Day 1
I really gotta speak to my travel secretary. I’m gonna be working on Memorial Day AND I’m flying into Indianapolis on the day of one of the biggest car races on the planet. I’m watching the Indianapolis 500 on the seatback screen on the plane, begging for a stoppage of some sort so I can get out of town before the bajillion people in the stands all decide to leave. I landed with 13 laps to go, and I guess they’re all still stuck in the parking lot because the roads around Indianapolis aren’t that bad. Turns out, the 500 had its closest finish in its storied history, so I missed all the excitement. The top speeds I saw were around 220 miles per hour, but I didn’t get over 50 all the way to Marion, where I’m headed for the first part of my week.
In Marion, Indiana, a historical marker marks the birthplace of American actor James Dean. A black marble monument upon which the actor’s picture is engraved stands in the background.
Marion sits on the banks of the Mississinewa River and is the site of the largest battle of the War of 1812 when American troops fought against a largely Miami Indian force, aligned with the usurping British. The town was named after Sir Francis Marion, otherwise known as the Swamp Fox, made famous for his exploits during the Revolutionary War. His character is personified in the movie “The Patriot” starring Mel Gibson. Marion is the birthplace of James Dean and cartoonist Jim Davis, of Garfield fame, and is the site of the marriage of Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts. I’ve always thought Lyle got a raw deal there and still do.
Day 2
I’m here to see Darrell, who lost his vision 17 years ago and is trying to become more independent here in his hometown. I met him at his current home, and we drove over to his new apartment, where he’ll be moving on Saturday. We’re going to find routes to the grocery store, gym, and other destinations to which he can travel safely.
We start off in the new apartment complex with a route to his mother’s place, and after a few repetitions, he’s got it down pretty well. We go from there to a local retail store, the salon where he takes his kids to get their hair cut, his gym, the grocery store, and a local restaurant. That seems like a lot, and it was, but Darrell is taking it all in. One of the benefits of this program are all the repetition you get throughout the day and over the time span we spend with our clients. I’ll be here 3 days, as Darrell already has good skills, but just needs help with his new routes.
I learned some things today. If you lose the elastic of your folding cane into the cane itself, no amount of muscle will get it out. Darrell’s original cane is in this situation. His tip is just jammed onto the end, not connected to the elastic that holds it together, as per usual. I’ve pushed, pulled, and used every other muscle movement to coax it out, but I need a wire coat hanger. Hotels don’t use wire coat hangers anymore, probably because people like me were always using them for things other than hanging clothes.
The other thing I learned tonight is that cheese curds are only good if they’re fresh, really fresh, like THAT day fresh, or of course, fried. If you buy them in the grocery store in a package, they have the texture of cheese from a can, and that’s not good. I had the freshest cheese curds in Wisconsin a couple of trips ago and have bought them pre-packaged from the store the last two trips. It is not even close to the same product. Very disappointing. I’ve tried it so you don’t need to. Go fresh or just don’t do it. Trust me.
In the Marion Veterans National Cemetery, white headstones stand in neat rows, each adorned with small American flags for Memorial Day.
Today being Memorial Day, I went to the Marion campus of the Veterans Administration hospital, also the site of a Veteran’s National Cemetery. Very much like Arlington, the headstones were all lined up in perfect rows from every angle at which looked. Every one was adorned with a small American flag. I strolled along the gravesites and found some dating as far back as the Spanish American War. Very humbling to be in the midst of all of this. I know not all of them lost their lives in battle, as Memorial Day remembers, but they all served.
Day 3
I met Darrell at his new apartment complex, and we got right to work. We practiced routes to the office and his mom’s apartment, then we got out on the street for some of the longer routes.
Kem Street in Marion is pretty busy and, even though it feels counterintuitive, a busy street can be the blind traveler’s best friend. In the absence of anything concrete to follow, aligning yourself with traffic can keep you out and get you out of some disorienting situations. Not exactly sure if you’re lined up correctly for your street crossing? Listen to traffic. Get turned around in a driveway or parking lot? Listen to traffic.
On this particular route, the traffic on Kem sounds (and is) very close to Darrell as he travels. A fairly wide strip of grass lies between the sidewalk and the street, so it’d take a herculean effort to get into the street from where he’s walking, but the sound and the sense of closeness can be unnerving. But if he can get used to it, it will be of great service to him. We checked out a new gym, his favorite shoe shop, a barber shop, and the salon where he takes his kids to get their hair cut. All of these are in the same shopping center on the same side of Kem as his new apartment. He’s done a good job of arranging things so that he can get most of his business done on without having to cross either Kem or many evil, evil parking lots. He’ll have to get across it for groceries, eventually, but this is a great start.
