Dinner at the Local Firehouse

We are "on the road again" as Willie Nelson likes to sing, and what fun it can be!

Life is always taking an unexpected turn, even at home, but when you are on the road, it often takes wild turns on a dime.

Went into two truck stops to buy post cards to put in my scrapbook.  At both they told me, "Oh we don't sell those." And one suggested that the best place to buy local postcards was the hospital.  Huh???

Tried to buy David a strawberry milkshake at one place, but they didn't sell those.  They offered jamocha instead.  Surprising, but good.

Last night, we pulled into a little town near Tupelo, Mississippi and checked into a hotel that appeared to be new.  It is a chain we use fairly often so as I slid my "priority" card across the front desk the hostess asked where we were from.

"California."  I didn't elaborate, as we had been on the road for hours and I was tired.

Immediately her whole face lit up and she exclaimed, "California!  Really?  You are my very first customer from California."  She seemed to love just saying the name of the state that, to her, apparently was a fantasy as far away as the moon.

Not all the locals were as enamored with our point of origin as she was.  We went to dine at a local place she recommended as the "best in town."  It served deep fried catfish and hush puppies on the menu.

The waitress was wearing a T-shirt which read, "Hollister, California", so we smiled and said, "Are you from California?"

She looked shocked and said, "Oh, no.  I just ordered this shirt online."

Huh???  No disrespect intended, but I could see maybe San Diego, or Malibu, but Hollister?  It really isn't a "destination of choice."  To each his own.

Our food was a long time coming, so of course, David, ever the gregarious one, asks the fellow at the next table, "You from around here?"  He said that he was.

David then volunteered that we were from California.  The man looked almost as surprised as the waitress had, and just said sardonically, "You didn't tell them that before you ordered, did you?"

More on the Firehouse next time....