Well, not every day is filled with wonder and amazement. There are even days when we are just plain old tourists. We do our best to avoid interstates and keep our eyes peeled for the extraordinary. Sometimes we simply wander around in various whatever little town we come upon. We see parts of the good old US of A that we might never have gotten to explore if we were not on this unplanned adventure. Rodney is on his 9th new state. Susan is close to that number but has mostly never been anywhere near where our travels have taken us.
As we cover the many miles and seek sights to satisfy our Oddasee souls, there are more than a few recurring things that have begun to alter our perception of what America is, was and will become. As mentioned before, much of our history is being lost to time, growth and the virus of the "generic-ization" in all but the tiniest of communities. There really are times when it feels like we're in some sort of "Truman Show" or Stepford world. Uniqueness and culture is being redefined by making every thing equal/same/familiar/
That could be a bummer but for both of us it has renewed our appreciation for the uncommon and authentic. Like kids in a candy store, when we do find out of the ordinary places and meet special people, we are truly in awe. As beauty is defined in part by ugliness and knowing that true happiness cannot exist without sadness, we are now even more impressed by excellence, creativity and uniqueness.
On a lighter note, there are a few recurring themes that have forced us to stifle third grade giggling binges. i.e., How is it that practically all the motels in America are owned and/or managed by someone named Mr./Mrs./Ms Patel. It really has become amusingly absurd. Okay let's be clear here, we are not staying at Four Star resorts like The Broadmoor or the Biltmore Mansion but really, no matter if we are in the middle of Dorothy's hometown in Kansas, The Lone Star State or in downtown Houston or even the cultural explosion of New Orleans, every motel counter has someone from India or Pakistan at the helm. Really, we're not kidding. What is the story? It's not that it matters or influences our choices in any way. It's more that it has become so funny that we cannot both go into motel lobbies together for fear that Rodney will unintentionally slip into one of his very accurate Indian/Pakistani accent impersonations or Susan will start laughing inappropriately. Really does any one know why this is so often the case? Special bank loans? Are there schools in India that promote this as the career of choice. Surely there must be a reason for this absurd redundancy. Come on.... imagine that every time you went to Starbucks the person behind the counter was a blond named Jessica that had a southern drawl or what if every car mechanic was French (think Sacha Cohen in Talladega Nights).
Another thing: How is that towns with a population of less than a hundred have ten churches. I mean we can be in the middle of nowhere Alabama or South Carolina and I swear to God (so to speak) there's a church every quarter of a mile. The white paint lobby must have a very strong presence in Washington because there must be some sort of law requiring a place of worship on every curve or hill in the south and it has to be white (occasional red brick thrown in the mix). Are there like only 10 people in each church? The local softball leagues must be some sort of church against church death match.
Oh yeah there's one other thing that has become apparent..... If we were ever to move to this part of the world, there is a guaranteed business of choice. Really, screw the recession this is a slam dunk goldmine. We're talking about mowing. Yes mowing. You know like with lawn mowers/small tractors. We can see that every one down here spends vast amounts of time, energy and money mowing their yards and fields. Listen Colorado and California people, we're not talking about your pathetic little squares of sod but vast acreages of greenery. I mean it must be a law or something because these nut cases mow everything for miles. So we're thinking lawnmower/tractor sales, mowing services or mower repair.... a sure bet!
Well as you can tell, days 47 & 48 did not contain any life altering visual wonders or meetings with a living legends. So, below you'll see just a few pics from our last couple of days.
The pics are mostly of the tourist variety. We'll spare you the obligatory shots of standing next to a sign or historic marker.
1-3 Virginia Quilt Museum - Susan got her a fix.... whew! Beautiful converted house museum. They have 250 quilts in the collection with about 40 on display. Don't know what it is about the quilters; they are photo-paranoid. This is our third quilt site and none allowed photography. So the ones below were part of my sneakiness and life of art crime.
4 Virginia Mental Health Institution and Asylum - yet another abandoned structure.
5-6 The AMA Military Institute - also abandoned
7,8,9,10 - Harpers Ferry - This place is beautiful and very interesting. Great museums and walking tour. We did not anticipate how good this historic would be and could have easily spent a couple of days there instead of a few hours. Lots to see, learn and the rivers are filled with people playing in various water toys in between hikes. Note: HV is close to the mid-point of the Appalachian Trail
11-12 - The Pink Cadillac Diner - good eats and Elvis memorabilia but the highlight was the photo opportunities with the Cadillac near by. Note: Yep, that's a Mark Cline King Kong.
Love and Historic Sites mixed in with curio shops as we mow our way to Maryland, DC and Pennsylvania,
Rodney and Susan
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