Reader Stories February 2008 - Gold Country Families E-Magazine

In June 29, 1981, I was visiting my friend, Martin Blockley, in Winchester, England. In the morning, along with billions of others on the planet, we watched on television as Prince Charles of Winsor and Lady Diana Spencer took marital vows in the massive St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. It was a storybook wedding, with a groom who was first in line to the English throne, and a bride as beautiful and sweet as can be.

In the afternoon, we learned that the royal motorcade would be passing through our town of Winchester, on its way to the honeymoon site at Balmoral Castle. My friend Martin drove us to a point near the honeymoon route, and the two of us walked to where a large crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle.

I had no great hopes of catching the royal couple in a good photograph. The thick crowd there was in constant motion, as was the royal motorcade when it eventually passed by. The event was over in just a few seconds, and yet I did manage to get one fast photo of the royal car.

Weeks later, I saw that the photograph was not overly blurred, that it was centered, and that it had caught a likeness of both Charles and Diana. Months later, after returning to my home in California, I gave slide shows of my trip, with this as one of the photos of interest. Years later, I was shocked to learn that Prince Charles had broken his vow of fidelity. Later I learned that the couple had reached what was called an amicable separation, and still later, that Lady Diana had died in a car crash in Paris.

Today I look at this same photograph, and I think back to that day, July 29, 1981, when the world was watching a fairy tale romance, when England’s royalty was truly loved and respected, and when life seemed to be so simple and beautiful.

I miss that moment in time.

--- Stuart Rawlings

Camping late in August has it’s advantages and disadvantages. The weather’s good, but where we camped the Meat Bees (Yellow Jacket wasps) bug the heck out of you if there are sweets or protein around. One particular evening, we were all sitting around the campfire drinking sodas and eating a hearthy spaghetti meal. We had all just served ourselves and started to eat when my wife suddenly jumped up from her seat. Her plate of pasta went flying across the campsite and she was franticly waving her arms about. Then she started spitting soda everywhere before screaming at me to get up and look in her open mouth. Covered in her pasta and soda, I asked her what the heck her problem was. She quickly said she had taken a drink of her soda and could feel and hear a bee buzzing around in her mouth. All we could figure is that a bee must have inadvertently climbed into her soda just before she took a sip. Her panicked look melted away after I looked in her empty mouth and pointed at a soda-soaked bee struggling violently stuck to one of the rocks around the campfire. For some weird reason we all started snickering, then burst into laughter at the pasta and soda strewed all over the campsite and everyone in it. Everyone was grateful she hadn’t been stung, but we all laughed hysterically repeating the performance while cleaning up the mess quickly to ensure a swarm of the little buggers wouldn't show up.

Have you ever met one of those unique eccentric individuals that no matter how off-center they are, you’re drawn to their bizarre stories and awkward demeanor? Our family had such an experience when traveling in Europe. This character was staying at one of the Bed & Breakfasts we were at and we had the unique pleasure to have breakfast with him each morning. As he was the only person at breakfast that understood English other than our immediate family (mom, dad, and three adolescent daughters), we were the center of his undivided attention. From his life’s seventy plus year’s experiences to his fascinatingly out of the ordinary opinion on just about any subject, we stiffed our giggles best we could through the meal and laughed ourselves into tears if any of us repeated his words of wisdom during our tours and travels. Even though we knew most of his political and personal opinions were far, far, far out of kilter, his recommended choices of restaurants were dead on accurate wonderful. Regardless of his eccentricities, he was an interestingly pleasant wacky cultural additional to our travels…to a point that the girls videotaped him to prove to our friends and relatives, (as well as for ourselves) that we didn’t make him up.