The Expansion Chamber

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the loss of my father-in law. Russ. Big Daddy. He was as much or more of a father to me than my own Pop. He was my biggest fan and that’s saying a lot, considering what it took to win him over.   About fifteen years ago, on one of those those idyllic Colorado spring days that beckons one to go for a drive in the mountains, he called. That usually meant no one else would go with him.  Next thing I knew, I was riding shotgun in his 1987 Buick Park Avenue. We were “out on an errand”, typically a six-hour loop around the state to eventually stop, pick up and throw away junk mail from his old business P.O. Box. He had been diagnosed with ALS and the onset of its symptoms was beginning to take its toll. It made the rest of the family, especially those with kids, quite nervous driving with him. Not me, no siree.   Not even after that time at Christmas, when we were on a three hour errand for a box of chocolates in a blizzard. ...