Whenever I have Ben on my lunch schedule, I know I will laugh. We met in the flannel-clad haze of the early 90s, slogging away bagging groceries for Dick’s Market in a kind of psycho-social high school wonderland. Teenage jobs rarely make a lot of sense, and so it was always good to have Ben around to share the madness. As I got to know Ben better, I quickly realized that he was far more than a sarcastic and quick-witted fellow bagger. He was a performer of various forms, doing musical theater and improv, and his keen taste in writing eventually convinced me to read Woody Allen for the first time. There were group dates and late night hangouts, and a memorable excursion to Yellowstone where Ben forgot to bring a sleeping bag. Eventually we moved on from Dick’s, served missions, and went to college. Ben went legit, getting married, going to law school, having a family. But we kept in touch, mostly in the form of the kind of lunches that helped to inspire this portrait project. These days our hair may be thinner (OK, pretty much gone), and our beards grayer. Ben even has a Clark Kent job for the state AG. But just like back when we spent our afternoons in red nylon aprons, I know I have a go-to man when I need a laugh and a little perspective on the madness of it all.
Earlier this summer I enjoyed what will probably be my most scenic entry in this year’s power lunch series. During a drive through Capitol Reef’s Cathedral Valley with my longtime neighbors Georgia and Milo in June, we stopped to make some quick sandwiches at a picnic area, where I was able to get off one quick shot at the table before we dove into lunch. This was the second year in a row I’ve been fortunate enough to tag along on one of their legendary off road expeditions into Southern Utah—last year we toured the San Rafael Swell—and it’s been fun to get to know Georgia and Milo better in the process. Growing up across the street from the Paskett’s, I always knew Milo as the guy who was brave enough to referee my church basketball games. They moved into the neighborhood a few years before my parents did, and their sons were a little older—I want to say I remember them riding ATVs in their wraparound yard. Later Milo became Bishop Paskett as I was preparing to serve my mission, and he was one of the first people I remember seeing when I got back from Chicago. Down the road a bit Georgia became my mom’s visiting teaching companion, and it was always reassuring—especially as my dad’s health declined—to know she and Milo were right across the street. In time I discovered that Milo shared my interest in photography, which has now led to a pair of fun road trips. But as much as I’ll remember the beautiful places we’ve visited and photographed, I’ll also value the time spent with Georgia and Milo, and the chance to gain a new perspective on the street where I grew up.
So this week I’m making the newest entry in the “friends who aren’t on social media” sub-category of my Power Lunch project, also known as the “friends I’m jealous of, though their lack of social media presence is a periodic inconvenience” sub-category. (And for anyone expecting a Bountiful Wildfire post, it will be forthcoming...eventually.) Brandon was one of the first guys I met in the early days of my YSA phase, back when I had not just hair, but long hair—if you can believe it—and long before the University 32nd Ward became “Club 32.” We became quick friends after he was assigned as my home teacher, which was good because otherwise I might have been too intimidated to befriend a guy nicknamed Hype who regularly did backflips after bowling strikes. Brandon’s true nature was quickly revealed, however—be sure to ask him about his white VW if you get the chance—and over time we became travel buddies thanks to a pair of Yellowstone trips, we were roommates during 9/11, and once he stopped taking construction-related jobs all over the western United States and returned to Davis County, I got to attend his sealing to his wife Erika (who thankfully IS on social media). These days Brandon is a dad several times over, and though he’s not doing backflips, he’s still the life of the party, still doing construction-related jobs (in Utah), and still an awesome friend. When we first met, I figured our friendship would be brief given the quick turnover nature of the singles ward. I’m very happy to have been proven wrong.
