Thirty Fifth Visit to Taft

Last week was Labor Day and the administrative staff at Taft decided Monday would be a free visiting day, meaning no points would be charged against the inmates. Ron has 20 points per month, so I decided to visit both Sunday (6 points) and Monday (free). Carole, whom I have been driving with all summer and getting to know well and quickly, suggested we drive together from LA on Sunday morning, visit all day, then overnight with her friends Linda and Rod in Bakersfield. I had just met Linda the prior week, and was anxious to get to know her better, so I said "Yes". Although Carole is back in school, she decided to make one more trip to Taft to see her husband Michael before she was completely consumed with her nursing program.

Two days together! I was very excited at the prospect of this, as we have not had more than 1 visiting day per week since Ron arrived. It was a wonderful day. As the phone service had been spotty the week before we had much to talk about and catch up on. Family news, what I've been doing, what Ron's been doing and of course, talk about the future. The latter creeps into every visit we have. Will we rent another house or will we be able to buy? Will Ron's business be as successful as we think it will? Will we be able to travel to Los Angeles and Colorado while Ron is on probation to visit children, mom and grandchildren? So many questions, no answers. We had a wonderful visit and were not pressured to squeeze everything into one day, knowing I would be back the following morning. Carole and I left around 2:45 and headed to Bakersfield.

Linda and Rod are living near Taft to support their son, who has about 4 more years of a long sentence left to go. They are amazing parents, giving up their own retirement and life in Washington to be there for their son. Sometime I will tell you more about their story, but I must check with them first. They have a beautiful home in Bakersfield, and I immediately felt at home. They were so warm and welcoming. We had a delicious, healthy dinner (they're on the Atkins diet), then sat around until bed time telling stories and sharing experiences. No one understands what a prison wife is going through like another prison wife. Others can sit and listen, fascinated, but only someone who has walked the walk can truly understand what it's like. We had a great time laughing, crying and venting.

Monday morning we were up early and at Taft by 8:15. We planned to stay until noon, hoping to miss the homebound traffic. I felt like an oldtimer, even though I've only been coming there for 35 weeks. The room was jam packed with visitors, and I knew many of them. I visited with Ron as well as socialized with new friends and met more new friends of Rons. It was a fun, light hearted day. We laughed a lot, talked even more and thoroughly enjoyed the morning. Before I turned around, it was noon, and Carole and I needed to get going. Ron and I said a quick goodbye, a hug and a kiss, knowing I would be back to visit in just 5 days. Carole and Michael, however, lingered. They know they will not see each other for more than a month.

We took off, but due to the fact that I was starving, we stopped at the local Subway in Maricopa for lunch. All I can say is this is nowhere you EVER want to go. I will tell you more about it another time, but for now I will just say it looks like a deserted ghost town. We got our footlong, headed down route 166 towards the 5 freeway, and I was home before 4pm. A great weekend. I can't wait until another free holiday visit and another chance for back to back visits.