Wearing a white Braves jersey and jeans, Darrell uses his cane while walking on the sidewalk across the street from the courthouse.
We went downtown this afternoon and parked at the courthouse where Lyle married Julia. I never saw what he saw in her… Anyway, we checked out a leather store, an ice cream shop, a barbeque joint, a dry cleaner (who we later saw mowing his grass, so we now know where he lives…) and the public library. I’ve told you all of these destinations because I’m making the point that Darrell is just living his life. We’re not doing complex, difficult things. We’re just living life. His kids will need a haircut. He wants them to get to the library this summer. He likes brisket. O&M is everything and everything is O&M.
Day 4
It’s finally raining like it’s been threatening the whole time I’ve been here. Not bad, and Darrell isn’t afraid of getting wet. We spent some time downtown working a route the to library and we did a Juno walk on the way back. A Juno walk is basically walking with an empty harness, simulating walking with a guide dog. It didn’t take long for Darrell to get used to not having his cane in his hand. In fact, he really enjoyed it. He was grinning like he stole something by the time we got back to the truck.
One of the biggest differences between traveling with a dog vs a cane is you don’t get nearly as much tactile feedback. You also get from point A to point B a little quicker. Not necessarily because you’re walking faster, although maybe a little. But it’s because you’re not stopping as much. Much like taking the express train vs. the local. You don’t make all the stops. The cane is an obstacle detection device, while the dog is an obstacle avoidance device.
From downtown, we went back to the new apartment complex to practice those routes one more time. He’ll need more practice, but everyone does. We only did three days. Even if Darrell had had 5 days, he’d need more practice. The most experienced travelers on the planet need practice. Darrell is even considering coming to campus at Leader for another week of O&M, just to keep the momentum going.
By the way, there is no limit to our services. If you’ve had O&M from us on campus, I can still travel to you on the road, or vice versa. Darrell and I go over his homework before I leave for my next stop. Three main things Darrell has to do after I’m gone: 1. Practice 2. Practice 3. Practice.
I’m headed to Logansport, Indiana but along the way, I plan on stopping in Peru, the home of Grissom Air Force Base. It’s an Air Force Reserve site now, but in the summer of 1985, I think, I traveled there with my family to see my Uncle Terry and Aunt Shirley, the otherwise-Renaissance couple about whom I’ve written here before. Uncle Terry was stationed at Grissom and Aunt Shirley worked in nearby Kokomo. What I remember most about my trip to Indiana was all the corn. For as far as you could see, corn. Everywhere corn.
Along the way to Peru, I stopped in Bennett’s Switch, Indiana, to buy some lemonade from some enterprising young men who had set up a table in the shade on the side of the road. I don’t remember the last time I passed up a lemonade stand, especially when they are run by enterprising young people. A dollar for a cup of lemonade, and a dollar for a cup of water. A much better deal than the convenience store just a thousand yards up the road. Nice cup of lemonade, too. Sweet, but not too sweet, while maintaining the tartness of the lemon. I stood in the sun and drank my lemonade and chatted with the young men until I was done. They offered a free refill, but I politely refused, allowing them to keep a clear profit margin.
“It was at that moment I knew, most surely and clearly, that I was witnessing perfection. I stood, not on [the side of the road in Bennett’s Switch], but suspended above the earth, free from all its laws, like a work of art. And I knew, just as surely and as clearly, that life is not a work of art, and that the moment could not last.”
So, when the phone rang as I reentered the truck, I answered and asked no questions. I learned of my good friend’s death from complications of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It had only been three months since his diagnosis, but it had progressed quite rapidly. I visited with him on Friday before I left town for this trip. I told him that I loved him, and that I would see him upon my return. I’ve just been told that I won’t get to do that after all. I’ve since been asked to write and perform his eulogy. I don’t know how I’ll get through that, but I’m sure I’ll have to borrow words from others, like I did in the paraphrased quote above from Norman McClean. Whatever I compose, it most surely and clearly will not be close to McClean’s prose. And it won’t, most surely and clearly, be good enough for my friend.
Day 5
I’m in Logansport to see Isaias, who’s been to campus before, and the great and powerful Hannah was his instructor. I know, because of this fact, that I won’t be teaching any foundational skills. Hannah’s good y’all. (I know I say this a lot and, yes, I’m biased towards my team, but we’ve got a good group of Mobility Specialists on campus. And they get to see their clients 5 days in a row, which means they get a ton of reps. If you get that many reps over that short period of time, you’ll come out the other end with a great set of foundational skills. I truly believe that if you gave any O&M specialist on the planet those conditions, that you’d get a similar result.)
