Cropduster

I took a great vacation a few years ago with my brother Steve and my "kid sister" Rita. Rita is my ex-girlfriend's little sister, and a great travel companion.

We were in Colorado, going across the Alamosa County plains south of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument (why is a naturally occurring feature called a "Monument"? you're supposed to make a monument).

My brother pointed out a small yellow plane and said, "there's a crop duster." I looked over and saw this tiny plane with not much bulk to it. I couldn't see any nozzles on the wings, no piping, and no liquid tanks. Maybe I had a vision of a crop dusting plane from watching Petticoat Junction in my youth, but the plane he pointed out wasn't what I expected in a crop duster.

I said as much, which started somewhat of an eruption on my brother's part. He was mad that I doubted him, and expressed quite vehemently that he knew what he was talking about and this was a crop duster.

Rita and I found it quite hilarious. You've probably been there. At some point in your life, you will experience someone that is quite angry, yet very comical at the same time. Rita and I were laughing hysterically and when Steve wound down, we would start him up again with a simple, "I don't know...." or "I'm not so sure about that..." and it would start again. He was on a roll. He was in one of those times where "at a loss for words" is the furthest from the truth.

I don't think he was quite as furious as he sounded, because we were laughing and he kept on ranting. I think if we really offended him badly, he would have shut up and not said a word.

We had a great rest of the day, trying to climb the Great Sand Dunes, and then leaping down in large loping strides. I was "Sand-tor" that day. We ended up in Taos later that evening and it was really one of those days that are almost perfect.

I can't speak for Rita, but I can say that I really did not think it was a crop duster. Despite Steve's insistence, it just didn't seem right. The plane was just so tiny. I did not doubt that Steve believed it was, I just assumed he was mistaken. Of course, there was no way to prove it, so it was one of those unresolved issues that come up from time to time.

Until we were on the way home. Somewhere out around Garden City Kansas, after looking for ghost towns and climbing the Capulin volcano earlier that day, we were making the long drive back. Suddenly, I noticed that there was one of those little yellow planes that Steve had pointed out earlier and called a crop duster. "Hey, there's one of those planes" was about all I had time to say before it dropped down, leveled out, and started spraying a field. We watched it pull up, bank steeply, and turn around for its next spraying run.

I'll be damned. It was a crop duster.

You rarely get such instant and complete vindication in your life as Steve did that day. Somehow, it wasn't enough. To Rita and I, it was still fun and funny. Steve's rant was easily in the top 3 or 4 funny things I've ever heard in my life. Maybe it's just a show, but to this day, he still gets a little mad when we bring it up. And even though I don't remember much of what he said, to this day it still makes me smile and feel like laughing.