Ed Willows

Part two of Ruth's interview with her dad, Ed Willows. 

Part II

Ruth: So, growing up here in Golden Valley wasn’t so good.
Ed: No, I didn’t say that. I said I didn’t love working on the ranch. Especially after Robbie’s accident, Dad was acting like I was gonna take Robbie’s place by his side. That just wasn’t what interested me. One day, Dad and I had a heated discussion about my future. Luckily, my mom stepped in. She told Dad I wasn’t Robbie, that I was going to go to college to be an engineer or what ever else I wanted to be.
Ruth: I love Grand-daddy, but I know he can be stubborn. How did he take that?
Ed: He was miffed for a day or two, but he understood and fully supported all my decisions.
Ruth: You were interested in building skyscrapers, right?
Ed: Yes, I had built models of all the famous ones, Both World Trade Centers, the Chrysler Building, and my favorite, the Empire State Building.
Ruth: But you never got to actually work on one, did you?

Ed: I got to visit and tour a lot of them, but I never actually worked on one.

Ruth: Is that okay with you? You came back here instead of fulfilling your dream.

Ed: Honey, dreams change. The engineering of those humongous structures fascinated me as a kid, heck they still do. But as I studied and started working as an engineer, I realized there were a lot more aspects to the job than just working on skyscrapers. When I met your Mom, and married her, my dreams changed again. Having a family and putting down roots became more important to me than big buildings. I might have changed my mind throughout my life, but I’m not unhappy with my decisions.

Ruth: You had put down roots in upstate New York, why did you decide to come back when Grandmother Lottie died?

Illustration
Illustration

Ed: Your Mom had a lot to do with that decision, and I agreed with her. Too many family farms and ranches were disappearing. We didn’t want that to happen to Tall Willows. The ranch is too big for one person to run it alone. We all know your Grand-daddy would never give it up. I’m not as keen on ranch work as my dad, but I do love this place. We thought that coming back to Colorado made a lot of good sense for everyone.
Ruth: It was hard to get used to it when we first moved here, but I am glad we did.
Ed: I remember you were not having anything to do with moving. You thought moving to Colorado was like falling off the face of the Earth.
Ruth: I was little, what did I know. . .
Ed: It’s alright honey. But what do you think of my old home now?
Ruth: I love it here. I love the ranch, the mountains, Grand-daddy’s horses, and I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if we’d stayed back east.