Got any interesting nicknames? I’ve been called Red. I’ve been called
Lefty. A whole group of folks used to refer
to me as Cam. Back when I was 16 I was
even called Truck for one evening. But
that’s a different story for a different day.
I’ve always wanted to share with you my most endearing nickname. But until recently I could not, because I
couldn’t figure out how to spell it.
Let me explain.
When I was three years old my family moved to Perryton,
Texas for dad’s work. Dad worked with a
group of Hispanic men, and they all fondly called him by a nickname. Dad liked the name, and passed it down to
me. I’ve always wanted to use it as a
screen name, or have it stamped on the back of a belt, or something to honor
dad. But I just didn’t know how it was
spelled. The name was pronounced KAW –
ROWL.
I loved to hear dad walk in the house after work and yell, “Where’s
KAW-ROWL?” But what did that mean? And how was it spelled? Dad said they told him it meant Red in
Spanish. But I took Spanish in 5th
grade, and I knew the Spanish word for Red is Rojo. So, the mystery lingered.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was visiting with a relative
of a relative who is Hispanic. I asked
him if he knew what KAW-ROWL meant. He
gave me a puzzled look, so I told him the back story. “OH”, he exclaimed. “You mean Colorado!”
Colorado? Isn’t that
a state? Well, yes. But it is also another word for red, in
Spanish. Of course, you have to put a
heavy roll on the R (and apparently, the D is silent?) After half a century, Mystery Solved!
So, if you like, you have my permission to call me
Colorado. But if you do, please
pronounce it KAW-ROWL, with a heavy roll on the R. And up in Heaven, Dad will be grinning!
