Dad and Orval

The above video is by the 4tuoze matrozen, a dutch band.  This particular song is about the process of dying, where will you go, who will show you the way?  " when you sail away from this life who will tell you?" .  "No one knows the answer."
The first photo is actually taken last year, at the date line, 0 degrees in Greenwich Village, Greenwich mean time...  going from East to West in a simple step.  The other photo's are from the day we drove around Holland, spreading dad's ashes. 

 
This evening, Orval came by.  Orval is 9 months older than my dad, he lives in Big Spring.  He and my dad got along, they enjoyed each other, children of an era, they understood each other, knew each other.    Orval almost died this spring, pneumonia or some such, and no, he won't make it another 5 years,  but right now, he lives.   No matter , he shows up, and he is in bad shape, but like he says: I am in good shape for the shape I am in. 

 I try to make it a point to visit him every once in a while, did so today, and lo and behold he took me up on my offer to pick strawberries, and there he is.    In a previous post I referred to what it meant to me to plant strawberries, one of the first jobs my dad worked,  just as a sign to my dad. Iit's not even about the money.   But today Orval took me up on my offer.  We walk to the strawberry beds, slowly, together.   He has brought his own little tin bucket with him, he told his wife he was going to my place, getting her something for desert.  

He picks some, I pick most, trying to get the ripest ones.   The weather is sweet, just right, like my dad likes it.    We walk back, I watch him, follow him, and I feel emotions coming on, smiling through my tears.  I guide him back to a chair in the shade of my new building.  He compliments me on it. 

I feel like my dad came by today.    

And not to get too sappy: of course he didn't have any money on him, so I'll put it on dad's bill.