Logansport was settled in 1826 and named for a Shawnee warrior named James Logan, better known as Captain Logan, who was a scout for U.S. forces during the War of 1812. It sits at the confluence of the Wabash and Eel rivers, through which the Erie Canal connected in 1837. Logansport High School is known as the first school in Indiana to adopt a mascot. The animated Felix the Cat was adopted as the mascot somewhere between 1925 and ’26.
Isaias moved back home from Indianapolis after attending job training in the environmental services area. He’s been waiting for a job coach position to be filled by the state rehabilitation agency in order to get a job in town. We met with Bryan, Isaias’ rehab counselor, who let us know that as soon as a job was found, Isaias would be employed and he would have access to a door-to-door bus service. This gives me all the information I need to make a plan for the three days here. We’re gonna ride the bus. A lot.
Routes to and from the bus stop and to locations around each bus stop will be expanded upon by Isaias well after I’m gone. Logansport has a bus that runs a fixed route around town, stopping at most of the major areas. It’s also free, which is great for a young man like Isaias who is yet to be gainfully employed. Soon, though…
Day 6
We began at Walmart, site of one of the bus stops and rode the entire circuit, just so I can get a feel for what that entails. We met Sheila, the bus driver, who was a wealth of information, as well as many other regulars on the bus. I’ve spoken about the benefits of being a regular, and evidence of this was exhibited by Sheila, who made unscheduled stops along the route for folks she knew well. She’s allowed to do this as long as she doesn’t deviate from the route, and she did this for three different riders during our circuit. Nothing wrong with being a regular. Being looked-out-for. Not done-for. That’s a whole other bag, and one Isaias isn’t in need of opening.
Wearing a light teal t-shirt and dark pants, Isaias uses his cane on Market Street in Logansport, Indiana
After figuring out the circuit, Isaias caught the bus and rode it by himself and got off at a spot upon which we had previously decided. He did this with no problems, nor did I expect him to have any. We finished the day with practicing the route from his house to the nearest bus stop, only 4 blocks away. We shut it down a little early because we’re doing a night lesson tonight.
Isaias has a little remaining vision, and he uses it to his benefit. For instance, he can see the crosswalk lines, if they’re present. He can also see the walk/don’t walk signal, if there is one. He can’t tell exactly what it is, but he can tell when it changes, and he pairs this information with the movement of traffic in the intersection to determine a safe crossing.
However, at night, this benefit goes away. He’ll have to use the information that he’s provided by his cane (tactile) and his ears (auditory). There are no new cane skills to be taught at night. You’re using the same skills you did in the daytime. It’s much more about confidence. Just knowing you can travel without any visual input is important to the psyche. We spent the better part of an hour doing just that. We crossed streets and made decisions at intersections, just like we had during the day, but Isaias was a little nervous. You and I would be, too. I promise. He overcame this feeling and did a great job.
Day 7
Our last day started without me. Isaias found the bus stop closest to his home and rode it into downtown without me present at all. On purpose. We made plans to meet at the public library, not a regular stop on the bus route, which means not only does he have to find the bus stop and get on by himself, but he’ll also have to communicate with the bus driver to request a stop in between stops. We learned yesterday that Sheila will do this, but Isaias will have to communicate this to her on his own.
As I expected, he showed up at the library right on time. This route is also one he’ll have to perform on the date of his next meeting with Bryan, his rehab counselor. I DO have the bigger picture in mind. Sometimes. We talked about all those things that are important when seeking employment, like being on time for meetings and communicating with those who are assisting you. I think Isaias will do just fine.
We traveled around downtown to several destinations, just for some more practice in street crossings and familiarization. One stop included the local farmer’s market. One of my favorite stops in the spring, summer, and fall. I’m often not in town on Saturdays, but this new schedule may change some things. This is one benefit of working on a Saturday. A little too soon for produce, this farmer’s market has a lot of baked goods and crafts, plus some live music. Isaias is a drummer for the band at his church, so he appreciates other folks who can make music. I appreciate it, too, but in a different way. I can barely play the radio, but I really like the sound that comes out of it.
I’m headed to Indianapolis for a flight tomorrow, but not before a stop at the Sycamore. An ice cream shop, recommended by Isaias, that’s been around for over 70 years. It’s located right in the middle of a neighborhood, which adds to the charm. It has no seating except for some benches on one side of the building, a drive-through, and a walk-up window. Yesterday, I treated myself to an orange cream whip, which was much like an orange sherbet/Orange Julius combination. It was life changing! I thought another whip for road might be nice, but I noticed that one of the scoop flavors today is Butter Pecan. I usually can’t pass up Butter Pecan, and today was no exception. It was as smooth and creamy as it should be, but the pecans had a little salt on them, which was a nice twist. If you’re ever in the Logansport area, The Sycamore is, I think, a must.
Written by Barry Staford, certified orientation and mobility specialist (COMS)