Barbecued Pole Beans

And a quick trip home.

Papa Allen in the garden

I’m heading out soon to Alabama, for what just might be my shortest trip ever back home. Papa Allen is turning 70 (!), a birthday he consistently says is just another year - and true to form, when he saw the cake at the party, his first words to my aunt were “this is a little over the top ain’t it?”. My dad and my aunt - they’re twins! - celebrated early with our family last weekend. When the picture of the two of them standing over their cake came through, it suddenly dawned on me that my father is now the eldest person in our family. A position long held by my grandfather, now being filled by my dad.

Going home always stirs up a mix of emotions for me. My hometown is different from the memories in my head. My parents are getting older, and I feel even further from the person I was when I left at twenty-two. And yet…it’s the one place I can always return to find myself.

I’ve filled my itinerary for each day with about as much as I can, including a drive to get my hands on the first pe…