Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
It was dark outside, despite the fact that it wasn’t that late. But my old body was tuned in to the light factor and so it was a good time for me to nod off in the recliner. I heard a knock on the door and then the doorbell. I looked out the window and there was a big ole Ford truck pulling a long trailer, it was a combo toy hauler and home away from home. I didn’t recognize it, but I went out on the porch to see who was a knockin’ and a ringin’… Just to make sure you caught the gist of the second sentence, my mind was already turned over to the sandman, so I was running my brain at approximately 20%. I was met with a vaguely familiar face that was askin’ me if I knew who she was. My porch was backlit with a streetlight and my cognitive faculties were not up to snuff. She didn’t give me a chance to get it together and was quick to say, “It’s Macayla!” I probably wouldn’t have made the connection anyway as Macayla lives in Texas. She is our “designated granddaughter” and the last time we saw her was at her wedding a couple of years ago. She and hubby Riley were in the area to pick up their new toy but couldn’t stay too long as they had to get back home to Texas at a reasonable hour. I took her into the house so Carlene could see who was knockin’ at our door. She (of course) recognized her right away. In my defense, the lighting was much better in the house and Carlene is smarter than me. Anyway, it was another great surprise. We visited as long as we could keep them and then we took a picture of them as this was special.
I suppose I should explain the “designated granddaughter” comment. We used to meet up with family in Las Vegas back in the 2000s. Carlene’s mom and son lived there and her ex-family from her first marriage and Jessica (daughter) and her husband and children would meet us there. Fun times for sure, and I was welcomed into her ex-in-laws family with great love. Jessica and Trevor have 2 young boys and their cousin, Macayla, was there often and was accepted into the family as a “might as well be” daughter to Jessica. She was a very young teenager, and I remember that she was the first person I ever saw take selfies. She would stare at herself in the mirror and make duck lip faces while taking pictures of herself with her cell phone. That was new stuff back then and before I knew it, everyone was taking selfies of themselves. But Macayla was the very first I ever saw. Ever since then, we have considered Macayla our granddaughter.
Forward to college and Macayla was studying to be a nurse in Carson City, Nevada. Riley came out from Texas, to visit a friend and met Macayla. The two were smitten and the next thing we knew was that Macayla dropped out of school and moved to Texas. This took place before we left California and when they decided to tie the knot, we were living in Oklahoma. So, we were invited to attend their wedding. It was a great family reunion, and we rented a house, and all attended the wedding. They knew me as the California dude with the Hawaiian shirts, but I wanted to embrace my new homeland of Oklahoma to our neighbors from Texas. So, I went to Cavender’s to get hooked up with some righteous duds. My favorite part was the cowboy hat shaper or outfitter. He fixed me up with a custom hat by shaping it, and trimming it, all in front of me. It was the coolest thing I ever saw and was much better than just buying one off the shelf at Atwoods. I was ”stylin” in my complete outfit. I bought bootcut jeans, cowboy boots, a cowboy shirt and bolo tie, and a proper belt buckle. I got to wear this outfit once again when I returned to California to marry my son and new daughter-in-law the next year. I still have the duds, and I know how to properly store my hat.
It was awesome getting to see Macayla and Riley if even for a brief period of time. They know where we live now, and we look forward to hosting them in the Boyd Suite in the near future. Riley builds custom shops and buildings, and we talked a bit about maybe hiring him to build us a proper building on a big vacant spot on our property. It probably won’t happen for a while, but if we are going to ever do it, we would love to give him the job. October and November are going to be busy months for the Boyd Suite. We are expecting many visitors including my son Jon and his new wife, two grandkids, and an old friend from the early days of our love life. We are excited about spending time with family and friends. Who knows, maybe I’ll get another opportunity to wear my cowboy hat and boots again.
