", and the concurrent laughter of everyone else at the table.

   That's when I realised everyone had been holding the same thing inside that I had been for the past four years, and now we had all just let it go.

   

Memorial Day May 26th 2025, Pvt Joe P. Martinez

 

A Tale Of 3 Workers...& 3 Work Ethics And/Or Skill Levels

Always A Touchy Subject

 

The Giant Trout That Ate The Sky

 

The giant cloud fish seen along Colorado 14 in the late evening

The Lakewood Labyrinth

   Somehow it never occured to me that I might one day desire to walk a labyrinth. However, as I was driving home a few days ago I saw a message posted on the digital sign that advertises services, classes, lectures, and events held at the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living (located at the corner of Alameda and Garrison) that stated "Walk our labyrinth anytime".

          The digital message board on the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living in Lakewood

  Which sparked my curiosity, not solely to walk the labyrinth mind you, but for the fact that it was something I could do anytime. Thoughts of getting up at 3:00am and driving to the labyrinth bounced around in my head as I drove. 

   I also had thoughts along the lines of "Why does the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living have a labyrinth? Is it like the labyrinth of Greek mythology that was designed to keep the Minotaur imprisoned? Is it full of confusing corridors that branch off left and right and have dead ends that force a person to turn around and try a different right or left turn? Or is it more like a Victorian era hedge maze that people meander through but can't really get lost in because the hedges are kept short so the way out can readily be seen?

   My knowledge of labyrinths being fairly limited (just the Greek mythology and David Bowie movie is about all the labyrinth knowledge I possess), I decided yesterday that I needed to investigate the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living labyrinth.

  But not at 3:00am. I figured it was best to approach what could possibly be a confusing maze in the middle of a sunny afternoon.

   The Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living is a huge complex - it sits on 15 acres and can boast the largest domed building in Colorado. That dome is both unique and impressive - I can clearly recall it being built back in 2008 because of the method used to build it. Basically, a huge balloon was inflated (well, a huge half-balloon), then a huge rebar skeleton was built around the entire balloon, then the rebar-reinforced balloon was coated with concrete - seriously, that's how it was done. It was interesting to watch the process.

   knowing all that I was prepared for a labyrinth of impressive stature. 

   That is not the case.

   This is the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living labyrinth:

    

   So, yeah...not too challenging as far as labyrinths go. And apparently, it's not meant to be challenging. The intended use is for quiet, meditative walks.

   Short, Minotaur free walks, so don't bother bringing a shield and sword.

   BTW, This is not an endorsement, but if you're interested you can learn more about the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living here: 

https://www.milehichurch.org

The Occasional Overwhelming Desire To Discover & Explore

I'm going to take a trip, going to take a real long drive

Not sure where I'm going to go just know I gotta drive

Get up early friday morning eat a light breakfast and go

There are places I've never seen and I can't wait to arrive

At a place I've never been

A new adventure ready to begin

Maybe go to Hopkinsville or to Lyndon

Overland travel is a thing I really enjoy

Open throttle driving along with a trucker convoy

There is just so much to see, so much to discover

Relive the feeling of being an insatiably curious schoolboy

Crossing bridges over rivers wide

Stop for a ball of twine on the roadside

Don't need a map, don't need a tour guide

The feel of the steering wheel in my hands, foot on the pedal

Stop in small towns filled with bars, churches & happy people 

No reasons for the visit, just like to roam and explore

See the heartland of the country at it's most fundamental 

Get to know life outside the big city

From North Dakota down to Mississippi

Birmingham, Fayetteville, maybe even Kankakee