It
was a photo opportunity that could not be missed. Why else would I be doing
this? Typically, I was a very cautious person. But, there I was, with a friend,
standing in a short line waiting to have our photo taken in this
precarious-looking spot. I looked around me. The view was simply stunning. I
could see why this was a popular photo spot.
I was nearing the front
of the line. When the people ahead of me reached the front of the line, they gave
me their camera, took a few steps forward and posed. I took their picture and
returned their camera to them as they passed me by. Then, it was my turn. My
friend and I passed our cameras to the people behind us and took our places a
few steps ahead. Separately but quickly, our photos were taken and it was the
next person’s turn. Before I left, though, I could not resist taking a look at
where I had been standing. I briefly turned to face the late morning sky, which
was cloudless and blue. The rocks, in various earth toned hues, lined the
horizon. The flat, rocky ledge on which I was standing extended less than three
feet behind me before abruptly ending with no railing to mark its edge. Then, I
looked down, my eyes following the jagged edges of the rocks until they ended
in the riverbed . . . at the base of the Grand Canyon.
It was a slow afternoon at the tiny Seattle coffee shop. As I opened the door, a group of three school-aged boys ran in front of me. Each of the boys was lugging an overloaded backpack with them. They obviously had just left the private school a couple of blocks down the street. As I perused the menu, the three boys placed their orders, all the while joking with one another. The first two each requested a pastry and a glass of water. The third boy studied the menu a bit longer before deciding. “Umm. . . I’d like a tall espresso, double shot, please.” The cashier giggled a bit, thinking that her young customer was just repeating something he had heard adults order. After a few seconds, she jokingly said to him, “Alright. . . whatever.” Noticing that the boy seemed serious, she looked puzzled. Then, sh...
In a time of so many corporate run forms of entertainment, it's easy to forget that there are still many places where if one forgets oneself it can result in, well, death. Just ask the last guy who thought it'd be fun to pet the "tame buffalos" they keep at Yellowstone Park.
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