I'm going to start off by saying that everyone in this world ought to have a good friend just like MY good friend, Dennis Ulrey. Dennis is one of those guys that just have a way about them to make people feel good about life and about themselves. He is forever "young" acting just about the same as he did when we all knew one another ages ago in the "land of long ago, and very far away". We used to call it "Haven High School". I like that about Dennis and he has a following of FB friends who feel the same way as I do. Now my good friend Dennis is a fine Baptist minister as well and Dennis, I hope you don't mind my saying this, but I never figured that would be your calling in life...not that I know anything. I attest to the fact that not only IS he a minister but he's one of the best that I've heard preach anywhere. Before I left, Dennis said that I should always ponder the chance of meeting either a rich lobster fisherman or a wealthy Vermont maple tree tapper along the way. Well Dennis, I didn't meet either of them but if I EVER do, you'll be the first to know. At present, my friend, I won't need your ministerial services for officiating at any services....but thanks for pointing out the possibilities. And Dennis, thanks for uplifting folks' sagging spirits each and every day. I laughed as I read some of your Face Book posts while I was gone to Maine. Your weird sense of humor made me smile every time I read it. You are a good friend, not just to me, but to many others as well.
At one of the Kwik Shop type stores that I stopped at in Ohio, there was a very honest cashier. It was early in the morning when I was in there, actually about 3:30 a.m. and my eyelids were hardly open. I got my stuff and laid down what I thought to be the right amount~$21.00. The young man looked at me and said, "Ma'am, you gave me two $20 bills instead of one." For crying out loud I must have been tired! He wouldn't have had to say ANYTHING but he did. I would have never noticed that there were two twenty dollar bills there. God bless that young man for his honesty. We had a quick visit before I got back on the road again. I told him where I had been and that I really just wanted to get home that day to Kansas. He laughed and told me of a time when had driven, not once but three times, to Texas to watch his favorite college team, the Longhorns, play football. "Hey I just wanted to see them." he explained to me. He understood exactly why my trip had been so important to me.
And for all of the "bookworms" out there, I met the most wonderful librarian named Karen at the Coburn Free Library in Owego, New York. She was kind enough to show me all around the library and tell me some of its history. Other than being a teacher, I believe that being a librarian would be about the best job ever. And you can tell, Karen loves her job! From the moment I opened the front doors, it smelled like a library SHOULD smell....of books, and lots of them. The library, now over 100 years old, hasn't changed one bit since it was constructed in the early 1900's. The original wood work and glass floors are unique and still very attractive. A steady stream of library patrons coming in and out of the front doors, was proof that even at over 100 years of age, this library was there to stay.
Last, but never least, I have to give kudos the toll booth attendants that I met along the way. They have to see thousands of people each day, all of them in a hurry to get from one place to the next. I know that some of those people speeding along on the toll road have got to be of the "grumpy" sort, yet I never met one toll booth worker who was anything but happy and seriously trying to do his/her best for the patrons that they serve. I loved the two guys in the toll booth as you enter the state of Maine. I could have listened to them speak with their "New England" accents for a long time. When they said "Welcome to Maine!", well they really meant it. (sorry but it was like the polar opposite of "Welcome to Kwik Shop!") I was surprised to learn that during the entire journey, both coming and going, I spent less than $20 on the toll roads. I had heard horror stories, prior to leaving, about spending $20 worth of quarters in just one stop. Thankfully that wasn't the case.
I never came across anyone that I knew along the way, which kind of surprised me a bit. As well, during the entire 4,000 miles journey to and from Maine, I only came across one other Kansas car after leaving the Kansas City, MO. area, but the one I did come across remarkably carried a Reno County tag! They were on the road in Indiana and we waved to one another along the way. Kind of a "kindred spirit" kind of thing I suppose. But it sure felt good knowing there was someone else out there who might know of some of the very same places I knew.
Well, I think that's it for the memories friends. Hard to believe how fast the time has gone. It will already be one week from tomorrow that I left for this adventure in the first place. Wow, how that time flew by! Remember dear friends, the fragility of this life is all around us. Do whatever you can, while you can, before it's too late. If seven days can speed by so quickly, it won't take long for the rest of our time to pass us by. What are you waiting for? Go and do~
The Coburn Free Library of the village of
Owego, New York
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