Show Me the Place, 61

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

61: St. Paul, Minn.; July 19, 2005

Another place Fitzgerald lived—

Some family lived there, too.

We roamed around; we saw the spots;

There was so much to do.

Most structures that he knew are there—

From house to school to store.

And any literary nerd

Could hardly ask for more!

593 Summit Ave.
Fitzgerald there from 1914–15

Show Me the Place, 60

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

60: Ketchum, Idaho; July 23, 2005

This is the town where Hemingway

Once lived—and where he finally died.

His house we saw that very day—

The place of Papa’s suicide.

We ate where he so often had*—

Here was his final meal on earth.

We saw the grave—a sight so sad—

But, oh, those books! Enduring worth!

*Cristina’s

Show Me the Place, 59

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

59: Red Cloud, Neb.; July 21, 2005

A trip to Willa Cather-land—

Another place now Joyced and Daned.

We drove around the little town

Where she grew up. And up and down

The country roads—through fields of corn—

To empty farms, which Time has worn

Away. The world that Cather wrote

About—her words, her ferryboat

Toward the land of truth and art—

The two cannot be kept apart!

Show Me the Place, 58

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

58: Montgomery, Alabama; June 9, 2003

We saw the place where Zelda met

F. Scott Fitzgerald—at a dance.

(I doubt they danced a minuet!)

Scott figured that he had no chance.

But chance he had—as we all know.

Their lives did not work out too well—

But for a while? All fast—no slow.

And then it sank to living hell.

Montgomery Country Club

Montgomery Country Club--site of the dance

Show Me the Place, 57

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

57: Grand Manan Island; New Brunswick, Canada; July 1, 2007

The ferry out to Grand Manan

Was quite a ride for Joyce and Dan.

We were fulfilling our sweet plan

To see where Willa Cather wrote

Some summers. And our ferry boat

Was wonderful. (Don’t want to gloat.)

We saw the cottage where she was—

We roamed the island (just because)

And did what every tourist does.

And then, of course, we had to go—

But I am happy: Now I know

’Bout Grand Manan. (It’s awesome, Yo!)

Show Me the Place, 56

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

56: Sauk Center, Minn.; July 2006

The town of Sinclair Lewis, which

He wrote about at times.

He later won the Nobel Prize—

For novels, not for rhymes!

We drove one summer* up to see

Where Lewis set his tales—

We saw the house where he had lived—

And “Main Street”—its details.

We saw his grave—a modest one.

There’s modesty in death—

Unless, of course, you plan to die

Like Shakespeare’s mad Macbeth!

*July 1, 2006

Show Me the Place, 55

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

55: Grand Isle, La.; June 10, 2003

Joyce wrote a thesis and a book

About that Kate Chopin,

Who wrote her The Awakening*—

And Joyce became a fan.

And so did I. I taught that book

A decade, and I found

It so engaged the students, who

Soon found themselves enwound.

One summer Joyce and I set out

To see the different scenes

Chopin had used throughout the book—

To see what it all means.

So to Grand Isle we journeyed, and

We walked the very beach

Chopin had written of so long ago.

We found a way to reach

Back through the century—and we,

There standing in the sand,

Discovered how to meet Chopin,

To clutch her artist’s hand.

*1899

Joyce on the beach at Grand Isle

Show Me the Place, 54

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

54: Those Bookstores Gone: 1969*–Now

We once devoted Friday nights

To haunting stores that featured books.

Back then one of my favorite sights?

A bookstore pile —requiring looks.

The stores were local—some were chain.

And some sold used, and some sold new.

I couldn’t make the thing more plain:

We found so much to get into.

But now so many stores are gone—

Our choices have declined, for sure.

But we still go—we struggle on—

Though much diminished is our tour.

*the year of our marriage

Show Me the Place, 53

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

53: Lincoln County, New Mexico; 1980s

I was deep into my “Billy” phase—

You know, the Kid, the famous one

Who “earned” his fame with flaming gun

Back in those very Wild West days?

So out we drove to see the scene—

Where Billy lived, where Billy died.

We saw his grave—stood by its side.

I wondered: What does all this mean?

I read the books—I wrote a lot—

I photographed—I gave a talk*—

I wrote a play**—I walked the walk.

And, oh, the many things I bought!

But now the “Billy” phase is gone—

Though I still buy new books to read

(Don’t want it all to go to seed),

It seems that I have, well, passed on.

*Western Reserve Academy, 1981
**with and for Harmon Middle School students, 1979 and 1984 (reprise!)

Jail held Billy upstairs in 1881; he escaped.

Show Me the Place, 52

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

52: Columbia River Highway; Westbound; Oregon; from 1940s Onward

I loved that river highway drive—

It made me glad I was alive.

The mighty river—dams, of course—

The mountains—nature: vital force!

The Dalles had fishermen with nets—

A site no tourist e’er forgets.

Mt. Hood still looms, not far away—

I’d love to be right there—today.

Show Me the Place, 51

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

51: Red River, New Mexico, early 1950s

Our family camped there—years ago—

When I was but a child.

It was a first encounter with

A world that seemed so wild—

Compared, of course, to our calm lives

Of home and church and school.

The fishing—dancing river—all

To me were priceless, cool.

My dad caught trout—we ate them fast.

We slept there in a tent.

The hours flew and soon we asked

Where our vacation went!

Show Me the Place, 50

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

50: Nelsons Ledges; Nelson, Ohio (well, Garrettsville)

I used to go there as a kid—

Impressive rocks were there.

We’d sometimes have a picnic, too—

Enjoy the summer air.

I think that I remember, too,

A zoo—a small one, though.

It looked a little lean and mean—

No, not a place I’d go.

But climbing ’round the rocks back then?

Exploring with my friends?

It’s just another way I felt

That childhood never ends.

Show Me the Place, 49

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

49: Palo Duro Canyon; near Amarillo, Texas; 1952–53

We lived in Texas for a while—

When I was only eight years old.

I liked the weather (not too cold)—

And kind of liked the Texas-style.

The canyon lay not far away—

We sometimes went to drive around—

And, oh, the shapes of rock and ground!

A cowboy kid, I loved to play

In places that so much looked like

The cowboy shows then on TV—

They really animated me—

My “horse,” of course, was just my bike!

Show Me the Place, 48

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

48: Yellowstone National Park; 1940s and Beyond

I still was just a little boy

When we first went to Yellowstone.

The roads were dirt (such rural joy!)—

And often we were just alone.

The years rolled on—and we returned

Some several times to see the Park.

And so it was that we all learned

Of popularity. The stark

Contrast between those days of dirt

And days of many avenues

Revealed. I’d been but just a squirt

Back then when Yellowstone was … news!

Show Me the Place, 47

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

47: Glacier National Park; Summer 1959 and other times

My first trip there was ’59–

My high-school freshman year was done.

Those Western trips were more than fine—

I loved them all, yes, every one.

And Glacier was a stunner, for

The weather there was perfect—great.

The Rockies rose—oh, they did soar!—

That stone and snow could fascinate.

I went back there in later years

With Joyce—she, too, was so impressed.

Now … climate change … and many tears—

And cause to be more than depressed.

Show Me the Place, 46

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

46: Southeastern Alaska; Summer, 1986; Summer, 1993

Two times I went to Skagway, where

I planned to do the trail

That figures in Jack London’s book*—

I hoped I would not fail.

The first time Steve (our only child)—

Was fourteen at the time—

Was with me for a scouting trip—

The weather was sublime.

Alone the next time, off I went—

The Chilkoot Trail—at last!

I did it all, though I’ll confess:

I didn’t move too fast.

I saw the places London knew—

The ones he wrote about.

And gained some views into his book

That I had been without.

*The Call of the Wild, 1903

Show Me the Place, 45

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

45: Mt. Hood; Oregon; many visits to its Timberline Lodge

In 1937 Dad

And friends had climbed this classic peak—

He was the sort who loved to seek

Adventure—giving all he had.

I’d hoped to climb that mountain, too—

And trained to do it (as I should)—

But hurt my knee and knew I could

Not do what I had hoped to do.

So now, perhaps, my son will climb?

Or maybe his sons one day will?

I hope so, for that mighty “hill”

Has family history—years of time.

Show Me the Place, 44

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

44: Crater Lake; Oregon; 1970s

My father spoke about this lake—

A wonder, boys! So for his sake

We drove out West to see the site—

Discovering that Dad was right—

As he so often surely was—

And we were thrilled not just because

The spot was wondrous—lovely—rare.

But picturing my father there.

Show Me the Place, 43

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

43: Jack London Ranch; Sonoma Valley; California; 1980s–90s

Jack London drew me to the West—

And there I researched books—

And walked the land that he had walked,

Combining words with looks.

His ranch is in Glen Ellen, and

I met his daughter there.

Yes, Becky was still much alive—

A thrill beyond compare.

I hiked the trails around his ranch—

I saw where he had died.

I saw his grave up on a hill—

Addicted! Certified!

I still can see those lovely hills—

The redwoods—stunning trees.

Those years when I could do so much—

Not similar to these.